Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking Pads topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council sends parking-pad ordinance back for more outreach after heated public comments
Summary
Council continued consideration of a proposed ordinance defining 'public parking pads' in the Alma/Dune area after residents and business owners raised concerns about signage, access, grandfathering and neighborhood character.
City staff presented an ordinance defining and regulating public parking pads in the Sand/Dune (Alma) neighborhood, but councilmembers agreed to continue the item for more public outreach and field review after extensive public comment.
Community Development Director Masa Alakayar and Traffic Engineer Eric Zampley told the council the proposal aims to clarify which paved front‑yard aprons are public parking spaces and which are private encroachments. Zampley said his field audit initially identified about 300 candidate spaces in the area; applying the proposed minimum‑size and pedestrian‑access definitions reduced that number to 77 candidate public pads. He said the ordinance would set a standard stall size (8.5 feet by 18 feet), prohibit obstructions and provide a grandfathering and encroachment‑permit process for longstanding private uses.
Residents said existing practice is confusing and in some cases harms seniors and residents with limited mobility. Doctor Diane Ola, a Sand‑Section resident who recounted a towing incident, urged the council to ensure clearer markings and enforcement options: “I was legally parked on a public parking pad. I had to seek legal counsel and my expenses now have exceeded over $1,000,” she said.
Other residents warned that visible markers or additional signage would damage neighborhood character; several asked for on‑the‑ground demonstrations before implementation. Staff said the proposed identifying markers (small recessed pavement markers or “bot dots”) would be used primarily to help police and staff identify a pad’s legal status and would not be promoted as a new citywide parking wayfinding system.
Councilmembers thanked staff for the research but said they wanted to walk the area, consult additional stakeholders and return with refinements. The council did not adopt the ordinance and directed staff to conduct targeted outreach, provide examples of marker aesthetics and return with answers about potential residential permit programs, coastal‑zone constraints and the grandfathering transfer process for encroachment agreements.
The item will return at a later date after the requested outreach and field work.
