The new signs aren’t there yet, but changes in the way people drive — and more importantly, park — are in effect in Longbeach Village.
The culmination of months of discussion, a package of changes to the town’s regulations in the north-end neighborhood was unanimously approved by the Town Commission on Monday. The results of new restrictions on parking and a 20 mph speed limit will be examined before any additional changes, such as neighborhood parking permits, are considered.
The changes included:
- A 20 mph speed limit on Broadway Street, to conform to the rest of the neighborhood and neighborhoods around town;
- No parking in alleys;
- No parking within 50 feet of intersections;
- No parking at all on Poinsettia Avenue from Broadway to Linley Street;
- No parking at all on Linley Street from Poinsettia Avenue to Lois Avenue;
- No parking at all on Lois Avenue north of Broadway Street;
- No parking on the south side of Russell Street;
- No street parking from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. in Longbeach Village;
- No parking for more than three days in one spot anywhere else in town;
- No valet parking on town streets without prior approval from the town through a special event permit or a concessionaire agreement.
Commissioners have been working with residents and others in the neighborhood to address street issues since last winter.
“We certainly appreciate the work you are trying to do to improve our situation in our neighborhood. All these things are a good start toward what we need,’’ said Benny Parrish, adding that beach traffic and employee parking remain an issue, especially on weekends and holidays.
Among other previously discussed issues town commissioners approved on Monday:
- They approved a new schedule of fees for building inspections and permits, which will take effect Oct. 1. In an effort to more closely match fees with their actual cost to the town, 75 different fees will increase, three will decrease and 50 will remain the same. In doing so, the town will move from recovering 74% of costs to about 96%. Also built into the new schedule is the ability to raise fees annual based on the Consumer Price Index or the town’s expected expenses in performing those services.
- Commissioners approved a master services agreement with Wilco Electrical for the work that will lead to underground utilities. Work on the first phase of burying electrical and communications cables is expected to begin over the next few months with initial efforts focusing on electrical service along Gulf of Mexico Drive. The overall amount budgeted for burying power and cable, along with surveying and landscaping is $30.4 million.
- The first batch of five alterations to the town zoning code hit a snag. The town’s planning department identified a series of issues within the codebook that needed cleaning up or otherwise needed attention and sought to bring them to the commission in batches. Of the first batch, two were advanced to a second vote – elimination of flexibility in parking standards for multi-use facilities and the elimination of waivers in parking standards. Two others were sent back for revisions: — standards for building pickleball courts on private lane and standards for building over-water docks. A new provision for changes in how setbacks are determined for owners of double-sized lots was rejected.
