Manhattan Beach Helping Curb Parking Crunch

Maybe you’re jetting down Manhattan Beach Boulevard on a summer day, hoping to shop or get a bite to eat.

Then you groan, remembering the last time you tried this: You circled for a half-hour, didn’t have change for the parking meter, were rebuffed by a liquor store clerk who wouldn’t make change, and finally had to buy some candy to get a couple quarters.

To help keep that from happening, the city of Manhattan Beach is offering valet parking for its chic waterside downtown. Joining a few other cities across the country, merchants are hoping that, as part of a general resurgence in downtown popularity, the service will boost revenues and help street-side businesses compete with malls.

In Manhattan, just fork out $2.50 and let someone else find a parking spot for you.

The Manhattan Beach Downtown and Professional Assn., which represents 300 local businesses, led the effort to set up two valet posts for visitors. One booth is on Manhattan Beach Boulevard, just west of Valley Drive; the other is on Manhattan Avenue, just north of the pier. They operate on Thursday and Friday, 6 p.m. to midnight, and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to midnight.

“Probably the most often heard complaint in commercial districts is not enough parking,” said Manuel Ochoa, a manager with the International Assn. of Downtowns. Ochoa said numerous cities have considered valet parking.

Since the Manhattan Beach service began in June, the city has been able to accommodate 120 cars, mostly in business parking lots empty on weekends. Now, on hot days, those spots fill up fast, and the downtown association is trying to acquire another 100 spots.

“I think it’s one of the most successful parking programs we’ve put in place,” said David Doyle, assistant to the city manager in charge of the project.

The effort is a joint venture of the city, the downtown association and United Parking. The city of Manhattan Beach gave up 12 public parking spaces for the two valet posts. United won a bid for the parking contract and is responsible for finding available parking spots. And because they offer a money-making service, it does not cost taxpayers or the merchants association a dime, officials said.

One problem for the business owners, is to keep beach-goers from using the service. Currently, they are counting on the notion that people spend much more time at the beach than they do shopping or sipping coffee in town. Thus, the cost is $2.50 for the first two hours, and $1 for every 20 minutes after that, up to a maximum $12.50 charge.

“There is no restriction, but by the fee structure, it makes it cost prohibitive to do beach parking,” said David Levin, board member and past president of the association, who pushed the idea for valet parking. “This is not intended for that.”

But around noon on a recent Saturday, several carloads of people unloaded at the valet with beach towels, ice boxes and bodyboards. One man drove up in a Ford pickup, unloaded his bike and rode down to the pier. “We get a lot of beach people,” said valet Edy Umana.

Customers like Greg Wick was more what the association had in mind. Late to meet someone for brunch, the Washington state resident had been searching for a spot for 15 minutes when he spotted the valet’s umbrella. “We have this up in Seattle,” he said. “It’s great when you can’t find a spot.”

Though its been operating for less than two months, some local business owners and managers said the service has attracted customers. “It’s helped us tremendously,” said Marty Carrizo, general manager of Wahoo’s Fish Tacos on Manhattan Avenue. “Last week when we had the volleyball tournament, the valet was packed.”

Carrizo initially didn’t believe that it would affect his business, whose highest priced dish is the Maui Bowl for $6.98. Now, he said it has really made it easier for customers.

But some residents don’t like the valet booths. When the valets arrive on weekend mornings, they routinely find cars illegally parked where they set up their booths. Those cars are promptly ticketed and towed away, infuriating Sol Kessler, a 20-year resident of Manhattan Beach.

“This is overkill,” he said, of the towing. “The punishment doesn’t fit the crime.”

Though he concedes that finding parking can be difficult during the summer, Kessler thinks the valet is unnecessary. “I’ve come here every day for 20 years and I’ve always found a place to park.”

Indeed, some cities have implemented valet parking programs and found that not many people are interested in using them. In La Jolla, the business association discovered that shoppers just didn’t use the valet like diners in restaurants did. They stopped their public valet last year, after a year of use. In Decatur, Ga., officials found that having a valet wasn’t cost effective.