HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/7/2023 Item 6a, Mulholland
Christine Mulholland <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Downtown parking
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Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I serve on two Flood Control and Water Conservation District advisory committees, which meet downtown. It
continues to be my pleasure to serve, but it has become expensive, costing me at least $8.00, often more, to
attend.
I like to stop at McCarthy’s after a meeting, since I am downtown. But now I must pay at least $4.00 just to go
in for a drink and a little conversation. No longer can I make a quick stop to just pop in to Boo Boo’s to pick up
a CD after I stop at the bank.
It has become such a hassle to be downtown. The kiosks are difficult to use, and sometimes hard to find. The
parklets made sense for some restaurants during the pandemic, but curbside parking, especially for short
errands, is more equitable for all businesses. Employees often take up nearby spaces that could be turned
over for use by multiple customers throughout the day.
I’ve often thought that the free two hour parking in Morro Bay made a lot of sense. It is rare that one cannot
find an open space, as there is constant turnover. Very busy weekends or holidays may be more challenging,
but other towns around are much more welcoming and accommodating than downtown SLO. So I have come
to find myself going out of town for more shopping and errands. I much prefer the drive to Los Osos for lunch
and the book store than coming downtown.
And the kicker is, you have been trying to discourage driving, but you are building a new garage! And you
want us who live here to come downtown and pay for it by making it more expensive and difficult.
You have invested in a lot of new technology that has made what used to be a welcoming and accessible
downtown complicated and unfriendly. A fine mess you’ve got us in.
Christine Mulholland
805-544-6618
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