LTC 41-2003 CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No.
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and Date: February 10, 2003
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez \ ,~,~r
City Manager
"PARC" PLAN (PAR~ING AVAILABILITY for RETAILERS and CONSUMERS)
The City of Miami Beach Parking Department is continually enhancing its level of
service to residents and visitors of this city. The most recent effort is "PARC" (Parking
Availability for Retailers and Consumers). "PARC" is the regulating of commercial
loading zones after 6:00 P.M. in order to maximize the efficiency of the limited parking
supply in South Beach. Currently, commercial loading zones are operational Monday
through Friday from 7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. After 6:00 P.M., commercial loading zones
are unregulated. Typically, merchants and/or their employees park in these spaces
after 6:00 P.M. rendering them useless for the' remainder of the evening. One of the
keys to successful parking management is to have space turnover in order to maximize
the utilization of each space. With efficient turnover ratios, one on-street parking space
could potentially serve between two and three users through the course of an evening.
In addition, the existing conditions may be somewhat confusing to those that are
unfamiliar with the area, namely visitors and tourists because drivers don't know
whether they can park there or not.
"PARC" will be implemented as a pilot program in the Lincoln Road area. Commercial
loading zones in the Lincoln Road area (between Alton Road and Washington Avenue)
will be serving dual purposes: (1) as commercial loading zones from 7:00 A.M. to 6:00
P.M. and (2) as metered parking from 6:00 P.M. to 12:00 Midnight. Signs will also be
posted stating the respective timeframes of the dual use. The parking meters installed in
these commercial loading zone spaces will be blue in color, thus distinguishing them
from the rest of the parking meters in the area. Moreover, the meters will be
programmed not to accept coins and/or parking smart cards during the commercial
loading zone hours (7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.) in order to promulgate the regulation.
The Transportation and Parking Committee and Lincoln Road Association have
endorsed this concept as a pilot program for 90 days. Status reports will be provided to
both entities for input and comments. If ultimately successful, it will be introduced to
other commercial areas for further testing. If you should have any further questions,
please contact Saul Frances, Parking Director at extension 6483 or me at extension
6637.
Electronic Copy: Management Team
JMG\G41~/~SF~DR
F:\PI NG\$ALL\SAUL\CMO\blue meterinstallations.ltc.doc