Roads & Infrastructure

Virginia Way Parking Issues

This letter from Councilman Scott Peters was read to Virginia Way residents by Joe Ross, District One representative for La Jolla, at the October 16th meeting on parking issues.

October 16, 2002

Dear Virginia Way Residents,

I am sorry I cannot be with you tonight to hear your concerns and ideas about parking. I made a family commitment for my son's birthday out of town and cannot return to town in time to meet with you. However, I wanted to make a few things clear at the outset of your discussions.

First, if you do not want diagonal parking on Virginia Way, there will be no diagonal parking on Virginia Way.

The idea for striping additional streets in La Jolla for diagonal parking came from a consultant's study commissioned in 2000 by the City (before my election) in response to decades of discussion in La Jolla about how to deal with parking and circulation. That report was completed and given to the community groups, including the La Jolla Town Council, Promote La Jolla and the Community Planning Association. The report generally concludes that the parking problem is a real one and that it will get worse.

The report and its implementation plan came to the Land Use and Housing Committee on September 4, 2002. That committee makes recommendations to the City Council. There was very little opposition to adopting the report's recommendations, but a couple people testified that there had been little or no public input on the issue. I was disappointed to hear that apparently there had not been formal notice to a number of affected parties, since this had been a problem in the past. I asked that in the time between the Land Use and Housing Committee meeting recommendation and the City Council approval, we get public input on the report's ideas for implementation. I am anticipating and looking forward to that input prior to the adoption of any plan.

The consultant's job was to recommend ideas for increasing parking supply. The consultant does not understand (and would not be expected to) that the village's neighbors have long been besieged by parking overflow from the village. I do not support increasing that burden by adding spaces on neighboring residential streets. I would be open to diagonal parking if the neighborhood itself saw some benefit to adding spaces. Again, if I don't hear that from Virginia Way, there will be no diagonal parking on Virginia Way.

Second, I want to dispel the notion that the reason for this discussion is that the City is trying to make money off of La Jolla parking. This gives the City a little too much credit for being entrepreneurial. In fact, I can assure you with confidence that (except for me) the City of San Diego does not care whether La Jolla solves its parking problem. The real reason this issue is before the City is that a number of La Jollans concerned about the parking issue have asked that it be addressed. The City responded in typical (and in this case, reasonable) fashion, hiring a consultant. The consultant report is useful in bringing forward information and ideas. However, any solution requires some agreement within La Jolla about how the issue should be addressed. If we cannot agree among ourselves on what we should do, no amount of parking revenue would induce City bureaucrats or elected officials to step into the crossfire.

Finally, I would like your help. I have assured you that there will not be diagonal parking on Virginia Way without your support, and while that assurance may resolve your problem, it does not dispose of mine. I still aspire to address the parking shortage in the village, particularly with respect to employees, without adversely affecting adjacent residential neighborhoods. In a discussion I had with one angry resident at the Farmers' Market on Sunday, I asked for ideas. Among other things, the person I spoke with suggested constructing a drawbridge to keep people out of La Jolla, giving everyone horses to ride instead of cars, and she expressed hope that an earthquake would someday separate La Jolla from the mainland. Of course, I am having my staff investigate each of these possibilities, none of which was analyzed in the consultant's report.

Perhaps you all have additional ideas. The community seems open to the idea of a parking structure in the village. Financing is a major obstacle, however, and will need to come from La Jolla businesses themselves. Also, it is apparent that free street parking disincentivizes the use of a parking structure. There is no support for parking meters, and I oppose them on aesthetic and community character grounds. However, Promote La Jolla has investigated a "pay and display" strategy used in Aspen, Colorado, with great success and community support, a strategy also used in Europe. Such a plan could include preferences for La Jolla residents. Virtually all of the revenue generated would stay in La Jolla instead of funding the City general fund as in other City parking districts. I believe this strategy deserves our consideration, and I hope you will give it a fair hearing.

To reiterate, there will be no diagonal parking if you do not want it. Still, I hope you will help the community explore a parking solution by La Jolla and for La Jolla.