Commissioners finally OK Downtown parking plan

Tariq Malik

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- After almost a month of study and delay, the

Planning Commission approved the city’s Downtown parking master plan.

Commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday. Commissioner Bob Biddle dissented,

and Commissioners Connie Mandic, Jan Shomaker and Fred Speaker abstained

because of conflicts of interest.

“This was difficult because it’s rare that we have three commissioners

who have to abstain from voting,” said Wayne Carvalho, the project’s

planner.

Commission bylaws require at least four favorable votes for approval,

but the rule was waived. The plan is now in the City Council’s hands.

“There were a number of questions that were left unanswered and that

the study did not provide accurate, up-to-date information,” Biddle said,

adding that the study was not performed during the city’s peak season and

that there was ample time this summer to do that.

The parking update centers on a $70,000 study by Dick Kaku, a Santa

Monica-based consultant who surveyed parked cars in September 1999 on and

around Main Street to determine reasons why and the length of time people

visit the Downtown area.

City officials first approved the parking plan five years ago, which

set a 500,000-square-foot cap on development Downtown and the parking it

required. Since then, about 475,000 square feet have been used for

retail, restaurant and commercial uses, with 1,870 parking spaces in

place.

Kaku’s study states there is enough parking Downtown to fit city

needs, and when redevelopment is complete there should be 2,271 spaces,

with a deficit of 139 spaces on peak days during July.

The update also proposes to increase the development cap to more than

700,000 square feet, estimating that the area will reach its building

capacity in 2005, which would affect parking as well.

Carvalho said the planning staff will present both the staff’s update

recommendations and the changes proposed by the Planning Commission to

the council at its Nov. 6 meeting.