Increased enforcement of existing parking rules and building codes is a better alternative to new meters, according to dozens of residents who attended an Aug. 20 public forum at Pacific Beach Middle School.
The Pacific Beach Community Parking District (PBCPD) ” a 13-member group made up of representatives from the Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC), Discover Pacific Beach and the Pacific Beach Community Planning Committee (PBCPC), as well as at-large members from the community ” used a $25,000 grant from the Business Improvement District to hire a firm to come up with solutions to Pacific Beach’s parking problems.
The firm, Walker Parking Consultants, devised a a comprehensive parking-management plan that recommends the city install parking meters along Garnet Avenue and near the beaches.
“Anyplace that’s popular, you’ll find a parking problem,” said Walker consultant Steffen Turoff. “The beach is limited but the population’s growing.”
As the area’s beaches, bars and shops continue to draw ever-increasing crowds, the problem is only going to get worse as demand continues to exceed supply, Turoff said.
Pacific Beach’s parking capacity is currently at 120 percent, he said.
To help achieve a 90 percent occupancy rate, Walker is recommending meters in high-traffic areas such as the beach and Garnet Avenue, residential parking permits and a possible guest permit parking program. An employee permit program also is being considered.
In addition to managing parking supply, revenue from meters and permits could go toward pedestrian improvements such as wider streets and landscaping, public transportation, additional parking inventory and a bicycle valet station, where cyclists could leave their bicycles with an attendant without having to lock it up, Turoff said.
Meters should be a last resort, said Jerry Hall, chairperson of the PBTC’s Safe and Beautiful Committee.
A majority of the approximately 50 people in attendance agreed with him.
Referring to a 1998 report on parking commissioned by the PB Community Planning Committee, Chris Olsen identified alternative transportation and code enforcement as possible solutions.
Illegal garage conversions that force cars out onto the street as well as new construction and mini-dorm conversions that don’t create enough spaces compound parking problems, Olsen said.
Many attendees echoed the need for stronger enforcement.
“The threat of enforcement is what drives a lot of these issues,” said Sail Bay resident Arv Larson. One example of inadequate enforcement is the recreational vehicles and boats parked year-round near Riviera Beach, he said. “It’s illegal but it’s not enforced.”
A lot of people come to Pacific Beach to play, but many work in the area, too. According to the 2001 Wilbur Smith report on parking, employees use roughly half of the area’s parking spaces.
Creating a solution that allows employees to park while leaving enough spaces for customers is one of Pacific Beach’s foremost parking challenges.
Residential areas also face parking issues. Meters on Garnet could result in vehicles parked in nearby residential areas, one attendee said. The result would be a sort of domino effect, she said, with residents near Garnet having to park a street or two over, causing residents on those streets to do the same, and so on.
“Our purpose is to protect residents from spillover so residents have a good shot at finding parking,” Turoff said.
“Nobody wants to pay for parking,” said Pacific Beach resident Marcie Beckett. However, residential parking permits could reduce noise and improve the quality of life for residents, she said, adding that revenue would need to be strictly controlled.
Such permits are not necessary in the majority of neighborhoods, said English Bryant.
Other attendees wondered whether time limits and parking structures would be better alternatives.
Parking structures are too expensive to build, according to Turoff. Time limits, he said, create a “two-hour dance” and “the employee shuffle,” with people moving their vehicles ” but not creating new spaces.
The PBCPD plans to hold two more meetings to gather community input before voting on a final plan, which will be submitted to City Council for approval.
For more information, visit www.pacificbeachparking.org or call (858) 273-3303.
The PBCPD will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m., at the Earl & Birdie Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St.