Neighbors Annoyed That LMU Wants to Charge for Parking

Plans to charge for parking at Loyola Marymount University are heating up the perennial debate about parking restrictions in the coastal neighborhoods of the Westside. LMU, which has allowed students, faculty, and staff to park for free on campus since 2000, will begin charging for parking in January 2013 to address the costs associated with the construction of the campus master plan. As detailed by the Argonaut, the problem is that visitors will likely start trying to park for free in the surrounding neighborhood (particularly on "streets like Fordham, Loyola and McConnell avenues as well as on 78th, 79th and 80th streets"), which could "trigger a desire for permit parking" in those areas. Residents aren't exactly stoked on the idea. LA City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, who represents many of the neighborhoods surrounding LMU, also isn't pleased. The LMU master plan includes at least 600 new parking spaces, so there will be more places to park on campus in the future. LMU has also agreed to contribute $24,000 toward the cost of permits for residents in surrounding neighborhoods ("Each household would be given two permits, which are calculated to cost approximately $34 each").

But implementing parking restrictions in neighborhoods near the coast hasn't proven politically or legally viable in recent years. As the Argonaut points out, recent attempts to add parking restrictions in coastal neighborhoods have found various ways to fail. Parking restrictions along Culver Boulevard in Del Rey were nixed when "residents who live in apartment complexes on nearby streets complained that the restriction would deny them a place to park because many live with one or more people in apartment complexes that have only one parking space." The California Coastal Commission denied permit parking in Venice, finding that restricted parking zones cut off beach access in violation of the California Coastal Act, although that debate still rages to this day.
· LMU to begin charging students, faculty for parking soon [The Argonaut]
· Parking, RVs, Homelessness: Venice Votes For Restrictions [Curbed LA]