Neighbors propose communal parking lot

Property owners hope a ''parking bank,'' in which spots are leased, will help attract more businesses.

By SUSAN THURSTON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 30, 2002

Property owners in the Channel District have big plans for their up-and-coming urban enclave.

Cool restaurants. Small art studios. Unique gift shops.

What they don't have is parking.

"It's frustrating," said Dominique Martinez, who rents out a converted warehouse on S 12th Street. "A lot of businesses want to come here, but the minute they find out about the parking, they run away."

To add more spots, the neighborhood association wants to create a "parking bank" in which developers and businesses could buy rights to a communal lot. Businesses would get parking a short walk away without having to build their own.

Community leaders say the bank would spur growth and attract more businesses. As it stands now, many stores and restaurants can't move into the area because they wouldn't have enough parking.

A few have backed out.

Martinez, a metal sculptor, said he lost a prospective restaurant based on the parking problem. Now he leases to an interior designer.

The city requires businesses to have a certain number of parking spots based on their size and type. That proves difficult in dense, urban areas such as Channel District, with its buildings tight to the street and no side yards.

Members of the Channel District Council last week voted unanimously to pursue the community parking idea.

"I wish we had thought of this before," said Kim Markham, a member of the Channel District Council and editor of its newsletter. "We have a whole lot of buildings . . . that can't satisfy the city's parking regulations."

The council teamed up with the Tampa Downtown Partnership to work out the details and seek city support. The plan would require the city to buy or lease vacant land for the mini-lots.

Although preliminary, the proposal seems like a good idea, said Paul Ayres, the partnership's marketing director. If successful, it could become a model for other city neighborhoods struggling with parking problems.

Longtime Channel District business owner Gary Volenec came up with the concept last year to promote development. The area across from Channelside and the Florida Aquarium has become a hub for artists and entrepreneurs who live in lofts and converted warehouses.

"A lot of opportunities are slipping by," he said. "There are a lot of small buildings that would be great offices or restaurants, but they need parking."

A civil engineer, Volenec envisions two to four gravel parking lots with at least 40 to 50 spaces. Businesses and developers would buy parking credits from the city that are good for a certain amount of time.

Leaders hope proceeds go toward a future parking garage for the neighborhood. The port authority's garage has limited space and serves mostly Channelside and the cruise ships. It's also too far from the core of the Channel District.

So far, several property owners have volunteered to lease their land for the lots. Any plan must go to the City Council.

-- Susan Thurston can be reached at 226-3394 or thurston@sptimes.com.

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