Step off the ferry at Bald Head Island Marina and turn right. On that side sits a gravel lot full of utility and contractor vehicles. The Village calls it the "ICE Lot," and Village Council minutes record years of complaints about how it looks, because it is one of the first things anyone sees coming off the boat. Across from the golf cart rental lot is a strip of land that runs to Lighthouse Wynd, with a sand path ending at the Timber Bridge.
Until this fall, private companies owned both parcels. The Village of Bald Head Island owns them now. That purchase is the most visible sign of a larger change in 2026. Land, roads and services that Bald Head Island Limited once held are moving into public hands one parcel at a time, and the Bald Head Island Transportation Authority is working to buy the ferry system. The landing is where residents will see it first.
Two lots, $775,000, and the walk off the boat
At a special session on September 23, 2026, Village Council approved two purchases and the budget amendment to pay for them.
| Parcel | Seller | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| "ICE Lot," Parcel C Tract 1, Bald Head Island Landing | Bald Head Island Limited LLC | $225,000 | The utility contractor parking lot on the right as you leave the marina area |
| "Bridge Lot," Parcel C Tract 2, Bald Head Island Landing | Pelican Real Property, LLC | $550,000 | The land between the golf cart rental lot and Lighthouse Wynd, with the sand path to the Timber Bridge |
The Bridge Lot cost more than twice as much as the ICE Lot, and the Village now holds both sides of the walk from the ferry to the island's interior. The full recap is posted on the Village Council meeting recap page.
December 31 is the date that matters at the gravel lot
Ownership took effect quickly. The parking arrangements on the lot will take longer to change. At the October 23 regular meeting, Mayor Quinn said the people parking on the overnight gravel lot hold contracts with Limited. Those contracts did not come with the property, and they are paid through December 31.
Village Counsel advised setting up an application and agreement process like the one used for rentals at Contractor Services. Under that plan, the current rentals run out at year's end and renters get notice that the Village owns the lot. Village Manager McCall told Council there should be enough space at Contractor Services for the remaining renters.
Council agreed on four next steps:
- Offer spaces to the major island utilities, such as Duke Energy and Spectrum, for emergency use, for a fee.
- Write a definition of what counts as an emergency.
- Clean up the lot.
- Add a buffer.
Council also discussed using this lot or the newly bought Bridge Lot for overnight golf cart parking. That conversation will continue once the Village knows how much space is left over. A sign marking the Village's ownership was to go up as soon as possible.
For anyone who rents one of those gravel spaces, the January 1 handoff is the practical deadline. For everyone else, the payoff is a buffered, cleaned-up first view of the island in place of an open gravel yard.
The same pattern runs through the roads and the commercial parcels
The landing is one example. The same meeting moved control in the same direction in two other places.
Council unanimously accepted three roads in the Southern Living section of Cape Fear Station as public streets: Scribner's Alley, Writer's Way and Author's Alley. Limited asked for the dedication. McCall explained that developers typically build roads to the municipality's standards and then petition to have them accepted. The Village has accepted nearly every road on the island this way. The private roads on Middle Island are the exception.
Certain undeveloped commercial parcels in the PD-2C and PD-3C zoning districts are also changing. A development moratorium applies to that property. Staff reported meaningful progress on applying single-family deed restrictions to Limited's properties in those districts and are still working out how to handle parcels Limited does not own. Village Counsel recommended extending the moratorium past the holidays through January. Staff planned a public hearing on another 60-day extension at the November meeting.
Parking came up here too. One approved commercial project includes a separate lot labeled "contractor parking lot," and the Commercial Review Board approved 65 spaces for it. Some Council members objected that a commercial parking lot is not a permitted use in those districts. Village Counsel said that because the parking sits on the same parcel as the buildings, it counts as an accessory use. Under the current zoning ordinance, the Village cannot prevent it from being permitted. If the Village wants to regulate parking lots, paid or unpaid, the zoning ordinance itself would have to change.
The parcels the Village owns outright are under its control. Parcels it does not own are governed by its ordinances, and this fall showed where those ordinances fall short.
Weekend construction: what was decided and what is still open
The same meeting turned to how the island sounds on weekends. Village staff raised weekend construction because residents have complained about the noise on Saturdays and Sundays. The Village's noise ordinance and ICE vehicle ordinance cover parts of the problem, but nothing explicitly stops weekend construction. McCall noted that some North Carolina towns restrict construction mainly on Sundays and leave Saturdays alone.
Of the items below, only the trailer ordinance has been adopted. Here is where each one stood after October 23:
| Item | Status after October 23 |
|---|---|
| Weekday ICE vehicle hours | Suggested change from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. down to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. or sunset, whichever comes first. Work could continue later, but crews would get around by golf cart. |
| Sunday construction | Talks with contractors about a possible prohibition, depending on its impact. Council raised concerns about effects on the barge and ferries and about longer project timelines. |
| Reporting noise | The Village is developing a way to report noise violations directly to Public Safety instead of calling 911. |
| Trailer sizes | Adopted unanimously. |
The trailer ordinance is final, and it is the one most likely to affect a household directly. It replaces two trailer types with one standard: a maximum width of 7 feet 8 inches and a maximum length of 21 feet, hitch and tongue included, with a cargo area no longer than 16 feet. Staff said more than 80% of the trailers on the island already comply. The rest are grandfathered for the remainder of the fiscal year, until June 30, 2027. Special use permits are available, and exemptions may apply in disasters or for trailers modified to comply. This is general information, not legal advice. If you own a trailer near those limits, confirm your situation with the Village before next summer.
The biggest piece of the front door is still being priced
The ferry, barge, tram and Deep Point parking are the largest part of the island's front door, and that handoff is not finished. The Authority's new website, bhita.com, says Bald Head Island Transportation still runs the ferry, barge and parking operations.
The Authority's October 2026 update lays out the steps. Term-sheet requests for bank financing went to 23 banks on September 30, 2026, with proposals due October 23. Legal consultants were reviewing a draft Asset Purchase Agreement that the Negotiating Committee had approved. The draft was to go to Authority members no later than the regular November 18 meeting. The draft does not include financial terms. The purchase price for the operating assets and the lease terms for the real estate will be negotiated after due diligence is complete. A special meeting on financing proposals and a funding agreement with Limited was called for November 6.
Parking connects the ferry deal back to the Village. At the October 23 meeting, Council discussed a Bald Head Island Association letter about parking fees and Limited's response to it. Some Council members said they read the court ruling on parking regulation differently than Limited does. They also worried that if the Village stayed silent, it would look like it agreed with Limited. Council reached consensus to have Village Counsel review the letter and recommend whether the Village should take a position.
For now, published fares are the reference point. The ferry ticket page lists a general round trip at $23, ages 3 to 12 at $12, and a same-day "No-Frills" round trip at $14. General parking at Deep Point is listed at $13 a day.
Smaller fixes along the water
The Leeward Court bulkhead replacement is complete, with a few sidewalk repairs left to finish. The Village is coordinating with the Coastal Federation on a marine debris cleanup of Bald Head Creek, expected over two weeks in late fall or January. Council also asked the Village's disaster debris consultant, Barry Johnson, to write a full solid waste and debris management plan for the Timber Creek mulch site instead of continuing piecemeal fixes.
The week the landing gets busiest
All of this lands just before Thanksgiving week, when the ferry and the marina walk carry holiday crowds:
- Tuesday, November 24, 4 p.m.: Howl at the Moon at East Beach Access 39. Bring a dish and your own drinks.
- Thursday, November 26, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Thanksgiving Feast at the Bald Head Island Club.
- Friday, November 27: The Club's Winter Wonderland and Posh Pet Parade. At 5 p.m., Bald Head Island Limited's events page lists Light Up the Holidays, a decorated-tree show and sale that benefits the Old Baldy Foundation.
- Saturday, November 28, 8:30 a.m.: The Conservancy's Turtle Trot. On-island registration is $50 per adult and $35 per child age 10 or younger.
Guests arriving that week will walk past the ICE Lot and the Bridge Lot, both now Village property. The gravel-lot contracts end five weeks later, on December 31.
If you own on the island and want to know how changes at the landing, construction hours or the trailer ordinance could affect your property, the Sherwood Strickland Group brings a construction background to those questions and follows Village Council closely. Request a Red Carpet Consultation, and we will go through your property with you before the new rules take effect.
