Latest panic about the Gulfstream hotel redevelopment: PARKING! What about the PARKING! Where is everyone going to PARK!

I'm told The Obtuse Blogger (TOB) is now near panic mode on The Parking! available for the Gulfstream hotel redevelopment. So before this gets to the "Houston, we have a problem" stage learn how the parking at the Gulfstream hotel presents an opportunity for the City of Lake Worth and the taxpayers by continuing to read this blog post. First a short video:

I frequent the Lake Worth Casino and pool at least 3 times a week, or more. I go there by bike or by car and try to make it while the pool is open. During the weekdays that means Monday, Thursday and/or Friday mornings. That's one of the days when the picture (below) was taken. I have not been there on Tuesdays or Wednesdays (generally speaking), and I would judge that about the same number, or fewer, go there and park on those days either. 

If you look at a calendar, you will notice that there are 5 weekdays and 2 weekend days. If you look at the proportion of weekdays to a full week, you will find that weekdays equate to 71% of the full week. Sorry, don't want to be laborious here but we have to talk some people off the ledge; so please be patient.

View from the Casino complex looking west.

The above picture is of the lower parking lot on the western side of the Casino property. While the smaller, top portion is usually close to full with cars (people eating at Benny's or making the hike to one of the Casino building spaces) the lower parking lot is mostly empty during the typical weekday. From the site plan, that amounts to about 416 parking spaces, creating a sea of asphalt for would-be automobiles that would occupy these spaces if there were demand for them during weekdays.

I think we can all agree an empty parking lot represents a lost revenue opportunity, regardless of how you choose to look at the "numbers" that make up the Beach Fund. This Casino parking lot could be the parking for the Gulfstream hotel to accommodate construction workers, Gulfstream employees, and many others freeing up parking in the downtown. A shuttle could pick people up but many might just walk over the bridge since it's a relatively short walk anyway. And the Gulfstream would pay the City for the privilege of using this parking area, especially for their employees.

As the Gulfstream hotel project moves forward there will be many ideas on how to solve the parking issue, if any do arise, and the Casino parking lot is just one idea. All it takes is cool heads to prevail and look at opportunities and possibilities instead of the first reaction always being a near panic. Another potential solution would be the addition of one more level of parking on the parking structure proposed for the redevelopment.

But why, you may ask yourself, is the Casino parking lot so large and so empty most of the time? Good question and please continue reading.

Much like the parking lots of shopping malls across our country, this space is built for "peak demand" times. The problem is that represents only 29% of the time, a generous estimate, on a weekly basis. Add to that its lack of proximity to destination uses, like the pier and the Casino building itself and you have a situation where people may make the choice, while deciding where to go for lunch for example, that they don't want to mess with the parking at the beach, having to pay for it and possibly having to walk a long distance too. There are other lunch and other daytime destinations that would come to mind and be preferable than going to the Lake Worth Casino—almost all of them with free parking nearby.

I hope that helps explain things. Now I digress. Since we're on the subject of the Casino building there is that pesky 5,000 square foot space (with a water problem) with the "killer" views that remains unfinished and un-leased on the second floor right next to the ballroom. Then there are the issues that are still hindering the leasing of that space related to the building's construction and design. You might have heard something about that recently. Back to the parking once again. So the western parking lot is mostly empty most of the time, but the upper lot is just fine the way it is, right? Nope.

Not what a tourist expects to see having lunch.

More pictures of the charming Lake Worth Casino. . .the one above represents a recurring bugaboo of mine. That is parking and loading in front of the Casino building that blocks the view of the one and only Atlantic Ocean. This is one of the primary reasons people come to the beach in the first place. The area east of the travel lane is marked "No Parking" and is supposed to act as a bike lane. This restriction is routinely flaunted and here are just a few examples.

Probably someone just "running in for a minute."

This stretch zebra-stripped Hummer picked up and dropped off a load of school children. Why? I don't know. The western side of the travel lane does not have a corresponding bike lane so the vehicle was obstructing southbound traffic.

This large-profile Pepsi delivery truck was parked in front of the Casino building. It's not the drivers fault. It's a substandard traffic/truck delivery design at our charming Lake Worth Casino.