Parking petition and PC hearing

We have been working to get the City to consider changes in their M.O. so that parking can be improved. We are asking for your help because we are stuck in the mud. Many of you have wanted to demand change from the City regarding parking. We finally have some specific things for you to do.

See below for a link to an important petition that you can sign!

To make a very long story short, here is why we need the public's help:

- We hired Mike Kodama, parking consultant, to do a preliminary evaluation. - We paid Mike Kodama to come speak to city staff and the Mayor's staff. He showed which things need to change, presented solutions and funding possibilities. - City staff is willing to work with us as long as it's within the "City's toolbox". However, the City's toolbox is part of the problem. - the Mayor's staff didn't feel the problem could be fixed because there are too many cars. We will continue to try. - We have not been able to get a meeting date for Mike Kodama to present his info to the Planning Commission despite indications from Commissioners that they wanted to see it.

1. Click here to sign the petition.

and pass it around.

At this point, we are only asking the Planning Commission to LOOK at the issue and consider solutions. Comment on the issue if you like.

2. Come to the Planning Commission meeting.

We won't attend the May 5th Planning Commission meeting because it will be very long due to the agenda item for the Belmont Pool.

We post updates on this website once we have a date. Join our email list if you want updates sent to you. TAPS@LBparking.com The Commission is not allowed to discuss the issue until it is on an agenda. Even though we are not on the agenda, about 3 members of TAPS will present short comments on the need for a parking plan during the Public Comment section at the end of the meeting. We want residents to show support for a parking plan by simply being there and holding up a sign at the end of the meeting (we'll pass signs out).

In other news... Midtown Specific Plan On Thursday, April 14 the Planning Commission heard staff's recommendation regarding the Midtown Specific Plan, which is a tool for redevelopment of the area surrounding Long Beach Blvd past Willow, including the Wrigley area. This isn't in our area but we wrote to the Commission to share our observations of similarities with the Downtown Plan regarding residential parking in hopes that these mistakes won't be repeated elsewhere. The Midtown Plan was lowering the parking standards but appeared to base those new standards on what other cities were doing rather than on actual-use data. We also noted that it said most of this area was not on the city's parking impacted map but it is parking impacted according to residents. One commissioner did ask questions about how they arrived at the parking standards. The Commissioner drove in the area at about 3:30 pm; the area was fully parked already. The Commissioner likes the plan to improve and said, "I'm going to grit my teeth and hope you're right...Even though I'm not buying into the parking, I'm going to support this." The Planning Commission then voted to recommend the plan to City Council. Sign the petition and come to the hearing if you want parking improved!