Saturday Time Limits at Downtown Parking Lots to Be Suspended

Seeking to make it easier to park in the freshly renovated commercial core, city officials have agreed to suspend Saturday time limits in downtown lots.

Meter maids will no longer issue tickets to the owners of cars parking in downtown lots longer than the two- and four-hour spaces allow.

It is a compromise forged after many hours of meetings between city planners and merchants, who have complained for years that their customers have nowhere to park--and end up with tickets when they do find a spot.

“I think this is good step forward,” said Diane Neveu, a board member of the Downtown Ventura Assn. and owner of the Book Mall of Ventura on Main Street.

“Parking is probably one of the most mentioned things that I hear in my shop from customers,” she said. “They say they got tickets and they’re peeved, or they had to park a mile away or they drove around looking for a spot for ages.”

Under the agreement announced Wednesday, parking in most city lots will no longer be regulated on Saturdays. Violators have been subject to a $20 fine. Sunday drivers have already been allowed free all-day parking.

Beachfront parking in the California Street Plaza structure and the city-owned lot at Surfers Point will not be included in the daylong giveaway. Neither will street parking, which will still be timed.

“We want those [street-front] spaces available for shoppers that are coming and going,” said Patrick Richardson, city redevelopment specialist, “not for people who are going to stay there from 9 [a.m.] to 6 [p.m.]”

Main Street lost about 30% of its downtown parking when the city upgraded the area last year, widening sidewalks and planting new trees. The $3.6-million renovation was designed to attract tourists and investment to the area.

Since then, Century Theaters has proposed building a multiplex cinema in the 500 block of Main Street. But company officials say they need a city-funded parking garage before they can open for business.

“Whether the theater goes forward or not, I think the city will have to look at constructing a parking structure,” Richardson said.

The move for all-day Saturday parking is just one of several potential solutions to the pesky parking problem under consideration by merchants and city leaders.

Specifically, business owners have recommended that the city:

* Designate employee-only parking stalls in some city-owned lots.

* Reduce bus stops to make room for more spaces.

* Narrow the parking stalls along Main Street to squeeze in extra spaces.

* Train police officers in public relations to help promote tourism.

* Install angled parking around Plaza Park to make more spaces.

Richardson said those and other suggestions are being considered by city traffic officials. But for now, allowing all-day Saturday parking in most city lots is the best that City Hall can do, he said.

Donna Small, who owns Crafters Showcase on Main Street, said the longer weekend hours will give tourists more time to explore historic downtown.

“At least it will give the people from out of town a chance,” she said. “We keep scaring people away by giving them tickets.”