Today is the last day to take the Benicia online parking survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QRNBG8B

As someone who has shown an interest in Downtown parking in the past, and the maintenance of adequate parking to support community events and local businesses, we are updating you on the current efforts of the City - an online survey about Downtown Parking.

If you do not express your opinions, the City may move ahead with:

- Making First Street one-way;
- Changing parallel parking to angled back-in parking;
- Putting bike lanes on both sides of First Street;
- Eliminating the E Street Parking Lot.

Sadly, the E Street Parking Lot is not even being considered a parking option in the survey.

If you want to keep and improve the E Street Parking Lot, keep Downtown accessible for community events like the Christmas Tree Lighting or the Holiday Parade, tell the City in question 10.

In 2019 the City of Benicia had a consultant do a 1 day study of parking in Downtown. On a Tuesday, when most Downtown restaurants were closed. They now want to use that over two year old study to justify making changes to Downtown.

In early 2020, they had workshops and did two online surveys. The results overwhelmingly showed that parking was Downtown’s biggest issue and residents wanted more available safe parking options, with parking lots leading the list. Since then, great new parklets, street crossings, and handicap spaces have further reduced the available parking on City streets.

Earlier this year, they attempted to convert the E Street Parking Lot to a development. They approved $150,000 to try to sell it as a hotel site, which failed, then spent staff time pursuing housing, all without appreciable neighborhood or community input. After a local backlash over the loss of the E Street Parking Lot, the City said they were going to update the parking study, a “Phase II” study, by the end of the year. There is no update to the defective 2019 study. Instead, the City has now placed an online 17 question survey to ask what do you want to do first:

-  Make First Street one-way;
-  Change parallel parking to angled back-in parking;
-  Put bike lanes on both sides of First Street;

The survey is silent on the E Street Parking Lot as an option. If you have an opinion on keeping safe parking in Downtown, and the E Street Parking Lot as part of that solution, let the City know in the survey on Question 10.

The City is listening to consultants who specialize in solving parking problems. Unfortunately, those consultants don’t consider how the changes will impact the community, only how many cars can they park. If you care about how eliminating the E Street Parking Lot will change Downtown community events, like this year’s Tree Lighting and Holiday Parade, make your opinions known, today.

Take the 17 question City of Benicia Parking survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QRNBG8B

Make sure you express your opinion on the E Street Parking Lot in Question 10.  Thank you.

If you want to stay updated, send an email to: BeniciaParking@Mail.com