The Dive: Life’s a Beach

Parking fees return to area beaches this Friday, and despite local resistance, they’re going to be more expensive this season. 

The Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen approved a premium parking program last month and will charge $6 an hour, or $30 a day, for its best spots. Carolina Beach’s new premium space hourly rate is $7, or $35 a day. Kure Beach, meanwhile, has kept its rates the same.

“We’ve got to make more money just to keep up with inflation,” Carolina Beach Councilmember Jay Healy said in a meeting about the changes, according to Port City Daily. “Our bills need to be paid and need to come from somewhere.”

Beachgoers have similar concerns, but lack such taxing authority. 

In 2018, hourly parking rates were $2.50 in Wrightsville and Carolina Beach. The new premium rates represent a 180 and 160 percent hike, respectively–far more than the rate of inflation over that time period (an inflation-adjusted hourly rate would be about $3). 

Widened enforcement hours have similarly stung locals who frequent the beaches but don’t–and likely can’t afford to–live in town.

Nearly 3,300 people have signed a petition asking Wrightsville Beach leaders to lower fees and consider a reduced rate for locals.

“Access to nature shouldn’t cost a fortune, especially for residents who are already paying taxes for the area,” one petitioner wrote. 

It’s doubtful it will make a dent. Freshly minted signage with the new premium rates had already been installed at the Crystal Pier parking lot by midday Tuesday.

Thanks to a legal carve-out, New Hanover County’s beach towns can charge whatever they want for on-street parking. Nearly all the state’s other coastal communities are restricted to charge only what it costs to maintain status quo and enforcement, but local towns have secured an exemption to state law.

The exemption has helped them boost their savings accounts and keep property taxes low. Wrightsville collected $6.7 million in parking revenues last fiscal year–close to twice as much generated by property taxes. The idea is to shift the beach upkeep burden away from residents and onto tourists. Over the years, governments at all levels have dumped millions into rejuvenating the shorelines.

It could also be argued that property owners in beach towns pay for most of the services and amenities visitors enjoy, like first responders or maintenance. 

Soaring property values have made Wrightsville Beach one of the most expensive zip codes in the state. And because the town has developed an exclusionary reputation, some see the parking rates as a curt message to outsiders: We don’t want you here. Town leaders’ longstanding reluctance to permit a public transportation route hasn’t helped quell that perspective. 

Meanwhile, public parking rates in Hilton Head, South Carolina, top out at $1 an hour, and they offer a free trolly service. In Folly Beach, the rate is $2.50. 

Hey, at least it’s not New Jersey, where beachgoers have to pay just to step foot on most public beaches.

– Johanna F. Still

Catch up on an audio conversation on last week’s edition of The Dive here, or contact us with story ideas and feedback at wilmington@theassemblync.com.

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Bedroom Blues

Pender County has long been a bedroom community for Wilmington, with lower rents and a short commute. Even after median housing costs started to catch up, many residents found they got more for their money.

The development boom has disrupted the more rural lifestyle many found attractive, but even the residents who can cope with changes face another problem: The growth has been seriously lopsided, with tons of new residential construction and very little commercial development.

“What we have in Pender County is ever-increasing residential density and growth without comparable commercial growth,” Commissioner Jackie Newton, who is running for reelection this year, told WHQR.

According to the county, about 10 percent of the tax base is commercial. A healthier rate would be around 25-30 percent, said County Manager David Andrews.

Commercial development helps generate tax revenue with less stress on county services. Meanwhile, every new housing unit means higher demand for water and sewer, public safety, and most of all, public education. And, as Newton noted, many of those residents are shopping and dining out in Wilmington, where the sales tax isn’t coming home with them at the end of the day. 

To make matters worse, some of Pender’s densest population growth is in Hampstead, a region that hasn’t coalesced into a formerly chartered municipality after a faltering attempt back in 2019. So unlike Burgaw or Surf City, it doesn’t have its own local services, and the county is on the hook. The western part of the county, meanwhile, is vast and sparsely populated, making it expensive to deliver services. 

All of that has pushed Pender’s tax rate up. Last year commissioners raised it from $0.645 on $100 (around the statewide average) to $0.7375 to support the county’s $178 million school bond.

Commissioner Brad George, who is running for reelection after being appointed last year, said the land-use mismatch is costing residents.

“It’s always coming on the back of the residential taxpayers, currently. And until we get some commercial growth and some industrial growth it’s gonna continue to be that way, unfortunately,” George said.

Pender has seen some success with its industrial park, and the county recently inked a $168,000 deal with a consulting firm to help develop a 20-year plan. But neither has alleviated the immediate growing pains.

WHQR asked this year’s candidates to give the county’s economic development a letter grade. The results were tellingly consistent. Newton gave it a “C-minus,” George offered a “C … maybe a C-plus.” Joe Cina, who is running against George, also offered a C.

It’s not failing. But for a county that wants to be more than a residential annex of the greater Wilmington area, there’s definitely room for improvement.

–Benjamin Schachtman

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Primary Reminder

Don’t forget to vote in Tuesday’s primary election!

Early voting hours are available through Saturday in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties. You can also cast a ballot on Election Day, of course. Polls in all precincts will be open from 6:30 a.m. through 7:30 p.m.

Check your registration, affiliation status, and sample ballots here.

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Around the Region

‘Crackhead Express’: There’s a new podcast out that covers the escapades of “Crazy” Dale Varnum, the News & Observer reports. Linked to Pablo Escobar, Varnum ran a drug trafficking operation from his tiny Brunswick County town.

Water Woes: Hampstead residents are fed up with a private water supplier, WHQR reports. The fees are much higher than the nearest public local water authority, but residents complain of odor and poor customer service. 

Giving Us The Runarounds: Amazon has picked up a new show from the creator of the Outer Banks, according to Port City Daily. The pilot for The Runarounds was shot in Wilmington last year, and another eight episodes are set to film here this summer and fall.

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Around the State

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