By Kevin Herrera
Daily Press Staff Writer

VIRGINIA AVENUE PARK — A proposal that would allow commuting employees to park in neighborhoods on the east side of town has angered many residents, who contend it would lessen their quality of life.

The plan was presented on Wednesday to a group of about three dozen residents who live in neighborhoods east of Pico Boulevard. City officials said the plan is designed to alleviate pressure on business owners and their employees who cannot find parking spots.

While most would like to help business owners as much as possible, residents fear that if the City Council approves the proposal, any benefits reaped from the current preferential parking program would be lost due to more traffic flowing into their neighborhoods, bringing with it increased air pollution and litter from visiting motorists, not to mention fewer parking spaces.

Residents also questioned the proposal’s findings about the number of spaces available on particular blocks, City Hall’s ability to enforce the program, and if there is a demonstrated need on the part of business owners.

“It seems incomplete, like it hasn’t been thought through,” Chris Baustert, a homeowner, said of the proposal during a community meeting at the Thelma Terry Building. “It seriously considers the business wants and needs, but not the residents … I think this sets a bad precedent. When these things get put in place it is so hard to get them put away if they are bad programs.

“We have to think this through.”

If approved, the plan would be the first in the city’s history to allow private employees to park in preferential parking zones — designated resident-only areas that require permits. The City Council is expected to discuss the pilot parking program on Feb. 28.

The battle between businesses and residents for a limited number of parking spots is not a new one. The two sides have fought for decades, which has led to the creation of nearly 100 preferential parking areas throughout the city. The neighborhoods being considered for the new plan already are limited to residents only. The commercial areas along Pico and Ocean Park boulevards have become especially congested, leaving employees with few options. They have resorted either to parking illegally in nearby neighborhoods, or illegally purchasing resident-only permits.

City Hall’s transportation management division has been studying the proposal since June of last year, conducting surveys on residential streets to determine which can handle additional parking, said Lucy Dyke, a transportation planning manager. City staff visited selected streets near busy corridors at least twice during one week to calculate how many spots there were and how many were empty during the day.

Some residents said City Hall needs to do a more comprehensive study to make sure the numbers are correct.

As the proposal stands, City Hall would issue a total of 143 permits to businesses operating at least three blocks around shopping districts along Pico and Ocean Park boulevards.

Each business would be allowed to apply for five permits at a cost of $120 each for one year. The permits would be renewed quarterly. Business owners would be required to offer public transit incentives and agree to participate in any shared parking program that is established in their area.

Business owners whose employees violate program guidelines may have their permits revoked and may be excluded from obtaining future permits.

The employees who qualify would only be allowed to park on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and be required to “behave courteously,” which means no littering and remaining as quiet as possible.

Some residents laughed when they heard of the behavioral provision.

“I think it’s very naive to think that they can enforce this,” said resident Dorie Meek. “They have a hard enough time enforcing the laws we have now.”

Residents with homes near bustling intersections wonder if parking enforcement will be able to make employees park along the entire street instead of leaving their cars at the very ends of the blocks, near their places of employment.

“We will talk to people and essentially remind them (every quarter) that they are guests in your neighborhood and that they must act accordingly,” Dyke said.

Residents will be able to make complaints to parking enforcement, and if an employee receives several warnings, their permit can be revoked and their employer could lose the parking privilege.

If approved, the program will run for one year, at which time the City Council can extend it and potentially expand it to other areas, Dyke said.

Business owners said the lack of parking for their employees has been an issue for years, leading some employees to quit after receiving excessive parking tickets.

“If employees have spaces to park and are not getting $45 tickets they are going to be happier about coming to work in Santa Monica,” said Kathy Dodson, president of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. “Also, some employees park at meters, so if you free up meters for customers, (businesses and customers) would like that as well.”

While the parking plan has been criticized, Dodson said it needs to be put into action to see if it works, because the lack of parking is only going to worsen with time.

“We need to test it,” Dodson said. “If there are issues we need to identify them and find out how to solve them … Right now the parking situation is just counterproductive for the employer, customers and the city.”

Some residents suggested the program should be expanded to other areas so that they do not have to bear all of the burden. They also suggested the employee permits, if issued, should be easy to spot by parking enforcement and should include the name of the business that purchased the permit and include telephone numbers that residents can call to report any violations.

Some residents also called for a comprehensive parking plan to be developed by City Hall to end the parking headache once and for all.

“It’s like a pile of dirt, instead of sweeping it up, the city just spreads the dirt around and under the rug,” said resident Dennis Dunbar. “It’s always a little here and a little there, but nothing that is going to solve the problem.”

Dyke said city staff will consider the recommendations and include comments from residents in their report to the City Council.

“This is a community problem and we all need to solve it together,” said Paul Collins, a supporter of the proposal. “We need to support these small businesses because they are the ones providing the most tax revenue for the city. Without them we wouldn’t have the great schools that we have.”