LWB's $8.5M Downtown Parking Garage: Perception vs. Reality

Lake Worth Beach is poised to further solidify its partnership with WMODA as it finalizes the long-term parking agreement for the proposed public parking garage on K Street.

While the promise of a 268-space parking garage is appealing to some businesses and residents, the number of new parking spots available for downtown visitors will likely be far lower than expected.

Through the public-private partnership with WMODA, the city will lose 105 existing public parking spaces in the downtown area, resulting in a net gain of only 163 spaces (268 new spaces - 105 lost). When you factor in the number of spaces that WMODA will use to meet their own parking needs, that number dwindles even more.

Parking for Museum Visitors

According to the latest draft of the long-term parking agreement, the city will guarantee 51 spaces for WMODA's museum visitors, offering the first hour of each visit free of charge. That means there will only be 112 new spaces available to the rest of the public (163 spaces - 51 reserved for museum visitors).

The draft agreement not only allows WMODA’s residential tenants to lease spaces from the public garage on an annual basis, but also ensures that any long-term or monthly parking leases will not interfere with the reserved spaces for their museum visitors.

Parking for WMODA’s Residents

Without a clear number in the draft agreement or a public document outlining how many spaces WMODA needs for its residents, it's difficult to determine what they will request. What we do know is that WMODA’s apartment complex falls 62 spaces short of what is typically required for a building of its size and unit mix, or 42 short if you include the 20 public spaces along the property that the city is donating to them. If they intend to secure all 62 spaces for their residents, that would leave just 50 new spaces for the public (112 spaces - 62 for residents).

If the agreement is approved in its current form and WMODA’s residential parking needs are met, the city’s $7.5 million investment in the $8.5 million garage could yield only 50 - 70 new public parking spaces.

Unintended Consequences

Additionally, their vote may have a cascading impact on parking throughout downtown and nearby residential neighborhoods. Taking on debt to build a parking garage downtown all but ensures the commission will expand paid parking beyond the garage and into the surrounding streets and lots. This would push more cars into residential areas searching for free parking. To address this concern, the commission may adopt a program requiring residents to purchase a residential parking decal.

This information is noticeably absent from the conversation when officials try to garner support for the parking garage from residents and business owners. Instead, key details are being downplayed or ignored, allowing the commission to push this plan forward without fully addressing its broader consequences. Whether this is intentional or not, the public is not getting the full picture.

Residents Deserve Clear Answers Before This Agreement Moves Forward

1. How does the city plan to address WMODAs residential parking needs?

2. Will paid street parking be needed to pay back the loan for the K St parking garage?

3. How will the nearby residential neighborhoods be impacted by these decisions?