A new California Coastal Commission amendment to the City’s Spaces as Places program requiring beach businesses to replace displaced vehicular parking was greeted with mixed reviews by merchants and residents.
In January 2022, the City instituted Spaces as Places, a new program to help COVID-challenged businesses by allowing them to put temporary outdoor dining spaces in the public right-of-way. The Coastal Commission recently attached a condition that parking displaced by Spaces as Places must be replaced, contending the public’s shoreline access was impeded by parking removal.
Some are distressed by the Coastal Commission’s amendment and its potential impact on shopkeepers.
“Prior to the COVID pandemic we had absolutely zero outdoor space available to us,” said Eric Christiansen, 20-year co-owner of Guava Beach Bar & Grill in Mission Beach. “One of the silver linings in the pandemic was the creation of the various outdoor seating areas, including sidewalk cafes and ‘streetaries.’
“I do ‘not’ feel that it is fair that the City of San Diego voted to allow businesses to keep their outside streetaries, yet the Coastal Commission has the power to alter that decision just for those of us who happen to be located near the ocean. No one has come forward with any information on how we are supposed to ‘make up’ the equivalent parking spots utilized by our streetary.”
“It is interesting that we need more trees, fewer cars, walking more and other things to enhance climate change, and yet the Coastal Commission is requiring the City to reinstate parking places for cars,” said Janie Emerson, president of La Jolla Shores Association.
“Especially in the Shores, the outside dining has enhanced the walkability of the area and been overwhelmingly successful. Outside dining and parking for cars seem to be in total opposition to each other. Time for everyone to think outside the box and explore things that move us forward not backward. This decision by the Coastal Commission moves us all backward,” Emerson said.
Others, however, concur with the Coastal Commission, arguing so-called streetaries were a temporary response to a health crisis largely over.
“It was a great gift for the restraints by the City of loaning them our parking spaces and sidewalks during a very hard time for all, and helping them survive,” said La Jolla and community parks planner Melinda Merryweather. “But that time has passed and they should be incredibly grateful to the City and for all who missed the parking spaces.”
Laurie Carlock of Pacific Beach concurred with Merryweather. “It seems straightforward to me: They (streetaries) were allowed for a reason and it is time to return the streets for parking, which there is little of on PB streets,” she said.
“Many of these temporary porches are not taken care of, block traffic coming from alleys and side streets and have an advantage over other businesses that have to stay in their property line. It just seems fair to return the traffic parking spots. There are many places that have porches we can go to,” Carlock said.
“While Spaces as Places is expected to improve pedestrian-oriented amenities and promote alternate modes of transit, there are potential adverse impacts to public access associated with the program,” wrote the Coastal Commission in its executive summary. “Private cars and street parking are still the primary means by which the general public accesses the shoreline. Allowing the expansion of private structures and uses into areas currently reserved for public parking, could adversely impact the ability of the general public to access and enjoy the shoreline.”
The Coastal Commission pointed out “it can take over 1 ½ hours to reach the coast from eastern San Diego, which is also where many of the lower-income communities of the City are located. The occupation of public parking along the coast will likely have a deterrent effect on visitors living much farther away in light of transit time. Measures that limit coastal access for people who are not within walking distance disproportionately impact lower-income communities, which raises environmental justice concerns. Therefore, projects to remove parking in the Beach Impact Area ‘only’ must replace that parking elsewhere.”
“The City will continue to work toward solutions to allow more outdoor dining and other active uses that contribute to more coastal access while improving mobility and access for all modes of transportation in the City’s coastal areas, including the Beach Impact Area,” responded Tara Lewis, City spokesperson.
Supervising City spokesperson Scott Robinson talked about how the Coastal Commission’s coastal amendment will be enforced. “The Development Services Department Code Enforcement Division will primarily conduct enforcement of Spaces as Places,” he said. “For previously permitted businesses operating with a Temporary Outdoor Business Operations permit that have submitted a Spaces as Places application, the City will continue to allow these to operate in the Coastal Zone while the application is under review.”
Added Robinson: “Where possible, the City will work with impacted businesses in the Coastal Zone to allow for replacement parking. The San Diego City Council must still affirm the Coastal Commission’s decision before the Coastal Commission can provide final certification of the Spaces as Places regulations. After final certification, the City will be able to grant permits in the Coastal Zone.”
Christiansen of Guava Beach argued the Coastal Commission’s ruling on replacement beach parking “was made with little to no guidance for affected businesses. Parking in commercial districts citywide has always been an issue that is not unique to just beach areas. As for the ‘hardship’ that this presents, it is unclear as I have yet to receive any guidance, or even a notification, from either the City or the Coastal Commission.
“Some have suggested that affected businesses rent spots to make up the difference. However, that produces net ‘zero’ additional spaces. The Coastal Commission’s ruling is both unfair and biased. Those of us located within one-half mile of the coast are the only ones affected by this ruling,” Christiansen said.
