NEWPORT BEACH : Parking Permit Plan Near Beach on Hold

After threatening to take away parking spaces in front of homes along Seashore Drive to make room for a widened bike path, the city has proposed keeping some of the slots but charging residents a $20 one-time fee for a special parking permit.

The City Council discussed a plan last week that would give parking permits to residents between 33rd and Orange streets, allowing them to park in front of homes, garages and in driveways, and enabling them to avoid competing for coveted spaces with beach visitors.

“I think it’s the lesser of the evils,” said Bill Schonlau, an area resident and president of the West Newport Beach Assn. “It certainly lessens the impact of the widened bike path.”

But about a dozen residents protested the plan at the City Council meeting last week, saying that while permits would probably help ease the parking shortage, the widened bike path would still pose a safety hazard for motorists trying to maneuver along the narrow road.

“All of us who live along there have to pull out real slowly, inch by inch,” said resident Gene Dorney, arguing against the widened path.

Faced with such differing opinion, the council put the permit plan on hold for about two weeks.

Last month, the City Council approved a plan to widen the bike path and eliminate parking along Seashore Drive because of safety concerns. The narrow path parallels Seashore Drive and runs within a few feet from parked cars, making it nearly impossible for path users and motorists to see each other. The council hoped that the change would reduce safety concerns for bicyclists, skaters and joggers who crowd the path during summer months.

They hoped that last week’s proposal for parking permits, which should eliminate the burden of beach traffic parking on the street, would ease concerns of residents upset about the loss of spaces.

Under the plan, which the City Council hoped to have in place by July when the widened bike path was to be completed, each household on Seashore Drive could receive one permit. Cars not displaying permits parked on Seashore Drive would be subject to the standard $22 parking citation.

The council plans to continue looking into some type of permit parking plan for the neighborhood.