"Pied Parker" Offers This Solution For Parking Woes

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(Oct. 27, 2016) -- A Palo Alto-based company wants to use a "sharing economy" concept to tackle one of the most intractable problems in Long Beach: easing the burden on drivers seeking a place to park their cars.

The potential for meeting that need by lining up property owners willing to rent out spaces such as driveways and garages -- via an app -- was outlined at an October 26 community meeting set up by Second District Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce.

Finding solutions to such headaches in the parking-deprived district was a main campaign issue in the recent City Council election. Pearce said the concept proposed by Gianni Maxemin, president of Pied Parker, is one of several ideas she has been looking into to meet goals outlined in her campaign.

According to the company's website, the program works "Like Airbnb for private parking."

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Property owners benefit by earning money for spaces freed up when they drive off to work or for out-of-town vacations. And drivers trying to park near their destinations can find one without "having to pay the high prices for street or public garage parking," according to the company website.

The possibility of introducing such a program in the city is still in its earliest stages, Maxemin said. Owners choose when they want to rent out their spaces and when that time is up, he said.

Anyone who goes beyond the deadline can be subject to a surcharge, such as three times the amount paid for the space. The ultimate tool at the owner's disposal -- hopefully seldom needed -- is towing, and that would be their decision, he said.

Under the system, text messages can alert the renter when time is nearly, and then totally up, he said.

The potential for misuse is there but can be dealt with through management, Maxemin said. Examples can include a resident parking on the street in order to rent his or her space, or even a landlord denying tenants on-site parking in order to make more money through frequent short-term rentals. That, and other examples brought up by those in the audience, could wind up making parking in a neighborhood worse, defeating the purpose of the program, he said.

A map will list location and time that parking is available, Maxemin said.

One study found that 30 to 60 percent of traffic in the country is caused by people trying to find a parking spot, Maxemin said. The concept could help mitigate problems in other parking-impacted areas of the city, he said.

Maxemin can be reached at gianni@piedparker.com. The company’s website is www.piedparker.com.