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Broadway lot to test new fee

Drivers will pay more to park in the city-owned lot on Broadway, but they can pay with plastic.

The City Council voted at the Nov. 2 meeting to experiment with a hike in the parking fee from $2 to $3 an hour at the beach-close lot, starting Jan. 1 for one year. The council also voted to convert all city parking lot ticket machines to credit card capability, which has proved to be popular at the Broadway lot, where it was installed in June.

“People who come to Laguna don’t complain about the cost [of parking]; they complain about no parking,” Mayor Toni Iseman said.

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The Chamber of Commerce disagreed, claiming credit card capability was a convenience that visitors appreciated, but rate hikes are a different matter.

“Although it can easily be argued that the Broadway lot is prime beach access parking, and should command the greatest rates, the City Council should remember that this and other lots had a rate increase of 33% less than six months ago,” Barry said. “This new $3 rate will amount to a doubling of parking rates for this lot from the June ’07 rate.

“Will people pay? Of course, they will, but the question they will ask themselves is, ‘Am I being exploited by the city?’ As a City Council, please ask yourself if this is a fair way to raise money.”

Arnold Hano also opposed the rate increase.

“I find myself in agreement with the chamber for perhaps the first time in my 52 years in Laguna,” Hano said.

City Manager Ken Frank pointed out drivers use city lots which currently cost $2 an hour even though street meters cost half that and the credit card capability is a draw.

“Since the last increase of 33% for the lots, the revenue during the summer also increased an average of 33%,” Frank said. “The Broadway lot with the credit card machine saw a revenue increase of 45% during the summer months.”

Converting the other 12 ticket machines in city-owned lots will cost $86,000, which will be more than covered by the revenue from the Broadway lot, expected to increase by at least $20,000 for the rest of this fiscal year and $70,000 next fiscal year, according to Frank.

“Why not $4?” asked Parking, Traffic and Circulation Committee member Dennis Myers. “The objective is to simply receive compensation for accessible parking. If [the city] is not charging enough, spaces will be filled all of the time. A higher rate would open spaces.”

Myers said a premium space should command a premium price and a premium time.

“How about $4 and four hours,” Myers said.

Frank opined $3 was cheap, but even he couldn’t go to $4 an hour. However, he did raise the specter of street-meter increases.

“I would mention if we raise the on-street meters from $1 to $1.50 an hour, we could raise another $1 million a year,” Frank said. “If [the council] is really serious about raising money for parking, that’s the way to do it.”

Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman does not favor increasing downtown parking fees except for beach parking.

“A lot of people go to the beach,” she said. “They don’t spend money in town.”

Councilwoman Elizabeth Schneider said changes in rates changes behavior. The behavior the city wants to discourage is visitors parking downtown and Schneider supported experimenting with the fee increase for the Broadway lot only and emphatically favored the conversion to credit card ticket machines.

“I don’t mind the fee increase as long as it is a test in this [one] lot,” Councilman Kelly Boyd said. “We have heard where it will start, but we haven’t heard where it will end.”

Chamber President-elect Jeff Redeker fears it will end with all city-owned lots.

“I don’t want to see the increases expanded to other lots,” Redeker said. “The businesses feel the increase should wait.”

Drivers will have the last word. If the plastic works as well as expected, visitors and locals without shoppers permit stickers may well opt for lots instead of street spaces, even if they are cheaper.


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