Newport Beach tightens parking restrictions near Corona del Mar High
Newport Beach city leaders opted to further tighten parking restrictions Tuesday for the Eastbluff neighborhood in response to residents’ frequent complaints about Corona del Mar High School students snatching up scarce street parking.
Beginning in September, parking on Arbutus Street, Aleppo Street, Alder Place, Almond Place and Alta Vista Drive, between Aleppo and Aralia streets, will be limited to one hour from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days for those without a permit. The council voted unanimously to approve the permit program.
The move, officials hope, will force CdM students to park in designated campus lots instead of by Eastbluff homes.
Residents say they’ve witnessed students parking off-campus — even when there are plenty of available spaces in the school’s lot — in an effort to avoid congestion while leaving during lunch and after school.
Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
“I think this will fix the immediate problem,” said Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Muldoon. “I think the issue after that will be how far away from the high school will the students be willing to park.”
This isn’t the first time the city has been forced to step in to solve parking disputes in the area. For years Eastbluff residents have raised concerns with safety issues stemming from speeding student drivers, jaywalking, trash being left on their property, and a lack of available curb spots for residents and their guests.
In 2013, the City Council established a one-hour parking time limit on Aralia Street between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on school days, except by permit, in an effort to eliminate student parking there. Resident Don Slaughter, who lives on the corner of Alta Vista and Aralia, was one of the many residents seeking relief that year.
“When I’d have a visitor or call a plumber to come during the week, they’d have to park up the hill,” he said. “It was extremely frustrating. The school has just gotten bigger and it’s getting to the point where it’s too big for the location and the size.
“That’s essentially the problem.”
However, Slaughter said the council’s move in 2013 — while effective for Aralia Street — further concentrated the parking issue on other streets instead of eliminating it altogether. The completion of the adjoining middle school campus also exacerbated parking issues, he said.
In June, neighbors sent the city a petition for residential parking permit restrictions. City staff said 66 homes out of the 69 contacted in the petition supported permit parking. There are roughly 80 homes in the neighborhood.
The city will review the permit parking program in a year to determine if it is working.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
