Holden Beach to buy 1.5-acres for future paid parking lot
It's common to see Holden Beach day trippers park along a privately owned vacant lot off N.C. 130 before launching their boats or casting their lines. Now they'll have to pay.
The town of Holden Beach purchased the 1.5-acre property between Shore Drive and Brunswick Avenue, commonly known as Block Q, for $2 million to further its paid parking plan.
The property could add up to 225 spaces to the roughly 500 the town approved earlier this year, set to take effect May 1.
The deal calls for Holden Beach to pay $1 million up front at closing with the seller financing the rest over three years, which will amount to equal payments just under $350,000 each.
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According to Holden Beach Property Owners Association President Tom Myers, over 80% of homeowners surveyed were opposed to the town buying more land for parking.
"Frankly, the transaction is a little weird to me," Myers said.
The seller, Holden Beach Enterprises Inc., also "gifted" the town $200,000 off the $2.2 million asking price. According to town attorney Richard Green, there is a roughly $30,000 tax garnishment against the property, which will not come from the town.
"Either way, it's not going to affect us. We pay nothing on this garnishment," Green said of moving forward with the purchase before the lien is paid. "That amount will be taken from the seller's proceeds."
Myers said while the purchase will bring in more revenue, residents are concerned about the effect it will have on the town's character and traffic.
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"The fundamental question is how many parking lots do we really need on the island," he said. "Obviously, people that don't live here want to come to the beach and they need a place to park. For the homeowners it's like, do we really want to accommodate bringing all these people and what are the consequence?"
In March, the town approved a paid parking plan during the tourist season that's expected to generate about $200,000 each year, which it'll use to help pay off the financing for the pier purchase.
The pier property will also be used for paid parking.
Reporter John Orona can be reached at 910-343-2327 or jorona@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Holden Beach to pay $2M for Block Q to further it's paid parking plan
