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Neighbors demand pause, clarity as Monterey’s residential parking rollout nears activation
Summary
Neighborhood associations, small‑business owners and residents urged the council to pause or delay a new residential parking permit rollout—saying notices were missed, the 51% sign‑up threshold and 30‑day window created confusion and many blocks lack sufficient time to organize.
Monterey residents told the City Council on April 7 that the city’s planned residential parking permit rollout needs more time and clearer notice after multiple neighborhoods reported confusion about deadline rules and how the new system would be implemented.
Residents and neighborhood‑association leaders described knocking on doors and hour‑long conversations to reach a 51% neighborhood threshold required to retain preferential residential parking. “For those residents who did not receive the first notice, that gave them 30 days to respond,” said transportation planner and Oldtown resident Paul Hireling. “Thirty days is not long enough — many families were on spring break or out of town.”
Neighborhood leaders and business owners pressed the council to extend the sign‑up window and to provide clearer, plain‑English guidance about how the 51% threshold is calculated. “There’s a lot of confusion on the part of the public,” said Tom Reeves, who represents the New Monterey Neighborhood Association, noting questions about whether the four‑contiguous‑block rule meant contiguous in a straight line, rectangle, or a zigzag.
Council members agreed to ask staff to review the outreach timeline and whether an extension is feasible; several members signaled openness to bringing a more detailed staff report back to council. City staff have said the new system is designed to modernize parking administration and rely on license‑plate‑based permits, but residents worry that a hurried launch could leave historic neighborhoods vulnerable to spillover parking from tourists and events.
The council did not take immediate action to delay the program; members asked staff to explore communications, whether the city could extend the deadline, and how to simplify neighborhood consent procedures. The issue remains open; several neighborhood associations said they will return to the council if staff cannot offer a time extension and clearer public guidance.
