The Planning Commission has been considering the draft Downtown Specific Plan in part to help revitalize the downtown. Within the eight issue areas there is much to consider with caution, since bad decisions will have serious consequences for residents and merchants. Given this, it is reasonable that we debate the framing, methodology and conclusions of the MIG study that the Commission is using in part, to arrive at its decisions. One such debatable conclusion is that there is an overabundance of parking available in the downtown area. We need to scrutinize closely how this was arrived at, and have a reasonable debate about the conclusion and its implications (namely that about 200,000 square feet of additional retail space could be added to the downtown without adding any additional parking).
What we can’t condone is decision-making based on made-up facts. When we see that happening, we can be sure that the decisions are based on factors hidden from the public’s view. During the Oct. 2, 2019 PC meeting, Commissioner Whitin, in justifying her support for the reduction of parking ratio requirements down to three spaces per 1000 square feet, made the statement: “…people are going to smaller cars, and as cars get smaller, parking spaces can get smaller and we can add more parking spaces.”
Beyond the fact that slight reductions in vehicle size won’t have an appreciable effect on the number of street parking slots, her assertion is simply false. Americans are purchasing ever larger vehicles. The data over several years bears this out. Americans bought over 17 million vehicles for the fourth year in a row in 2018, and 68 percent of them were trucks and SUVs, continuing a years-long trend away from cars that’s been driven by increasing choice, low gas prices and improving fuel economy. Year after year, trucks and SUVs continue to dominate. The large Ford F-150 pick-up has been the number 1 selling vehicle in the U.S. for the past 35 years.
This is the trend that our parking planners need to confront in deciding the proper parking ratio requirements for different business types and sizes. Unless Lagunans and visitors can be convinced to drive much smaller vehicles or to forego cars altogether, making future parking planning decisions on alternative facts is irresponsible.
Michael Morris, Laguna Beach
Thank you Mike. The total disregard for facts presented by residents was incredible to see. They are so biased for the developers. Makes you want to know how they got selected to the Planning Commission and what their personal agendas are.
Thank you Mike!
Big words that make for smart-sounding comments, but as usual, no substance! Somehow or another you seem to know it all, don’t you? Maybe you have a behind the scenes cam and know all about the shady deals that are being hatched in private? One thing you’re right about is that “bad decisions will have serious consequences for residents and merchants” It’s been decades of bad decisions made by Village Laguna and tasteless activists like yourself, MJ Abraham and Michelle Monda that have led to the decrepit downtown we have today. Never one to leave out some good ole fear-mongering, 200,000 square feet of new retail? Whew!! You really had to get your little pad and pencil out for that one, didn’t you? Is that smoke coming out of your calculator?
How can we condone your made-up facts? Please spare us the line about smaller cars that you took and used out of context. The point was that people are using ride-sharing to shop and actually, we should be so lucky to have retailers that we want to shop from instead of having our shopping choices limited to items geared towards low-end tourists. Restrictions and obstruction have led to the poor quality retail options we’ve been reduced to. Are you really going to base your argument on the size of cars?
Mike, you’re making this way too easy on me. At least your friend Michelle is relying on conspiracy theories and flat out lies to make her point. As her lapdog, I’d think you can do better than this? Looks like your doing some early campaigning for that Council seat you want so badly? Have you ordered your lawn signs yet? The election is only a year away. Better throw your hat in the ring early. You’re gonna need all the time you can get to lose the election. Mike, no one’s falling for your bullshit!