A parking study was unveiled last week even as the city of Pismo Beach may discover it's too late to help build an underground parking structure on a dirt lot next to the pier parking lot.

The City Council on Tuesday received a draft final report of the $35,000 downtown parking study that recommends building an underground parking structure to make up for parking spaces that will be lost when the dirt lot is built upon.

City staff previously estimated construction on the so-called Benson project would start as early as Labor Day on the site next to the pier parking lot.

The city staff was directed to meet with property owner Frank Benson to determine a timeline on the development of the 52,000-square-foot lot where a mixed-use commercial/residential project is scheduled to be built.

The project will include an underground parking structure. The city could chip in on the cost of building the structure and then share in its use.

“I was offering to get a hold of him to find out exactly where he stands and if we missed the train or if there is a chance of hopping on board or not,” City Manager Kevin Rice said.

The underground parking structure would yield an estimated 260 parking spaces, officials said. In the past, Benson has allowed the city to utilize the lot to park an estimated 132 cars, the report said.

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According to the report by Los Angeles-based Wilbur Smith Associates, the underground lot would only help make up for a future deficiency, not fully mitigate it.

It reveals what some downtown business owners said they have been telling the council for years - that there is a lack of parking space to meet future needs in the downtown core.

“Us locals could have done this. We might not have had the numbers, (but) we that have been here 30, 40 years, we could have told you the same thing (as the study),” said Tony Spinelli, owner of Beach Bum Vacation Rentals on Dolliver Street.

While the intent of the report is to identify the current supply and future demand and provide financial guidance on how to fund improvements, city officials stressed it's not a solve-all solution to meet future demand in the downtown core.

“I personally think the report is a pretty good report,” Rice said.

Randy Bloom, community development director, added, “We need to have a starting point that's tangible.”

According to Bloom, the city will also attempt to contact the California Coastal Commission about any potential conflicts with building an underground lot before the estimated $8-million to $10-million project is formally considered.

Three public workshops will be scheduled in January to discuss parking in the downtown core, officials said.

“I feel that everybody up here feels that we still need that input from the public to see what they really want to do,” Councilman Rudy Natoli said.

Rice and Bloom, along with Public Works Director Dennis Delzeit, were authorized to visit other coastal cities like Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara to find out what their parking system entails.

“I think we need to find out what various cities have for that (system), amongst other things, and report back to you no later than the second meeting in December,” Rice said.

Implementing certain policy changes, such as creating a parking improvement district, may also benefit the city, as it could provide additional parking “by using local private lots to share parking demand during complementary time periods,” the report states.

Councilman Bill Rabenaldt said he supports the idea of providing parking outside the downtown core.

“There's a lot available, but to sit here tonight with this information, trying to make an informed decision without looking at what is really available for the long-term, it's just ... I'm sorry, a bad decision,” he said.

Mayor Mary Ann Reiss emphasized that the city is trying to replace what it will be losing.

“I don't think we're eliminating the fact that there are other possible parking areas,” Reiss said. “We have to look at what's good for us financially.”

September 24, 2006