Ybor City parking meters are history!
March 18, 2008 at 4:06 pm by Wayne Garcia
Taking the meters off Ybor’s streets might improve its foot traffic, shown pitifully here during a recent afternoon (photo credit: Wayne Garcia)
This just in from Mayor Pam Iorio:
The City of Tampa has been working with the Ybor Chamber, the Ybor City Development Corporation, residents and members of the Ybor business community regarding many of the parking concerns in Ybor City. Yesterday, I met with staff and asked that they begin work to remove the on-street parking meters in Ybor. The meters will be transitioned to two-hour parking spaces.
It is my hope that the removal of the on-street parking meters will encourage more people to visit Ybor City.
Employee parking in the two-hour spaces will continue to be prohibited. The removal of the meters will require city staff to work with the business district to ensure there is an understanding of these parking policies.
The City’s parking system is funded entirely through user fees. It is anticipated that some amount of tax increment financing revenue collected from Ybor City will go toward reimbursing the Parking Fund for lost revenue. Additionally, there may be a personnel savings through the reduced need for enforcement. Therefore, while the possible revenue loss to the Parking Fund is estimated at $200,000, the amount will likely be far less given these two factors.
The new parking plan for Ybor is expected to take effect within the next few months. Until the meters have been removed, all current parking policies will remain in effect. New signage will replace the meters that will indicate the two-hour parking limitations and the prohibition of employee parking.
The last time we discussed Ybor’s draconian parking meter enforcement, the comment line lit up.
