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Tampa Has Plan For Lots Of Ybor Anxiety

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2008

TAMPA - From her bungalow on Sixth Avenue, Sandra Jackson watches the spectacle of partygoers drinking and playing loud music and fighting every weekend.

When the nightclubs empty, the party moves to dozens of dimly lit parking lots in Ybor City that are little more than grassy fields.

"It goes on all night," Jackson said. "And those kids have no respect for anyone."

Like many Ybor residents, she wants the city to get rid of the lots.

It's not that simple, however.

The city says the owners have a right to operate the lots, despite the fact that they were meant to be a temporary solution to a parking problem largely resolved during the past decade.

Instead, the city has a plan to improve the appearance and safety of the lots by forcing owners to comply with a new set of regulations. By requiring landscaping and lighting, pavement in common areas, security, and signs with rates and a contact number for emergencies, city officials hope to alleviate many of the complaints residents have with the parking lots.

Longtime Ybor residents say the city's plan misses the bigger point.

"These lots should not be a part of the landscape of a historic district," said Dan Snow, a resident and cigar bar manager. "We would rather see new homes and businesses."

Ybor residents have fought for years to get the lots removed, arguing that they invite loitering, fights and other troubles. The lots, mostly vacant industrial and housing sites dating to the 1970s, were meant to be a temporary fix for overflow parking.

Since the lots came into existence about 10 years ago, the city has built two parking garages, added surface parking and removed the coin meters for off-street parking in the neighborhood. In all, that's nearly 3,000 spots in Ybor, more than enough to handle the demand during the weekends.

Despite that, the privately owned lots have proliferated, in part because of loosely defined rules on interim parking and lax enforcement.

After working on the new rules for a year, city officials say that although they can't get rid of them, at least they can force property owners to improve the appearance of the lots. If the proposed changes are approved by the city council, lot owners would need zoning approval from the city to stay in business.

"We plan to aggressively enforce the new standards," said Gloria Moreda, the city's land development and zoning manager, who worked on the proposed changes.

Even if strictly enforced, the changes will do little to alleviate loitering and crime, said Joe Howden, owner of King Corona Cigars on Seventh Avenue and a member of the Historic Ybor City Neighborhood Civic Association.

By adopting rules to allow the lots to stay in business, he said, the city, "will legitimize these parking lots and possibly allow them to proliferate."

The privately owned lots number about two dozen and are closer to many of the restaurants and nightclubs than the city's garages on Palm and Fifth avenues.

Most of the lots have a parking attendant and charge $5 to $10 a night. Some have valet parking and Web sites. Others are vacant lots owned by developers and out-of-town investment companies.

Few have invested much in the properties, residents and city officials say.

"They're getting a maximum profit for a minimum investment," Howden said.

Tony LaColla, president of the neighborhood's civic association, said the city's proposal isn't the perfect solution, but he hopes it will help to resolve some problems.

"We don't want them in the neighborhood, but this makes them palatable," he said.

The city and neighborhood groups are discussing the lighting and security, LaColla said, but haven't come to a consensus on the proposed requirements.

"We really need to address those issues," he said.

Tampa police say they have increased their presence in the neighborhood on the weekends, putting plainclothes officers on patrol in the lots. Forcing owners to improve the lot conditions will help.

"We can't do this by ourselves," police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

Howden, for one, remains doubtful that the changes will have a major effect.

"Why are they assuming that because they put in some lights and shrubbery that it's going to improve the safety?" he said. "This plan makes our problems permanent."

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

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