ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Pete City Council has decided not to move forward with a plan to add more residential parking options in neighborhoods like Historic Kenwood.
WATCH: St. Pete council rejects plan for more residential parking in historic neighborhoods
Homeowners and business owners in downtown St. Pete said parking has become a big problem.
Anne-Wade Stone loves living in Historic Kenwood in St. Pete… but says there’s one major problem.
"It can get crowded, especially if there's a festival going on… I want to support my neighborhood and things, but it gets a lot of traffic and can get loud sometimes," said Stone.
She said it can take up to ten minutes to find parking near her home, because many visitors who want to walk along Central Avenue park in the neighborhoods near downtown.
"I know that I have friends come over and they park five houses up… almost to the corner," said Stone.
Recently, the St. Pete City Council considered expanding residential parking options… allowing eligible neighborhoods to apply for residential parking areas.
But last week, that option was shot down.
The St. Pete City Council decided against moving forward with expanded residential parking, with some city council members saying it could deter tourism if visitors don’t have the option to park near Central Avenue.
It’s something Michele D'Ercole, who works at Gibson’s on Central, agrees with.
"There's a lot of residents vying for the spots and then the shops," said D'Ercole.
She said people spend a long time looking for parking spots.
"Making U-turns illegally to get the spot that somebody is leaving, people are circling the block…it's mayhem basically," said D'Ercole.
Parking is such a big issue here in Downtown St. Pete that many business owners said it’s impacting how many people walk into their shops.
"I’m afraid that people just leave because they get tired of circling. Sometimes they park blocks away, and then they are late to where they are going, so they bypass even being able to window shop," said D'Ercole.
This comes after a possible increase in parking prices at St. Pete Beach.
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