CHRISTINE DAVIS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CARLSBAD VILLAGE ASSOCIATION
Parking, or the perceived lack of it, has always been a hot topic of discussion in the Village. With the unanimous vote at the January 28 City Council meeting with council directing staff to begin enhanced enforcement of parking time limits in the Village, it has brought the issue back to the forefront. And, thankfully, it is being met with great optimism that it will have a very positive impact on Carlsbad’s downtown.
Starting May 22, 2020, on streets in the Village where three-hour parking limits have existed for years but have been ignored, enforcement will now take place per the municipal code. Signs clearly identify parking spots that are subject to the threehour rule.
The council vote adopting the resolution will provide for the addition of two full-time Community Service Officers, one marked police vehicle outfitted with a mobile license plate reader and two hand-held readers, for the purpose of enforcing timed parking restrictions in the posted Village areas.
Beginning in mid-February, staff and volunteers from the City of Carlsbad Police Department started notifying business owners, and residents, in person of the change in
the already-posted areas largely along State, Grand, Madison, Carlsbad Blvd., and key commercial areas downtown. Their handouts remind that the Village does offer free public parking in five city lots on Grand, State, Roosevelt and Oak. They have also placed large A-Frame signage in various locations highlighting the change and these signs will be moved around the Village for the next three months while community outreach continues.
How did this enforcement finally come about? In 2017, the City of Carlsbad finished a parking study and plan (parking management plan) for the Village, Barrio and nearby beach area to:
- Make parking more convenient for community members, employees and visitors
- Promote more efficient use of existing parking
- Support future parking needs and mobility options
- Explore options to make the project area more inviting for walkers, bicyclists and people who use public transportation
- Support the vision outlined in the draft Village and Barrio Master Plan
Some of the recommendations from that study and a subsequent 2018 study included enhanced enforcement of existing parking time limits, changing some time limits, and adding time limits to commercial areas to encourage turnover of parking spaces that improves access to businesses.
The Carlsbad Village Association surveyed business owners, employees, and residents at its January Village Voices meeting, at its Open House in January, and through business visits as well. Over 70% of those surveyed were in favor of enforcing the time limits to encourage turnover of parking spots in the anticipation that it will further stimulate the downtown economy and benefit the businesses in the Village.
There is such an amazing variety of shopping, dining, entertainment, and service-related businesses in Carlsbad Village. The hope is that by encouraging a reasonable turnover of parking spots downtown that parking will be more readily available and that will ultimately make everyone’s visit to the Village even better than imagined!