BLOG: What's Wrong with the Planned $16 Million City Hall Robo-Garage -- Part 1

I have been opposed to the plans the City of West Hollywood has to spend $16 million to build a multi-story, mechanically driven, computer operated robotic garage behind City Hall, replacing the existing flat surface parking lot that has satisfied the needs of City Hall since its opening.

There are so many reasons why this planned parking garage should never have even been considered and each reason has multiple examples and adverse effects. I decided to take each problem separately to blog about.

Why blog about it? For several reasons.

The project is wrong (the reasons will be in each upcoming blog) and as a resident of West Hollywood, I am personally giving notice (and anyone who agrees may join in and do the same) that I believe the City Council has perpetrated an intentional misrepresentation of both the nature of the problems this garage will cause the city once it is built and the true motivation for building these particular parking spaces on property owned by the city.

Issue #1: There is No Need for Additional Parking for City Hall Use

We all live daily with the problem of not enough parking in West Hollywood. The problem is worse in some areas and no so bad in others.

And in some places there is no parking shortage and anyone ever needing to park their car in one of these places never has to worry about there not being adequate parking available.

The City Hall parking lot is located behind the West Hollywood City hall at 8300 Santa Monica Blvd.

Since I first heard of the City's plans, I have made it a point to regularly walk my dog past City Hall and specifically check the parking situation and any shortage that may exist.

I have gone in the mornings, afternoons and evenings and I have never once seen the parking lot full, let alone any cars waiting for a spot to open or driving around trying to find a spot to park so that they could take care of whatever business one may have at City Hall.

I have also spoken to countless people about the parking situation and any problems that may exist there were not known from my own observations.

Everyone from the residents near City Hall to residents living at the eastern and western ends of the city has adamantly insisted that there is never a problem getting a parking spot whenever they needed to go to City Hall (I walk my dog often and am a person who is friendly and chatty; when people stop to meet my dog -- he is very popular and people stop to meet him almost non-stop when walking down Santa Monica Blvd -- I have taken the opportunity to ask people of all ages and living situations about their opinion, knowledge and/or experience with the parking behind City Hall.)

I've asked the local merchants in our local shops and even employees of City Hall, including the security officer who was in the parking lot enjoying his break under the shade of the mature tree in the very well landscaped existing lot.

Everyone has insisted that at no time is there ever a shortage of parking or a problem for anyone at any time City Hall is open to drive to City Hall and be assured there is adequate parking available.

The City has exploited the daily parking problems the residents suffer with by “hemming and hawing” that this robo-garage is being built to help with the City's general parking nightmare, while making it clear that the $16 million garage will be “free to use” (and not generating any revenue for its cost to build or even the costs to run and maintain this new major electric-driven mega elevators and positioning platforms powerful and strong enough to support the weight of even oversized and extra heavy cars, trucks and SUVs) but only by City Hall Staff and visitors to City Hall.

The Garage is specifically NOT for the use by anyone not going to City Hall and clearly stating not for public parking for people shopping or living in the vicinity of the new oversized parking garage.

Changes in the Needs for Parking at City Hall?

1. With the radical change the internet has brought to every aspect of everyone's lives, there certainly must be some information, services or resources that are now being provided over the internet, which would only reduce the need for parking behind City Hall.

2. With the new West Hollywood Library/Library Parking Structures and the new West Hollywood Park, the City built a new formal Council Chamber to hold its regular meetings and even included a large meeting room on the park level for all kinds of city meeting uses and purposes.

Thus there should be a natural decrease in the number of people going to City Hall and needing a parking spot as the City thought to include space and parking for meetings that no longer need to be held in the City Hall Building.

The City has stated there is now a sudden need for more parking for City Hall and people working in or visiting City Hall on city business.

In sum, the endless number of forthcoming reasons why the residents should make it clear we do not want our City Leaders to spend $16 million for the biggest waste of money for any parking garage to date, are somewhat moot when the first question has been answered....

There is no parking shortage or need for additional parking spaces behind City Hall which are dedicated to City Hall use and will not provide one single additional parking space for the public to use in the City Hall vicinity, which has one of the worst parking shortages for the local businesses, its patrons and the residents living close to City Hall and that area.

We need more parking for public use.

There is no need for the City to build more parking spots for City Hall and exclusively for people going to/using City Hall.

ADDENDUM:

I hope everyone will start to pay attention to the conflicting versions of both what the project will be and function as well as the effects it will have on the neighborhood.

Already, I heard that the set-backs and existing street side of City Hall will provide ample green open space making the 5-story block structure a non-factor in affecting the immediate vicinity.

Then after reading the revised EIR which included the same “set backs and existing green space” to address the reasons why the first EIR was not approved.

But during the recent City Council hearing it was announced that Sweetzer would be widened to provide a dedicated left turning lane on the east side of the City Hall existing building.

The only possible way of achieving that goal is the removal of the green plantings on the east side of City Hall which is small but the only green vegetation in almost a block in all directions.

Widening Sweetzer makes the revised EIR inaccurate as there will be no green left at all and the sidewalks which are already too small for current use, will be further reduced as the concrete City Hall island will have more people, bicycles and bus riders crammed onto the already inadequate sidewalks in front and on the east side of City Hall.

That's ONE “conflicting” reassurance given by the City.