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Deal would bring extra parking to downtown Safety Harbor

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This lot on the corner of 2nd St. N. and Main St. could be used for public parking if city officials can come to an agreement with the land owner.
This lot on the corner of 2nd Avenue North and Main St. would be used for downtown public parking pending approval of an agreement with the property owner.

The Safety Harbor City Commission gave the go-ahead Monday night to finalize a temporary agreement with a local property owner that would alleviate some of the City’s parking problems by providing free public parking in the downtown district.

The arrangement calls for the City to lease the vacant lot, located at the northwest corner of Main Street and Second Avenue North, for three years in lieu of the City paying the property tax on the parcel as well as any upgrades and maintenance costs.

According to documents, the total tax bill on the property in 2014 was $9,319.68, and officials estimate they will have to spend roughly $5,000 in initial startup costs, which will include cleaning up the lot and adding recycled asphalt to the entrances and split-rail fencing along the sides.

Before giving their approval to initiate the conditional use process, the five city commissioners discussed the pros and cons of the deal.

“I’m in disagreement with this,” Commissioner Carlos Diaz said when the item came up on the agenda. “We’re basically taking this property off the tax rolls.”

Safety Harbor City Commissioner Carlos Diaz.
Safety Harbor City Commissioner Carlos Diaz.

“The way I see it is we’re subsidizing this business and giving them the ability to actually wait for the market to increase even more to get a better price on their property.”

Mayor Andy Steingold, who started by saying he doesn’t believe there is a parking problem downtown, said there are two sides to the issue.

“There are two ways to look at this: you could say you’re subsidizing this private property owner by basically reimbursing him for ad valorem taxes and cleaning up the lot, or you could say we’re saving money by not purchasing property,” the mayor said.

“The big concern I would have would be, we’re kind of lulling the public into believing that now we have all this additional downtown parking.”

While the other three commissioners also expressed reservations about the arrangement, they said they believe the deal is a good one for all involved.

“There are people parking there already,” Commissioner Cliff Merz said. “This is more of a formal agreement stating either he shuts it off completely and doesn’t let anybody park there, or this is a reasonable way to allow some parking on it.”

Safety Harbor parking
This lot on the corner of 2nd Avenue North and Main St. would be used for public parking.

“Commissioner Merz pretty much said everything I was going to say,” Vice Mayor Andy Zodrow said, adding, “I think this is a good deal for the City.”

“I understand Commissioner Diaz’s concerns,” Commissioner Janet Hooper said. “But during events, we do need parking.”

Ultimately, the item passed by a vote of 4-1, with Diaz expressing the lone “nay” vote.

Under the terms of the agreement, the deal will be for one year, with the possibility for renewal for up to three one-year terms. There is a 45-day termination clause as well.

City Manager Matt Spoor said the City would be able to use the lot 365 days a year, and it could also lease the lot to non-profit organizations, which could then charge parking for their own events.

Additionally, Mayor Steingold insisted on adding a provision that would disallow placing election campaign signs on the lot. In the past the property owners have allowed any candidate to place signs on the parcel.

The item will go for approval before the Planning and Zoning board in early October before coming back to the commission for first reading either later next month or in early November.

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2 Comments

  1. Something has to be done about event parking. The largest parking lot has been deemed off limits for events, which we dutifully respect (even though it was filled to capacity for Harbor Sounds), “no parking” signs have gone up in many back streets. “Please come to our events, but don’t bring your car,” is the feeling I get when I go down there. We always bring my mother, who needs handicap parking, or at least a safe drop off area close to the event. There are very few handicap spots in the big lot. We live in Safety Harbor, and feel less than welcome to attend our own events. Anyone who says there is not a parking problem has not tried to park down there in a crowd. I don’t pretend to know what the answer is, but I have been avoiding events for several months for this very reason. $.02

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