ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Petersburg City Council is set to consider a proposal Thursday that could give more neighborhoods a way to ask for resident-only parking.
The ordinance would create what the city calls Neighborhood Resident Only Parking Areas, or NROPA. It would not automatically create any new parking zones. Instead, it would lay out the steps neighborhoods would have to follow if residents want parking restrictions on their streets.
St. Pete parking restriction
What we know:
Under the proposal, at least two-thirds of households in a proposed area would need to support the request through a petition.
If that happens, the city would conduct a parking study. The area would need to be more than 75% full during the study period, and at least 25% of the parked vehicles would need to belong to people who do not live in the area.
Even if a neighborhood meets those requirements, City Council would still need to approve the resident-only parking area.
The proposal comes as St. Petersburg continues to grow, with new apartments, businesses and development adding pressure to streets near commercial corridors.
Some residents say they worry more cars will spill into nearby neighborhoods.
"If they put it in Kenwood, it already doesn’t have enough parking for the people that are there," resident John Potts said. "So, the people who are there get impacted by somebody who isn’t even here yet."
Business concerns
The other side:
Some business owners say restricting neighborhood parking could make it harder for customers to support local shops and restaurants.
Al Green, who owns Speakeasy Kava on Central Avenue and lives nearby, said businesses need customer access as costs rise.
"We need the customers over there to accommodate the increased costs, the increase in rent in this city, the increased property values over here," Green said. "You need people coming here."
What they're saying:
St. Petersburg City Council member Lisset Hanewicz said she understands the concerns of residents who struggle to find parking near their homes.
"I understand the residents come saying they can’t find parking because, guess what? I had those same issues in Crescent Lake from the businesses," Hanewicz said.
The ordinance would also raise the annual residential parking permit fee from $15 to $30 and change permits from calendar-year renewals to 12 months from the date they are issued.
The Source: Information in this story comes from St. Petersburg City Council agenda materials for the June 11 meeting, the proposed ordinance, previous FOX 13 reporting and interviews with residents, business owners and city leaders.