Parking is free on Price Street in Pismo Beach, but that could change. And that change could come from your pocket.
The idea has not gone to City Council, but is being mulled by the Parking Advisory Committee.
On a late Friday afternoon, downtown Pismo is picking up with traffic. Cars funnel into free parking spaces on the sides and middle of the street.
“The purpose is to try and get more turnover and get more parking available,” Mayor Ed Waage said.
Currently, people can park for two hours free 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Downtown already has a parking lot that is $1 per hour. The change on price street would be $2 an hour and unlimited time.
“Our paid parking program is designed to improve our parking situation,” Waage said. “We’ve used it to help improve our parking lots but right now we are looking at a parking structure in the downtown to help us find some more parking.”
But if another goal is to capture money from tourism, it may not be as lucrative as the city hopes. Bennett traveled with the family from San Francisco to camp. Parking wasn’t an issue because they walked.
“There’s very few parking spots anyway, there is no way businesses could survive just on this spot, so probably a lot of foot traffic,” Bennett said. “I don’t think it would impact anything.”
Businesses have concerns of what it could mean for their customers. In an email to the planning department, the owner Central Core Pilates said “if not implemented correctly, [adding paid parking] will push away local business and businesses that cater to locals.”
“We have not looked at it with the council yet,” Waage said. “We want to get more input from our local businesses and residents before we make any decisions.”
If you would like to voice your opinion, you can write to CityCouncil@PismoBeach.org
