Pacific Beach residents and visitors could be paying to park near the beach, along Garnet Avenue and in front of their homes if the suggestions of a parking consultant are implemented.
“A parking space is a piece of real estate,” project manager Steffen Turoff of Walker Parking Consultants told the Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC) at its regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday, June 20, at the Earl & Birdie Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St.
The meeting is the first in a series of forums designed to get feedback from the community on meters and other proposed parking changes.
“It’s very important we hear from the community,” said PBTC board member and Pacific Beach Parking Committee (PBPC) Vice Chairperson Patrick Finucane. “Otherwise, we’re flying blind.”
A strong emphasis on community input was one of the main reasons the parking committee ” a 13-member group made up of representatives from the PBTC, Pacific Beach Community Planning Committee, Discover Pacific Beach and the community at large ” selected Walker Consultants, Finucane said.
Using a $25,000 grant from the Business Improvement District, the PBPC hired the firm to help solve such local parking problems as congestion and a shortage of spaces. Recommended solutions include meters as well as permits for residents, visitors and employees.
As San Diego’s population has grown, Turoff said, the number of parking places in PB has remained virtually unchanged, making those spaces valuable commodities.
“People want that piece of land,” the consultant said.
But do they want it enough to pay for it?
According to the Turoff, residents and visitors who flock to the area’s beaches, bars, shops and restaurants are already paying for parking ” with their time. All that time spent driving around adds to traffic and congestion, he said.
“Traffic and parking are linked together very closely. It’s all linked together,” Turoff said.
Charging for parking could help achieve a 90 percent occupancy rate, making spaces available and easing congestion and other traffic problems, he said.
Although meters are not a new idea, they have some new features, including allowing drivers to pay with credit cards and cell phones.
Rates would vary by time and location, Turoff said, adding, “The goal is turnover.”
Another benefit of meters and residential parking permits, said the consultant, is the revenue they could generate for beautification projects and other local community improvements.
“Revenues should come back to the neighborhood and provide parking alternatives,” he said.
Such alternatives include a bicycle vault, where cyclists could store their bicycles while working or shopping, better public transportation options and pedestrian improvements such as wider walkways. “In the right environment, people will walk,” Turoff said.
PBTC member Marcie Beckett believes meter revenues could create “a much more pleasant environment,” but only if closely monitored. Specific improvements would need to be identified, she said, so the money “doesn’t go into a PB black hole instead of a city black hole.”
Not everyone agrees.
Meters would not help the community because they would hurt local businesses, said Pacific Beach resident William Merrill. The desired 10 percent vacancy in parking spaces represents “customers who won’t be coming” and lost profits, he said.
Businesses could also suffer if their employees have to pay to park their cars at work, said Lynda Tickey, who owns a local Subway restaurant.
The consultant’s suggestions include a “small fee” for employees to park.
“We have a hard enough time getting employees in PB,” Tickey said. “If we charge employees, we’re going to have real issues.”
Motorists could also be paying to park in certain neighborhoods, especially those close to the beach. Residents would get priority, Turoff said. A guest permit program and multi-space meters for beachgoers are also possibilities.
Meters and permits are better alternatives to parking structures because such facilities are extremely expensive and Pacific Beach doesn’t have the money, the consultant explained.
Paid parking is also more effective than timed parking, according to Turoff, because time limits result in “the employee shuffle” and “the two-hour dance,” with people moving their cars from space to space without creating vacancies.
In an area where many think of the beach as their backyard, many believe the inconvenience of finding a space is a small price to pay for free parking.
“It changes the nature of PB to put meters all over town,” Pacific Beach resident Richard Anthony said.
“If you want to sit in a car and watch the sunset, it might cost you $3,” Finucane said, noting that parking at the beach could cost $3 per hour.
As the PBTC’s parking representative, Finucane also stressed the need to protect residents, who could have to pay as much as $5 to $10 per month for parking permits or $1.50 to $2 per hour to feed a meter in front of their homes.
“None of this happens if the community doesn’t support it,” Turoff said.
Before any suggestions are implemented, the consultants are going to issue a final report and discuss their plans with the city. The parking committee will then vote on the proposal and advise City Council, who will review the plan. City Council would have to approve meters before they could be installed.
Once the parking committee has finalized a plan, changes could take anywhere from two to five months, Turoff said.
Until then, Finucane urged the community to “Make your voice heard.”
To see the complete parking proposal draft, visit www.pacificbeachparking.org.
The parking committee will hold its next meeting at 6:30 on Thursday, July 12 at the Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St.