We’ve highlighted for some time the problems the City of Miami Springs has exacerbated with projects that didn’t have sufficient parking. As a result of the problems that have been highlighted, the City of Miami Springs ordered a $70,000 Parking Study that reinforced what we already knew: Miami Springs has insufficient parking downtown.
Tonight, we’re not talking about the estimated shortfall of 200 parking spaces at the Springs Town Center Development as reported in the City’s Parking Study produced by THA Consulting. We’re not talking about 46 space parking shortfall at the Barry’s Cleaners Development. (You can read more about that here.) We’re not talking about any future or current development. We’re talking about parking problems we already have with our existing downtown apartments.
Let’s take a look at the property at 13 South Royal Poinciana Boulevard. According to county property records, the property had multiple structures built between 1947 and 1958. The two story apartment complex features 23 living units including 34 bedrooms and 24 baths.
The tricky part is the lack of parking. We counted 21 off-street / on-premise parking spots for the 23 units. Clearly, that’s not a lot for 23 units.
That leads to residents parking adjacent to the street on the property’s easement (also known as on-street parking.) However, even that’s not enough parking.
As I’m sure you’ve seen with your own eyes when driving down South Royal Poinciana Boulevard, vehicles have been parking in front of the neighboring residential single family home for years, almost as if it were a commercial parking lot.
You can see that the neighbor’s grass is all torn up thanks to all the in and out from the vehicles that park there.
Again, this complex was built in the ’50s and predates modern parking requirements. But we get these naysayers from time to time who swear we don’t have a parking problem. Yet, here it is as plain as day to see with your own eyes.
Now, I’m sure the neighbor has a good relationship with the apartment complex next door. But this is clearly an example of what we DON’T want. Apartment complexes with insufficient on-premise parking leaking out onto neighboring properties.
Unfortunately, based on the traffic study commissioned by the City of Miami Springs, that’s exactly what we’re going to get as these new developments begin to come online.
