The Wrightsville Beach Surf Mamas are spearheading this latest challenge to the town's policies on paid parking. They're hoping to secure free parking from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Kelly Wolfe helped organize the effort. She says that the current parking measures have hurt lower income families.
"You know, we're a working class family, but if we're questioning going to the beach and our accessibility to it, how are other people managing? And having the right and access to the beach on fixed incomes, on low incomes? It really limits who has that kind of accessibility," she told WHQR. "Everyone should have a right to access our local resources and our beaches."
Jenna Haverstock of the Plastic Ocean Project also spoke at the meeting. She said paid parking had an impact on their volunteers.
"As someone who has completed and coordinated innumerable beach cleanups at no cost, the Wrightsville Beach community paid parking is a barrier for us to get volunteers out here," she said.
Street parking rates in Wrightsville Beach are currently $5 an hour or $30 a day, with enforcement from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The rate has doubled in the past decade: in 2016, the hourly rate was just $2.50, and enforcement only ran from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wrightsville Beach has also introduced the "premium" designation for spots closer to the beach or to public amenities, meaning higher rates ($6 an hour, or $35 a day) and longer enforcement hours. Port City Daily reported in 2024 that over a quarter of the 1,800 public parking spots in town are now premium.
The group's online petition has garnered nearly 13,000 signatures, mostly from Wilmington and Hampstead residents. Still, Mayor Daryl Mills told the group that the board wasn't ready to consider the proposal that night. Wolfe says she wasn't surprised.
"I think their response was sort of expected. Unfortunately, Wrightsville has a reputation for not always being very receptive to progressive measures or changing when it comes to anything that affects revenue being brought into the town," she said. "But I still am hopeful. Haynes [Brigman, the town manager] was gracious enough to meet with us prior to this meeting tonight, and to me, that demonstrated that there is some interest."
The group says it will continue to attend public meetings and advocate for free parking.
"Even though they had kind of a flat response to things tonight, I really think they should consider, and I'm hopeful that they will continue to reach out to us and we can continue to work towards a solution," she said.
WHQR has reached out to the town of Wrightsville Beach and will update with their comments.
