Concern Rises in Uptown Whittier About Parking Shortage

Parking was the least of Whittier’s problems in the aftermath of the Whittier Narrows earthquake.

But nine years after the disaster, as developers build on what were rubble-filled lots across the street from the city’s quaint Uptown shopping district, customers and merchants are increasingly concerned about finding places to park.

City leaders are ready to convene a special task force that will examine the parking issue in Uptown. Although few will argue that it already is a problem, upcoming development indicates that parking may soon become a commodity.

Parking structures built in recent years are already proving insufficient to meet a growing demand on weekend nights. That worries some merchants, especially at a time when the local theater is about to expand from three to nine movie screens.

“Do something, do it now,” said longtime furniture store owner Dale Huckfeldt. “If [customers] can’t find a place to park, they’re just going to go around [the block] two or three times and then they’re going to leave.”

Diana DeJoseph, executive director of the Whittier Uptown Assn., said there is room for more parking structures in the area, but that such buildings represent a trade-off for future retailers. She suggested construction of retail facades in front of any new parking structures to preserve the area’s ambience.

But before any construction begins, DeJoseph wants the task force to maximize existing parking in Uptown. She said some parking lots are underused because shoppers don’t know about them or because they refuse to walk a few blocks out of their way.

“I don’t think we have a lack of parking,” she said. “I think we need to . . . better use the parking that we have.”

Director of public works David Mochizuki agreed, although he faulted some business owners for the problem. Rather than open parking for customers, some merchants park their cars in nearby spaces all day, he said.

Perhaps the biggest issue the new task force will have to address, Mochizuki said, is the cost of meeting parking needs. To pay for new parking, he said, the committee may choose to levy property taxes on new businesses, add a general property tax to the area or pass the cost on to shoppers.