HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/7/2023 Item 6a, Gorter
From:Suzanne Gorter <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Downtown Parking
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To Whom it May Concern:
I am sending this email in advance of the upcoming council mee?ng on November 7. I am incredibly frustrated with the
high parking rates downtown for both myself and for the downtown merchants. I am a long ?me resident in San Luis
County and have a business in San Luis. It used to frequent downtown for lunch mul?ple ?mes per week along with
mee?ng friends, shopping, going to the movies. Currently I choose to go anyplace but downtown for these things solely
due to the parking rates. And the parking sta?ons do not seem to be user friendly. I have personally talked at least 12
people through the process, once when it took the person so long to get her parking paid that I had to keep the meter
person from ?cke?ng my car. When my brother recently visited the first thing that I gi?ed him was roll of quarters. He
laughed un?l he parked downtown. He’s from Palm Springs where there is no charge for parking. I recently met a friend
to go to the movies. It cost me as much to park as the movie ?cket. If I choose to go downtown now in the evening my
choice is pay too much for parking or find a more remote unmetered spot. If I will be walking back to my car a?er dark
there are also increasing safety issues with that op?on. So I just avoid downtown.
More importantly I am sad for our downtown merchants. So many buildings are empty downtown while new businesses
that could rejuvenate downtown are opening in other areas of town. We are not able to keep our businesses open
downtown, especially the local merchants that give San Luis Obispo its unique flavor and charm. I was talking with a long
?me store owner this week who has seen a nearly 50% decrease in revenue since construc?on has limited the parking on
Morro St. She has concerns that she is not able to remain in business.
I urge you to rethink the parking fees downtown and come up with some crea?ve solu?ons to address the real struggle
of conduc?ng and frequen?ng businesses downtown to preserve the unique experience of living in and visi?ng San Luis
Obispo.
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