Dear Street Smarts,
Q: Today, a friend and I parked at the lot beside the new Cruzio building — your old Sentinel haunts — and I got to wondering about the new parking system. Also, next to the downtown library is a pay parking lot.
Two questions:
- Is the city making a lot of money from this new system? Since I know it needs funds, I hope that the new set up is working well for the city.
- Over near the post office, across from the back of Bookshop Santa Cruz and next to a collection of shops, is a parking garage that presently is free. Will that stay that way or do you think it will be converted over to a pay for parking garage also?
Thank you.
Nick Royal, Santa Cruz
A: The city averages about $450 weekly from the lot next to the library, said Marlin Granlund, parking manager. That’s about $1.75 per space each day, he added.
Meanwhile, regarding the River/Front parking structure, the Downtown Commission is going to talk about whether to make that a pay lot during its 8:30 a.m. meeting this Thursday, Sept. 22 in the City Council Chambers, at 809 Church St., Santa Cruz.
Making the structure pay facility will open up all three levels of parking to the public, Granlund said.
“As it is now the two upper levels are permit parking only,” he said, while the bottom floor is free public parking.
