(NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC WBTW) Paid parking begins tomorrow in public beach parking lots along Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach.
The meters, which do not accept cash or coins, are active between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M.
The parking season will end on October 31st, and the meters cost $2 an hour.
The City hired Lanier Parking to maintain the equipment, enforcement and ticketing of the paid lots. Officials with the City say this is the cheaper alternative and will pay the company about $1,900 a month plus 6.5% of gross income. Lanier Parking is also the company which enforcing parking in Downtown Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach.
Several parking lots along Ocean Boulevard have been expanded as well, which is affecting some handicapped accessibility.
The City is building temporary ramps at 10th Ave. N and 12 Ave. N. to replace ramps that were removed to allow for expanded parking.
The ramp on 10th Ave. N will be complete in about a week and work on the 12 Ave. N ramp will follow.
There are parking pass options for North Myrtle Beach residents this year.
City officials tell News13, if you are a North Myrtle Beach property owner and your vehicle and/or golf cart is registered to your North Myrtle Beach property address, you can get a free parking pass. Your golf cart also must be permitted through the South Carolina DMV.
Those who qualify should bring their license and registration to City Hall.The changes to parking are a result of multiple studies and findings from Kimley-Horn, the consultant the City hired to solve what officials described as a “chaotic” parking situation by the beach.
Paid parking and expanding beach front lots are just the beginning of changes to parking according to the spokesman for the City of North Myrtle Beach who says there will be another round of council work shops and opportunities for public input before a long-term plan for the City is developed.
