SF New Mexican: Santa Fe residents, tourists, business owners decry spike in parking rates.
“... under an operating budget that Mayor Javier Gonzales and city councilors approved in May after wrangling with a shortfall of up to $15 million, on-street parking meter rates increased from $1 an hour to $2 an hour for the first two hours and then $3 for every hour after that.” Revenues would be higher, if the city would market to the demographic who can afford to purchase the merchandise for sale in Santa Fe. Instead, with their emphasis on youth and social media, we have higher foot-traffic, all tchotchke-buyers and significantly less revenue in city coffers. You’d have to be blind not to see it. A simple survey of business owners in Santa Fe would give the city an education.
As I like to say, Santa Fe can’t exist as one of the top three art destinations in America through sales of $3 burritos and postcards. A ‘margarita trail’ was one of the city’s latest brainchildren. Again, completely wrong targeting. Margarita buyers are going to purchase five-digit-price artworks? Like we need more tipsy people on the road, in a state that ranks on the bottom for drunken driving. Work out how many $9.75 margaritas you have to sell to equal the revenue of one $50,000 artwork. Round it, you don’t even need a calculator to see the problem.
There’s a virtually silent fight going on, for the soul of Santa Fe. What is Santa Fe to be, looking towards the future? As with politics, noone’s really listening to the businesses who MAKE the character of the town. Another crazy thing ... allowing food trucks on Canyon Road. The premier art destination in the West, and some poor galleries are going to have exhaust, generator-noise and cooking smells permeating their galleries (and expensive artworks). I don’t even want to think about the garbage issue. Too many are already walking into expensive galleries, asking to throw away their smelly food garbage.
And while I’m at it, build some public restrooms. No food trucks without access to bathrooms. For goodness sake, the La Fonda and the 225 Compound can only bear so much abuse. They’re actually private, but bear a huge weight of public use. Even marked on city maps as ‘public’! [Ever used one of the bogs in the parking garages? I rest my case.] They’re taking it on the chin for the team, and deserve some city monies for upkeep, IMHO. A great spot would be west of the big tree on the SW corner of Alameda and Paseo, halfway from downtown to Canyon. And FLUSH. Not a bloody pit. Come to think of it, they could pave a pullout and have their food trucks THERE. The retirees might have a fit, across the river. Or perhaps not. Something to watch, as their time ticks down. Never know unless you ask.
One last. If you live here, and you’ve not been down Garcia lately, go. They built a sloped curb on the west side of the street. Not sure why. Looks nice, people are still trying to park on that side [for FREE, so imagine the popularity for locals], but it’s turned Garcia into a virtual one-lane road. Can’t park as far over as previously. Keeps the sidewalk clear, but pedestrians still walk in the street. More dangerous for pedestrians and vehicles. They need to simply stop parking on that side, if they want two-way traffic. So many who live on the road have dumped boulders out to prevent parkers. But that’s also where Canyon Road workers park their cars so they don’t take up precious customer spaces. Eliminate one problem, create a dozen more. That’s Santa Fe. “Gotta love it.” I’d add a New Mexico True hashtag, but I’d get roasted for not being cloyingly positive about all these details. Never offer a tourist a reason to go elsewhere! If you read the article above, you’ll see they’re finding out on their own ...