By DOTTY NIST
A year-long study of public parking needs along CR-30A and Scenic Gulf Drive has been concluded with the study firm’s presentation of a final report to county officials.
The presentation took place at the Oct. 28 Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting at the South Walton Annex.
Representing the study consultants, Tonia Nation of AVCON summarized that 972 existing parking spaces had been identified and that areas had been identified in which 453 spaces could be added.
She noted that also provided with the study are recommendations for pay-to-park, park/ride and enforcement options.
Walton County Administrator Larry Jones requested that the BCC accept the study without any decision on its contents and direct county and Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) staff to immediately begin assessing, evaluating and prioritizing the locations identified for additional parking with an eye to issues, feasibility, cost, and time that would be required for completion.
Charles Booth of the Beachfront Trail neighborhood addressed the commissioners, raising objections to the study’s recommendations for his area.
Booth told the commissioners that 10 percent of the 254 parking spaces that AVCON had identified for addition within the next five years are on Beachfront Trail. Raising safety concerns, he described that road as narrow and crooked dead-end road with no turn-around.
Booth also protested that the only recommendation in the study calling for a neighborhood beach access to be changed to a regional access is for the beach access on Beachfront Trail. (The access is known as Walton Dunes Neighborhood Beach Access.)
Booth argued that such a recommendation was not within the scope of the study. “They created the need for more parking and then recommended more parking,” he charged.
According to the study, there is no on-site parking associated with the Walton Dune Neighborhood Beach Access, but a 16-space parking lot available for public use is located approximately 880 feet away on property owned by the county. The study quantifies the Beachfront Trail right-of-way as 75 feet in width.
The AVCON report recommends the addition of 25 parking spaces at the beach access, along with a shower and restroom.
Previously, the study consultants had recommended the addition of parking along the Beachfront Trail right-of-way. However, as presented on Oct. 28, the study states, “The Walton County-owned parcel would be ideal for accommodating a new parking lot on the site with heavy native vegetation and sidewalks. The right-of-way width is adequate to accommodate parking, but it may be preferable to develop parking on the county-owned parcel and stabilize the existing roadway.”
There were no other public comments on the study, and District 3 Commissioner Bill Imfeld told Booth that staff would take his comments into consideration during their assessment and evaluation process.
Imfeld added that TDC Executive Director Jim Bagby had also been directed to identify potential parking in other areas. He assured Booth that staff would work with him and other neighborhood residents.
District 5 Commissioner Cindy Meadows commented that her understanding about the previous recommendation for parking along Beachfront Trail was that parking was already taking place there and that AVCON had been directed to include formalization of existing parking in their study.
The commissioners voted 4-0 to accept the study, with the understanding that it would undergo the staff evaluation and assessment, and that before moving forward with any of the recommendations, each would be brought before the BCC for consideration.
Jones gave a 45 to 60-day time frame for staff to present the results of their examination of the study recommendations.
The study as presented on Oct. 28 is available for viewing on the Walton County web site, www.co.walton.fl.us by selecting “Departments,” Planning and Development,” and “South Walton Parking Assessment.”
