Seaside Plans to Ease Parking This Summer

[Marla Burns]

In order to continue to offer a positive experience for Seaside visitors and to provide a simple process for coming and going in Seaside, the town will implement an easily accessible summer parking option for guests.

For convenience, PM Valet will park Seaside customers’ vehicles for them. Visitors will be able to drive into Central Square and park on their own or have someone park their car immediately, rather than search for a parking space during heavy traffic times.The valet service option will allow visitors to spend less time parking when wanting to dine or shop during peak times.

A valet podium will be centrally located in front of the ATM Kiosk in Central Square near The Art of Simple and Sundog Books. Visitors choosing to use the valet service will receive two hours COMPLIMENTARY with a validated ticket and a merchant receipt. With no validation, the fee is only $5.00 per vehicle for the first two hours and $5.00 every two hours thereafter.

Valet services will be offered on the following dates:
· Memorial Day, May 24-27, and 4th of July week, July 4-7
· Each Wednesday in June, July and the first two Wednesdays in August
· Each weekend in June and July (Fri-Sun) and the first two weekends in August

Valet services will operate at the following times:
· Wednesday, 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
· Friday-Sunday, 8 a.m. - Midnight
· Holidays, 8 a.m. - Midnight

Seaside will also offer extended seasonal hours, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. for dining and shopping beginning Memorial Day weekend through August 15.

 

[tsutcli]

Just out of curiosity, where will valet park the cars if Central Square is full? Will a portion of the Square be roped off?

 

[Zebraspots]

Feel sorry for the merchants. A lot of people are going to avoid Seaside in favor of other communities where they can park for free.

On the plus side, with professionals parking cars they ought to be able to get 50% more in there.

 

[tsutcli]

The way I read it you can still park your car in the Square for free, the Valet is an option and would be free for 2 hours with purchase. Seems they are trying to address the problem people expressed during their trial run last year.

 

[Andy A]

Feel sorry for the merchants. A lot of people are going to avoid Seaside in favor of other communities where they can park for free.

On the plus side, with professionals parking cars they ought to be able to get 50% more in there.

And here is one of them! An exception is the 4th of July parade. Hokey as it is, it is fun and a tradition with us.

 

[TreeFrog]

To make room for the valet parking, they almost have to rope off some parking capacity somewhere. There's no magic bullet here, it's not as though the additional parking capacity for the valet service will just "poof" materialize. Unless I read it wrong, the net effect will be less free parking spaces in Seaside, total number of spaces unchanged. The slow march away from new urban and toward commercialism continues.

 

[Beach Runner]

To make room for the valet parking, they almost have to rope off some parking capacity somewhere. There's no magic bullet here, it's not as though the additional parking capacity for the valet service will just "poof" materialize. Unless I read it wrong, the net effect will be less free parking spaces in Seaside, total number of spaces unchanged. The slow march away from new urban and toward commercialism continues.

You are right -- this will not create more parking spots (except for a few because the valet parkers won't leave space between vehicles as owners do to avoid their vehicles getting dinged). I don't see how this plan will ease parking problems as a result. Plus it won't ease the traffic in Seaside (people will have to wait for an attendant on both ends of their visits). The solution is shuttle buses from the open area near Watersound Publix. That would also help to reduce the congestion at the 30A/395 intersection and along 30A in Seaside.

One excellent thing that Seaside has done to relieve congestion is the one-way traffic at Central Square. It has made it so much easier to park there, not to mention virtually eliminating confrontations over parking spots due to cars from two directions claiming the same spot. Also when you pull out of a spot, you don't have to look two directions for cars. You still have to constantly look 360 degrees for humans who seem to have no fear of vehicles.

 

[tsutcli]

I would still look both ways when backing out as I've seen cars going the wrong way.

 

[Beach Runner]

I would still look both ways when backing out as I've seen cars going the wrong way.

True. You get reminded of the correct direction when you enter the square, but not when you exit. We noticed several vehicles going the wrong way last night.

 

[Beach Bimmer]

There's no magic bullet here, it's not as though the additional parking capacity for the valet service will just "poof" materialize.

From May 24 through August 10, SCDC will be moving employee parking off-site to the vacant lot at 283 near 30-A (former Grayton Grand site). A shuttle will run 8am-1am for employees.

Thus, 115 spaces are being freed up. Poof, there's the magic bullet!