Seal Beach Old Town’s chronic problem with parking space prompted a meeting at the Council Chambers on Thursday evening, July 14. The meeting was specifically designed to address parking on Electric Avenue. The result: Public Works will free up 20 parking spaces by removing red curbs near storm drain catch basins along Electric Avenue. Police will now enforce the ban on parking on the Greenbelt side of the street.
In related news, the City Council will look at permit parking on Monday, Sept. 26.
Parking is an old problem in Old Town. The problem was apparently aggravated when at least 63 spaces were eliminated by painting Electric Avenue curbs red to accommodate emergency vehicles and when spaces near storm drain catch basis were also painted red. Seventy-five people attended last Thursday’s meeting, according to City Engineer Michael Ho.
Deaton, in her e-mail newsletter to her constituents, said the red curbs near the catch basins would be removed by Aug. 1. She said this would recover 20 parking spaces.
Seal Beach Police Sgt. Steve Bowles told the Sun that police would resume enforcing the prohibition on parking on the Greenbelt side of Electric Avenue starting Tuesday, July 19.
The Deaton newsletter said the city would ask the California Coastal Commission for resident parking stickers for Electric Avenue and the streets north of Electric.
Deaton told the Sun that it would probably take a year for the Coastal Commission to address the issue. “Usually, anything that goes through the Coastal Commission that isn’t an emergency takes about a year,” she said.
Deaton described the meeting as successful.
She said Seal Beach had a parking problem in Old Town. She also said that if 63 people were willing to park their cars in their garages, that would free up 63 parking spaces.
Ho also called the meeting successful. He said most of the people who attended were Old Town residents.
As for people parking in garages, someone attending the meeting mentioned seeing an advertisement in the Sun seeking a renter for an Old Town garage. Ho said the ad offered the garage as a living space.
“That is against code,” Ho said.
He said city staff would act on the information.
