Advertisement

Parking near Corona del Mar High goes to a City Council vote Tuesday

Share

Parents are expected to pack the Newport Beach City Council meeting Tuesday to protest recently tightened parking regulations around Corona del Mar High School.

In August, the council voted to limit non-permit parking on Arbutus and Aleppo streets, Alder and Almond places, and Alta Vista Drive, between Aleppo and Aralia streets.

Parking without a permit was limited to one hour between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on school days.

The council on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on the second reading of the ordinance, which is necessary before it can be implemented.

Advertisement

The council also approved a weekday prohibition on parking on the north side of Vista del Oro between Eastbluff and Mar Vista drives, and on the westside of Mar Vista between Domingo Drive and Vista del Oro.

No parking signs went up before the first week of school, and police issued warnings for illegally parked cars, according to a staff report.

In the last several weeks, some homeowners have asked the city to revoke the outright parking ban and instead prohibit parking on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., the report states.

Staff has also suggested excluding Thursdays from the parking restriction to allow drivers to park along the thoroughfare while street sweeping is occurring on other roadways. The council also will consider this change on Tuesday.

Officials had hoped the tightened restrictions would force CdM students to park in designated campus lots instead of by Eastbluff homes.

Residents say they’ve witnessed students parking off-campus — even when there are plenty of available spaces in the school’s lot — in an effort to avoid congestion during the lunch and after-school rushes.

But CdM parents say the new regulations put their teens in a bind because there isn’t enough on-campus parking.

CdM dictates that seniors park in the lot adjacent to the campus pool. Juniors have 50 parking spaces in the lot near the middle school. Sophomores are not given designated parking. The remaining lots are reserved for staff.

The result, parents say, is students jockeying for a dwindling number of off-campus parking spaces. Some carpool, while others arrive at campus an hour early secure a space.

“It’s scary to drive here anyway,” parent Fiona Ivey said. “The idea that these kids, who haven’t been driving long, are now being stressed with the prospect of having to look for a parking spot as the bell is about to ring ... it’s just not good. These kids have to park somewhere.”

This isn’t the first time the city has been forced to step in to solve parking disputes. For years, Eastbluff residents have raised concerns about student speeding, jaywalking, littering and taking up curb spots for residents and their guests.

In 2013, the council established one-hour parking on Aralia Street between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on school days, except by permit, in an effort to eliminate student parking there.

Resident Don Slaughter, who lives on the corner of Alta Vista and Aralia, said parking on his street dramatically improved.

Those involved say issues around parking underscore broader tensions between Eastbluff and CdM, which has continued to grow in recent years.

Recently, the tension has come to a head over a proposal to build an athletic complex at CdM. Many neighbors have been vocal in their disapproval.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District Spokeswoman Annette Franco said the school and city officials are continuing to discuss alternative ways to alleviate parking concerns for both the community and students. School officials also are considering adjusting parking management on campus.

Slaughter said as the population of the school grows, Newport-Mesa should consider a way to balance the needs of students and neighbors. He suggested building another high school to decrease the impact at CdM.

“I don’t see this as a win-lose situation,” he said. “What we have to do is figure out a way to accommodate the needs of the school and the residents who are experiencing issues due to the growth of the school. For those issues simply to be dropped on neighbors is not fair.”

Tuesday’s City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

Advertisement