It’s an island first.
Almost 30 private parking spaces in Anna Maria are open for public use — if motorists are willing to pay the fare.
City commissioners unanimously voted July 14 to approve a site plan amendment to allow paid parking in the Sandbar Restaurant’s lot at 9902 Gulf Drive.
It’s the first paid parking lot in the city and a first for Anna Maria Island.
The lot, one of nine lots spaced out around the restaurant for parking, contains 28 spaces and is owned by Weld Inc., which lists Ed Chiles as its principal officer.
City staff discovered in February that automated kiosks had been installed at the lot to facilitate paid public parking without the city’s approval.
Signs at the lot direct parking motorists to pay for their spaces via the ParkMobile mobile application, where people can pay $5.70 per hour or $128.75 per day for a space.
City planner Chad Minor has said the Sandbar wasn’t fined for violating city code because it complied with city staff’s request to apply for the new use with an updated site plan.
Minor said the lot’s new use would not prevent the Sandbar from providing the 129 parking spaces required by city code and that city staff recommended approval.
The city’s planning and zoning board also unanimously voted June 27 to recommend commission approval.
Commissioner Jonathan Crane said he would have liked a more fleshed-out discussion about paid parking before the item reached the commission. He said he didn’t oppose the site plan but was concerned about setting a precedent.
“Do we really want paid parking in our city?” Crane asked.
Minor said city staff found the use consistent with the city’s ROR — residential/office/retail — district, which allows “flexible development” and stretches along much of Pine Avenue, as well as some properties on Gulf Drive.
He said other properties able to apply for a site plan amendment to add paid public parking are “few and far between.”
Commissioner Robert Kingan said he was concerned the restaurant could fall short of its required parking spaces if the leases for some of the parking lots it controls fell through.
Crane suggested requiring the Sandbar to notify the city if, due to changes with its leased lots, it fell short of the city’s parking requirements.
Minor said city staff could perform annual checkups on the property’s parking to ensure it remained in compliance.
However, Commissioner Mark Short said it would be inappropriate for the city to single out the business since the city does not perform checkups on other properties.
Short said opening 28 public parking spaces, previously allocated to Sandbar customers, “makes too much sense” due to the city’s parking limitations.
Resident Dan Devine said additional public parking already is a major need for the city and would only become more necessary as development continues to bring more people to the island.
He also suggested the city purchase property for public parking.
Short moved to approve the site plan.
Commissioner Deanie Sebring seconded the motion, which passed.
In other matters…
City commissioners also:
- Unanimously voted to adopt an alcoholic beverages ordinance reinstating regulations from a previously adopted ordinance that was invalidated due to a lack of proper advertising;
- Discussed exploring a potential increase in the cost of the city’s special event permits for firework shows due to their impact on city staff, infrastructure and local wildlife.
The commission’s next meeting will be preceded by a budget workshop on proposed operating expenditures at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 28, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.