NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — As new Smyrna beach leaders continue to search for solutions to parking issues in the city, one community member is proposing a plan that could potentially increase the number of spots available to the public.

What You Need To Know

  • New Smyrna Beach city leaders are looking increase the number of parking spots available to the public

  • Real estate agent Ignacio Barsottelli pitched to commissioners an idea that could potentially add more parking spots, and bring a new development along Jessamine Avenue near the 400 block of Flagler Avenue

  • He suggested combining the property he owns on the corner of Flagler Avenue and Cooper Street, with the existing parking lot the city owns next to it on Jessamine Avenue

  • The project would also involve building a total of nine luxury townhomes, restaurants and retail shops

The city created a parking task force that spent six months researching ideas to address parking concerns in the city. In its final report, the task force suggested hiring a parking consultant, and said the city should also seek partnerships with privately owned businesses and public agencies with existing parking lots within the parking districts.

At the city’s most recent workshop, a local real estate agent pitched an idea to the New Smyrna Beach City Commission that he said could potentially add more parking spots and bring a new development along the Jessamine Avenue near the 400 block of Flagler Avenue.

Ignacio Barsottelli and his wife Melissa have been living and working as real estate agents in the New Smyrna Beach community for five years.

“I love this community. I decided to retire in this town," Barsottelli said. "So, the rest of my life, our family life, will be here."

He owns the property on the corner of Flagler Avenue and Cooper Street, next to the existing parking lot the city owns on Jessamine Avenue, which offers 28 public parking spots free of charge. 

At the city's workshop, Barsottelli presented his idea to commissioners.

“We propose to merge both lands and make one car garage,” he said.

According to Barsottelli, the first phase of the project would expand surface parking by combining the two lots, and the city could go from having 28 parking spots to 40. Barsottelli said he believed that could be done by summer 2024 to quickly improve the the city's parking problem. 

“It’s chasing people away. One of the biggest concerns of the business owners here in Flagler is people are just not coming," Barsottelli said, adding that peoplare are "starting to say, 'I don't go because it's a mess. The parking is a problem.'” 

Barsottelli's project would also include an underground garage, which would add more parking spaces, as well as building a total of nine luxury townhomes, restaurants and retail shops.

He said the commercial style that they are pursuing with this project would prioritize local restaurants or kioks, and told commissioners that they are not thinking about any chain or any fast food restaurants.

Some of the concerns shared by commissioners and the city manager include questions regarding whether Barsottelli would be able to get insurance for this proposed garage, and if he could potentially still move forward with the project even if the city did not move to sell or lease its property.

New Smyrna Beach City Manager Khalid Resheidat said the city could benefit from the much-needed extra parking, but said the proposed project's details must still be worked out.

“In terms of economic development, I think it’s a very unique project," Resheidat said. "But in the meantime, there’s a lot of legal issues that we have to iron out before we move further.”

City officials say they need to complete their due diligence on the idea, because it would be the first time the city has ever considered this type of public-private partnership.

Barsottelli says he hopes commissioners see the positive impact his project could bring for the city and its residents.

“I think it's an upgrade for the city," he said. "It's a help for the community and it's in a perfect balance development process."

The next step in the process would be for Barsottelli to submit a formal proposal to the City Commission with details about the project. Then the Commission would conduct a financial analysis, among other things, to determine whether they want to participate.