Surf City officials wrestle with public parking

Some issues are almost universal. Even with enough access parking we struggle with parking on the street issues in Nags Head.

The Daily News, Jacksonville NC

The Daily News, Jacksonville NC: "Councilman Mike Curley noted that the Army Corps of Engineers requires public beaches to have beach accesses every half mile and 10 parking spaces for each mile of beach. Because the town has limited parking lots in certain areas, street side parking has been posed as a substitute for more lots."

""This has been our sales pitch," Curley said.

Residents contended that street side parking has been a source of constant aggravation during the busy season.

Town resident Candice Cleeves said tourists routinely litter, park and urinate on the right of way abutting her property.

"Should the taxpayers be punished for the day trippers who come on the island to swim and fish?" Cleeves asked. "There really needs to be something done about this."

Mayor Pro-Tem Nelva Albury noted that the town's island location limited the town's available land for parking, making street side and right-of-way parking essential.

"If we stop them from parking on the streets, where are they going to park?" Albury asked.

"We can't just put them out in the woods somewhere.""

"At the request of the council, the Surf City Police Department conducted a study concerning parking on the sides of streets. After determining that the streets were too narrow to allow street parking, the Police Department proposed a text amendment to disallow parking on 16 streets located primarily in the canal zone.