4 Thursday, July 15, 2021
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Planning commission evaluates downtown parking BY RYAN P. CRUZ
The Carpinteria Planning Commission heard a study on downtown parking and the latest on a proposed development on Linden Avenue during its latest meeting on July 6. The downtown parking report was an update based on data collected since August 2019, analyzing parking availability, turnover and providing recommendations to be considered for future projects for which parking needs to be taken into account. The study was provided by Steffen Turoff from Walker Consultants, who presented the findings to the commission. “Parking is often counterintuitive and has a lot of different side effects – transportation, economics, environmental,” Turoff said. “It’s not as simple as we think. It affects the visitors, the customer’s experience, and whether people come back.” The Walker Consultant group found that Carpinteria is in ”good shape” in comparison to other cities of similar size, and the report served to quell some of the concerns from the planning commissioners that some downtown lots did not provide adequate and convenient parking for guests and visitors. “It also took away that inkling in my head that we didn’t have enough parking, or that we were a town overrun with cars,” said Jane Benefield, chair of the Planning Commission. This is the first time the commission has reviewed the report since the April 5 meeting, and Turoff said that though the study is normally concentrated on parking design, the consulting firm included recommendations for future projects. “When we talk about parking in the future, we look at the possibility of future development,” Turoff said. Of the nearly 1,500 designated public parking spaces in town, just over 600 are on-street, while the remainder are offstreet. According to Turoff, on any given day, the average parking time is less than two hours, and on busy days, there are still about 35% of spaces available. “At peak time, 65% of spaces were occupied, very similar to other cities of the same size, meaning about a third of spaces are open on a busy day,” Turoff said. Commissioner David Allen said that Carpinterians need evidence like this to truly understand the status of downtown parking. He also mentioned including short-term parking for curbside pickups and drivers using rideshare or delivery apps like Uber and DoorDash as more
DMHA ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN
An artist rendering of the Linden Avenue mixed-use project looking south on Linden Avenue at 8th Street. The corner is currently home to Beach Liquor. projects come forward. The study included the recommendation to treat each project on a case-by-case basis when it comes to future parking demand on developments like the one proposed at 700 Linden Ave., which was also under discussion during the meeting. The study was approved and will be sent forward to the City Council for further discussion. “I look forward to the parking management plan a lot. And I don’t see that happening soon, so we’re going to have to apply what we do know from the report for the projects that come before us,” Benefield said.
Linden Avenue mixed-use development gets greenlight
The hearing on the newest plans for development on Linden Avenue is part of a project that has been in the works since at least July 2019, when DMHA Architects first showed a proposal to city leadership. The large-scale project would revitalize the 20,000-foot property that makes up the block between 7th and 8th streets that includes the Butler building, former hardware building and “butterfly” building, some of which have been unused for years. The project would renovate the central parking area and convert it into a public plaza to encourage more foot traffic to the businesses, and the newest addition of a second story which would include 10 office suites, a private deck area, a rooftop
DMHA ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN
An artist rendering of the project looking east at the intersection of Linden Avenue at 7th Street. The corner was the former home of Austin’s Home Center. bar and a “public rooftop plaza.” Michael Stroh, an agent and architect with DMHA Architects described the new space as “adaptive use,” or remodeling and reusing existing buildings on the property to create a mix of commercial, retail, restaurant and office uses of varying sizes. Both interior and exterior revisions on the five buildings on the property will provide space for the public and offices, including a new 20-space parking lot along Cactus Lane. A concern raised by Benefield included the plans for loading and delivery to the
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businesses, and whether they would add to an already congested area for traffic. “I see a problem with Linden being a delivery system,” she said. Commissioner John Callender brought up concerns for the potential of approving the project and finding problems with some of the buildings that have stood vacant for over a decade in some cases. “The Butler building and the hardware building have been largely vacant for a while,” he said. Aside from this concern, Callendar said that he is looking forward to the project that would update a space that has been in need for years. “I think this project really does demonstrate in a way I think should be a model in how to design a project that is there to serve people,” he said. After much deliberation surrounding details of the design and feasibility of the project being completed as planned, the commission approved the project in a 4-1 vote – with Benefield opposing – with the addition of a condition that would define stricter limits on the design of the buildings.
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