HOLMES BEACH – Parking along Key Royale Drive between Marina Drive and the bridge may soon be restricted to the north side of the street.
Holmes Beach city commissioners discussed the proposed parking restriction on Feb. 25. Public Works Director/City Engineer Sage Kamiya, Mayor Judy Titsworth, Police Chief Bill Tokajer and the majority of the city commission support the parking restriction while Commissioner Carol Whitmore opposes it.
Per commission consensus, the Key Royale Drive parking restrictions will be set forth in a city resolution to be presented for final adoption at a future city commission meeting that will allow for public input. Due to ongoing safety concerns, Tokajer suggested the parking restriction be imposed sooner rather than later.
Kamiya memo
Kamiya also serves as the city’s traffic engineer and on Feb. 14, he sent Titsworth and Tokajer a memo about the Key Royale Drive parking concerns.
“During a recent homeowner’s meeting it was brought to the city’s attention that the parking of vehicles along Key Royale Drive from Marina Drive to the bridge is becoming a concern for residents,” the memo says. “After investigation with the chief of police, we’ve determined that the significant use of the street for parking on both sides of the streets is causing a safety concern. The majority of parking is being done by landscape and construction companies, which is limiting, even prohibiting, to emergency vehicles.”
The memo notes that Key Royale Drive serves as a main thoroughfare for approximately 340 residents.
“We recommend prohibiting parking on the south side of Key Royale Drive from Marina Drive to the bridge and requiring any parking in this area to be along the north side of the road,” the memo says.
The memo states that ‘No Parking’ signs would be installed along the south side of the street and rocks, plantings and landscaping borders would need to be removed from the city right of way along the north side of the street from Marina Drive to 532 Key Royale Drive.
“Residents are not being asked to move mailboxes or driveways,” the memo says.
Commission discussion
When addressing the commission, Kamiya said the city’s code of ordinances already restricts parking on major roadways and landscaping and construction vehicles should not be parked on that portion of Key Royale Drive. He said prohibiting parking on one side of the street would help ensure two open travel lanes remain open for motorists; and at least one lane would remain open if the other lane is occupied by one or more emergency vehicles.
Whitmore opposed taking any formal action until residents are given more time to respond to the proposed restriction. She said similar issues occur along several other city streets where parking is allowed on both sides.
Whitmore said she would be “really ticked off” if she lived along the north side of Key Royale Drive and was told she had to remove landscaping elements installed and maintained at the homeowner’s expense.
Although Key Royale Drive is not heavily used by beachgoers and tourists, Whitmore said the parking restriction would eliminate existing parking spaces.
Tokajer disagreed and said, “There is no parking on the south side of the road because there’s a sidewalk there. You can’t park there because you can’t get all four tires off the road.”
Tokajer said he recently received a call from a resident who almost got hit head-on because two vehicles were traveling in the same lane. Tokajer said motorists can’t see around trucks and trailers parked on the street and that forces them to blindly enter into those restricted travel lanes.
“We need to take some type of action. It’s a safety issue,” he said.
Commissioner Terry Schaefer noted that Key Royale Drive expands to divided lanes on the other side of the bridge. He suggested every potentially impacted homeowner between Marina Drive and the bridge be individually notified of the proposed parking restriction. City Attorney Erica Augello advised against mailing notices to each potentially impacted property owner because that’s only done for rezoning requests and other major development matters.
Newly-appointed Commissioner Steve Oelfke said his concern pertains to homeowners on the north side of the street bearing the burden of the proposed parking solution.
Due to public safety concerns, Commissioner Dan Diggins supports the parking restriction but he wants it implemented in a methodical manner that makes potentially impacted residents fully aware of the city’s intentions. He noted the city could remove the right of way obstacles at no expense to the homeowner, but the removed items would be discarded, and if a homeowner wishes to relocate and preserve those items, they could incur personal expenses.
“At some point, we have to let them know because they think that property is their own,” Diggins said.
“And they maintain it,” Whitmore added.
Titsworth acknowledged the proposed parking restriction will surprise homeowners on the north side of the street, but she noted the city has the authority to use and preserve city-owned rights of way.
“Unless we need it, we pretty much let people enjoy the use of it. This is one of those cases,” she said of other right of way obstructions that go unaddressed.
Commissioner Carol Soustek said homeowners on the south side of Key Royale Drive were impacted by a previous sidewalk installation and now those on the north side of the street will share the public safety impacts.
