Parking in downtown San Luis Obispo has been at the forefront of local dialogue for the better part of 2023. On July 1, the City of San Luis Obispo implemented new, gateless technology in one of the three downtown structures with plans to modernize the other two structures in early 2024, and increased both structure and on-street parking hourly rates. These changes were put into place to stabilize infrastructure funding.
At it’s November 7 meeting, the San Luis Obispo City Council made adjustments to downtown parking policies in response to community feedback and confusion about the changes to parking and the impact created on downtown San Luis Obispo businesses. These changes were voted on unanimously with the goal of boosting economic vitality and supporting local business by making accessing downtown easier for locals and visitors.
Here’s what’s new:
- All three downtown parking structures will offer one hour of free parking, beginning November 23 and lasting through June 30, 2025.
- All three downtown parking structures will offer free parking on Sundays, for the duration of the whole day. This will begin November 23 and last through June 30, 2025.
- During the 2023 and 2024 downtown holiday parades, all structures will offer free parking from 6-9 p.m.
Council also voted to not implement any parking rate changes through June 30, 2025, and City staff will look into options the City can explore for downtown employee parking programs in order to alleviate the cost burden on downtown employees.
Council also directed staff to:
- move forward with a Parking Rate Study that will include community engagement to analyze parking demand, pricing and user experience
- develop a program that will allow for more on-street parking utilization on Dana Street
These changes were made in order to better support local businesses, residents and visitors coming to the downtown, which are crucial to SLO’s economy. The holiday season is an especially important time to spend dollars locally, and we encourage you to utilize these parking incentives to shop small.