Downtown Parking Master Plan gets approval

After months of public hearings and several drafts, Huntington Beach’s

Downtown Parking Master Plan has complied with California Coastal

Commission standards.

The coastal commission approved changes the city made to the language

of the Downtown Parking Master Plan, which the commission suggested when

it first approved the plan in June.

Coastal commission approval is needed as Downtown falls within the

coastal zone, which it controls.

The major change increased the development area of Downtown from

500,000 square feet to 715,000 square feet for commercial, retail,

restaurant, office and parking area, said city planner Wayne Carvalho.

City planners define the Downtown area as the Main Street commercial

corridor that divides two areas north and south of Orange Avenue.

“The plan was already approved by the commission in June,” said Meg

Vaughn project planner with the coastal commission. “This is just

clarifying the city’s intent.”

City officials first approved the parking plan in 1995 that set a

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

required.In November 2000 City Council approved the update to the plan

that included the increase to 715,000 square feet.

Downtown currently has 500,000-square-feet of commercial space and

1,974 parking spaces.