Solana Beach City Council to discuss parking solutions for Highway 101 and Cedros Design District

By Kristina Houck

With improvement projects complete and summer in full swing, the Solana Beach City Council will discuss how to alleviate traffic concerns on Coast Highway 101 and the Cedros Design District during a special meeting July 16 in City Hall.

To prepare for the meeting, the Highway 101/Cedros Avenue Development Standing Committee held a workshop July 2 to finalize a list of potential solutions that will be presented to the council for further discussion. Deputy Mayor Lesa Heebner and Councilman Mike Nichols, who serve as liaisons to the committee, led the workshop.

At least five recommendations will be presented to the council, including the use of valet parking, time limits, rooftop parking and paid parking. Staff plans to suggest at least three 20-minute spaces along Highway 101, near the UPS store, Mitch’s Surf Shop and Pizza Port. Additional timed spaces are being identified for the Cedros Design District.

Staff will also introduce an ordinance that would establish a Business Parking District. If approved, the district would encourage the development of new restaurant and retail uses within existing buildings, as well as promote the preservation of the existing building fabric and character along the Highway 101 corridor.

Only businesses located in existing buildings would be eligible for the program, which would offer reduced parking requirement alternatives, grant reduced parking requirement requests, and more.

The July 2 workshop was the third time the committee met to discuss the topic. Solana Beach business owners and community members gathered April 14 at City Hall to discuss potential parking solutions and helped narrow a list of three-dozen ideas that were generated when the group first met in December to address parking concerns.

The special council meeting will take place at 5 p.m. July 16 in City Hall.