Seal Beach Main Street area business and property owners, but not residents, are being invited to a two-day series of interviews with a Seal Beach consultant to discuss ways to improve parking.
The interviews are described as 30-minute “stakeholder interviews” in a notice that was mailed out Friday, Aug. 2, by the Community Development Department. Jim Basham, Seal Beach director of Community Development, said this would not be a public workshop.
“Eventually, we’ll have public workshops with residents as well,” Basham said.
According to the notice, the consultant, MIG/Hogle-Ireland, and Community Development staff will interview business and property owners from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 14, and Thursday, Aug. 15, at City Hall at 211 Eighth St.
“The city of Seal Beach is reviewing various parking options for downtown merchants, employees and visitors to Main Street business,” said the notice announcing the interviews.
“The city is inviting you to participate in the study and offer any suggestions or comments,” the notice said.
“The study is just beginning with parking observations during this peak summer period,” the notice said.
“The study is scheduled to include public workshops and later this year with recommendations presented to City Council,” the notice said.
Basham said the city was looking at alternative transportation for different locations in the city.
“Right now, we’re just exploring ideas,” Basham said.
He said he sent out 200 letters on Friday to Main Street business and property owners. “Hopefully, I’ll get some participants,” Basham said.
He said the purpose of the interviews was to create a structured environment for airing ideas, rather than a forum.
He said the interviews would be one-on-one meetings between individual business people and the consultant.
Parking has long been a problem in the Main Street area. Seal Beach resident Nancy Kredell recently asked the City Council to look at the problem of people using the Mary Wilson Library parking lot when they are not using the public library.
Earlier this year, the Seal Beach Police Department received complaints that Main Street merchants had been erasing parking enforcement chalk marks from their customers’ and employees tires.
In April, the Police Department issued an email warning merchants that erasing the chalk marks is against the city code.
At the time, Seal Beach Police Sgt. Ron La Velle said: “Granted, it’s not the most serious issue in town, but parking is an issue in every beach town.”
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