Fenwick Island Approves Surf Bagel Overflow Parking

Credit to: Coastal Point, Kerin Magill

Surf Bagel Fenwick Island

Surf Bagel has received approval from the Fenwick Island Town Council to move forward with an overflow parking lot across Essex Street from its Coastal Highway location, following concerns over traffic and parking issues during the shop’s first summer season in town.

The approval comes after the council adopted a new ordinance allowing businesses to apply for temporary parking lots for up to one year. Town officials and Surf Bagel management acknowledged that the business, which opened in winter 2025, experienced significant parking-related traffic problems last summer as customers circled nearby streets searching for spaces.

“They would continue to do laps until they found parking,” Surf Bagel President Matt Patton told council members.

Speaking at the council’s May 15 meeting, Patton described the proposed overflow lot — located beside a vacant former bank building across Essex Street — as “the best solution we have.”

The temporary lot will include 38 parking spaces for both customers and employees during business hours. Patton said the business plans to install a video monitoring system that alerts management when a vehicle remains parked for more than an hour.

Posted signage will outline operating hours for the lot, which will generally match Surf Bagel’s business hours: 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for customers and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. for employees. Patton had originally requested employee access beginning at 4:30 a.m. to accommodate managers arriving before opening.

At the request of a neighboring homeowner, Surf Bagel also agreed to install a privacy fence along part of the shared property line.

Additional conditions imposed by the town council include requiring employee vehicles to display tags, directing employees to park in the northern portion of the lot farthest from the shop, posting signs prohibiting beach parking, and installing bollards with chains along Essex Street to discourage pedestrians from crossing outside designated crosswalks.

Under the new ordinance, the approval remains valid for up to one year as long as the business complies with the council’s conditions.

“We will see how it goes,” Mayor Natalie Magdeburger said following the vote.

Council members also discussed the possibility of adding an entrance on Essex Street, but ultimately agreed that access to the lot would be limited to Coastal Highway.

The council approved the permit on May 15, with Treasurer Bill Rymer casting the lone dissenting vote. Rymer previously voiced concerns about whether both the town and Surf Bagel could adequately monitor and manage the temporary lot.