Santa Clarita Real Estate

Back-in parking gets the boot.
The back-in parking experiment in Newhall may be over.

Amid outcry from residents, businesses and city leaders, the Santa Clarita City Council may back out of the idea at its Sept. 25 meeting.

"For the most part people are saying they don’t like it and they won’t come down here,” said Suzie Szabo, manager of the Old Town Newhall Association.

The back-in parking idea was part of the Downtown Newhall Specific Plan that the City Council adopted in December 2005. The back-in parking, which totals roughly 160 spaces, is on San Fernando Road between Lyons Avenue and Fifth Street. It began in mid-June. 

The back-in parking plan has been met with confusion and has been frustrating especially if drivers are tailgating and don’t allow enough space for the driver to park.

Councilman TimBen Boydston suggested eliminating the back-in parking last month."I don’t think it is keeping people away from downtown Newhall, but there is a great deal of confusion when they get there," Boydston said.

"We have had hundreds of people tell us they don’t like it," he said.

Keep the angled parking, Boydston says, but change it to head-in parking. That change would stop car exhaust from spewing onto sidewalks and into businesses.

"It’s not working so let’s just get rid of it," Boydston said. "The city made a mistake. Let’s change it and move on."

Councilman Bob Kellar agrees. Kellar said he has received more than 100 negative comments from citizens about the back-in parking.
"Why wait a year?" Kellar says. "The community has spoken clearly about this."

Mike Pool, a salesman at the Newhall Paint Store at 24401 San Fernando Road, has a front row seat to the back-in parking, is quoted as saying "entertaining." to watch drivers attempt to park, "We think it is hilarious," Pool said. "We think it is the best thing that has happened to this town."

He says he witnesses lots of stop sign running and finger pointing. Horn honking is a norm. People just aren’t paying attention, he says.

If the City Council decides to do away with the back-in parking, the change to head-in parking could be made by early October.