City of Palmetto is Considering Paid Parking at Riverside Boat Ramp

City of Palmetto is Considering Paid Parking at Riverside Boat Ramp

Palmetto and Manatee County boaters are not happy with a possible new plan asking them to pay to park at the Riverside Boat Ramp in Palmetto. The possible test program was set aside for now, after a discussion on Monday, February 7th.The public had many questions for Palmetto city commissioners.

Palmetto and residents have been in disagreement for almost a year now, as residents have created social media campaigns and have gained public support in opposition of the city's plan to develop the land for condos.

The land in questions sits directly across the street from the Riverside Boat Ramp in Palmetto, which is on the Manatee River. The conversation has been happening since March. 2021. Many Palmetto and Manatee County residents have been against the city plan to sell the land, which has been used for much needed parking, at the public boat ramp.

The land in question is a 3.5-acre property is a former gas station, which is now owned by the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency. The land has been cleaned and approved to be developed. The City of Palmetto, which like to sell the land to a developer and build housing, condos in particular.

Residents though say, there is not enough parking in Palmetto for water way access and want to simply leave the land, as it is, for the entire community to utilize.

If the City of Palmetto were to sell the land, residents would lose an estimated 150 parking spots at the Riverside Boat Ramp, which they now have access to, and have had access to, for years.

There is only limited parking available at the actual boat ramp itself, as there are only 18 official spaces at the Riverisde boat ramp.

There have been some changes in the possible future plans of the property, when last October (2021) new coastal high hazard maps showed a part of the property is in areas that would likely flood during a Category 1 storm.

However, with this flood zone category change, the city of Palmetto's comprehensive plan does limit the number of units that can be built within the coastal high hazard area. This change does make the property less desirable to potential developers.

If you want to stay up to date with the City of Palmetto on this subject or any other matter, stay connected on meeting days and times here. https://www.palmettofl.org/