By Mary O’KEEFE

Parking rates and times have changed along Honolulu Avenue in Montrose. In the past, metered parking was from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. along Honolulu Avenue in the Montrose Shopping Park, and the price to park for one hour was $1. The new price for one hour is $1.50, and the times that metered parking is enforced is from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. – two hours later. Parking lot times have also changed – from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. with three-hours free parking.

The road to this change has been long and not easy. According to Montrose Shopping Park Association President Andre Ordubegian, the first attempt to change both the cost and times of parking was started by the City of Glendale without input from the MSPA. He went to the City of Glendale and insisted that the Montrose organization be involved with the decisions that would affect Montrose.

In response, Mayor Ara Najarian created a Montrose Parking Task Force of which MSPA members were part, including Ordubegian. A parking consultant was hired by the City to looking into the parking situation in the Montrose Shopping Park. The consultant shared his findings and suggestions at a meeting in Sparr Heights in August 2019. During that meeting the consultant made a number of suggestions including increasing the price for metered parking along Honolulu Avenue and extending and/or changing the paid parking hours.

In November 2019 the Glendale City Council voted to approve the increase and time change. The program was to be rolled out over time and was estimated to go into effect within 30 days of the vote. There was also to be some form of outreach to let shoppers and residents know when the changes would take place; however, this outreach did not occur. Instead, when people parked in a metered space in the Montrose Shopping Park along Honolulu Avenue and their meter ran out of time, an information card was placed on their windshield instead of a citation.

That form of outreach did not sit well with several people in the area who were surprised by the increase.

“I was quite disappointed,” said Stephanie Rodriguez when she received the information card on her car.

She does not agree with the increase because she does not feel the foot traffic in Montrose supports the higher rates.

“We have nowhere near the [foot traffic] that Glendale does. We should not pay the same as downtown Glendale,” she said.

Rodriguez has lived in Montrose for over 40 years and also took issue with the lack of outreach to notify shoppers and residents about the increases. Many residents are used to the former parking signs and would not notice the change extending the times of enforced meter parking.

“I parked and didn’t pay any attention,” Rodriguez said.

She had hoped if there was going to be a change it would have been made more obvious, or had signs nearby stating there was a change. Instead, she received an information card on her windshield.

“The card is like a cartoon of cars,” she said.

Others interviewed for the article stated the cards appeared to be more like an advertisement than a notice from the City of Glendale of parking changes.

Rodriguez shared on social media a photo of the card and the information about the increases in meter costs and expanded parking enforcement time and was surprised by how many people, like her, didn’t know of the changes.

She also wondered if, since the metered parking costs increased, new meters would be installed that accept credit cards.

“Why not make it more convenient?” she said.

New meters are in the future for Montrose but that will take some time.

“Unfortunately we have not laid out the plan for digital meters yet. That requires a power [source] along Honolulu Avenue,” said Tad Drambowski, Glendale Transportation manager. “It’s challenging but we know that is what the merchants want.”

He admitted the City should have done an outreach program reminding residents of the upcoming changes, and letting all know when they would occur.

“We didn’t want anyone to get sticker shock,” he said of the rate increase.

Drambowski said he understood there was some information shared on social media and that he did attend the MSPA meeting to speak several times on the impending increase; however, no one reached out when the exact implementation date was to occur.

Due to this lack of communication, the City will be giving a grace period for drivers parking in the shopping park as more information is shared and perhaps some form of updated payment method is in place.

People will continue to get parking citations if the time on their meter expires from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. but they will not get a citation if the meter expires between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Drambowski said.

That grace period will be in place at least until March but could be extended depending on feedback from the MSPA and residents.

There have been other issues with the meters as well; for example, after a driver inserted 60 cents the meter issued 24 minutes while another showed 12 minutes after 50 cents was deposited. Drambowski said anyone who finds this type of issue with meters can report the problem to Glendale Public Works by calling (818) 548-3900.

Ordubegian said those who would like to be put on an email list to receive information about the Montrose Shopping Park can email Steve Pierce stevemspa@gmail.com.

MSPA monthly meetings are held at the Professional Development Center, 2340 Honolulu Ave. on the first Thursday of every month at 8 a.m.

  Mary Okeefe