While Holmes Beach commissioners seek to ban multi-level parking structures, apparently County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge seems to believe a three-story parking garage built at Manatee Beach will address beachgoers’ needs.
It will not.
City commissioners stated the reasons for the ban were the negative impact of an increase in beach vehicular traffic as well as implying that Manatee Beach is either currently at capacity, or close to it during peak days. It is. I did a beach ride-along with the chief on July 4. The umbrellas were nearly touching each other.
That’s with only 400 parking spaces.
Building a three-level parking facility at Manatee Beach would nearly triple the number of parking spaces and exceed the number of spaces at Coquina Beach.
In a stretch of beautiful beach, slightly less than a mile in length, Coquina has 15 individual changing stations, three separate restroom facilities and six lifeguard stations. Manatee Beach has one restroom facility, four changing stations and one lifeguard station – all centrally located.
To match the length of Coquina, Manatee Beach would extend from 30th Street to 48th Street, with the facilities in the middle.
If a parking garage is constructed, where do all these folks go? And how do they get there?
And avail themselves of what amenities?
Certainly, matching or exceeding Coquina parking capacity with a third or a quarter of available facilities seems like a bad way to treat visitors.
Also, non-residential Coquina Beach has its parking spaces stretched out – evenly spaced over the entire beach.
We don’t have that option, as our beach is mainly in residential neighborhoods.
Also, if a parking garage is built at Manatee Beach – where will the 400 beachgoer vehicles park during construction?
Where will beach workers park their dozen or so vehicles?
There will have to be some type of accommodation made for all these vehicles during construction.
Certainly, street parking for more than 400 additional vehicles is not a reasonable accommodation during the construction phase.
If the county wants to build a parking garage, the above issues have to be addressed. But by then, most likely our planned ban will prevent construction.
Dan Diggins
Holmes Beach Commission candidate
