Islanders discuss residential parking permits

Members of the Holmes Beach Congestion Committee want the city commission to stop stalling and enact the first phase of their plan for residential parking permits in the city.

“I have four goals,” chairwoman Jaynie Christenson said. “No. 1, the safety of our streets, sidewalks and neighborhoods. No. 2, promoting neighborhood living. Third, reducing the number of signs in our neighborhoods. No. 4, reduce the traffic in our neighborhoods.”

The committee met July 11 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 6608 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, to discuss goals and what recommendation to make to commissioners at their July 16 work session.

Issues identified by the committee include street and right-of-way parking by non-residents, valet parking for resort and rental homes, the potential of paid parking at public beaches and trash left behind by non-residents who park in neighborhoods.

Christenson spoke of being proactive in dealing with parking and traffic issues rather than reactive. Saying that paid parking being instituted at public beaches is inevitable, Christenson wants to urge the commission to enact ordinances to protect neighborhood streets in Holmes Beach from the potential overflow of visitors who don’t want to pay for parking to enjoy the island beaches.

“It’s everyone’s island, but my yard is my home. I don’t want to stop people from going to the beach. I want to protect our neighborhoods,” Christenson said.

Christenson lives near the beach end of 49th Street.

Complaints discussed by the committee included trash in streets and yards, visitors defecating on private property, graffiti and trespassing. Committee member Ursula Stemm said she was unable to leave home Fourth of July weekend due to illegally parked cars blocking the driveway.

Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson said he would like to find a way to modify parking regulations during critical times, such as holidays, to prevent discouraging residents or visitors from using the beach.

He said the recent no-parking signs placed throughout the city should be amended to include specified days or times to allow parking during off-peak times. Johnson also suggested that residents be allowed to park in some of the no-parking zones with some sort of identification placard, such as a permit on the vehicle to prove it belongs to a resident.

Some areas designated no parking may need to remain for traffic to flow unimpeded through highly utilized areas.

Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer agreed.

“My think is safety,” Tokajer said. “We need to go slow and we need to see where it pushes the cars. I don’t like the idea of blanketing the whole area,” he said of limiting areas to residential permit parking and no-parking zones.

“The issue is where do we start and how do we start,” Johnson said. He said the final decision is with commissioners.

Johnson and Tokajer headed an initiative April-June to collect data on how many cars were parked on streets in residential neighborhoods as compared to the amount of available parking. “Data had to be collected and shared. We needed to know what the real number on the street is and we have that now,” Johnson said of the parking study.

Christenson questioned whether or not permitted resident parking in one zone will just push unpermitted parking into another zone.

“Yes,” Johnson replied. “But are you going to block off the whole city?” He asked the committee take the information collected from the parking study to either confirm or modify its recommendations to the commission before the July 16 meeting. He suggested presenting recommendations by telling commissioners the issues that were identified, the solution and how it was arrived at, as well as identifying what was considered in the decision-making process.

“We’re a resort city,” Johnson said. “We’re not going to roll back 60 years — and thinking that we will is folly.”