Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/143399
Sarasota News Leader July 12, 2013 At the Tuesday morning, July 9, DID meeting, board member Eileen Hampshire raised the specter of the meters' return. "The manufacturer of those famous meters has found a way to refurbish them," she said. "We can't return them, and nobody else wants them." Page 11 On June 25, the DID voted 4-1 (Tom Mannausa in the minority) to recommend to the City Commission that no more than 40 percent of the first floor of the garage structure be devoted to a restaurant. The district board members said leasing the entire ground floor of the Palm Avenue Garage to a restaurant effectively killed any retail on that block of the street. They warned a similar fate could be in store for State Street if another goliath restaurant took over the entire first floor of the new garage as well. Hampshire added that the meter maker had discovered a way to intensify the liquid-crystal display so it could be read in sunlight. The difficulty the public experienced in figuring out what the meters showed in bright light was a major complaint when the meters last Ian Black, the Realtor trying to find buyers for were installed in the city. the State Street property, and Norm Gollub, "They will work," Hampshire said. "And they'll the city's downtown economic development cost about $1,000 per meter, which controls coordinator, asked the DID to back off. "I have concerns about unnecessary restrictions on 10 spaces." uses for the garage," said Black. "We're in seShe suggested the city experiment with one rious discussion with three or four parties." of the new models. "Put it out there and we Gollub urged the use of "guidelines" instead of can try it out," said Hampshire. hard numbers. "We believe as we get into neShe also sits on the city's Parking Adviso- gotiations with a developer, we should be able ry Committee, which, she says, is "making to guide them to appropriate uses. We think a huge effort to look at the whole thing. We guidelines are adequate enough to emphasize are going to have to have some form of paid our preferences." parking." "We have a glut of restaurants now," said Hampshire. "It's starting to look like Ybor City DID STICKS TO ITS GUNS [in Tampa]." Normally, when city staffers tell advisory board members they are making a mistake, Kaufman agreed. "I have watched St. Armands the figurative response is "All engines, full over the years turn from high-end retail into a reverse." But when a senior planner and the food court. I personally think we need restricdowntown economic development director tions [on State Street]. I would reaffirm what told the DID board members this week that we did." they should revise or eliminate a recommen- In the end the DID board kept its recommendadation about the State Street parking garage, tion intact, and its representatives will inform which is in the design phase, the DID dug in the City Commission of that news at the next its heels. commission meeting — Monday, July 15. %