The St. Petersburg City Council is set to take up an ordinance today that would make it significantly easier for neighborhoods across the city to establish resident-only parking districts, a response to growing complaints about overflow parking as urban redevelopment accelerates.
The proposal would create a formal petition and review process that allows neighborhoods to apply for designation as Neighborhood Resident-Only Parking Areas (NROPAs). Under the ordinance, residents would need to gather support from two-thirds of affected neighbors to trigger a city parking study. To qualify for a protected zone, an area would need to show parking occupancy above 75%, with at least a quarter of those vehicles belonging to non-residents.
Resident permit parking is not new to St. Petersburg — protections have existed in parts of downtown and Old Northeast for years — but the ordinance would extend that framework citywide for the first time. The city last expanded its residential permit zones in 2018 and 2019, when Old Northeast residents sought relief from downtown spillover.
The proposal comes weeks after the council voted unanimously to eliminate parking minimums for new developments along the SunRunner corridor, a move supporters said would lower housing costs and encourage transit-oriented growth. Critics at the time warned that the change could push overflow parking into adjacent neighborhoods.
District 6 Council Member Gina Driscoll said she believes the two policies can coexist, noting the city navigated a similar tension in Old Northeast years ago.
Thursday’s session was the first reading. If the ordinance advances, a second reading and public hearing are scheduled for June 11. The measure would also double the annual residential parking permit fee from $15 to $30.
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