> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Coastal Commission OKs preferential parking zone - URL: https://www.smdp.com/coastal-commission-oks-preferential-parking-zone/ - Published: 2003-01-28T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T01:24:29.000Z - Author: Andrew Fixmer - Tags: Government & Politics, Promenade, #archive-import *City must allow Embassy Hotel street parking* Residents who live north of Wilshire Boulevard may soon find it easier to locate a place to park near their homes. People who live on Third Street just north of Wilshire Boulevard, have been trying for years to get the city to approve a preferential parking zone so they don’t have to compete for spaces with visitors to the Promenade. The City Council approved part of the district last year and the Coastal Commission gave the final OK on Jan. 9. But City Hall may appeal the Commission’s approval of the new district, which would cover 26 blocks from Ocean Avenue to Fourth Street and from Idaho Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard. The commission — which has jurisdiction over areas a mile from the beach along the state’s entire coast — signed off on the plan as long as the Embassy Hotel is given permits for its guests. However, city officials say by law they can’t comply with the Commission’s ruling. “Right now city ordinances do not authorize the issuance of permits to (anything other than homes),” said Suzanne Frick, director of Planning and Community Development. “The ruling is actually contrary to existing laws in the city. “It’s not that easy to accept and change the ordinance,” she added. “We have to look at what all the options are.” City officials are still deciding whether they will accept the commission’s ruling, ask it to reconsider or challenge it in court. The City Council will likely have to weigh in on the issue by early next month to give city officials guidance on how to respond. Some residents and the hotel’s management have said the ruling is fair, and they see no problem giving the landmark 1920’s hotel — located at the intersection of Third Street and Washington Avenue — a street parking permit for each of its 19 rooms. There are more than 50 preferential parking zones established in the city that allow only residents to park in their neighborhoods during certain times of the day and night. Hotel employees view a possible city appeal as an attack on their livelihood, said Ray Breen, the hotel’s general manager. “The only problem the city has with that decision is with the hotel getting special treatment,” Breen said. “They have no problem with the preferential parking, only giving us special consideration. “The way we see it, they are spending all this time and money for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to put us out of business,” he added. Frick said that’s not the case. She said before the commission’s ruling, the city has tried to negotiate with the hotel to install meters in front of its entrance and add loading zones for easy access. City officials also have suggested alternative locations for its guests to park. So far, none of the negotiations with the hotel have been successful, Frick said. “As we have said many times, we are willing and wanting to work through their parking problems,” she said. “We want to continue to work together to identify solutions.” Breen said the hotel’s recommendation that angle street parking be introduced to the block to fit more cars was shot down by city officials. He added that the city hasn’t been a “joy” to work with so far. “After dealing with the city for so long — and getting no joy from them — and even though we are a historic building, we could get no special considerations,” he said. “So we were surprised but delighted with the commission’s decision. However, it’s just a matter to see if it’s actually implemented.” The hotel has no parking of its own, Breen said. When guests stay at the hotel, they must fend for themselves to find street parking — just like residents in the neighborhood and visitors to the Promenade. Even though the preferential parking district has been approved, not every block has submitted the necessary signatures and paper work for their neighborhood to be included. Only three of the 26 blocks in the proposed district have submitted completed petitions for preferential parking, Frick said. And the block with the Embassy Hotel is not one of the three blocks that have qualified. “In my mind there are a multitude of options available to the city and we haven’t landed on the one to pursue,” she said. “If we implemented it now, it wouldn’t apply to that block (with the Embassy Hotel) because they haven’t submitted a petition at this point.” But with downtown Santa Monica becoming the center of commerce for the city, Breen said it’s only a matter of time before adding preferential parking to the hotel’s block becomes an issue — especially because many employees of restaurants and shops along Wilshire Boulevard park on the side streets instead of paying for parking, Breen said. “It’s a free country but they are obviously stealing spaces from the residents,” he said. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/012803-03_01.jpg) (Photo: File photo An) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 28, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012803.pdf?ref=smdp.com)