Laguna Beach to explore options for additional paid public parking

Laguna Beach residents have noted a wide range of visitor impacts this summer, and an overcrowded community in need of parking solutions sits at the top of some of their lists.

A year after the initial implementation of a parking and transportation demand management plan, the tenor around town is still a need for further relief.

The path forward will include exploring the possibility for additional paid public parking spots. The City Council added a short-term initiative to have staff investigate the feasibility of converting free parking along Coast Highway and other areas in town.

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Public participation took place in the form of three town hall meetings. Parking in the neighborhoods was a major concern, but the council remained reticent, wondering where the California Coastal Commission would stand on the issue.

“Resident permit parking only, the Coastal Commission is a hard no on that,” Councilman Bob Whalen said during the council’s July 23 meeting. “That doesn’t mean we can’t try again, and we will try again, but then we haven’t really approached them with the concept of additional metered parking into the neighborhoods, which came up at the town hall and I think is a good idea.”

Councilman Mark Orgill also asked about the viability of dynamic pricing, as lower rates during periods of lighter traffic could lead to fewer motorists parking in the neighborhoods.

“The meters and the pay stations both have the technology to have dynamic pricing in terms of time of day or day of week,” said Michael Litschi, the city’s director of transit and community services. “We can’t have true dynamic pricing based on congestion levels at this point because the meters aren’t tied directly to the parking sensors.”

A dynamic pricing structure would also require Coastal Commission approval, Litschi said.

The public pleaded for additional parking enforcement and increased fees for parking citations, and the City Council directed staff to look into the matter.

“I think the message is kind of loud and clear from the community that we need to be fairly aggressive about [parking enforcement]” City Manager Dave Kiff said.

Twenty-five short-term strategies to tackle parking and transportation issues were introduced in the initial report. City staff provided a progress report on those initiatives.

An electronic sign has been installed to inform drivers of parking availability at a lot in the canyon, known as Act V (Lot 16). Peripheral lots are being promoted to local businesses.

The library parking lot has also been brought under city management, resulting in an additional 30 paid public parking spots for the city outside of library business hours.

Pricing for business parking permits was updated, with validity being increased to include metered parking on Glenneyre Street and the inland lot at Aliso Beach. There have been roughly 130 permits sold to people who work at local businesses, Litschi said.

“The price point, while it is much lower than if you were to pay for parking on a daily basis, particularly in the summer, for some workers that is still a fairly high price point,” Litschi said. “That may be deterring some people who are then deciding to try to find parking elsewhere.”

Staff have also applied for grant funding to expand the Laguna Local on-demand transit service to residential areas in the canyon, as well as for the continuation of the Coastal and Summer Breeze trolley routes off-season.