Parking, Parking, Parking!!
Nancy Williams wrote 2/23/2010 on HB Neighbors BLOG:
“Why aren’t you guys addressing this permit parking program that the city is putting in downtown? I live South of the numbered streets. I asked around and my neighbors do not want the drunks pushed into our neighborhoods. If the drunks don’t park in the city lot now, they will not after the numbered streets drive them out. These drunken 909 partiers are parking on the streets to avoid the 4 cops standing outside the city structure. They will not park in the lot. They will park in my neighborhood. I bought my home outside of the numbered streets to avoid these problems. Now this City program will push the problem into my neighborhood. THAT IS WRONG!”
Dear Nancy, I recommend that residents’ attend the parking meeting at the Shorebreak Hotel at 6:30 pm March 4th, so that they can understand the impact of what is being proposed. Residents in the outlying areas but within walking distance of Downtown may not think this plan applies to them, but it may impact them.
Any plan devised as a solution to the parking Downtown needs to be a comprehensive plan. Pushing the problem around is not a solution. Piecemeal solutions will benefit one neighborhood to the detriment of another, and that is not right. The Old Town area (Alabama, Huntington, California for example) and Wesley Park (Main 600 to 1000, upper 11th, 12th and 13th, Crest, Park, Pine) are within walking distance of Downtown and have had crimes in the past committed by people leaving the Downtown district intoxicated. People intending to drink and drive are not likely to park in the structure. Police Chef Small is scheduled to be one of the speakers at the parking meeting and perhaps he can address the issues of the cost and feasibility of patrolling a larger area.
Richard Plummer
Richard, You hit the nail on the head. Sure push your problem into my neighborhood. That’s a great solution! City Hall clearly isn’t staffed with the sharpest folks. Do they drug test as an employment screen?
Frank, Your point was made. Why hasn’t the city notified our area that this meeting is taking place as clearly our area will be impacted if this parking plan is adopted? I don’t have time to ask for that evening off so I can attend. And NO! as the mother of a 20 year old daughter I feel it is imperative that we DO NOT adopt your plan of PCH DUI people pong. I do want to keep my child safe. I don’t even want my daughter to go downtown.
Nancy
Nancy, the difficulty here is semantics. Labeled a “town meeting,” the meeting is not sponsored by the city at all, but by another residents’ group trying to “work” with city council to gain privilege for a limited few. Because the meeting is set up to promote permit parking for numbered streets, it is to the advantage of all who can make it to attend to dispute that solution.
Hi Nancy,
My understanding is that Joe Carchio and Devon Dwyer will both be at the parking meeting. They both voted in favor of the DTSP that will maximize the development potential of the downtown area, but without a built -n limit on the expansion of the bars. They lost a golden opportunity to reign in one of the key problems with the rapid expansion of the entertainment district that contributes to the parking and crime downtown. They gave our shared concerns lip service, but, when it came time to vote, they voted with the developers, not with the citizens. They can still fix their mistake. They can open up the DTSP for vote again and address the areas that need to be fixed in order to protect our neighborhoods. The DTSP, the way it is written, will make the current parking problems worsen. Naturally, the people on the numbered streets want a solution now!
Angela
I just took a look at a flyer from the HBDRA. It shows the proposed parking zones on the numbered streets going out to 15th street!! Guess how far they go out on the state streets? The North side of Alabama.
This is pretty simple. Put a dot on the map at the center of “Party Central” the intersection of Main and Olive. Now draw a circle with that point as the center. That’s where the drunks park now. They don’t just park on the numbered streets. Guess how many weekends it will take before they start spreading the word in the bars that the State Streets have unrestricted parking. I’ll bet 2 weekends tops!
So not only will we get the repercussions of the Pacific City parking and traffic, but we will also get the parking problem pushed over from the numbered streets.
Nice work,
Nancy
Nancy, I would recommend you attend the HBDRA’s parking meeting and voice your concerns as they are definitely valid. It is worth noting that HB Neighbors (us) and HBDRA are not affiliated in anyway. The HBDRA has publicly stated they do not support our CEQA law suit which has been created with the goal of increasing safety, reducing density, improving parking, limiting the number of bars and restaurants with alcohol, and protecting the environment.