An April Fools’ Day ordinance, finally arrived

We can be sure that you, our dear reader, are tired of hearing about parking. What is exasperating about the situation is that Lee County could have had a public meeting with the island, explained the plan, had residents speak to it and then voted on it. And we could have written about it for a few weeks, and then been on our merry way.

But no. Instead, we are getting a public hearing in Fort Myers, which is two hours away, on April Fools’ Day. To pretend that emails to a commissioner are somehow equivalent to discussing an idea in person, at a public forum, here, is just false. Before the construction of the Community Center, the county held a public meeting on island to explain the idea. Admittedly, it was late in the game, but the Lee County Parks & Recreation staff actually came here to listen.

Now that we know that there will be only a hearing in Fort Myers, those who are supporting this plan, including The Gasparilla Inn (as noted on numerous occasions by Commissioner Ruane) are by default proponents of the current process. The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association has been silent. The Chamber and churches have asked for meetings. Should we all not speak up for a process that includes a public meeting/workshop, on-island? 

Some points:

1. Beach parking will be just under 250 spaces, according to proponents. This is not enough to support restaurants and shops in the quiet time between Easter and Thanksgiving. There is no relaxation over the summer, something proponents previously supported.

2. The ordinance is written for the few weeks during spring break, at high season, and Memorial and Labor Day. The rest of summer is very quiet here.

3. We are sending beach-going families primarily down to the beach at Boca Grande Pass, where it is unsafe to swim. Just think on that.

4. This ordinance does not provide for any of the residents of downtown to park on street. There was previous discussion of parking passes or some sort of system for those residents. There is nothing in this plan that indicates there is an answer for them.

5. The workers in town are not just the retailers and restaurants. The downtown including real estate offices, typically park on the street. This week, still high season, there were plenty of spaces.

6. The Gasparilla Inn appears largely unaffected by this ordinance. Downtown, if you look at the new map, is drawn excluding them. Is it wise to continue to promote the Inn and other island amenities nationally on social media while shutting down day access to the beach?

7. Wheeler Road parking has been used by Barrier Island Parks for access to the Range Light. Last week, it was restricted to tennis players and dog runs. Proponents also suggested Wheeler for use as a base for bicyclists who come to the island. Lee County put in a crosswalk to make that happen.

8. Diagonal parking: It is actually valuable to modern traffic planners, as cars have rear cameras now, and the backing out narrows the street and slows down traffic, what planners call traffic calming. There will need to be a traffic study to continue that historic practice here.

9. There is much hand-wringing over the number of house starts in Cape Haze, North Port and Wellen Park. Wellen Park houses run from $500,000 to $1.5 million, with plenty of amenities and handsome landscaping. These people are island supporters, and should not be driven away from our boutique retail and restaurants.

10. Tourism: The rest of Lee County had aggressive efforts to help get visitors to the beach. We are excluded from that effort; it is as if tourists no longer matter.

11. Payment: People are prepared to pay for a day at the beach. Why is there no consideration for the Lee County Park Pass system, where residents can pay $60 to park for the year, with a sticker? This system is used at Bonita Beach, Bowditch Point, Bowman’s Beach, Turner Beach and other locations in Lee County. We know this has been suggested for here, but rejected.

12. Signage: The new ordinance specifies signage. Already, the island is getting cluttered and more will add to ugliness. It can be done tastefully.

13. Bicycles: Tuesday, there was a group of at least 30 bicyclists on the island, a welcome sight. Perhaps we have to hope that more of them will come to support our eateries. The problem is that they do not shop while on bikes, unless they come and rent a bike, which is also now made difficult or impossible.

14. This week, among other ordinances, is a relaxation of the parking formula for historic districts like Matlacha and Boca Grande, on behalf of the Boca Grande Health Clinic. We fully support the clinic. But isn’t it interesting that the county is relaxing its parking requirements for historic districts, while restricting parking here in that same district?

Garland Pollard is editor of the Boca Beacon. Email letters and comments to editor@bocabeacon.com.