Paid Parking Update: City to begin evaluating submitted proposals

The City of Fernandina Beach will begin to evaluate vendor proposals to run a paid parking program in the historic downtown following submittals to its Request for Proposals (RFP) that closed Thursday.

City Manager Sarah Campbell gave the newly formed Waterfront Advisory Board (WAB) an update on the status of the RFP at its meeting Wednesday.

"The RFPs don't fall under the same public records laws as other documents until the selection process plays out because of when it's a bid, basically it's a sealed bid. You can't have those being distributed to the public because bidders kind of compare notes'" Campbell told the board. "And so, the city commission will go through that selection process. And then there's a certain timeline of when those bids can be released to the public. But the city clerk manages all of that for us. And as soon as they're able to be released, they would be available publicly. But typically, it's not until they appear in the city commission agenda packet."

Lisa Finkelstein, the city's downtown district manager, said the RFP results would be scheduled to be discussed at the WAB's next meeting on June 24. The city commission will consider whether to go forward with paid parking at its meeting on July 15.

The initial proposal under consideration involves charging for 'premiere' parking spots bordered by Ash and Alachua streets, extending from Front Street east to Eighth Street.

The main parking lot at the marina would also be included. Deputy City Manager Jeremiah Glisson told the city commission in April the area would account for 660 parking spaces in the downtown core and another 90 spaces in parking lots A & B at the city marina. One vendor estimated the paid parking program could generate $2 million in revenue for the city.

Two downtown business owners expressed concerns to the WAB about the lack of public information regarding the paid parking proposal. They also voiced concerns over the proposals "fast tracking" before the commission without consideration of all of the ramifications a paid parking program would have on businesses and adjacent neighborhoods.

Marisol Triana, owner of the Hola, Cuban Cafe, said the majority of downtown business owners were unaware of recent developments regarding the paid parking proposal.

"Today, myself, along with a local boutique owner and a local musician, walked most of downtown, giving out signs of no paid parking for those who were opposed to paid parking. What was staggering was the vast majority of these folks had no idea that this is happening," she said. "And the few who did were shocked that it was moving forward so quickly. We went to nearly 40 businesses downtown, 37 to be exact, all within the premium parking footprint. There was a great amount of panic, which often comes when you feel that you were taken by surprise. You don't know what's happening to something that's going to affect your livelihood."

Triana noted that none of the 37 business owners she spoke with supported the paid parking concept.

She also voiced concern over the lack of information being provided by the Main Street organization, which receives funding from the city.

Hola, Cuban Cafe owner Marisol Triana

"All we ask is to please give us the information to arm ourselves, educate ourselves and really attract, you know, be an advocate or just be able to defend what's going on in our city. But keeping us in the dark is not the way to go," Triana said.

Finkelstein informed Triana that Main Street has scheduled a meeting with business owners to discuss the paid parking issue on June 18.

"To your point about sharing information, that is planned, and Main Street is also doing a survey that will be specific to the businesses," Finkelstein said. "The (Main Street) board has not taken a position on this, rather a position of wanting to help, you know, share information once it becomes available and then solicit feedback from the businesses that they would then bring to the commission. So that's, you know, from a Main Street perspective, of where they are."

Jeff Freese, owner of the Ash Street Cigar Parlor, said the street parking capacity of downtown neighborhoods would be overwhelmed by visitors to the city.

"As a business owner here, I've not seen a whole lot of information. There's been a lot of hearsay. People are going to flood Ash Street (neighborhoods) and park their cars all up and down there. And we already have issues," Freese said. "(Business) employees are taking up the parking spaces that are there. I mean, I've got nine employees, but the Patio Place next to us has 42 employees. Guess what? All those employees are parking on off-street parking around all of our businesses. You know, Wildlife at 110 ,000 homes, whatever the status is going to be for them for the next three to five years when those people are dumped downtown on the weekend, we just are not well equipped (to handle that). I mean, look at St. Augustine, for example."