LUMBERYARD LOGS: The parking mess

Parking can be described as the soft underbelly of Laguna Beach. Or maybe its Achilles Heel. Or how about the weak link, or the chink in the armor.

However you or your thesaurus put it, parking is the town’s biggest failing.

And it’s only getting worse, when I thought it might be getting better.

With the renovation of the city’s maintenance yard on Forest Avenue and the repaving of the former city employee parking lot, you would think relief is in store.

Think again.

The city has a patchwork of parking permits issued for various reasons to various people at various prices.

Parking is big money in Laguna — reaping about $2.25 million a year — and the folks at City Hall have figured out how to make it, and us, pay.

The most coveted parking in the city is at the Lumberyard lot, next to City Hall on Forest Avenue. Monthly permits here cost $55 (that’s $660 a year) and there are about 150 spaces — and a lengthy waiting list.

The city just opened up 43 more of these spaces in the former city employee lot, and those sold out the first day, we’re told.

You can also park during most of the year for $3 a day at the Lumberyard, but during the summer that price escalates to $10.

As for street parking permits, this is where it gets complicated.

First there’s the Shoppers Permit, which allows residents to park at meters without putting in any coins for the duration of the meter time.

These are the least expensive parking permits, $80 for two years. (The price goes up to $150 for the third or fourth permit in a household. After that, you’d better get out the quarters.) Shoppers Permits are handy and convenient, but a no-no for folks who also work here. They have to get separate Business Permits, or risk a ticket.

Business Permits are limited to Monday through Friday, so if you work in a shop, restaurant or hotel you’re out of luck. These permits are pricey, $260 a year, but a bargain compared to the Lumberyard permits. But the use of the word “permit” here is a misnomer: These are really hunting licenses allowing the holder to scout around in various locations for that elusive parking spot.

Business Permit-holders can park at a small number of spaces in the old city employee lot, and in one area of the Glenneyre Street parking structure, and on the eastbound side of Laguna Canyon Road — but only during the school year.

A particular beef of mine is the fact that the city provides two handicapped parking spaces in this lot — both located in the “business permit allowed” section. Since business permit holders can only park at the 25 or so spaces allowed, this takes away two valuable spaces, since they are almost never used. These “business” spaces are also not limited to business permit holders; anyone who pays the parking fee can use them. It’s maddening and is indicative of the fact that people who work in Laguna are really on the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to parking.

Employees can also hunt legally for parking on Mermaid and Third streets, but during the art festival season, you can pretty much scratch these downtown spots off your hunting list. Now, with the construction on Third Street, most of these spaces are coned off; and when the senior/community center opens, they will be taken away for good.

When all else fails, the hunt for employee parking moves to the hinterlands of Cliff Drive, which has the added bonus of giving downtown employees a very good “step” workout, if you’re into that kind of thing.

At least one of this newspaper’s employees has called it quits after a summer of parking on Cliff Drive; it’s not for the faint-hearted and definitely not recommended for those who must report to work in high heels.

Then there are the Residential Permits, issued to residents of 13 streets that have metered parking. These permits are also pricey — $200 a year. They allow all-day and overnight parking at meters in front of or within one block of the permit-holder’s home, in addition to “Shopper” privileges throughout town.

Let’s not forget the School District Permits issued to people with children in Laguna Beach schools who don’t live in the city. These permits are $60 and $80 each (maximum two), are good for two years, and allow free parking at meters as the Shoppers Permit does.

Now the city has come up with a new plan for the 100-plus spaces that have opened up in the old city employee lot that runs along Laguna Canyon Road. They are selling a new kind of parking permit, creatively called the Annual Parking Permit, at the cut-rate price of $120 a year, to anyone just for the asking. You don’t have to live, work or have a child in school in Laguna Beach to get one.

These spaces are under the operation of the Recreation Department, so they are clearly intended for people using the beaches or taking classes.

For this affordable amount, one can leave one’s vehicle all day, any day, and overnight, as long as the vehicle is moved every 24 hours. But there’s a caveat to this largesse. There’s always a but, right?

During festival season, which officially starts June 27, these “lot” spots are given over to festival-goers at $10 or more a pop. So Annual Parking Permit holders will have to park at the ACT V parking lot at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road, and trolley into town and back. The city is basically forcing people out of these downtown spots for which they can charge a premium and exchanging them for the lower-priced ACT V spots.

Now the trolleys are jolly, and we love to hear their bells and see the happy people trundling through town on their way to and from the festivals and all over town during the summer. And they’re fun to ride when you’re out on the town with friends and family. In other words, they’re fun for those having fun.

But for reliable, day-in-day-out transportation when one has to report to work on time? Let me tell you.

One summer, I tried out the trolley for working purposes. I bought a summer ACT V parking permit at a very reasonable cost, thinking it would save me from the dreaded Cliff hike. Alas, I found that the sweaty wait for a trolley to and from the lot with the crowds during the hectic height of summer made the trek to Cliff positively enjoyable.

And if I had to use my car during the day for an appointment, not uncommon in the journalism business, I had to expect at least a half-hour wait just to get back to my car.

You’d think someone at City Hall would have thought about the parking needs of employees after all the hue and cry over employees taking up neighborhood parking spaces in the Flatlands area of Laguna, but apparently it hasn’t occur to anyone that this new, open lot might be of use in helping to address that problem.

Of course, these spots may be used by employees as well as frequent downtown visitors and maybe some residents, but my guess is they’ll go mostly unused by anyone. Who wants to plunk down $120 for a parking space that is only convenient for 10 months out of the year?

CINDY FRAZIER is city editor of the Coastline Pilot. She can be contacted at cindy.frazier@latimes.com