By WECT Staff | May 19, 2020 at 7:17 PM EDT – Updated May 20 at 4:25 AM
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. (WECT) – Beginning Wednesday, May 20 at 5:00 p.m., the Town of Wrightsville Beach will open beaches and six parking lots and will allow short-term rentals.
Restrictions are being lifted on all activities not otherwise regulated by the Wrightsville Beach Town Code including sunbathing, fishing and games.
Six parking lots and associated restrooms will be open at beach accesses #2, #3, #4, #8, #29 and #36; however, all public, on-street parking spaces will remain closed.
Residents with a current parking hang tag or tax decal will be allowed to use on-street parking if access to parking on their private property is restricted.
Parking at East and West Salisbury Streets will still be closed to the public, as are the rest rooms and the associated beach accesses at these locations.
Some limited off-street parking is still available near businesses on Lumina Avenue.
All restrictions will be lifted on short-term rental properties.
Dogs and alcohol are not permitted on the beaches and all parks will remain closed, except for the walk-in tennis courts.
In anticipation of Governor Cooper issuing an Executive Order modifying the current restrictions on restaurant dining, the Town of Wrightsville Beach has prepared guidelines to allow for limited onsite outdoor dining.
Updates from Governor Roy Cooper will be streamed live on WECT, Wednesday, May 20.,
The following guidelines are subject to the Governor issuing such an Order:
- Restaurants with dedicated private, off-street parking may use up to 25 percent of the parking area for outdoor dining once permitted by the Governor.
- Outdoor dining is also subject to the approval of the New Hanover County Health Department, the NC ABC Commission and any other Federal, State or County Agencies with jurisdiction over restaurant operations.
- To prevent undue noise at night, no customer(s) shall be seated after 9:00 p.m. and the outside dining area shall be free of all customers by 10:00 p.m. This restriction is necessitated by the nature of outdoor dining and the proximity of most restaurants with the Town to residential neighborhoods.
- Any restaurant proposing to use up to 25 percent of their dedicated parking must first submit a zoning compliance application and site plan to the Town for review and approval. The site plan shall delineate the onsite outdoor dining area and be set up in a manner that shows safe separation of the onsite outdoor dining area from parking areas and driving aisles in order to keep patrons safe. The Town reserves the right to revoke approvals provided under this Seventh Amended Declaration of any and all restaurants for any violation of this Section.
It should be noted that social distancing, crowd size limitations and other restrictions mandated by the Governor will be strictly enforced.
Violators of these restrictions are subject to being charged with a class 2 misdemeanor, a civil fine of up to $500 for each violation, and the towing of non-compliant vehicles.
Violation of these restrictions may lead to the implementation of additional restrictions to protect public safety.
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