BRADENTON BEACH – The Chiles Group hopes to implement paid parking in the Third Street North parking lot across the street from the Beach House restaurant.
As a precursor, the Chiles Group charged $30 for beach parking in the lot during the Labor Day weekend. Earlier this year, the Chiles Group began operating a paid public parking lot in Anna Maria, near the Sandbar restaurant.
In a separate paid parking action, the Bradenton Beach City Commission directed city staff on Aug. 30 to enter into negotiations with the Easy Parking Group to implement a paid parking pilot program. The city’s program will include the city-owned portion of the parking lot on First Street North, behind the BridgeWalk resort, and the parking spaces near the police department and public works buildings near Highland Avenue.
Review process
Bradenton Beach Building Official Steve Gilbert is currently reviewing the Chiles Group’s proposed paid parking plans.
“This would be the Third Street North parking lot, which was approved as offsite parking with valet service several years back,” Gilbert said when contacted by The Sun.
Gilbert was asked if paid parking is allowed in Bradenton Beach.
“I cannot find anything in our land development code or comprehensive plan that would differentiate between free or paid parking lots. We have prohibited parking structures, but again, even that prohibition says nothing about whether the parking is free or paid. Where site plan approval is in place for parking, is there a change of use for parking if a fee is required? If it’s valet parking with a tip, does that change the use? No, the use is parking. Whether the parking is free, valet or paid does not change the use as far as our land development code is concerned,” he said.
Gilbert discussed the city’s plans to implement a paid parking program.
“Given the city’s actions on Aug. 30, I would be hard-pressed to treat any private entity differently from the city on this matter. If the city wants to proceed down the road to paid parking on city-owned property, and our LDC doesn’t differentiate between free versus paid parking, how can we treat private properties differently?” Gilbert said.
“If the zoning allows parking onsite or offsite, how does free versus paid change the use unless it’s a stand-alone proposition? For example, three lots in a residential neighborhood where the owner wants to put in a parking lot for beach parking and charge a fee to park – or maybe free parking with a tip box at the entrance/exit. Is a standalone parking lot, not as associated with a principal use, allowed in our LDC? No, it’s not an allowable use, whether it’s free, tips or paid. It’s not about money, it’s zoning and land use allowed through the comp plan,” Gilbert said.
“I do understand how a business plan for a new development might warrant discussion on this issue. For existing development approvals, there is no existing trigger or threshold established by city ordinance. So, for now, free, versus tips, versus paid parking, does not trigger a change of use. It’s a parking lot,” Gilbert said.
Providing some additional insight, City Attorney Ricinda Perry said, “If someone has a parking plan approved by the city and wants to charge for their patrons to use the spots, that’s a business decision for them and not a land use regulation for the city. Steve and I both agree that ELRA Inc. (the Chiles Group) will need to continue providing the requisite number of spaces required for their patrons and employees.”
The Beach House also has parking lots located directly north and south of the restaurant building, along the west side of Gulf Drive.
