Sullivan's Is. eyes paid parking

  • Jessica Johnson
  • Posted: Thursday, August 5, 2010 12:01 a.m.
    UPDATED: Friday, March 23, 2012 2:28 p.m.
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Joanna White of the Island Gallery opened a paid parking lot behind her business on Middle Street on Sullivan's Island. Town officials have been discussing whether to charge for street parking on the island.
Jessica Johnson /The Post and CourierJoanna White of the Island Gallery opened a paid parking lot behind her business on Middle Street on Sullivan's Island. Town officials have been discussing whether to charge for street parking on the island.

Residents of Sullivan's Island have fought to keep a residential feel in their town without limiting businesses and beach rentals, but an increasing number of daytrippers park along residential streets to visit the ocean.

Whether and how the island should implement a paid-parking plan is something Sullivan's Island Town Council has been discussing. Council held a public input meeting on the subject July 27 in the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross.

Madeleine McGee, Sullivan's Island Council member who leads council's Streets and Maintenance Committee, said she was surprised to be speaking on the subject, thinking that paying for parking was something to be done downtown, not on the islands.

"I realized that when we talk about paid parking what we are really talking about is managed parking," McGee said.

McGee said managed parking could mean anything ranging from charging a fee to park on a block or on the entire island or charging a fee on summer weekends or year-round. Currently, parking is available and free on all of the island's public streets because the state owns the roads. The state allows municipalities to charge for parking on the rights of way on state-owned roads so long as the plan meets S.C. Department of Transportation approval.

"When we talk about paid parking, we are talking about Sullivan's managing the parking, not the DOT," McGee said.

A parking plan could give the town control over when and where people park on the street and raise revenue.

Town Administrator Andy Benke said the beach community has seen a decline in revenue, and state laws limit how much a municipality can increase property taxes. Benke said the town raised business license fees, and paid parking on island streets could come next.

Because the island has a limited number of businesses (for instance, it has 62 short-term rentals), revenue from beachgoers is far less than on neighboring islands. Hospitality and accommodations taxes bring about $257,000 to Sullivan's Island, while the Isle of Palms collects about $2.3 million, Benke said in a recent presentation. Short-term-rental license fees bring in $117,000 on Sullivan's Island compared with $448,000 on Isle of Palms.

There are about 3,000 parking spaces on Sullivan Island's rights of way. In July, the peak of the summer beach season, there are about 1,300 cars on a Saturday at noon and 600 on a Monday, according to town surveys. Based on those numbers, Benke said, the town could generate about $275,000 in revenue if it implemented a $5-per-day street parking fee islandwide in the summer months.

The funds could be used for capital projects, including improving drainage, dune walkovers and perhaps fixing up the island's tennis courts, Benke said.

Residents at a July 27 informational meeting in the Church of the Holy Cross suggested allowing residents to park for free using the hurricane sticker and wondered if the town would treat daytrippers differently from residents' guests under a paid-parking plan.

Isle of Palms replaced its parking meters with paid kiosks in the frontbeach area in 2003. The meters generate about $195,000 in funds and pay beach services employees $30,253 in wages to ticket cars, among other duties, said Debbie Schimsa Suggs, Isle of Palms City treasurer.

IOP Planning Commission members have been keeping an eye on Sullivan's Island's plans. If Sullivan's Island implements paid parking, that could send more people to the Isle of Palms beach.

Isle of Palms likely would follow suit if Sullivan's Island does something "that greatly impacts the balance of the daytripping traffic," said Douglas Kerr, IOP director of building, planning and zoning.

McGee said town officials will take input on paid parking through summer and possibly make a decision on whether to implement a paid-parking plan this fall. Those wanting to comment may do so at regular council meetings. The next one is 6 p.m. Aug. 17 at 1610 Middle St., or e-mail ldarrow@ sullivansisland-sc.com.

Some residents have taken up the parking issue themselves.

Joanna White, owner of the Island Gallery, was granted a variance that allowed her to build a parking lot on part of her Middle Street lot. People can park behind the business for $2.

Reach Jessica Johnson at 937-5921 or jjohnson@postandcourier.com.