Old Town Newhall parking plan was flawed from the outset.

The Santa Clarita City Council is finally backing out of its highly flawed back-in parking plan in Old Town (Downtown) Newhall, at a cost to the taxpayers of $60,000 for the undoing plus the costs of implementing this ridiculous plan in the first place.

The extra cost to complete this restriping is expected to be approved at the September 25 City Council meeting. Per the City Council’s September 25 Agenda, "The parking situation on Main Street however, has remained a source of confusion, frustration, and often anger aimed at the City." The original cost of the restriping plus the nearby traffic lane modifications was about $899,000.

Chico, CA tried a similar back-in parking scheme, with disastrous results. The picture above was the result of a failed back-in parking attempt in the Chico area. According to NorCalBlogs.com, a witness to the accident stated, "I wouldn’t say it was a very good back-in park job, but she nosed into the paper company pretty well. I would say add some paint striping inside the store front, and she’s golden!"

Needless to say, the Old Town Newhall Redevelopment Plan has numerous flaws, and this back-in parking scheme is just one of them. Can we trust those who thought this back-in parking scheme was a good idea to do an adequate job of overseeing the redevelopment of the entire Downtown Newhall area? What else is waiting to sneak up on Santa Clarita residents as this plan unfolds?

There are certainly a lot of hidden agendas and hidden costs related to this project, including paying CalTrans to create new freeway signage when San Fernando Road is renamed to Newhall Avenue from the 14 Freeway towards Lyons Avenue.

According to City Council representatives, this is supposed to make freeway travelers aware that they can get off the freeway and drive 2+ miles to shop in Newhall, since they clearly wouldn’t be in San Fernando any longer with the sign changes. This isn’t Kansas, Toto, and the high-end shopping district that we’re being promised in Old Town Newhall is probably about as real as the Wizard in Wicked (or the Wizard of Oz, depending on your point of view).

On second thought… maybe we are in Kansas after all, and back-in parking is the norm there? Hmmmm… Better go find my Ruby Slippers!

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