By Mary Thurwachter
Lantana is revising its parking requirements for restaurants, reducing the number of parking spots by slightly more than half in an effort to attract more businesses to the downtown.
At its April 8 meeting, Town Council members voted to decrease the number from 25 spaces per 1,000 square feet gross floor area to 12 spaces.
For fast food restaurants, the number of required spaces will go from 10 spaces per 1,000 square feet GFA to four, with a minimum of 25, plus seven queuing spaces for each drive-through window with at least four before the menu board.
“We proposed to change the parking requirements for restaurants because staff and our attorneys believe they are too high,” said Town Development Director Dave Thatcher. “The businesses also feel that way. Most all the restaurants have said that too.”
Not everyone favored the changes — both Mayor Dave Stewart and council member Phil Aridas voted against the measure. But Malcolm Balfour, Ed Shropshire and Lynn Moorhouse voted for the changes.
For years, the town heard complaints about a lack of parking on Ocean Avenue, but Moorhouse said plenty of spaces are available. He said he eats on the Avenue often and has never had a problem finding a parking space.
“We are not, as people think, a place where you have no place to park,” Moorhouse said. “If you’re desperate, go to the tennis courts. Yes, you have to walk a block. Big deal. It’s good for your health. I am so pro this because I don’t want to see a ghost town, which we have now.”
Besides several existing restaurants and a few businesses, there are many unoccupied small buildings on the Avenue.
Lantana Chamber of Commerce President Dave Arm lobbied for the ordinance change and agreed with Moorhouse’s assessment.
“We don’t really have a parking problem in Lantana,” Arm said. “You can go out on a Friday night or a Saturday during season and find a spot at the Kayak Park, at Bicentennial or Sportsman’s parks or use valets.
“I love Lantana, as you all know, and I love going out to eat in Lantana, as you can probably see,” Arm said as he rubbed his stomach. “We have a restaurant renaissance going on in the town right now.
“Oceano Kitchen has gotten national attention for the quality of their food. Mario’s Ocean Avenue is a very popular spot with locals and tourists and is busy off season as well as on. And the Old Key Lime House is an international tourist destination written up in travel magazines.
“If that’s all we want, we can leave this regulation alone because no other restaurant can open up on Ocean Avenue if we don’t change the parking requirements.”
Arm referred to a survey Development Director Thatcher did that revealed parking requirements in most municipalities in Palm Beach County are less stringent than Lantana’s.
“This should put us in line to allow businesses to open,” Arm said.
Vice Mayor Balfour said the town was known for its many good restaurants.
“I really feel that this is something we should consider,” he said of the parking changes.
Shropshire said he thought it would “be wonderful to have more restaurants, to be a destination and still maintain a small-town feel and yet have all kinds of interesting and fun places to visit.”
But Mayor Stewart said he doesn’t like changing ordinances just because of one or two businesses. “And this, I believe, is going in the wrong direction,” he said.
Aridas said the changes would be a convenience for the restaurants but would eventually pose an inconvenience to residents.
“I’m up here with the support of the residents and I have to vote for the convenience of our residents. I can’t support this.”
In other business, the town approved spending up to $30,000 for fireworks from Zambelli Fireworks for the Fourth of July.
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