HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/7/2022 Item 6a, Gomez
Delgado, Adriana
From:Patricia Gomez <pgomezesq@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, June 7,
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Item 6.a - ADOPTION OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2022-23 SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET-Parking
Rate Focus
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Item 6.a - ADOPTION OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2022-23 SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET-Parking Rate Focus
Madam Mayor & Council Members,
I am writing to strongly oppose a parking rate and ticket increase as proposed by staff. Rather than try to
organize my thoughts coherently I will simply give you the points swirling in my head.
1. The decision hinges on previous decisions to have a Cultural Arts District and as I understand to drive
the center of activity downtown. Perhaps it is time to rethink this. Downtown is congested, already filled
primarily with tourists & students (or so it seems) and little reason for me, as a local, to go there for my
personal needs.
2. Think about a Cultural Arts District away from downtown to drive people there. Many cities have
neighborhood districts
3. This will only discourage me even more from going downtown. I already feel that decisions are made to
encourage tourists, leaving us locals as an afterthought.
4. I like to go to the movies and feel strongly about the need to support our local merchants. The only
movie theaters are downtown (I have been told because of zoning, though I have not researched). The cost
of going to a movie will become prohibitive and I see more streaming in my future. Again this is something
locals feel; tourists don’t go to movies. If there was a theater in the Foothill area students wouldn’t be
taking parking spaces and we may not need to structure. (See also, 2.)
5. Likewise, the cost to go to dinner would soar. Supporting outlying businesses, or going to South County
is a better decision for me.
6. Why only compare rates to Cal Poly, Pismo and Paso parking? Is it because Atascadero & Arroyo
Grande are much lower rates, if any, and would not support staff’s position? Or because they are not
'tourist' areas? Really we want to be like Pismo? This is not a rhetorical question. I truly am curious.
7. I go back to my original thoughts. It is my understanding that decisions were made with the overarching
goal of preserving our downtown; that it be a thriving center of activity. I posit the goal has been reached. It
is time to begin to question that premise ane take on some further visioning. It is time to start thinking
outside the box again.
Thank you for your consideration.
___________________________
Patricia Gomez
San Luis Obispo, CA
1
805-458-2919
pgomezesq@gmail.com
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