ABSTRACT: At Carrigg’s of Carmel, Ocean Av. & San Carlos St., S.E. Corner, Mary Ann Carrigg has copies of her letter regarding paid parking in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Her letter is reproduced. Carrigg also has "NO PAID PARKING" (see photo above) sheets (also posted on her shop’s Romanesque windows) and a petition to sign advocating no paid parking. A photo of the paid parking kiosk for bus parking on Junipero Avenue is displayed at the end.
Carrigg’s of Carmel
I read the “parking management information” and found it to be incorrect.
Claiming paid parking will increase availability is false. Paid parking will allow all day parking therefore restricting parking availability.
Tourists will be able to park all day and spend their time at the beach, overnight guests can linger in their hotel rooms.
Being in business for over 12 years I personally know how valuable these parking spaces are and the need for them to turn over every 2 hours.
The loss of this turnover will lead to a loss of business and tax revenue to the city.
Businesses will lose sales and be forced out of business.
Landlords will lose tenants and be forced to further reduce rents to less desirable store fronts.
Available studies prove that paid parking decreases business. The mayor is fully aware of these studies.
Last but far from least is the ugly impact the kiosks will have on the much loved charm of Carmel.
There is a Carmel quotation that states “...of the people for the people...”
We the people spoke in 2002 and said we did not want paid parking, we still don’t. We the people turned in 2500 signatures of Carmel residents protesting against paid parking. If you wish, I would be available to stand in front of the post office and acquire 2500 more signatures.
As a property owner, resident and business owner I implore you to do your civic duty to the “people” and do everything in your power to stop paid parking.
Respectfully,
Mary Ann Carrigg
W/s Junipero Avenue, south of Ocean Av.
7 comments:
The real issue is what new information does the city have to present that warrants and justifies time and energy spent on a topic which was discussed, demonstrated and rejected by the people and the council in 2002.
It is beyond disingenuous, it is purposeful, that Sue McCloud had Policy P2-25 written into the General Plan for Coastal Commission approval in 2004 encouraging the City to evaluate a paid parking program for the downtown when she knew paid parking had been evaluated and rejected in 2002. Sue is hoping we have amnesia and don’t hold her accountable for wasting everyone’s time.
O.K. Sports Fans, get your latest play-by-play paid parking action here. The city’s latest excuse for paid parking is no, no, no, it’s not about revenue generation...drum roll please, it’s about the safety of our parking enforcement officers. They just don’t feel safe on our Carmel streets. Say what? Have they really thought this thru? Do our community leaders really want Carmel to be known as such an unsafe, dangerous place that our parking enforcement officers do not even feel safe patrolling the streets of Carmel? Are our community leaders prepared to tell visitors and tourists to go someplace else because the streets of Carmel are unsafe and too dangerous for them? Stay tuned, by the workshop on Thursday, this nonsense excuse will be replaced by another nonsense excuse, and so on and so on.
First, as a proposed long-term solution to the City's budget, paid parking should only be evaluated against other viable revenue sources and possible spending cuts: a TOT increase, restaurant fee, pension reform, and shared service agreements. Not to mention avoiding costly legal disputes!
Second, most residents that rejected paid parking in 2002 will still be opposed in 2011, and the Council is unlikely to vote against the prevailing community sentiment. This begs the question: should we be wasting time and staff resources on paid parking when so many other pressing issues are unresolved? (see: Flanders Mansion, legal settlement of, and City Administrator, harassment by).
Nonsense's telling is very believable. Susan McCloud is the storytelling gift which keeps on giving. One of her biggest fabrications is her story about having been Chief of Station in two of five foreign countries during her 30+ year career in the CIA when she was never COS in any country at any time or another falsehood contradicting the above claim when she made the crack in a meeting about fans in DC in the summertime and she knew because she had lived in DC for 30 years. Susan lies effortlessly, defends a harassing predator city administrator and makes up untrue stories to suit herself. You would have thought Carmelites would have sent her into retirement by now.
Well, that was unanimous. My favorite comments from tonight's workshop were "this is insane" (2x)and "paid parking would ruin Carmel's character." Open and shut; let's move on to the real issues that will determine Carmel's future. The idea of a parking garage at the Sunset Center lot sure had a lot of people nodding their heads, though.
Yeah, a parking structure would add a lot of community character to downtown Carmel, don'tcha think?
And where do you think the city is going to get money to build a parking structure?
Actually, an unobstrusive parking structure was originally proposed for the Sunset Center only to be removed from the final project plans by the council. As proposed, it was a low lying structure with most parking spaces basically underground and the visual top open space with vegetation, plants and trees. The proposed parking structure was certainly more attractive than the bare asphalt surface area there now at the north parking lot. Also the Pine Inn proposed an underground parking area and the city rejected it; underground parking certainly does not negatively impact "community character."
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