Manhattan Beach Seeks to Ease Parking Problems

The Manhattan Beach City Council has agreed to conduct a study aimed at increasing the number of parking spaces in the city’s bustling downtown shopping district.

The council is examining the possibility of adding another level to a structure on 12th Street and the feasibility of purchasing a neighboring residential lot that could be converted into an additional parking facility.

The proposed parking lot is part of a plan that the city and residents worked on for more than a year to determine what improvements needed to be made in the downtown district.

“We have businesses downtown whose livelihood depends on being able to access their stores,” said Assistant City Manager Dave Doyle. “We’re trying to meet their needs as well as the customers who need a place to park.”

The downtown area has 1,209 spaces available in parking structures and about 500 additional spaces on the street. Doyle said that in the summer the stalls are almost all taken up, making it difficult to get into the shopping area.

The city conducted an eight-month study last year on how to improve its thriving retailing and dining area downtown. The plan calls for 26 projects in the downtown area, including six parking projects.

The parking project on 12th Street is one of the first improvements to be tackled. Doyle said the expansive study is expected to conclude what future demands for parking might be and how that will affect the city.