The St. Petersburg City Council has voted down a proposal that would have allowed neighborhoods outside of downtown to establish resident-only parking zones, ending a debate that pitted frustrated residents against local business owners fearful of losing customers.
The vote followed a public comment session last Thursday in which both sides made their case. Supporters of the restrictions argued that residents living near popular restaurants and shops are routinely unable to find street parking in front of their own homes. Opponents contended that limiting access to street parking would drive away the customers and workers that neighborhood businesses depend on.
Workers in the affected areas described the current situation as a daily burden. Travis Spivey, an employee at Violet Stone Pizzeria, said he parks roughly a mile from his workplace and walks because staff are prohibited from using the lot behind the restaurant. Delivery driver Richard Kanatzar, who was searching for a spot while making a St. Petersburg drop-off, said he believed residents deserved some priority for parking near their homes.
On the other side, Wildflower Ice Cream owner Steve McGarry said restricting street parking would hurt both revenue and his employees’ ability to get to work on time.
City Council Chair Lisset Hanewicz framed the rejection as a matter of the city taking a measured approach rather than siding with any one group.
“This is not about picking on people who have houses that are by businesses or businesses who are in the middle of a neighborhood,” Hanewicz said. “This is about a city being responsible.”
The parking debate comes one month after the council unanimously voted to eliminate requirements that new developments along the SunRunner bus rapid transit corridor include a minimum number of parking spaces — a separate but related shift in how the city is approaching its long-running parking challenges.
Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Google, & X
St. Pete-Clearwater Sun: local St. Pete-Clearwater news at PIE-Sun.com
Leave a Reply