Madeira Beach commissioners are moving to rezone the city’s recently purchased waterfront property while debating how — and how much — to spend on a parking garage feasibility study for John’s Pass.
At a March 18 workshop, the board discussed reverting the 555 150th Ave. parcel to its original zoning and reviewed competing bids for a study to address a looming parking shortage in the John’s Pass Village district.
Rezoning the waterfront
The city bought the 555 150th Ave. site for $18 million, billing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to shape Madeira Beach’s waterfront. Under city code, the property must revert from Planned Development to C-4 Marine Commercial because the private development plan originally slated for the site never moved forward.
The rezoning effectively blocks a large residential-only complex and preserves options for the marina expansion, public park and boat slips residents called for during town halls earlier this year.
Mayor Anne-Marie Brooks said the community should guide what comes next.
“I feel very strongly that we are not making the decision; we need the community to drive it,” Brooks said.
Parking crunch at John’s Pass
The parking question carries more urgency. New hotel construction is expected to eliminate several private lots near John’s Pass, and local business owners have warned for months that “predatory” private parking rates are already hurting the district.
City staff solicited bids for a feasibility study examining two municipal sites for a potential garage: a lot on Gulf Boulevard near the bridge and a lot on 131st Avenue. Kimley Horn bid $47,500; ADEAS Q came in at $51,468. Staff recommended the higher bid from ADEAS Q, citing the need to maintain a diverse pool of qualified engineering firms.
The recommendation split the commission.
“I’m just not in favor of spending $50,000 to do a study. I’m sorry. I just think money is wasted,” Commissioner Housh Ghovaee said. He argued the city could skip consultants and go directly to garage manufacturers who could design a structure to maximize spaces.
Brooks and other officials defended the study as a safeguard, pointing to a past marina project that was scrapped after late-discovered land restrictions made construction impossible. Brooks said the city needs to know whether coastal construction limits, site access and utility relocation costs could rule out either location before committing to a design.
The study would be funded through a dedicated parking fund fed by a 50-cent rate increase earmarked for garage construction — not general tax revenue.
“The community, the citizens that live in Madeira Beach are not paying for this study,” Brooks said. “This study will be paid for by the tourists who come to our city and pay to park.”
Commissioner David Tagliarini urged the city to also evaluate a triangular parcel near the VFW as a third potential site.
“I would love for us to consider the triangle where the Veterans of Foreign Wars is,” Tagliarini said. “We already own most of that triangle.”
No vote was taken on either bid. Commissioners directed staff to rewrite the proposal so the study can proceed in phases, and to clarify whether utility relocation costs can be folded into the scope.