IT’S NAUGHTY TO COMPROMISE ON FULL PARKING EXEMPTIONS IN LAUDERALE-BY-THE-SEA …
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14. OLD BUSINESS
a. Parking Requirement Modifications (Town Manager Connie Hoffmann & Assistant Town Manager Bud Bentley) – Requested at the November 22, 2010 Roundtable meeting
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Dear Readers… Direction given for a 3 year “parking suspension program” with “fine print” attached for the ordinance 1st reading has left this writer at a loss tonight….The Commission needs to go back and look at the video online to recap and review the discussion and the decision made by them thus far…(It can always be changed at 1st /2nd reading)….
OOPS!…No date was set for that 1st reading despite it being offered up as a special Comm. mtg. on Jan 11th prior to the Roundtable at the start of Bud Bentley’s podium stint on the item…If it is not done this way it will be 1st reading Jan. 25th with 2nd reading Feb 22 …Delay..delay…delay …….
The Mayor sounded more like Nancy Pelosi a reader told this writer with her stance lately on government and business… On this I must agree…sorry to say….Her comments made on her choice of a yearly review of the parking requirements and the question of why the rush this exemption for restaurants is beyond my comprehension … I also am surprised over the lack of understanding she showed on the difference between parking requirement exemptions vs. parking revenue for the Town coming from the center seat…Who has her ear?… I was taken aback on her crossing guard point to aid with getting across A1A and how that had anything to do with this particular issue…How in the world could the Mayor compare the cost left for this Commission contend with and the taxpayers to pay for due to the Esther Colon contract payout to a full exemption for restaurants..when there is no correlation? … Asst. TM Bentley spoke of the parking revenue increase that can be expected from the new parking pay stations under the Consent Agenda prior to this item…. A big thanks goes to Comm. Sasser’s and his question posed to the Asst. TM who again spoke of the retail stores and the parking requirement credits the owners of those parcels can offer to their tenants thus making the charges made by the Mayor of an inequity resulting for other businesses if restaurants are offered the exemption a moot point…….(Relaxation to hotels is to be addressed in the near future)…I believe the Town Atty. distanced herself from staff on the liability that could come if a requirement came back into play at an undetermined time in the future…I also think that Asst. TM Bud Bentley sorely misconstrued the comment made by VM Dodd at the Nov. Roundtable on dealing with the parking problem when and if it arose as a result of the parking exemption being successful and stating that comment gave way to a time certain ….implementing a “parking suspension program” ….stating it was something staff put at the top of the list rather than a full elimination as was directed by the majority …We hear staff spent lots of time this last week lobbying for the suspension program along with the TAtty. although they did not produce the backup until late afternoon last Friday…
This one needs to be readdressed and reconsidered ASAP….to get it back on track …back to the premise that LBTS is open for business …We need to be marketing a full exemption for restaurant type establishments and not a 3 year suspension program with lots of fine print…Note to anyone on the Commission making a motion……if Comm. Clottey makes 2nd to your motion… that’s gotta be a sign that something is amiss!… Vice Mayor Dodd was spot on in his opening remarks …He hit it out of the park…He was spot on as well in his remarks to counter Mayor Minnet’s …that is until he suddenly did a 180 and compromised making a motion for a 3 year parking suspension program that knocked this writer right off my seat!…… Clottey quickly seconded it… thus it was the time for VM Dodd to reconsider his motion….I have to believe he may have been put off by Asst. TM Bentley conferring on the bar/restaurant percentage requirement with Comm. Vincent and Bentley’s avidly referring to the “parking suspension program” …. Comm. Vincent…Comm. Sasser and VM Dodd all stated they were for the full exemption over suspension….in this writer’s opinion… They can fix it next week at the Roundtable ….It can be reworked then or at 1st reading to return it to the full exemption with no sunset time limit imposed ….. And while you are at it…. forget about less parking restrictions for 101 N. Ocean…they too should be fully exempt….
Definitely more on this to come….
Link to archived video …. http://lbts.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2
Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea Parking Exemption Plan Compromised?, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, local government, Local Politics, Scoops
