Santa Barbara is considering changes to its parking program, which manages downtown lots and structures like Lot 7 on Anacapa Street, next to the County Courthouse and Central Library.
Santa Barbara is considering changes to its parking program, which manages downtown lots and structures like Lot 7 on Anacapa Street, next to the County Courthouse and Central Library. Credit: Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo

Downtown Santa Barbara has a lot of free parking available on the streets and in city lots, but that could change.

To make more money for the parking and plaza program, city staff are considering fee and policy changes, including a shorter free parking period or eliminating it entirely.  

The majority of visits to the city’s 10 parking lots and five garages are less than 75 minutes, and taking that away would probably be very unpopular.

“That breakdown is 60/40,” program manager Sarah Clark told the City Council earlier this year. “So 60% of our customers do not pay anything, only 40% are actually paying. Most people are taking advantage of that subsidized period.”

Clark said the program has had a “large structural deficit” for years and, without changing anything, the division expects a $2 million funding gap next year.

The city put out a parking survey for public input on options to make more money, and got about 1,500 responses before it closed on Nov. 9, she told Noozhawk.

From there, the city will work with consultants and the Downtown Parking Committee on ways to make “a more financially sustainable parking program,” she said.

The city’s parking survey asked respondents how much they care about the 75-minute free period versus lower hourly rates. It also asked if people prefer having staffed exit kiosks as opposed to self-serve payment stations.  

Changing parking rates or the free parking period could have major impacts on customer behavior and affect the citywide economy.

Credit: City of Santa Barbara photo

Potential Changes to Parking Program

The Downtown Plaza and Parking Division of Public Works operates and maintains 15 parking lots and structures. Staff administer parking permit programs, such as commuter lots, and manage street parking citywide.

The division also manages the State Street Promenade (created in 2020), Downtown Ambassadors, and school crossing guards.

Some of the potential changes to parking fees are:

  • Reevaluating the subsidized 75-minute free parking period.
  • Parking validation models.
  • Paid street parking in high demand areas.
  • Altering the Parking and Business Improvement Area assessment levied on downtown properties (based on size or sales), which brings in about $1 million a year.

“For businesses that have been in the PBIA the whole time, it hasn’t changed since basically the ‘70s, and that assessment at this point only covers 11 minutes of the subsidized period,” Clark said.

Clark said they plan to bring parking fee recommendations to the City Council by the end of the winter, so any changes can be added to next year’s budget proposal.

Downtown parking staff already proposed some of these ideas during budget hearings earlier this year.  

City Council members voted against a shorter free parking period of 60 minutes, which was estimated to raise another $1.4 million.

The council did agree to raise the hourly parking fee to $3, one year after raising it to $2.50 from $1.50.

Santa Barbara's City Council doubled hourly parking fees in the past two years to $3, and may enact more changes to make the program more financially sustainable, according to staff.
Santa Barbara’s City Council doubled hourly parking fees in the past two years to $3, and may enact more changes to make the program more financially sustainable, according to staff. Credit: Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo

San Luis Obispo might offer insight into how some of these changes would affect customer behavior.

That city also increased its hourly rates in the past few years, and it stopped offering a free hour of parking for downtown parking structures in July.

After lots of complaints, the City Council voted Nov. 8 to bring back the free hour, as well as free Sunday parking in the structures, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.

Noozhawk Wants to Hear From You on Downtown Parking

Noozhawk wants to hear from you about how you use downtown parking and what fee changes would mean to you.

Scroll down to get in touch about your experiences living, working, visiting, shopping, eating, and using services downtown.

Noozhawk executive editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.