A year-long pilot parking-meter program on a portion of Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach is about to begin as meters will be activated soon.

“The meters are still being installed,” said Sunny Lee, executive director of Discover PB, the community’s business improvement district. “They will not be live until Nov. 1.”

Parking meters are intended to help regulate parking in front of local businesses, which depend on parking turnover to thrive, allowing customers to access shops and restaurants.

The new meters are being installed along Garnet Avenue between Mission Boulevard and Fanuel Street and in some areas of Cass Street, Hornblend Street, and Bayard Street. Meters will be in effect from 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with fares set at $1.25 an hour.
A portion of the revenue from these meters will help fund mobility improvements in the community, like the Beach Bug electric shuttle linking up with the Balboa Avenue Transit Center. Mobility improvements like these contribute to the City’s overall goal of expanding mobility choices, addressing parking demand, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

District 1 Councilmember Joe LaCava, representing Pacific Beach, said: “The community led the conversation to form a parking district with a focus on meters in the commercial areas that see a low turnover of on-street parking. The district has been in place since 2005; the proposal for meters was recommended for adoption by the Pacific Beach Planning Group and approved by the City Council in 2021.

“The net revenue will be managed by the community for the community. I support the community’s decision as it will provide a sustainable revenue stream for the wildly popular Beach Bug as well as other parking improvements. Making on-street parking easier to find and supporting the Beach Bug benefits residents, businesses, and visitors,” LaCava said.

As the parking meters were being installed and about to go live, residents shared their hopes – and reservations – about how the new system will work.

Henish Pulickal, who lives near Garnet Avenue, supports the parking change.

“Coming to the beach by car is a luxury and shouldn’t be free,” he said. “Real estate is expensive here for a reason, and to require visitors to pay a nominal amount to park at a lot for extended periods of time, or for a couple of hours on a business street via parking meter, is long overdue. I’m sure we’ll notice some additional parking demand on my street. I’m also hoping that the revenue generated will help keep our streets cleaner and in better condition.”

“When I saw that parking meters were in our destiny I decided to apply for the PB Parking Advisory Committee so I could work on improvements to the program and help make decisions for spending the revenue,” said Chris Olson. “I heard some comments like, ‘Where am I going to park when I go to Garnet?’ But most people were supportive of the program and many said they also wanted a residential parking permit program. There was a general consensus that the revenue should be used for the Beach Bug shuttle as well as pedestrian and bicycle safety infrastructure.”

Not everyone in PB, however, is nearly as supportive of the new parking meters.

“The general sense among full-time, permanent residents is that we all pay a large amount of property taxes and high rent to live here and, as a community, don’t seem to reap the benefits of all of the tourist and tax revenue we generate,” said Katherine Johnson. “We struggle with maintenance and beautification and have a growing homeless population. It seems that the tourist revenue Pacific Beach generates alone should result in some real improvements to our community and that any additional revenue-generating measures, such as parking meters, should result in above-and-beyond improvements to create an environment that is even safer, cleaner, and beautiful for residents and tourists alike.”

“I drove east on Garnet yesterday (Oct.18) in the mid-afternoon from Mission Boulevard past Fanuel Street and one out of every three parking spaces was empty,” said Greg Daunoras. “I’ve never seen so many available parking spots on Garnet, day or night. Personally, I am, and never was, in favor of these parking meters. But not enough to actively oppose them.”

“This is a perfect example of dirty corrupt politics,” said Warren D. Barrett. “The overwhelming majority of the community was, and is, vehemently opposed to any form of paid parking in PB. The parking board knew very clearly that they did not have the support of the community to recommend meters in PB to the City Council. They snuck in their ‘community meeting’ to give the final recommendation to the City Council in November 2020 in the middle of COVID. To advertise this meeting (that has a huge negative impact on thousands of people’s lives) they put a little two-line classified ad in the middle of the back of the Beach & Bay Press.”

Other PB residents are taking more of a wait-and-see attitude toward new parking meters. “I think it’s too soon to tell and would be very interested to find out the income,” noted Carolyn Chase. “The one thing I like is that it seems to help with turnover for in-demand spaces. I hope.”

“It’s way too early to form an opinion,” said community planner Steve Pruett. “They need to be in service for six-plus months to get an idea of the overall impact, both positive and negative. And we really need to have them in place for summer (June through August) to determine if they’re helping/hurting tourism and the local businesses. And, I’d like to have data (revenue, utilization, etc.) to back up any positions. Otherwise, it is one uninformed opinion vs. an opposing uninformed opinion.”

“No coins are permitted, only credit cards and apps, another learning curve for some,” said Eve Anderson. “Curious to see what happens to neighbors on Felspar and Hornblend when folks realize they need to pay for parking on Garnet. And with this economy, I’m concerned about the businesses on Garnet. Sure hope they don’t lose customers – they can’t afford it. In time, it may work out. But there is likely to be disruption.”

COMMUNITY PARKING DISTRICTS

Such districts are established by the San Diego City Council and provide a mechanism for communities to develop and implement neighborhood-specific strategies to meet their specific needs and address parking impacts. There are presently five active community parking districts within the City of San Diego: Downtown, Uptown, Mid-City, Old Town, and Pacific Beach. Community Parking Districts are responsible for developing and implementing an annual plan and budget that support comprehensive parking management within the district.

PAYMENT OPTIONS
• Credit card.
• Mobile phone payment – download the free Park Smarter app
(parksmarter.com) on your smartphone.
• Near Field Communication (NFC) payments such as Apple Pay,
Android Pay, and Samsung Pay.
• Prepaid debit cards can be purchased at the City Treasurer’s Office,
1200 Third Ave., San Diego 92101.

PHOTO BY THOMAS MELVILLE