Commission debates parking, landscaping standards for Main Street as downtown redevelopment picks up

City planners told the commission Monday they are reviewing parking and landscaping standards for the Main Street Marketplace district as downtown redevelopment increases and merchants have flagged “dead zones” where large surface parking harms pedestrian continuity.

Community Development Director Carol Strickland said the city’s current parking‑lot landscaping standards are suburban in scale and can discourage a compact, walkable Main Street. Staff asked whether the commission wants clearer guidance on where parking can be placed on a parcel, how much frontage may be used for parking, and better buffering that preserves walkability without imposing excessive landscape areas.

“Right now, our standard for landscaping of parking lots is a very suburban standard,” Strickland said. “You really want everything to be very compact” on a main street.

Why it matters: commissioners noted that infill and new businesses are increasing demand for parking and that the current policy of allowing mitigation with adjacent on‑street spaces may not remain adequate as more restaurants and retailers open. Commissioner Feazor and others flagged a particular shortage of ADA‑accessible parking close to sidewalks for customers with mobility challenges.

Commission discussion touched on competing objectives. Some commissioners argued that increased parking encourages driving and wider streets, which runs counter to a pedestrian downtown; others worried restrictions could prevent small businesses from opening if a parcel lacks space for the required spots. Commissioner Diaz suggested widening the geography for credits so businesses could count more remote parking within a larger radius; other commissioners pushed for a parking inventory and a shared‑parking strategy.

Staff described early next steps already underway in the engineering and planning departments: an inventory and count of total available parking in the Community Redevelopment District (CRD), consistent signage and paint to reduce driver confusion, and benchmarking with nearby municipalities (St. Petersburg, Dunedin, St. Pete Beach) to find best practices. Josh (city staff) said engineering will produce a plan for CRD parking counts and strategies and explore technology to steer drivers to available spaces.

Commissioners asked staff to: (1) inventory downtown parking supply and demand, (2) review ADA parking provision and consider relaxing on‑site requirements where appropriate, (3) explore shared‑parking agreements between businesses, and (4) recommend changes to landscaping standards so parking does not create “dead zones” on Main Street. Commissioner Burnett requested direction to move forward with design standards that would place required parking to the rear and keep Main Street frontages walkable.

What wasn’t decided: no code changes or budget allocations were adopted; staff will return with an inventory, proposed performance standards for parking and landscaping, and potential design options.

Community context: commissioners discussed recent event‑driven congestion and merchant complaints about customers parking in undesignated places. Several commissioners noted the downtown master plan and consultant work already contain recommendations that staff will revisit when drafting changes.