Parking in Riverside Park West in Palmetto could soon cost you

The $900,000 in improvements to Riverside Park West and the associated boat ramp and dock upgrades have been a success, but perhaps too successful.

With increased use and impact to the park, city officials are now pushing ahead with a revamped parking plan for the boat ramp, that could include a parking fee. That debate has yet to be held among the city’s commissioners, but Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant said, “Most of the boaters are responsible, but a lot aren’t. A user fee would make those who use it pay to keep it up.”

Community Redevelopment Agency Director Jeff Burton said it would likely drive some boaters to use other free boat ramps around the county, “but those who are already taking ownership in the ramp likely wouldn’t mind to see that happen.”

The CRA is working on a plan to add 66 new parking spaces by creating a lot to the north of the boat ramp, using part of the site of an old Shell gas station at 301 Eighth Ave. W.

The remaining old gas station property, about 2 acres worth, was recently approved for surplus property and Burton intends to release a request for proposal for the site in the near future.

The property was a gas station from 1928 until 2009 when the Environmental Protection Agency found that the station’s underground fuel tanks had failed. The cost to fix the problem proved to be too much for the former owner and the CRA purchased the land in 2012 for $400,000.

The CRA demolished the station and through a brownfield cleanup grant, has spent recent years cleaning up the site and getting it ready for what the city sees as a key development point along the Manatee River.

Burton said once the new parking plan is implemented, “Per acre, Palmetto is providing more spaces than anywhere else in Manatee County.” He said the parking plan had to be approved before he could proceed with releasing a RFP for the old gas station property.

The property is zoned for a building as high as seven stories, according to zoning regulations enacted by the city commission in 2010. Burton has said the location is ideal for a mixed use project that would complement the area and future Riverside Park West improvements.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Parking in Riverside Park West in Palmetto could soon cost you."