Why did the city study parking? Can't parking be left as it is?
When the city undertook the creation of the Village and Barrio Master Plan, the issue of parking began to surface as a key factor that influenced other decisions. As a result, the city decided to dive deeply into area parking to gather sound data on which to base future decisions.
Why is the city reviewing the 2017 Parking Management Plan?
Beginning in summer 2023, city staff and a civil engineering consultant firm, began a thorough review of the 2017 Village, Barrio and Beach Area Parking Management Plan. This review covered the plan's analysis, forecasts, parking strategies and associated action items. Overall, the 2017 plan was found to still be valid, and its strategies remain appropriate as part of a comprehensive parking management approach.
Since 2017, the city has completed several strategies in the plan, including:
- Adopting the Village & Barrio Master Plan and Transportation Demand Management Plan, establishing reduced parking standards and a transportation demand management program
- Hiring two Community Service Officers to improve enforcement and the effectiveness of parking time limits
- Establishing the Carlsbad Commuter program to enhance employer-based transportation demand management
- Permitting curb cafes
- Restriping parallel parking spaces to angled spaces, adding nine new parking spaces
- Installing themed wayfinding signage to direct people to public parking facilities
- Conducting annual parking studies since 2018 (excluding 2020 due to the pandemic)
- Developing conceptual drawings for the Tyler Street Complete Street Improvements project
The city will continue to implement the remaining 2017 Parking Management Plan strategies to effectively manage future parking demand and create an efficient and successful parking system for the Village, Barrio and Beach areas.
New housing law
California State Assembly Bill 2097 went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, and affects parking in the Village, Barrio and nearby beach area in two ways:
- The city can no longer require parking spaces be included for most new residential and commercial development projects located within a half-mile of transit hubs (in this case, the Carlsbad COASTER Station on State Street) if specific findings can't be made pursuant to state law. This could increase demand for on-street parking and public parking lots.
- The city can no longer require that developers pay fees in-lieu of including parking in their residential or commercial developments. This will reduce the money available to manage or develop new parking options nearby.
Why not just build a parking structure and be done with it?
Managing the city’s current and future parking supply with the strategies recommended in the plan is key to addressing parking needs and improving overall circulation. A parking structure was not recommended to accommodate future demand because the unmet parking demand is spread throughout the study area and would instead require a series of smaller parking structures to effectively meet the parking needs.
Parking structures are also costly to build and can alter the character of their surroundings.
