SEBASTIAN — Parking problems plaguing businesses in the waterfront area of Sebastian might finally have a resolution.
The Sebastian City Council will be asked tonight to hold a public hearing later this month to get the public’s input on the proposed changes that could loosen current restrictions on off-site parking.
The issue of off-site parking came up earlier this summer when the proposed buyer of the former Flagship Marina expressed interest in opening the facility as a Mulligan’s Grill and Raw Bar.
With the number of proposed restaurant seats, along with the 40-plus boat slips, there was not enough parking on the marina’s site to accommodate its needs.
To address the business’s needs – and those of other waterfront district businesses – Sebastian city leaders have proposed a possible solution.
The two-part solution would allow for more off-site parking farther from the business and the creation of a parking fund.
City leaders are recommending that city codes be amended to allow for up to 50 percent of a business’s required parking be located within 500 feet of the business’s property line.
A Parking-in-Lieu-of Fund would be created to provide developers the opportunity to pay for parking when new construction, expansion and additions to businesses eat up space traditionally reserved for parking.
The city, then, used the fund to establish new public parking areas and improve existing public parking areas.
The Sebastian City Council is expected to approve the ordinance Wednesday evening on the first of two readings. The second reading and public hearing would then be held Sept. 22.