Anna Maria parking discussion stalled
An Anna Maria city commission-planning and zoning board joint work session on a proposed parking plan for Pine Avenue was postponed to May 20 by Commission Chair John Quam. Building official Bob Welch informed Quam early last week he did not have all the information needed for a May 13 meeting. In the absence of prepared agenda items for discussion, Quam rescheduled the meeting for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 20. The agenda for the May 20 meeting will be “Chapter 90, a concept for parking on Pine Avenue,” Quam wrote in an e-mail to city clerk Alice Baird. The newly proposed parking plan for Pine Avenue was first introduced by Quam at the April 29 joint commission-board work session. Quam’s plan — modeled by resident/architect Gene Aubry — would allow parallel parking on Pine Avenue. The plan is opposed by Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus, who has since written several letters to the city outlining his position. His opinions also have been posted on an Internet blog. The blog, however, does not allow opposing opinions to be published by non-members of the site and membership is restricted. Stoltzfus wants all future parking on Pine Avenue to be on the property sites, including parking for undersize lots of 52 by 104 feet. A letter answering Stoltzfus’ objections was delivered to the city by developer Mike Coleman. City attorney Jim Dye has opined that requiring all remaining, platted 52-by-104-foot lots to have on-site parking might render them unbuildable. At the April 29 work session, Commissioners Chuck Webb, Jo Ann Mattick and Dale Woodland agreed to discuss the plan further, as did all six members of the P&Z board at the work session. P&Z board chair Randall Stover called the Quam plan a “good compromise” for Pine Avenue parking. Among other concerns, commissioners and board members want to know how many parking spaces the Quam plan provides and if there is enough room for parallel parking on Pine Avenue. Some parallel parking already is permitted on the beach-to-bay road, which is in the residential-office-retail district. |
