03-24-21 Public Meeting between Mayor Pro Tem Norris and Com. WatersMINUTES
Public Meeting between Mayor Pro Tem Norris
t? s - and Commissioner Waters
Wednesday, March 24, 2021 - 6:00 PM
Commission Chamber
ATTENDANCE:
Present: Brittany Norris, Mayor Pro Tern- Seat 5 (District 1312)
Michael Waters, Commissioner- Seat 4 (District 1307)
Also Present: Shane Corbin, City Manager(CM)
Kevin Hogencamp, Deputy City Manager(DCM)
Lori Diaz, Deputy City Clerk(DCC)
CALL TO ORDER
Commissioner Norris called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
TOPIC - DISCUSS PARKING AND ITS EFFECT ON DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY
Public Comment
Commissioner Norris explained the process for public comments and opened the Courtesy of
the Floor to Visitors. Deputy City Manager read two written comments(which is attached hereto
and made part of this Official Record as ATTACHMENT A).
Deputy City Clerk Diaz called each speaker to the podium.
Suzi Ritter suggested the parking issue for the City should be addressed as a comprehensive
plan, not just for specific areas, such as 18th Street or the Town Center.
Jim Wheatley spoke about safety, health, cost, and privacy concerns from distracted drivers
and safety concerns with parking on 18th Street.
Sandy Parkes spoke about her concerns about recent changes in the community and problems
with parking on 18th Street.
Seth Dalton spoke about his concerns regarding the redesign of the parking on 18th Street and
the quality of life nuisance for residents.
ATTACHMENT A - 3-24-21 - Written Comments
Commission Discussion
Commissioner Waters stated 18th Street is part of his district,but he cares about how the parking
issue can and does affect the entire City. He explained part of the problem started when other
Miscellaneous Public Meeting
March 24,2021
local paid parking programs started causing people to seek free beach parking. He stated parking
issues at the beach are not limited to seasonal parking; it is a year-round issue. Parking issues
are also not limited to 18th Street. He stated a first step to initiating a complete paid parking
program would be to get an accurate count of spaces for paid parking; many spots were not
included in the previous count. He stated another option might be to change the permitted hours
for parking. He stated a balance needs to be found.
Mayor Pro Tem Norris stated she represents the only district in COAB that does not include the
beach. However, she still hears of similar concerns and issues regarding safety and parking in
her district. She explained cutting off the beach access to non-beach residents is not an option.
She further explained the City receives millions of dollars from Duval County for beach
renourishment which is not included in the City's budget. When establishing parking for the
beach, parking spaces(quality and quantity) for non-beach residents must be considered.
Mayor Pro Tem Norris stated 18th Street parking problems had been an issue since she has been
a Commissioner. Many meetings and workshops have been held to discuss the issues and she
stated until larger issues could be resolved, smaller beautification issues could be resolved, such
as:
Adding trash cans to help with trash
Adding bike parking to help with the traffic
Adding security cameras to help with the safety
Many of these suggestions have been turned down or discouraged, and the extreme solution of
removing all parking from 18th Street has been suggested. She stated removing all parking from
the specified area is not an option she would support.
Discussion ensued regarding other publicly suggested parking options and the issues with
initiating them due to staffing, organization, enforcement, and costs.
Mayor Pro Tem Norris stated she would support paid parking for beach access and a possible
discount for Atlantic Beach residents. However, she stated detailed conversations would need
to be had regarding locations, the cost for the City, accessibility, etc.
Commissioner Waters stated an error was made on a previous audit and did not include the
spaces on 19th Street. He stated he would like an accurate count of spots included in a paid
parking program for beach access. He also stated an option for some residents and visitors was
to visit Hanna Park instead of Atlantic Beach.
Commissioner Waters stated acting in total transparency and providing information to the public
before making changes would be helpful to gain support from the community. He stated one of
the main issues was visitors simply respecting the area as a residential beach.
Commissioner Waters clarified his previous statement about some residents using Hanna Park
instead of Atlantic Beach. He stated it could be more convenient and closer for residents living
near Mayport Road and visitors to access Hanna Park's beach instead of navigating through the
residential roads of Atlantic Beach to go to the smaller beach access.
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March 24,2021
Mayor Pro Tern Norris believed that tax-paying residents of Atlantic Beach should have access
to the local beach accesses.
Mayor Pro Tern Norris asked what the plan would be after the City conducted an audit of parking
spaces,and no other parking spaces could be added to 18th Street. Commissioner Waters stated
he would live with the answer and try to develop other solutions to help with the quality of life
in the immediate area. He stated the Police need to offer better surveillance. He suggested a
quarterly DUI checkpoint could help with drunk driving and drunken behaviors.
Commissioner Waters noted issues with the suggested beautification ideas previously mentioned
by Mayor Pro Tern Norris. Mayor Pro Tern Norris stated she is a big advocate for simple
beautification changes for immediate help to the area and adding a sidewalk in front of the
current parking spaces would be a great help.
Further conversation ensued regarding suggestions for transparency regarding further projects
to help keep the residents informed.
Deputy City Manager Kevin Hogencamp stated there is information on the "Projects" page of
the City's website regarding the discussed parking area.
Mayor Pro Tern Norris and Commissioner Waters thanked everyone for their time.
ADJOURNMENT
This meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Attest:
0(17)/444.- VS1/2A&-4-- 6
Donna L. Bartle, City Clerk Ellen Glasser, Mayor
Date Approved:
7/26 2
Miscellaneous Public Meeting
March 24,2021
ATTACHMENT A
March 24,2021 Minutes
Bartle, Donna
From: Nancy Whittington <nvn202@juno,com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2021 10:17 AM
To: Bartle, Donna
Subject:For tonight's convo with Dr.Waters and Brittany
Dear Donna, it is too late to submit a statement to be read at tonight's meeting during public comments? If not,
then I submit the following for consideration. Thanks.
Honorable Commissioners,
Atlantic Beach is lagging behind in coming to grips with our new reality. Communities around us have moved
to paid parking plus more stringent enforcement of local laws on drinking, littering and parking. It is in the
best interests of our citizens and visitors to deal with this to make sure it it safe and regulated. More
comprehensive enforcement of our ordinances Citywide on the beaches would lessen some of the outrageous
behaviors that local residents must deal with now. This behavior issue is not good for anyone, whether they live
here or visit.
Nancy Whittington
1861 Beachside Court
AB
Phone: 242-0170
ATTACHMENT A
March 24,2021 Minutes
Bartle, Donna
From: City Clerk
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2021 12:25 PM
To: Bartle, Donna; Diaz, Lori; Flower, Kimberly M.
Subject:FW:Written Comments to be read at the 3-24-2021 Parking meeting
Attachments: Meeting on 3_24_01.docx
From: Kim Reich
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2021 12:24:47 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US &Canada)
To: City Clerk; john yahoo
Subject: Written Comments to be read at the 3-24-2021 Parking meeting
ATTACHMENT A
March 24,2021 Minutes
My name is Kim Reich. I have lived at 1852 Beachside Court since 2007. My backyard shares over 150
feet of fence line with the parking lot on 18th Street. For the first several years that we lived here, the
parking lot was rarely crowded and mostly used by locals to enjoy the beach. There would be big
crowds on holiday weekends, but mostly manageable otherwise. We all coexisted peacefully.
With the onset of social media, word soon spread about the parking lot on 18th Street in AB where you
do not have to pay and where there is little police oversight. Even going so far as being designated as a
Secret Beach" with free parking on Goggle Maps. From that point on,our neighborhood has been
subjected to unprecedented crowds descending on our small residential streets. We are left to deal
with the traffic,crowds, noise, chaos, and trash all season long.
Now that paid parking has come to the rest of the beaches, we simply must institute paid parking on
18th Street before we are totally overrun. Perhaps by offering AB residents 3-hour free parking or
reduced rate parking, we can surely find a way for all the citizens of AB to enjoy our beautiful beaches
while still allowing me and my neighbors to live here peacefully.
With literally hundreds of chronically unused parking spaces at Hannah Park, nobody is being denied
access to the beach. If anybody wants to go to a beach in NE Florida, it is not hard to do. Yes,we may
have to pay a couple bucks, but our beautiful beaches and our neighborhoods are worth it!
Respectfully,
Kim Reich