By Margie Plunkett
    
In an attempt to ease downtown traffic, Delray Beach commissioners agreed to changes for the Southeast Second Avenue valet parking queue, including providing it more spaces and prohibiting left-hand turns at the intersection.
    The commissioners, separately, were also in consensus about adding smart metered parking spaces at Old School Square Garage.
    During a review of downtown valet parking at a March 14 workshop meeting, commissioners discussed allowing the Southeast Second Avenue valet parking queue licensed to Prime Steakhouse to have two additional spaces on the west side, to take out a landscape nodule at a price of $6,000 and to use spaces across the street to return patrons’ cars.
    The additional spaces and new configuration would shift the queue further south off Atlantic Avenue and allow more cars to line up without backing up traffic as they await valet parking.
Traffic specialist Scott Aaronson wrote in a staff memo that while the queue was not a problem in its initial years, the recent opening of Salt 7, Park Tavern and Racks restaurants in the immediate area has increased parking congestion. “The dedicated two-space queue is insufficient to accommodate traffic demand,” he said.
    Since the valet changes would also mean patrons crossing the street as their cars are returned, a downtown police spokesman said it would be helpful for someone at the valet to walk people across.
    The removal of the landscaping would be at the valet parking owners’ expense rather than taxpayers’. Commissioners also asked the town engineer for no left turns in the vicinity of Atlantic and Swinton to keep traffic from backing up.
    Commissioner Christina Morrison suggested eliminating all the left-hand turns at the intersection of Atlantic and Second, where the queue is located, but City Engineer Randall Krejcarek said, “Take baby steps. Let’s do one and see what happens.”
    While commissioners were in agreement on the plan, they could not take action at a workshop meeting.
    Separately, Delray Beach staff recommended that commissioners add multispace parking meters at Old School Square garage. In addition to providing paid parking management after 4 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday, the city is working on a program that will identify employee autos and permit them to park in specified spaces only.
    One pay station would be provided at each elevator landing, for a total cost of $104,774, according to a memo from Scott Aaronson, the parking facilities manager. The Community Redevelopment Agency would pay $75,000 of the cost, with the balance from the in-lieu parking fund.
    The pay stations accept credit card and paper money, with text message communication with customers to inform them of expiring meter time, as well as allowing parking to be extended with credit card payment. Patrons also can pay meters by phone.           

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