Permit parking being considered

Relief from late-night disturbances from visitors and employees using neighborhoods to park their cars may be in the offing in the Flatlands and Woods Cove areas of Laguna Beach.

A recommendation that residential preferential parking be implemented if other measures fail to quell noise and other complaints was approved Dec. 7 by the Parking/Traffic/Circulation committee.

The exact wording of the recommendation will be reworked and voted on at the next meeting, Jan. 25, said Dennis Myers, chairman of a subcommittee on the preferential parking issue.

The committee is recommending a number of measures be taken before a residential preferential parking program is implemented. Preferential parking would limit public parking for certain street parking spots in the area and exempt permit-holders — residents or their guests — from the restrictions.

The subcommittee’s recommendation was approved by six of the committee members — all of those allowed to vote. Three of the nine members were not allowed to vote on the issue because they live or own property in the potentially affected areas.

It will then be up to the Planning Commission and City Council to approve final actions.

“Basically, the committee will be approving a much more comprehensive program than just preferential parking,” Myers said. “It will recommend more aggressive use of the Temporary-Use Permit/Conditional-Use Permit to improve parking in the area, utilization of all unoccupied lots, noise abatement programs and solid enforcement.

“We want to see a strategic plan that incorporates public transportation, employee off-site parking and increased customer parking with incentives to get the job done.”

The committee wants the city to hire a transportation engineer as either a consultant or staff member, and also wants the council to appoint an oversight committee, Myers said.

“Finally, if all else fails to mitigate the quality-of-life problems of the area in a reasonable amount of time (measured in months, not years), then a permanent residential parking program should be installed, with costs shared by the residents, employers and city,” Myers said.

Committee Vice-Chair Victor Opincar, Christopher Toy, Dennis Myers, Kimberly Norton, Carolyn Wood and Michael Schneider voted to approve the recommendations.

The following members did not vote: committee chair Neil Katz and members Darrylin Girvin and Richard Lawrence.

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Would you support a preferential parking program for residents in your area? Write us at P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach, CA, 92652, e-mail us at [email protected] or fax us at (949) 494-8979. Please give your name and tell us your home address and phone number for verification purposes only.