Politics & Government

To Valet or Not Valet, that Is the Question

The Planning Commission will once again consider regular valet service in downtown San Juan Capistrano.

Whether or not valet parking should be allowed downtown is back on the agenda in San Juan Capistrano next week.

When the issue came up last month before the Planning Commission, members had questions about how the valet service would work.

The owners of the Franciscan Plaza want to offer the service during peak and weekend hours, allowing drop off along Camino Capistrano just south of Verdugo Street and then parking the cars on the basement level of the nearby structure they own near the railroad tracks.

Find out what's happening in San Juan Capistranowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Worried about how the cars would stack, the commissioners now have a diagram to show where they would be parked (see graphic above).

Other concerns, such as any revenue-sharing or insurance requirements, raised last meeting are actually in the hands of the City Council when it strikes a licensing agreement with Franciscan Plaza to use the public curb and sidewalks, according to a staff report to the commission.

Find out what's happening in San Juan Capistranowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Regarding safety issues, the vendor, Special Parking Services, has promised to drive slowly as it deposits and retrieves cars in and from the parking structure.

“All of our valets go through extensive training to make sure that they are safe drivers that understand the importance of driving safely,” says an unsigned letter to the Planning Commission from the Huntington Beach-based company.

“With the traffic that is on Camino Capistrano and the traffic in the parking structure, the valets will have to drive slowly and pay attention at all times,” says the letter, adding that the valets will use their turn signals always. 

The commission meets 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall


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