PD Editorial: Santa Rosa's missed chance on Plaza changes
Simon Properties plans to start charging for parking at the Santa Rosa Plaza shopping center later this year.
KENT PORTER / The Press DemocratPublished: Friday, February 17, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, February 17, 2012 at 1:48 p.m.
Simon Property Group isn't making any friends with its plan to charge for parking at Santa Rosa Plaza — the one place downtown where parking has been free for the past three decades.
But it's not making as many enemies as it could have either.
In the plan Simon officials revealed Thursday, customers will be allowed to park for free for 90 minutes. After that, they will be charged $2 for the next 90 minutes. Total cost for three hours of parking: $2.
Not optimum, but in a world where people pay $4 for a cup of coffee and $6 to cross a bridge, it could be worse. The bigger question is whether this is the end or just a starting point for increases yet to come.
If it's the latter, then we certainly agree with Santa Rosa City Councilman Jake Ours who said the plan for charging is a “big mistake.”
Either way, customers will let Simon know soon enough.
The biggest impact, at least at the outset, will be felt by those downtown workers who have used the mall as a place to store their cars without charge. Simon contends, and the city agrees, that of its 3,000 parking spaces, about 400 are taken by people who work downtown. Many of these people now will have to pay for parking elsewhere, perhaps through obtaining a city permit.
For many, the added cost will be difficult. The assumption has long been that Santa Rosa Plaza was required to keep its parking free because city funds were used to build the garage in the late-1970s. That was true for a time, but, according to city officials, that obligation to provide unfettered access ended when the city changed its parking policies for downtown and raised prices. Now, the mall is within its rights to charge for parking.
At the same time, this is shaping up to be a missed opportunity for the shopping center and the city to both get something they need — parking relief for Simon and pedestrian relief for Santa Rosa.
The same day Simon released its parking plan, Plaza officials received tentative approval from the city's Design Review Board for plans to remodel the mall's main east and west entrances.
Gone are the illuminated billboards that were the primary elements of the original design, replaced with a more appealing entry that includes a three-foot cornice and tan concrete tiles that will replace the brick.
It's a clear improvement. But the city would have benefited from something more comprehensive — a major redesign that included opening up an east-west connection to allow pedestrians to more easily get from downtown to the Railroad Square area. The difficulty of getting through the mall will only become more evident when the SMART train is up and running.
Members of the Design Review Board got their hands slapped last year when they required a connectivity study as a condition of its approval of the facelift. Requiring such a study was outside the purview of the board, but it had the right idea.
Santa Rosa city officials have shown a willingness to help Simon address two significant needs, parking and an aging facade. Simon should respond with a good-faith effort to correct a historical flaw — the lack of a safe and easy way to walk from downtown to Railroad Square.
Those stepping off or seeking to board an early morning or late-night SMART train will find their way blocked by locked doors. The city needs to find the key to open those up.
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