Redlands Shelves Plans for Downtown Parking Lot
City Investment:
Redlands has invested $104,000 in the study and design of a proposed 140-space downtown parking lot. However, city officials decided on September 21, 2026, to halt the project due to financial concerns amid ongoing redevelopment in the downtown area.
Project Details:
The City Council discussed the proposal for a two-acre property owned by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, intended to offset parking losses from the redevelopment of the former Redlands Mall property. The estimated cost of constructing the parking lot was $650,000, with options to either lease the property or purchase it for over $1 million.
Financial Constraints:
City staff highlighted the absence of a funding source, making it unfeasible to pursue the project without making cuts in other areas of the budget.
Parking Challenges:
Economic Development Coordinator Ross Wittman pointed to ongoing issues in downtown parking, emphasizing the difficulty of both finding available spaces and securing funding to expand parking capacity. Currently, the city has around 800 to 900 spaces across nine public parking lots, not including on-street parking.
Future Considerations:
Despite the council’s decision, the larger issue of parking demand persists. A broader downtown parking study previously identified nearly 5,000 public and private spaces in the area, noting that the highest demand occurs near State Street.
Potential Solutions:
Discussions around City Hall’s role in providing parking are ongoing. Two feasibility studies suggest options ranging from building a surface lot to constructing a multi-level parking structure, with costs estimates between $4 million and $28.5 million, both of which currently lack identified funding sources.
Summary
While Redlands halts plans for a new downtown parking lot due to financial constraints, city officials continue to seek viable solutions to address growing parking demands as redevelopment efforts progress.
