City to crack down on game-day parking in yards By Megan Rolland Gainesville SUN Staff writer
Published: Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 8:58 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 8:58 p.m. One "perk" of living three blocks from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - a little extra entrepreneurial cash on football game days every fall - may be curtailed as the city of Gainesville begins enforcing a business tax on yard parking. "That was one of the reasons we moved in here," said Chad Zielinski, referring to a large area set up for parking behind the house he is renting. "We were banking on it to pay our (utility) bills." For some residents, enforcement of the law represents an over-regulatory government stepping into a time-honored tradition of homeowners and renters making a little cash on game day. For other residents, the "perk" is more akin to a "pain" that encourages an invasion of football fans into a neighborhood seven times a year. In these residents' minds, more regulation of yard parking is welcomed. Still others, such as Gail Ellison, a University of Florida professor who lives blocks from the stadium, are in the middle of the debate. "What I am concerned about is what repercussions are going to be here if people shut off the parking, close down the yards," said Ellison, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. "800,000 people come to my neighborhood on game day and the cars are jammed in these little streets, and what will happen on day one when at least some of us will not be parking cars. Where will they go?" In other words, imagine the panic - or aimless circling - when tailgaters with coolers of beer and a grill find their favorite lawn is no longer open because the owner didn't get a license. City Manager Russ Blackburn said the city is merely enforcing a law that has always been on the books in an attempt to maintain a level playing field for regular parking lots that do have to pay the tax. Blackburn said that last year he realized the ordinance gave him the authority to declare days when the city's ban on "off-street parking" - parking in yards or driveways - was lifted. "We had some complaints from residents, people complaining about cars parking all over their neighborhood," Blackburn said. "We had good compliance over the last year and we did not have the complaints." Letters were sent last week to residents in the University Heights area, explaining that city ordinance requires citizens pay a $52 business tax if they intend to charge people to park on their lawns. Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan, who lives seven blocks north of the stadium, said she was glad staff has taken such a proactive step to enforcement this year. "My recollection is that the request for enforcement did actually come from neighbors," Hanrahan said. "I always say when you live this close to the football stadium you either need to get into the game or get out of town. It's really a challenge to be here and not be really substantially impacted." Hanrahan said she lets friends park in her driveway for free, which is still permitted without a business license under the ordinance. "It can be a very substantial revenue stream," she said. The going rate for parking in her neighborhood is between $20 and $25, she said. Zielinski, a senior at UF, expects to charge $30 or more for his prime location on Northwest 3rd Avenue. Over the years the University Heights neighborhood has changed from a single-family, owner-occupied neighborhood with many UF faculty as residents to a favorite place for student renters. The transition has left tension between homeowners and sometimes-rowdy college students, and game day festivities are just the most extreme of those encounters. "This is not going to make for good relations which are already strained," said Ellison, adding that she loves how lively the neighborhood is most of the time. "There is a working truce in the community, a sense of we all share this space and so that we come to some agreement about what time party noise should end. There's generally about a three-hour difference in opinion." Landlords, not tenants, received the letters and will decide whether to pay the tax and allow their tenants to charge for parking or not. Landlords also are the ones who will be held responsible for violations of the ordinance and any fines that the city levies, leaving little incentive for tenants not to charge for parking on game day. Blackburn said the city code enforcement officers will be out on the days he has designated as "off-street parking" days to check for proper business tax status. Ellison speculated that enforcement will be nearly impossible. Clever students will arrange payment beforehand, under the table, and then hold the parking spaces for prearranged cars on game day, she conjectured. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
