No new beach tent rules, parking changes

Hilton Head Island town leaders will not regulate beach tents and canopies this year, despite concerns from residents last summer that they can be unsightly and overcrowd the island's busiest beaches.

"I do agree that at this point we shouldn't regulate that," Councilwoman Kim Likins said. "I think Shore Beach Services did a great job of addressing a lot of the concerns. (They) felt like they had the manpower and will work with the town to address issues with tents being left on the beach."

Still to be decided are eventual changes to the town's beach parking policies. Council leaders suggested waiting to tackle parking limitations until the Circle to Circle Committee completes its recommendations of potential changes to the Coligny area later this year.

"It's recognized this is a major item ... it's a very sticky situation," Councilman Bill Harkins said. "Nevertheless, it needs to be addressed."

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 6:46 PM with the headline "No new beach tent rules, parking changes."