City Parking Study Shows Plenty of Spaces in Downtown Arcadia

There are plenty of parking spots for everyone at all times in downtown , according to consultants hired by the city.

City representatives made a presentation Tuesday to about 20 local merchants and members of the fledgling . They reported the results of a regarding parking along East Huntington Drive between Santa Anita Avenue and Second Avenue, and on First Avenue between California and Colorado.

Unlike most cities, which experience peak parking at around 1 p.m. on weekdays, the peak time for downtown Arcadia is two hours earlier, at 11 a.m. But, while shopping districts in Santa Monica and along Lake Avenue in Pasadena can experience a peak parking occupancy rate of 57% - 65%, downtown Arcadia tops out at 48%.

That leaves 1,260 of downtown's 3,200 spaces available, even in the busiest of times, according to officials. They concluded that those figures leave plenty of room for development and new business without building or adding any new parking in the area.

That was little solace to The Book Rack owner Karen Kropp, whose older customers have been complaining about the lack of convenient parking ever since the employees and customers of the popular new Boiling Pot restaurant began taking over all the spots on the street in front of the shops.

The survey, completed by 160 respondants (84% of whom are Arcadia residents) indicated that most people feel parking in downtown Arcadia is plentiful, convenient, and safe. Responders made it clear they are not willing to pay for parking; less than 20% say they would pay. Respondants indicated they are most interested in seeing new restaurants in the area, followed by more retail.

Read more by Scott Hettrick at ArcadiasBest.com.