The Virginia House of Delegates has cleared legislation that would establish an authority in Petersburg to set and oversee policy for off-street parking.
On an 88-10 vote Feb. 11, the House passed House Bill 1448 that would create the Petersburg Parking Authority, a five-member group to direct the eventual construction of decks to alleviate traffic issues caused by parked vehicles on streets in the Old Towne and downtown areas. That has been an ongoing problem in Petersburg for years, as designated public-parking areas have not kept up with demand caused by business growth, with customers having to hunt for spaces on one or either side of the many narrow streets winding through those districts.
City officials have said that one of the biggest complaints they hear from downtown and Old Towne visitors is having to park often blocks away from their targeted destinations because of limited spaces. With the Jan. 22 opening of Live! Casino Virginia in south Petersburg, the construction of a new courthouse complex downtown and a proposed entertainment district with a second downtown hotel, those complaints are expected to intensify if the issue is not resolved.
The Petersburg Parking Authority would have the power to construct, maintain, and operate off-street parking decks, lease these facilities and acquire property through gift, purchase, or eminent domain. The PPA would be allowed to issue revenue bonds and re-funding bonds to pay for the building and improvements of the off-street decks.
House Bill 1448 does not automatically set up the Petersburg Parking Authority. That still requires public hearing and council approval.
Petersburg has only one public parking deck located on Union Street behind the Petersburg Area Transit MultiModal Center. That deck is located on Union Street at the opposite end of downtown from Old Towne that translates into a trek of several city blocks unprotected by weather elements.
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Petersburg wants to build at least two more parking decks. One would be on the site of the former Master Chevrolet-Cadillac car dealership on East Bank Street between North Sycamore and Second streets that the city has already purchased. The second deck has been eyed for property on the other side of the Bank-Second intersection that was the former site of Rountree Pontiac-GMC, but that property remains in private hands. Floyd Francis, the owner of the property, told The Progress-Index this week that while he supports the bill in theory, he has concerns about language that would allow Petersburg to claim the property through eminent domain.
Since 2012, Virginia law states that a locality can claim eminent domain on property only if it is deemed vital for infrastructure use, such as parking improvement. It cannot be claimed for private business use, and the property owner must receive a fair-market value payment from the locality for it.
The bill now moves over to the state Senate for consideration. Its sponsor is Del. Kimberly Pope Adams, D-Dinwiddie County.