Santa Barbara committee eyes pay-by-plate pilot for Depot Lot to reduce exit queues and cut staffing costs

The Downtown Parking Committee on Feb. 12 heard a staff proposal to convert Lot 13, the city’s Depot Lot, from a gated, kiosk-operated facility to a pay-by-plate/pay-by-phone model as a short-term experiment.

Roy Forney, downtown parking operations supervisor, told the committee Lot 13 is a “mixed use lot, with 193 total parking spaces” serving Amtrak, intercity buses and short-term downtown customers. Forney said the lot’s layout and the need to accommodate buses and validations for transit users have made full automation difficult under the current gated system.

“Moving the depot lot to a non-gated model would help with the user expectations aligned with kind of what we see with the waterfront,” Forney said, arguing that removing exit gates would eliminate queuing that now blocks circulation when trains arrive.

Staff identified several operational and cost drivers behind the proposal. The committee was told each staffed kiosk costs about $80,000 per year to operate, and a pay-by-plate approach — with pay-on-foot stations, phone payment options and license-plate monitoring — could reduce on-site staffing while still providing enforcement through periodic patrols, courtesy notices and citations.

Ed (staff) said the department would use ambassadors and periodic drive-throughs in the lot to monitor safety and payments. “We started that as we transitioned. I think we gave, like, a 3 week window of warnings,” he said, describing the program that issues a $22 courtesy notice that can escalate to a citation (the transcript cites $60 for a formal parking citation) if not paid.

Staff suggested a $10 daily maximum for long-stay users as one straightforward pricing option, while acknowledging concerns that such a flat cap could attract all‑day parkers and displace Amtrak riders. Committee members urged exploring a differentiated rate or validation system for verified transit users if a daily cap is adopted.

The proposal would be rolled out as an experiment. Staff said they aim to prepare an alternate parking access and revenue-control plan for Lot 13 within the next five months and return to the committee with details, modeling and vendor options. Forney noted the waterfront and Helena lot efforts provide models to adapt; Waterfront is adding pay-by-phone functionality this summer and staff said the downtown program is included in that RFP.

Committee members also pressed staff on equity and mode-shift measures. Hannah Cohen, a newly seated committee member, asked whether multimodal options — secure bike parking or partnerships with transit agencies — were being considered to reduce parking demand. Staff confirmed existing bike lockers and interest in coordinating with MTD and other partners.

Next steps: staff will refine costs, vendor selections and enforcement workflows and bring a more detailed plan and timeline back to the Downtown Parking Committee for further review.