Local

Parking fees are climbing in this Horry County city for the first time since 2017. Here’s why.

Bikers look for parking along Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach to attend a rainy day party in a parking garage on Friday afternoon as police direct traffic. The Atlantic Beach Bike Festival, aka “Black Bike Week,” returned on Friday after being canceled the last two years due to COVID-19. The event got off to a slow start in Atlantic Beach due to rain but parties were held in covered parking garages around North Myrtle Beach and as the rain cleared, the bikers returned. May 27, 2022.
Bikers look for parking along Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach to attend a rainy day party in a parking garage on Friday afternoon as police direct traffic. The Atlantic Beach Bike Festival, aka “Black Bike Week,” returned on Friday after being canceled the last two years due to COVID-19. The event got off to a slow start in Atlantic Beach due to rain but parties were held in covered parking garages around North Myrtle Beach and as the rain cleared, the bikers returned. May 27, 2022. JASON LEE jlee@thesunnews.com
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

Hourly parking rates are on the rise in North Myrtle Beach’s public lots — the price of progress as the city looks to recoup some of the $15 million it’s spent on property acquisition over the past several years.

The City Council on Jan. 9 unanimously agreed to push prices from $2 to $3 an hour between March 1 and Oct. 31, marking the first adjustment in six years.

“The city needs more public parking and lot amenities to accommodate residents and visitors,” city spokesman Donald Graham said.

The fares pertain to every lot and right-of-way operated by the city except for Seaview in the Windy Hill area, where prices will double to $2 an hour.

Myrtle Beach also charges $3 an hour for parking at its beach access points. Higher fares aren’t the only parking-related changes coming to North Myrtle Beach in 2023.

The city has stopped issuing decals, moving to a system that enforces parking by license plate.

Residents must register online and are eligible for two parking registrations per address. Starting in February, non-residents can apply for an annual pass on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 200 available at $200 each.

This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 3:24 PM.

AB
Adam Benson
The Sun News
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