Unsure whether looser parking rules would solve Coronado’s vacant storefront problem, the City Council will explore the idea — but not as a priority.
All businesses in Coronado must provide minimum amounts of parking based on the demand they create, and restaurants traditionally require more parking than retail stores do. In 2019, the acting City Council created a counter-oriented policy that relaxes parking standards for businesses that offer food and beverage as an accessory to retail.
Councilmember Mark Fleming brought a Policy No. 9 request before the council at its Jan. 20 meeting, asking to revisit the policy to consider carry-out oriented businesses, such as ice cream or coffee shops.
“We have several empty storefronts in Coronado, and that’s been continuing to happen,” Fleming said, adding that the 2019 council crafted its policy to encourage a mix of restaurants and retail businesses downtown. “Over the last several years, we’ve seen a change in the marketplace, in how people are shopping and where they’re shopping, and I think because of that, it’s become more and more difficult for retail businesses in Coronado to be viable.”
Fleming argued that extending similar flexibility to small counter‑service or grab‑and‑go businesses could help fill long‑vacant storefronts, particularly in Coronado Plaza, which he described as chronically underutilized despite its prime location near the Hotel del Coronado. But the rest of the council showed little appetite for moving quickly.
Councilmember Carrie Downey, who was involved in the original 2018–2019 debates, warned that loosening parking rules risks chipping away at the city’s carefully balanced Orange Avenue Specific Plan.
Under that policy, new commercial development downtown is subject to distinct off-street parking standards. Retail and non-restaurant uses generally require one parking space per 500 square feet of floor area, while restaurants are held to a higher standard of one space per 100 square feet, regardless of seating. The plan includes exemptions and modifications for smaller parcels and existing buildings.
In 2019, the council revised the policy for retail stores that provide food or beverage service, so long as that service is an “accessory” to the retail business and comprises fewer than 250 square feet of the business’ floor space. Qualifying businesses can be granted a reduction in parking mandates.
More critically than interfering with the Orange Avenue Specific Plan, Downey said, the change could force Coronado to reopen its Local Coastal Program — a step she characterized as a “huge lift” that might draw scrutiny from the California Coastal Commission (CCC).
The Coastal Commission is an agency that, among other things, is tasked with maintaining access to state beaches. Local leaders often avoid pushback from the CCC because it can control certain laws and cause administrative slog, an interplay most recently evident when the city reconsidered its rules about beach bonfires.
Downey also rejected the notion of using city policy to “reward” the current Coronado Plaza ownership, criticizing years of high rents and poor maintenance and arguing that the real problem is landlord behavior, not city parking rules. She cautioned that unchecked changes could turn the plaza into a de facto food court, undermining the city’s long‑standing goal of maintaining a mix of retail and restaurants downtown.
Councilmember Kelly Purvis raised a different concern: parking pressure. She pointed to holiday congestion, pandemic‑era outdoor dining spilling into private parking lots, and heavily used sidewalk seating at popular spots like Night & Day and Trident Coffee. Purvis said she was “hesitant to reduce parking” without a broader look at how many spaces have already been lost or repurposed.
Mayor John Duncan struck a more exploratory tone, saying he is open to scrutinizing whether very small food operations truly generate more parking demand than busy retail stores, but emphasized that any change must be “rational and well thought out” and not accidentally intensify parking problems or trigger costly coastal reviews.
Still, city staff is already juggling several major policy assignments, which consume staff hours and resources. City Manager Tina Friend suggested that any work on restaurant parking might folded into a broader economic development and downtown vitality effort, including interviews with business owners and possibly a professional retail study.
Ultimately, the council took no formal action on changing restaurant parking rules. Instead, members informally directed staff to study the issue further — including legal, coastal, and Airport Land Use implications — and to bring it back when time and higher‑priority projects allow, potentially alongside a future review of outdoor dining and parking changes.
