REDLANDS, Calif. — The Redlands City Council unanimously approved the purchase of two downtown private parking lots during their Tuesday, Oct. 17, meeting.
Why it matters: The lots, which total 45 parking spaces, were previously privately owned. This purchase strives to preserve parking in the downtown area and make it more readily available for residents.
Details: Redlands purchased the two lots through a sale agreement with Redlands Community Investment Corp. for $750,000. Both lots are located in the downtown area, located off of State Street. One lot is east of Ed Hales Park adjacent to Sixth Street, while the other is on Ninth Street.
Map of parking lots purchased by city of Redlands. Photo: Community Forward RedlandsCity
"God knows we need the parking," said Mayor Pro Tempore Paul Barich immediately following the approval.
With land costs amounting to $750,000 for the 45 parking spots, each spot costs the city roughly $16,000. The sale was paid for using city funds set in reserve specifically for parking purposes. During the meeting, it was also noted that the purchase price of the lots was under the appraised value.
Zoom out: This purchase follows a recent study released in June by Walker Consultants focused on parking in downtown Redlands. With the looming development of 1,000+ downtown residential housing units, the city is faced with the challenge of providing adequate parking downtown without taking away from the city's walkability and sustainability goals.
While the Redlands Parking Commission has not yet presented the study's recommendations to the Council, the move to purchase the lots aligns with some of the suggestions presented in the study.
It was recommended that the city take steps to ensure that a greater share of the current inventory of downtown parking spaces is made accessible to the public. This could be achieved by increasing public ownership and management of off-street parking facilities, as would be the case with the two newly acquired lots. The study also included that fully utilizing existing parking infrastructure is more likely to be cost-effective and align with the city's land-use goals.
For more information about the parking study, you can read our article about it here.
Moving forward: The city plans to maintain the parking lots and open the spaces for public use. It has not yet been announced when the lots will be open.
Kathryne is a journalist and creative writer who has contributed to CFR since 2023. When she isn't reporting, she can be found curled up with a thick fantasy book.
