Residents press town on parking enforcement and possible garage as workshop weighs trade-offs

A recurring theme at the workshop was parking: residents said current spaces are often full, sometimes by nonresidents and employees of nearby businesses, and that enforcement appears inconsistent. One longtime resident asked whether resort or event staff receive preferential treatment that prevents enforcement; town staff responded that the lot is public and enforcement is handled via the ParkMobile app and by the police and development services division, though residents said they rarely see tickets issued.

Consultants presented a concept that maintains the existing flat lot footprint while adding roughly 10 spaces at the north end and removing a couple at the very north for a turnaround. The plan shows a possible parking structure as a phase 2 or 3 option to increase capacity, but CPZ and staff emphasized that the current concept assumes the flat lot remains unless the community chooses otherwise. "This lot that you see in front of you assumes that the parking at least maintains the same number of spots that we currently have," Town Manager Brian Raducci said.

Residents urged alternatives to a garage, including stricter enforcement, better loading management for adjacent businesses, design changes to existing lots to optimize spaces, and using other municipal parcels or interlocal options with neighboring jurisdictions instead of building on the oceanfront. Staff said financing, enforcement, and operation details would be evaluated later if the community supports a garage.