What was once lost will soon be found
DOWNTOWN — An investigation by City Hall has found that off-street parking in downtown is not as accessible as it could be, something which could be fixed with better signs alerting drivers as to where the free parking is and how to open security gates protecting what’s inside.
The investigation looked at four, new mixed-use developments along the 1500 block of Sixth Street that include residential and commercial space. Developers of those projects are required to provide free, off-street parking for every commercial space created, with parking often located underground or adjacent to alleys.
A resident complained in February that visitors to businesses in those developments often do not know free parking exists or how to access it. Parking spaces are often located behind gates that can be opened only by tenants of the building.
Ruth Harper, a transportation planning associate in City Hall, visited some of the developments to see if she could access parking easily and found mixed results, including two call boxes that failed to work and one security gate that didn’t remain open long enough for a person to use the call box, get back in his car and drive through.
The investigation comes as the city experiences a spike in mixed-use developments in downtown and City Hall looks to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment, where residents and local employees leave their cars and walk, bike or skate to shops and restaurants nearby.
To encourage pedestrian traffic, the City Council recently passed a law modifying parking requirements so small restaurants and markets under 2,500 square feet don’t have to provide as much parking as they once did. Developers will only be required to provide one parking space for every 300 square feet of floor area, said senior planner Paul Foley at City Hall’s planning division.
“There is a theory that if we don’t provide the parking, people will find other ways to get (to downtown),” Foley said. “With the transit mall, I think we’ve enhanced the options people have to get to downtown and it remains to be seen in the update of the (zoning laws) which policies we will put in place to enhance the pedestrian and neighborhood environment of downtown …”
Visitors from out of town will still need a place to put their cars, which is why city staff is taking action on the gated parking, proposing to draft off-street parking standards to ensure access as part of an update to the city’s zoning ordinance.
Harper said those standards are currently being developed.
According to management of mixed-use buildings inspected, no residents have complained that their visitors cannot access the guest parking and no complaints have been filed with the city, Harper said.
Don Empakeris of DE Architects, located in a mixed-use development on Sixth Street, said his firm, which was not contacted by City Hall, has gated parking that employees access using an electronic opener. When customers are driving in, Empakeris said they are told to call the office and the gate is opened for them when they arrive.
“We haven’t had any problems,” Empakeris said.“We know of the city’s problems with parking from working in the area, but for us it hasn’t been an issue.”
Many of the businesses investigated are not drop-in retail businesses and are appointment-only. Harper declined to disclose which businesses she visited or which ones do not provide access to parking.
Security gates are thought to be appropriate for parking areas downtown, Harper said, based on statements from the Santa Monica Police Department that garages without gates and low visibility allow for criminal activity to occur.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 28, 2006. Read the original PDF.