Paid Parking — Nevermind!

After 2 years of planning and $150,000 paid to Stantec to implement a paid parking plan, City Council unanimously canned the whole idea at the Way and Means committee meeting on April 21.  Yep, you read that right.  So it is now official: we wasted $150,000 dollars to get information we already knew and then blew off the consultants recommendations.  (See the post on Stantec.)

Council has essentially decided to go with Parking Plan A (see the post below) but without paid parking.  We could have been at this point several years ago but the “financial conservatives” on Council wanted to spend your money for a consultant to tell them a lot of people come to the beach in the summer and it only going to get worse!  I would have gladly provided this information for 1/10th the price.

Now here is the really interesting part.  Daytrippers will be able to park for free until the designated spots are filled.  If you, however, are having enough guests come to your house that some of them will have park in the easement at your house, YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY TO GET THEM PASSES!

Ya gotta love it.  This is the Alice in Wonderland inversion.  Council cans paid parking for daytrippers but is going to charge residents to have guests visit.  You know, maybe it is time for a change on Council…