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Tampa panel grants parking waiver for proposed Ybor City bookstore at 2208 E. 2nd Ave
Summary
The Barrio Latino Commission unanimously approved a variance reducing required on-site parking from four spaces to zero for a proposed bookstore at 2208 East 2nd Avenue, citing lot constraints, an existing ADA ramp and blocked alley access despite transportation staff recommending a smaller reduction.
The Barrio Latino Commission voted unanimously to grant a variance allowing a proposed bookstore at 2208 East 2nd Avenue to proceed without on-site parking. The commission approved the reduction from four required spaces to zero after hearing presentations from preservation staff, transportation reviewers and the project agent.
The applicant's agent, Robert Jordan, told the commission the building is a contributing historic structure and that the site cannot accommodate required parking because an ADA ramp and sidewalk consume the west side of the lot and the rear alley is blocked by structures and fences. "So therefore, we're requesting the BLC to grant this variance, under chapter, noted there to reduce the number of required spaces from 4 to 0," Jordan said in his presentation.
Transportation staffman John Marsh told the commission he visited the site and could not access the alley; while he said the alley and backspace were impractical for code‑compliant parking, his office did not object to a reduction from four to one space. "We do not object from 4 to 1," Marsh said, adding that if any on‑site parking were provided it should prioritize an ADA‑accessible space. Commissioners nonetheless found the applicant had met the six hardship criteria in Chapter 27, Section 27‑96(d) and approved the variance by voice vote.
Commissioners noted the project's preservation value and multimodal access in Ybor City — including nearby transit, paid lots and bike parking shown on the applicant's site plan — as factors that reduced reliance on on‑site spaces. The applicant said the project team plans to pour a sidewalk in front of the property and add a bike rack, and that they had attempted to negotiate off‑site parking two blocks away but were not guaranteed marked spaces.
The motion to grant variance BLC‑26‑0000019, filed as presented at the public hearing, passed unanimously. The commission did not attach additional conditions in the public hearing record. Next steps for the applicant include any required building permits and compliance with applicable code and historic‑preservation approvals before occupancy.
The commission's deliberation reflected a split between the practical constraints described by the applicant and transportation staff's narrower variance recommendation; the panel favored adaptive reuse and neighborhood walkability over retaining the full on‑site parking requirement.
