Six-month automotive moratorium likely to end, city drawing new district lines

A new 10th Avenue Old Main Street district is being proposed and will be void of any new automotive repair businesses or other types of industrial uses if an ordinance establishing the district is passed in a final reading and public hearing on Dec. 19 in Palmetto.

The move is the end result of an expiring six-month moratorium on new automotive repair businesses in the downtown core, but shrinks the restricted zone dramatically from the existing moratorium.

The city enacted the moratorium in April to less than enthusiastic public opinion. Officials have spent hours in public debate since then, but the process only became murkier as it progressed. Even as officials on the dais became confident that progress was being made, automotive business owners in the audience often glanced at one another, asking, “What just happened?”

City staff initially wanted a year to work out the kinks of an ancient set of city codes that in reality has many downtown businesses in violation, particularly pertaining to open storage. Codes essentially say no open storage is allowed anywhere in the city, except in commercial heavy industrial, and only then with a conditional use permit. Commissioners ultimately gave staff six months to work out the kinks, but it wasn’t enough time.

“We aren’t looking at the open storage issue in this ordinance,” said city planner Debra Woithe. “We can deal with uses all over town at a later time, but this is to make things simple for now. This is a Band-Aid for now.”

The new district will encompass 10th Avenue West from the Manatee River to the south and north to 10th Street East, and expands just a block in the west and east directions. The goal was to protect the historic areas of the downtown with the intent of making it more walkable and bike friendly as the city begins a massive turn toward multimodal concepts.

The open storage issue will take more time, but the ordinance will allow new businesses that need open storage to come before the commission for a conditional use permit and existing businesses will not be affected at this time. The new ordinance will allow the automotive moratorium to expire as city staff continues to work through out-of-date codes to deal with open storage.

Public works director Allen Tusing said it’s not the end-all to the overall solution.

“We still have to fix a lot of things, but this will take care of the moratorium,” Tusing said. “That’s what has stirred up the hornet’s nest. Like the mayor says, sometimes you have to feed an elephant with a spoon.”

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 8:40 PM with the headline "Six-month automotive moratorium likely to end, city drawing new district lines."