R-32 Correspondence – Linda Scholl
From: Linda Scholl [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2022 10:13 AM
To: Mayor <[email protected]>; Council District 3 <[email protected]>; Council District 1 <[email protected]>; Council District 2 <[email protected]>; Council District 4 <[email protected]>; Council District 5 <[email protected]>; Council District 6 <[email protected]>; Council District 7 <[email protected]>; Council District 8 <[email protected]>; Council District 9 <[email protected]>; CityClerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Item # 22-0656 City Council Agenda, June 14, 2022. Opposed to Belmont Shore Parklets being made permanent
-EXTERNAL-
Dear Mayor and City Council members,
We oppose the granting of Permanent Pandemic Parklets in Belmont Shore. It’s time to restore Second Street to safe, walkable, accessible, welcoming status for everyone.
The "temporary” Pandemic Parklets for restaurants and bars were needed during the Pandemic in Belmont Shore. They were approved solely for this purpose, and with a “sunset clause”. They are now aging, unsightly, unsafe to remain. Now that indoor dining and drinking has largely returned, and masking is rarely required, the Pandemic Parklets in Belmont Shore and their inconveniences and safety issues must be ended:
1. 2nd St. retail businesses and offices are struggling because of the loss of parking, blocked storefronts and more.
2. The Pandemic Parklets took over so many metered parking spaces! Now, the big Alcohol and SYSCO and other types of Delivery trucks are regularly prevented from parking at the curbs, so they regularly take over bus stops!!!
3. The Bus Drivers often must drop people off in the lanes of traffic.
4. The Busses must often take Disabled People to the next stop and hope it's clear to drop them off. 😲
5. And Disabled People also no longer have nearby parking access to many local businesses because of the obstruction of the Pandemic Parklets.
If “permanent” parklets are being considered further for Belmont Shore, the topic is best to be discussed by a Parking Commission and representative group of Community residents. At the last such discussion in 2012: Members of the Belmont Shore Parking and Business Advisory Commission voted against supporting parklets in the business district. Parking commissioners were joined by David Roseman, the city’s traffic engineer, as well as several Shore business owners and area residents to talk about it. Roseman said that negative community feedback was what put a halt on the project.
Commissioners voiced concerns losing parking spaces on Second Street as well as how parklets crowd already limited sidewalk space. They also questioned the safety of
adding parklets to a busy commercial corridor. They said that although three parklets have been successfully installed along Fourth Street in Long Beach, the street configurations and pedestrian traffic is different in Belmont Shore.
The streets and sidewalks belong to all of the public in the Community. We request that decisions about parklets reflect the Community views.
Respectfully,
Linda Scholl
Downtown Long Beach
2012 Grunion Gazette article re Parking Commission and Traffic Engineer and Community input
The GrunionGrunion News
Parking Commission Doesn’t Support Parklets In
Belmont Shore
By Ashleigh Ruhl | [email protected] |
November 15, 2012 at 2:37 p.m.
A debate about parklets that started this summer ended this morning – at least for the foreseeable future – when members of the Belmont Shore Parking and Business Advisory Commission voted against supporting parklets in the business district.
Parking commissioners were joined by David Roseman, the city’s traffic engineer, as well as several Shore business owners and area residents to talk about whether or not parklets, or sidewalk extensions, could be a viable option for business owners to install in front of their restaurants or shops.
The discussion was spurred by news that broke this summer that the owners of George’s Greek Cafe (5316 E.
Second St.) had submitted an application to the city for a parklet. According to Bill Lorbeer, chair of the Parking Commission and owner of the building housing George’s Greek Cafe, the application for a parklet for the business has been withdrawn, but city officials could not confirm that the application officially has been withdrawn.
Roseman said that negative community feedback about the proposed parklet in front of George’s Greek Cafe was what put a halt on the project. Still, he wanted to hear feedback from the Parking Commission to see if parklets might be a consideration for other businesses on the street.
Commissioners at the meeting Thursday morning mainly voiced concerns about the possibility of losing parking spaces on Second Street as well as how a parklet could crowd already limited sidewalk space. They also questioned the safety of adding parklets to a busy commercial corridor. They said that although three parklets have been successfully installed along Fourth Street in Long Beach, the street configurations and pedestrian traffic is different in Belmont Shore.
Some also had concerns about whether or not a parklet would interfere with Belmont Shore events such as the Christmas Parade, where high school marching bands fill up the street from curb to curb.
Parking commissioners Joy Starr, Eric Forsberg and Marsha Jeffer voted against supporting parklets in Belmont Shore. Lorbeer abstained from the vote.