Today's Letters: Consider other garage locations
Letters to the EditorPublished December 16, 2007
Re: Clearwater Beach parking
Parking has been an issue on the beach, yet Beach by Design, after spending much time and money, has only decreased the amount of parking available without any concern for replacement.
A parking garage at the City Marina was nixed because of concerns with blocking beach views, but now a garage has been proposed directly on the beach. Cynically, I wonder if that was the plan all along.
I would humbly suggest that the city consider parking garages in the following locations:
1) Harborview Center - Parking is always needed for the many concerts and the new marina to be built there would also benefit. The Jolley Trolley could be utilized (reducing city subsidies) to transport people to and from the beach.
2) The west end of Memorial Causeway, presently being utilized as an impromptu overflow parking area.
3) The City Marina on the beach - with a proposal for a beach-front garage, the argument for preserving scenic vistas is moot. If Eastshore Drive is ever donated/closed for development, parking here will be advantageous.
4) The Clearwater Beach Recreation Center.
All proposed locations are public property and would have great views from the top deck and space that could be leased to private business or even used to house the beach library.
Also, contract with the owner of Shephard's Beach Resort to bid the proposed garages, as he actually built his garage at substantially lower costs than the bids the city obtained in the same time frame.
Mark Doescher,Clearwater
Re: Clearwater Beach parking
City, think before you "revitalize"
At the beginning of this year, the city removed more than 500 of the 755 public parking spaces on Clearwater Beach to make way for a "revitalization" project. At the time, we were told to be patient because, if we wait two years, we might be allowed to park in some of the spaces to be built for a Hyatt hotel.
Or, and my memory is getting fuzzy here, the city was ready to commit "up to" $9-million for "up to" 300 spaces in a garage to be built more than a block from the beach for a condo project. That garage might be available in two years, if all goes well, we were told back in January.
Nearly a year has gone by. The parking spaces are gone. There is no deal for replacement parking, there is no agreement as to where the parking garage should be located, and that two-year clock has not begun to tick. But our city leaders have begun to realize there is a problem on the beach due to a lack of parking. Now the idea seems to be to build a parking garage on the gulf side of Gulf-"view" Boulevard.
I ought to be surprised that there is still a demand for parking, considering that the beach has lost more than 1,000 hotel rooms, but it seems that a lot of local folks still enjoy taking their families to the beach. It's a pity than so many local folks seem to have so little clout with the decisionmakers in City Hall.
Note to the City Council: The next time you get inspired to "revitalize" some part of Clearwater, take a few aspirin and lie down. You'll feel back to normal after a while and the unrevitalized part of the city will be much better off as a result.
Al Galbraith, Clearwater
Re: Backup plan needed if parking deal dissolves Diane Steinle column, Dec. 9
Forget the garage: Build beach tram
This problem can be solved very easily at a very low cost.
As a snowbird for the past 20 years, it seems to me like Clearwater officials have to look outside the box.
Park all cars going to the beach in downtown Clearwater.
Clearwater should then buy or rent trams like Disneyland has.
All beachgoers would be driven across the causeway, spend a day at the beach and then get brought back to downtown. No parking garages on the beach.
The city could spend its reserves on tax reduction.
Have all the beachgoers wander through downtown Clearwater spending money as they walk or are dropped off near their cars.
This idea should be tried and tweaked before spending money to build a beach garage.
If and when the developers build on the beach and more parking becomes available, the tram program could be altered.
Alfred Mashnouk, Clearwater
Re: Backup plan needed if parking deal dissolves Diane Steinle column, Dec. 9
Research City Marina location
The city has been talking about additional parking on the beach since we moved here 12 years ago. Every location has been discussed and dismissed.
The City Marina location seems to us the only viable place to put a multilevel facility. Why don't the city planners research that option? Why does nobody in local government champion this as the best thing for tourists as well as good for the local taxpayer?
Maureen Brennan,Clearwater