Winter Park Commissioners have approved a parking relief measure for Winter Park Library & Events Center after a discussion during their meeting on Wednesday, May 11.
Commission has requested that signs be placed at a total of 31 parking spaces to the west of the library, designating them for library patrons, until a permanent plan for overflow parking at the events center can be approved.
According to Commissioner Sheila DeCiccio, two recent events – a party on Saturday, May 7, and a luncheon on the same day as this week’s commission meeting – left no open spaces for library patrons.
“I drove in and there were cars parked in every spot, plus lining both sides from the porte-cochére to where the book drop is,” DeCiccio said of the Saturday event. “There’s plenty of parking for the library, however when there are events that coincide with library operating times, there’s a huge parking problem.”
DeCiccio also noted the availability of weekend parking on the Valencia campus, at 850 W. Morse Blvd., that is not utilized by events center valets. And that walking the distance from the Valencia parking lot to the library is not possible for many seniors and people with disabilities.
Library parking, along with the lack of parking on Park Avenue, was last discussed at the April 27 Commission meeting. City staff was, then, asked to present library parking solutions at a future meeting while commissioners voted to eliminate the Curbside To-Go program to increase parking for Park Avenue business patrons.
Permanent solutions for library parking are expected to be on the May 25 commission meeting agenda. City meeting agendas, recordings, and live-streaming information can be found on the City of Winter Park website.
