City officials and business leaders plan new system
It’s a luxury to some, but to others an expanded downtown valet parking system “will make or break” the Third Street Promenade.
City officials and business owners are planning a downtown-wide valet parking system that would offer curbside service throughout the commercial core. They hope to eliminate the headaches of finding a place to park for people who visit downtown.
Business leaders and elected officials met Monday to discuss ways the city can regulate valet parking so the service is available to most downtown businesses and their patrons.
City officials want a privately run valet network that would not use any public parking lots. They envision private businesses who own parking lots to partner with local valet companies to provide more spaces, without encroaching on the city’s public parking ramps.
“The emphasis should remain on the public parking we have downtown,” said Santa Monica Mayor Michael Feinstein. “I think we want to have this service for those who are willing to pay for it, but I think we should continue our focus on providing public parking.”
Business owners are skeptical of the plan because none of the partnerships with parking lot owners have been formed.
Kathleen Rawson, executive director of the Bayside District Corporation — a non-profit organization that brings together downtown business owners and city officials — recommends that the city take a hand’s-off approach to the proposal.
She wants the city to approve more valet curb-side locations, specifically along every intersection with Third Street, which would be city regulated. However, businesses off Third Street should be allowed to set their own prices, she added.
“The city could really screw it up or really make it easy and efficient for people to get in and out of downtown,” Rawson said. “We would like to see valet service in walkable distances to businesses, or about one location per block.”
Rawson argued the city should set weekday valet parking rates, so people coming into the city know ahead of time how much parking will cost. However, she argued each business should be allowed to create its own signs advertising the service.
Some local valet parking operators said they could handle more businesses on weeknights and weekends, but they said there wasn’t a lot of room for more valet parking during weekdays.
“Without some kind of subsidy from the city,” said Steve Resnik, a valet parking manager. “I don’t see this succeeding.”
City parking staff said the price for a permit to operate a valet parking service could cost as much as $1,700 a year. The fee would be on top of an existing 10 percent city tax on valet parking, but officials said the new fee would off-set added enforcement for expanded services.
Officials said they would like to see a new valet parking system operating by September.
Restaurant owners along the Promenade said expanding weekday valet parking during the lunch hour could really help their business.
“There are a lot of businesses and employees that might come down to the Promenade for lunch if we made it easier for them,” said West Hooker, owner of Promenade restaurant Lago. “Valet service would also help us attract the high end consumer the Promenade has been losing over the past few years.”
“Valet service would also help us attract the high end consumer the Promenade has been losing over the past few years.” — — WEST HOOKER Owner, Lago restaurant
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 6, 2002. Read the original PDF.