Venice : 2 Public Parking Lots OKd

The Board of Zoning Appeals has cleared the way for 60 public parking spaces for Venice on the old Pacific Electric right of way along Electric Avenue, a victory for City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter.

The board reviewed the proposed parking project last week at Galanter’s urging. She had appealed a zoning administrator’s ruling that would have more than tripled the cost of the lot and, in effect, killed the project.

According to a written release from her office, Galanter balked at expensive sidewalk, landscaping and fencing requirements and was able to persuade the board to approve less costly amenities.

Galanter also succeeded in getting longer operating hours for the two, 30-space lots, which will be constructed on the old Pacific Electric right of way.

The lots will operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The fenced, landscaped and lighted lots will cost $110,000.

Calling the Venice parking shortage the worst in the city, Galanter vowed to address the problem through a “persistent long-term strategy . . . . The approval of this project is the latest in what I intend to be a continuing effort to alleviate the parking problems in Venice,” she said in a written statement.

Galanter told the board that the 6th District parking fund is already overcommitted, so the lots could not be constructed with the expensive requirements set by the zoning administrator.

Unless someone appeals to the state Coastal Commission, the decision of the Board of Zoning Appeals is final, said Galanter spokesman Rick Ruiz. Construction of the lots could begin early next year.