It’s official: North Beach residents have a new parking program coming their way
Residents have mixed emotions about a residential parking program in North Beach neighborhoods that was approved by city commissioners Wednesday.
Announced earlier this summer, the program will require residential parking permits in certain zones in the North Shore, Biscayne Beach and Normandy Isles neighborhoods in an attempt to ease parking troubles in an area with many apartment and condo buildings. Residents will soon need to register for permits as part of a one-year pilot program that is anticipated to start in November, though there will be no charge for the permits during the first year. After that, passes are expected to start at $56 per year, subject to change by the City Commission.
Under the pilot program, residents will be allowed a maximum of two permits per household and can purchase up to 30 24-hour visitor passes every three months for $3 each. The permit zones would be in effect from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 6 p.m. on Friday to 7 a.m. Monday on weekends. During the initial two months of the pilot program, residents will not be subject to citations, and they will not be towed during the duration of the yearlong pilot. After the one-year pilot ends, violators may be towed on a three-strike basis.
Though many residents say they support the plan, more than 450 people have signed a petition rejecting the idea. Some opposing residents have said the plan unfairly restricts residents with limited visitor passes for large events.
Commissioner David Suarez, one of the sponsors of the legislation, said Wednesday that “the status quo is not an option.”
“Whether we like it or not, significant changes are coming for North Beach, between overdevelopment, tourism and parking,” Suarez said.
Suarez pointed out that there are 1,400 new residential units that have been approved in North Beach, reminding residents that garages aren’t a sufficient solution to the parking shortage in the area and crediting the permit program as a more “multifaceted” solution.
He also specified that Airbnbs and other short-term rentals are not eligible for residential parking permits.
Many residents are in favor of the program, saying that it aligns with those already in place in the Altos Del Mar neighborhood and many areas of South Beach. Lisa Aurora Sacco, who has lived in Miami Beach for over 20 years and in North Beach for the last four, said she has witnessed the discrepancies between the different areas and appreciates efforts by the commission to bring South Beach policies into North Beach.
“You can see a vast contrast as far as the aesthetics, the beautification, the availability for residents to park after they get home from work,” Sacco told the Herald. “I do feel like having zones will improve the quality of life and the beauty in our neighborhood.”
As the owner of several properties in Miami Beach, Sacco said she’s seen cars parked in her driveways or around her properties, sometimes left unmoved for months. She also sees commercial vehicles parked in neighborhoods and believes that registered parking passes will reduce those issues.
“Let’s make sure that residents who already pay for their rent, who are renting or own property, anyone who is a taxpayer in our neighborhood, have first dibs on a parking space that belongs to the city,” Sacco said.
At the meeting, Suarez noted that the program will be evaluated at the end of the pilot year and can be tweaked as needed.
“We are in this to raise the standard of living in Miami Beach and to place residents first in our agenda,” he said.
