Hallandale Beach Parking Update: There Has Been Frustration Over the Different Zones

Over the past month what has happened is the program has worked on these blocks. Golden Isles Drive parking is limited to the number of spots that have been established. These spots were designed under codes required by Florida Department of Transportation standards for turning radius and sight lines. This is why there seems to be areas that everyday citizens would think there should be spots created. We can not change this layout. The good news is with the new plan there are many more spots open on Diana Drive. These spots are walking distance to Golden Isles Drive.

It turns out that many of the condos at the Beachwalk have become vacation rentals. There is parking at the building but the people renting or visiting do not want to pay. In addition, the hotel does charge for spots, but it was cheaper for many not to pay. With the increase to 4 dollars an hour many of the spots are now vacant. So, the program does work by expanding the available spots.

There have also been issues everywhere in the City about the storage of work vehicles, campers and trailers. Diana Drive has been a dumping ground for these types of vehicles, which will be ticketed.

I have still received some concerns over nurses and caregivers having to pay. I also had some complaints about motorcycle parking. One person complained about guest parking but was not sure if this individual was also a vacationer or an owner. These are valid concerns that we hope to address in the next budget cycle. I cannot say at this time it will be remedied but we all are aware.

The next location of concern has been Atlantic Shores. Many residents that own units along the corridor were unaware that the spots were not a common area of the building but they are city property which poses a unique situation. For years we have had enforcement issues there. Many vehicles, campers and trailers were being stored and residents were complaining that these vehicles were parking in their spots. So now those residents are required to pay or have a monthly pass. Passes are $30, which is $1 per day. Hourly is more and hopefully this will free up spots just like on Diana Drive.

The next location is along the area of Northeast 3rd Street which is a combination of residential and commercial parking. Just a few years ago, there was no parking along this corridor. When Art Square was built as part of their approval, they had to make improvements to the road. This upgraded the area tremendously and added more spots, Art Square does have its own parking. The new townhouses were built with 2 spots per house but some of the other buildings were built using the old codes.

Due to the mix of concerns over vacation rentals and spillover of commercial vehicles that were staying all day long, this area was set at $4 per hour with no monthly passes and this is where the issue lies. On one hand residents received more spots but now we want to make sure that overnight rentals and commercial vehicles are not using those parking spaces and then there will hopefully be a balance created by the program.

We also have an issue with business parking, as we are in the midst of expanding a new lot that is also being upgraded along 1st Avenue and north of 3rd.

Residents are requesting that we issue them monthly passses because at this point in time there have not been any commitments to make any changes until we gather some more data from the new technology that has been adopted. The Pay by Phone technology will give us an idea of the demand and uses within each zone.

I have yet to hear complaints from Three Islands, but I am sure there are some residents that are not thrilled with the program. With this said the first report and even visual observations have proven that the program is working. Are there issues over some zones? Yes, but we are asking the residents to be patient until we have actually collected all of the data.

The other area of good news is our beach parking. Our City was one of the cheapest so many non-residents loved to come to our beach. We love visitors, but in all actuality they do not pay taxes and they are using our resources and amenities. By increasing the hourly rate for visitors, we have created additional revenues.

I have been asking for overnight parking at our beaches for many years. We will hopefully look at some types of expansions in the upcoming budget. We have very limited parking at North Beach. The expansion will certainly help offset the demand from Etaru and will make our North Beach Community Center more desirable as a rental or for future lease. This will open up spaces at the properties on the beach for overflow, from overnight parking.

Beginning after the first of the year our parking program will be fully implemented and enforced. As a reminder the fees for the program offset the program costs and do generate much needed revenue. The information on this program can be found on our website at: www.cohb.org.

As always feel free to contact me anytime with your questions, concerns and ideas to make our City a great place to live, work and play! I am available by phone or text at: (954) 632-5700. E-mail me at: jcooper@cohb.org. Or visit my Facebook: Mayor Joy Cooper. Or you can visit my web-site at: www.MayorJoyCooper.com