Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
July 17, 2017 7:12 a.m.
If the size of the audience were the barometer for the severity of the problem, the inevitable conclusion would be that there is no parking problem downtown Fernandina Beach, FL. City Police Chief Jim Hurley presided over an advertised public meeting at the Police Station on Friday, July 14, 2017 to discuss the prospect of paid parking as a means to increase turnover of prime parking spaces. The idea, which arose from research and deliberations of the internal city committee that Hurley chairs, would also provide an additional city revenue stream for the city.
Other than the parking committee members, a couple of uniformed police, two reporters and three candidates for City Commission seats, only nine citizens were in attendance, one of whom was a Centre Street business owner.
Chief Hurley told the audience that the Parking Committee had been charged to review and pull together information and recommendations from previous studies on the parking issues downtown. He said that the committee stripped away side issues such as the opening of the Alachua rail crossing and waterfront development to address one question: Does the city need paid parking to create available parking downtown?
The Parking Committee will present its findings and recommendations to the Fernandina Beach City Commission on August 1, 2017. People wishing to have input on this topic may do so by completing a survey available on the city’s website www.fbfl.us/parking.
Hurley reported that the committee had met with downtown merchants on June 14 and followed up with a survey to determine their support for paid parking. Seventy-five of the 95 surveys were returned, with the merchants almost evenly split over the question (49 percent in favor; 51 percent opposed). Hurley has also engaged in community outreach through articles in local media outlets and in public meetings.
Hurley said that this is his fourth time serving on a parking committee. He said that the committee has been looking at ongoing efforts in the city of Dunedin to grapple with similar problems. That city is involved in a one-year pilot program to implement paid parking. The committee hopes to visit Dunedin to study the system that city has chosen, fee structure, enforcement, etc. [See http://parkdunedin.com] Dunedin, a city in Pinellas County on Florida’s west coast with a population of more than 35,000, has collected as much as , a $120K in parking fees during a single month. But Hurley stressed that the rationale to implement a paid parking system was to increase turnover in prime parking spaces, not to raise revenue.
In replying to a question as to whether the merchants were the reason for the recommendation, Hurley demurred. He said that many people do not abide by the existing 3-hour parking limits. Anecdotal evidence and personal observation by some of the officers would seem to indicate that many business owners and/or their employees park for extended periods on Centre Street and close-in blocks of side streets. He said that many businesses do ask their employees not to take up valuable spaces that could be used by shoppers and restaurant patrons, but that they cannot force them to do so.
In discussing enforcement problems, Hurley reminded the audience that his force had been reduced from 35 to 30 sworn officers during the recession. He has beefed up downtown patrols as he has been able to add staff. He took issue with a comment that current rules are not being enforced, adding that 75-85 percent of those ticketed pay their fines.
It appears that the committee may recommend paid parking only for 443 of the 850 downtown parking spaces: 132 on Centre Street and 311 on the first block of numbered side streets between 4th Street and Front Streets. There would be no charge to park in city lots.
In response to questions, Hurley said that modern paid parking systems are heavily reliant on technology and do not use parking meters. He said that should the city decide to move in the direction of paid parking, the committee would make some recommendations with respect to what type of system might work best in downtown Fernandina Beach.
Members of the audience raised questions with respect to how the committee defines a parking problem and what data, if any, exists to document the existence of a problem. This led to a lively discussion with audience members sharing opinions and observations with committee members. There seemed to be consensus that parking availability is not a constant problem, but only exists at certain times on certain days, with lunch time and weekends being especially busy. Audience members highlighted the difference between “available” parking and “convenient” parking. There seemed to be general agreement that no matter which course the city adopts, there will never be sufficient spaces available in front of any business to satisfy close-in parking needs for all customers all the time.
The Parking Committee has not gotten into the details of pricing. But technology allows for significant flexibility. Prices could vary depending on time of day.
As the meeting wound down, audience member Adam Kaufman tried to summarize various ideas with respect to paid downtown parking. He proposed that the city implement a 12-18 month pilot project to introduce paid parking in the core area identified by the committee. During that period, the city would be able to collect data to help determine whether a parking problem exists in those high traffic areas as well as collecting revenue to address some of the ancillary parking concerns, like lighting and surface improvements to existing lots.
There was general agreement among the meeting attendees that without data, the size and scope of the problem could not be measured or addressed in a cost effective manner.
There is a wealth of information regarding past studies and efforts to identify and solve Fernandina Beach parking problems on the city’s website:
2000 Supply/Demand Update and Alternatives Analysis: Walker Parking Consultants
2002 Parking Master Plan – Phase 1: Walker Parking Consultants
2009 Traffic Circulation and Parking Study: Zev Cohen and Associates
2009 Front Street Title Opinion: Kavanaugh
2010 Paid Parking Workshop Presentation
2014 Traffic Circulation Presentation
1999-2013 Summary of Waterfront Planning Efforts
The Walker Parking Study, conducted in 2002, identified levels of service for parking. In quoting from a work entitled Parking Structures (3rd edition) they wrote:
“There are indications that the tolerable limit of human walking distance is more situation-related than energy-related. The tolerable walking distance for a given situation is related to such factors as the trip purpose of the individual, the available time and the walking environment.
“Variables affecting acceptable walking distance include: type of users, frequency of occurrence or use, familiarity of the user, expectations/concerns of the user including security, line of sight to destination, and degree of weather protection along the path of travel.”
To put these figures somewhat into perspective, remember that the total length of a football playing field is 300 feet. Level A—the best circumstance—would allow for people to walk 100 feet further than that to find a parking space.
The committee has acknowledged that other factors may help or hinder efforts to find downtown parking. Some of those factors include signage, lighting and condition of sidewalks and lots further from Centre Street. The configuration of existing parking—parallel as opposed to diagonal on some downtown streets may also be addressed in their report.
The problem with the 3-hour rule is there is no enforcementof the rule. Instead of punishing everyone with meters simply ticket those who fail to follow the rules.
When I worked in Jacksonville a few years ago, they would patrol the streets with a vehicle that included a computerized license plate reader. Their “electronic tire chalking” could easily read hundreds of plates in an hour and compute parking time. Because it is GPS-based, the system automatically differentiates between 15 min. zones vs. 3 hour zones. They also detect repeat parking offenders (or other “plates of interest”) if/when tied to external data bases.
It may be overkill or too expensive for Fernandina, but the technology is there.
Since I can no longer come to the marina by boat; I come by car and have always found parking available near the marina. My three favorite restaurants are all within walking distance of that point. I don’t see that there is a parking problem, other than during event weekends when it is an expected issue.
As for the merchant area, it seems that many of the merchants want or demand more parking enforcement, but NOT in front of their own establishments.
I would think that some effort could be made towards buying or leasing some of the open lots in the area specifically for free public parking, which would be far less expensive than any multi-story parking garage; thus providing more public parking for the city’s commercial interests.