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SLO City Council agrees to bring back limited free parking

November 8, 2023

BY KAREN VELIE

The San Luis Obispo City Council voted 5-0 on Tuesday to provide limited free parking downtown during a contentious meeting.

The council agreed to provide one hour free parking in the city’s parking structures and free parking in structures on Sundays. The changes will go into effect on Thanksgiving weekend and last through July 1, 2025.

On July 1, 2023, two-hour street parking in the main downtown core increased from $2 an hour to $4 per hour while parking in structures rose from $1.50 an hour to $3 per hour. The city also eliminated its first-hour-free parking in all city structures.

During the meeting, multiple downtown business owners said the increased rates were destroying the downtown. Public speakers also complained about issues with the kiosks and ticketing.

In addition, the council voted to authorizing a parking rate study that will also look into improving the user experience.


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Hmmm… another study.


You study something that you do not have the answer…


In this case it’s just decision paralysis, and “kicking the can down the road.”


26

The council put lipstick on a pig. This not rocket science. The study thats necessary is to determine the difference in sales tax and parking revenues prior to July and what they are since the implementation of the exorbitant fees.


22

Sales tax revenue went up inspite of the increased parking fees.


Additionally parking isn’t funded by sales tax. Also basic math should tell you that in order to generate similar revenue to 3.00 an hour you would need to expect each car to be spending about 100 dollars per hour while downtown (remember the city only accounts 2.5% of sales tax)- something practically no one does


-11

I doubt a standing room overflow crowd was there to support this fiasco. Ask any Old Town merchant if their revenues are up since the increase.


2

Not enough City Council! Many people, including business owners were pleading with you to drop the hourly rates. Instead, you let staff direct the predetermined outcome throughout the meeting. As usual, public comment was wasted time for those who waited for the blabbering staff and Council to finish bloviating. Shameful!


43

We need significant pay cuts of upper city staff. Let’s start with Derek Johnson, city manager and work our way down from there.


Just visit Transparent California and see for yourself.


31

Amen


8

If the City hadn’t sold off their surface lots for pennies on the dollar, maybe they would have had more money to help pay for the new parking garage rather than fleece the citizens. As usual, developers benefit and the citizens suffer.


45

“… the council voted to authorizing (sic) a parking rate study that will also look into improving the user experience.”

Can you believe these people…..??? They simply cannot deal with any issue whatsoever without spending taxpayer money to do another “study.” They’ve been repeated told by countless citizens what the actual solution is- for FREE- but no- they’ve simply GOT to ignore the citizens and spend more money on another dopey “study.”

The ignorance, arrogance and imbecility of this crew is simply staggering………


65

Oooog the Caveman says “more money parking no shoppers no diners, Study done. Pay me. Oooog LIKE!”


15

How do you pay for parking oh so wise one? There are no free lunches, if people who park don’t pay for parking, who does?


-10

How about no paid parking? This works in just about every city in the county.


5

Too bad the council or any of the highly paid city employees and in some cases overpaid, didn’t think to perform the parking study before jumping the gun, or did they say “Yes we know people will be upset, but f@&% em.” Lets hope they at least have these same highly paid employees do the study instead of farming it out costing the city additional money. What these employees don’t have the skills to perform the study?, perhaps time to get new employees then.


54

Downtown SLO is a user hostile experience.


51

Too little to late……….


54

Snipe shopping defined: illegally park, move in, buy, get out before tickee.


6

When the downtown becomes mostly bars and housing, parking will be replaced with stumbling lanes, just like the City is building on Chorro St.


45
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