The proposed relocation and narrowing of Harbor Drive is very disturbing to the majority of residents who have become aware of what the Port Authority is proposing. It appears the entire project is directed primarily at providing more parking places for the sportfishing industry and that everything else is relatively unimportant. In the following eight points I would like to point out my analysis of the proposed plan and what changes should be made. 1. The sportfishing industry has 464 “paid parking” places. They claim they need 910 spaces for 3 months of the peak fishing season (July – Sept.). From July 4 through Aug. 28, there were an average of 72 empty spaces per day, and they were never full. Why do they need 910 spaces when they can’t fill 464 spaces? 2. There is a plan to build a parking structure on the present Westy’s parking lot on Harbor Drive. That will add 237 more spaces for the sportfishing industry. That will more than satisfy the needs for the area, including any further commercial expansion. 3. If the Port Authority feels more parking places are needed for peak periods, they presently have a 293-space parking site at the corner of Shelter Island Drive and Anchorage Lane (near the Rondolet). It is only a 4-minute walk to the sport fishing wharfs. During the past two weekends, they averaged 230 empty spaces per day. On weekdays they averaged 180 empty spaces. It is easier to manage the use of these empty spaces for the sportfishing industry than to dig up and relocate Harbor Drive. 4. The Port’s plan to add 188 new parking spaces on Harbor Drive will all be paid parking. And the present 112 free parking places on Harbor Drive will be turned into paid parking. That will force workers in the area to go and park in front of residents’ homes. This is a very sore point among local residents. These new spaces are not needed and should not be built on Harbor Drive. 5. The curved lane from Scott Street to Harbor Drive is very important to local residents and to workers who use it daily to go to and from work. The relocation of Harbor Drive will eliminate the curved lane and force drivers to go up to a traffic light, stop and make a sharp right turn. This will slow and backup traffic along Scott Street and is completely unnecessary. 6. The Port has stated that the safety of pedestrians is very important. We all agree with that. A pedestrian light can be placed at the Scott Street curve so that they can stop traffic whenever they wish to cross. This will not be a major disruption to traffic. On one day that I counted the traffic, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., there were 767 vehicles that used the curve, and only nine pedestrians crossed. 7. The Port Authority plans to cut down and remove over 100 trees on Harbor Drive. That is another very disturbing part of this plan. Many of those trees are the large ones in front of the Navy base at the corner of Harbor Drive and Nimitz Boulevard. If those trees are removed to create pay parking places, the visual entrance to Point Loma will be the unattractive gray Navy buildings. We cannot let that happen. 8. One point we all agree on is that the area should be beautified and made more attractive. Harbor Drive should be repaved and potholes repaired. If only a part of the $4 million in the Port Authority Plan were used to beautify the entrance to Point Loma, it would be highly beneficial to everyone. We would be happy to work with the Port Authority and the city to work out a solution which is beneficial to both businesses and residents of the area. — Tom Delahanty is a resident of Point Loma.