Paved parking compliance to be phased in in South Cape CRA
Businesses in the South Cape with unpaved parking lots will be given time to comply with regulatory standards.
Cape Coral City Council, acting as the South Cape Community Redevelopment Agency Commission on Wednesday directed staff to present a phased approach for businesses out of compliance with paving requirements.
CRA Project Manager Zachary Gogel said in March 2005, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that Council include a time limit, or sunset date for unimproved parking lots. He said it was designated to be temporary with a sunset date of a year.
“Council was working on another ordinance with the CRA to provide parking regulations through a program payment in lieu of parking. That allowed developers to purchase parking spaces based on a table implemented in the land development code at that time,” he said.
City Council in September 2023 removed the payment in lieu of parking and replaced it with allowing parking on-street within 500 feet of the property to meet the minimum required parking spaces. The parking regulation was increased to 660 feet of the subject property for off-street parking spaces.
There were three exemptions offered for vehicles parked on unimproved or vacant lots.
“All the known businesses utilizing this exemption — three of the businesses without it would come out of compliance with parking minimums,” Gogel said.
The three businesses that would be out of compliance for removing the second exemption — “vacant property utilized for parking is not owned by the same person or entity as the developed commercial property it is intended to serve, the owner of the developed commercial property must have a bona fide lease for the adjacent vacant or unimproved property” – include Dolphin Key Resort, Family Hardware and Tarpon AC.
The presentation identified 18 businesses, all of which are using unimproved parking lots. Three of those would be out of compliance with minimal parking regulations.
There were three options moving forward — terminate the program, offer a phased approach and provide grants to support land development code improvements and permitting.
The commission opted to do a combination of two — provide a timeline of 24 months to allow for design, permitting, and construction and providing the Business 2 Barriers and BIG Grants support.
“The overall appearance of the area is important,” Councilmember Bill Steinke said. “I would have agreed with the sunset years ago. Those areas being used as parking lots should look like parking lots.”
He said the CRA needs to assist businesses in becoming compliant.
“This basically started in 2005, and boy have we come a long way in the downtown area,” Mayor John Gunter said. “I believe it is part of the revitalization to have paved parking.”
He also agreed that some grant assistance for the three businesses should be offered, so they can become compliant within 24 months.
The recommendation will now go before the Cape Coral City Council.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com