A public hearing will be held next week to discuss a new ordinance that would prohibit people from stopping, standing or parking their cars in certain places throughout the city. The city also is continuing necessary modifications to prepare for Johnson Pointe’s development.
City Manager Bill McDaniel said the proposed parking ordinance was created to help address the growing issue of the public misusing city property in town.
“I can give you a prime example, if you go down and look at the property that we own that is our Midtown development, every semi truck and trailer in town has decided that it’s free parking and we’ve got people parking or abandoning cars on that property,” McDaniel said. “The new scrap yard adjacent to it has decided to park their inventory of scrap trailers on it. They’re impeding our ability to market that property.”
If passed, the ordinance will prohibit anyone from stopping in certain places including areas that the city uses to access water meters, spaces where a reserved sign is posted and any city property that has a sign on display prohibiting public parking.
The public hearing is at the next city commission meeting, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26. If commissioners approve the ordinance everyone will be given a courtesy notice and then the city will install signs throughout the area. Once the public has been given sufficient warnings, the city will begin enforcing the policy.
Once it is enforced, McDaniel will have the right to have any vehicle violating the ordinance towed at the owner or operators expense. Those violating the rule will be responsible for the towing and storage charges.
Many may have noticed the construction on Johnson Road west of Sam Astin Road as the proposed 55-lot Johnson Pointe subdivision continues its development. Johnson Pointe is near the Walden Pointe subdivision and its rezoning was approved back in Oct. 2017.
The routine upsizing agreement between the city and the developer caused commissioners to have to amend the annual budget on Nov. 13. The city is appropriating $122,000 from water development fees to upsize the water main on Johnson Road to prepare for the upcoming subdivision.
“They were already putting in water lines and this is typical that when we have that occurring, we come in and then do an upsizing agreement,” McDaniel said. “Let’s say they needed a 12-inch line, we want to put an 18-inch line in so we can support future development.”
In October, the city confirmed the subdivision would not have any negative effects on utilities, traffic conditions or law enforcement requirements due to it fitting in the overall Imagine 2040: Plant City Comprehensive Plan.