Morro Bay wants to charge for parking at Morro Rock 

Morro Bay is fed up with parking issues at Morro Rock and plans to ask the California Coastal Commission for permission to charge visitors who want to park there.

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• FILE PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM
• ROCK OUT While it is an iconic part of Morro Bay, the Rock also creates an infamous feature of the city: heavy traffic congestion, something that may be addressed with a paid parking program.

"I think we have been discussing this for a few years—especially the issue concerning idling vehicles," Morro Bay Police Chief Amy Watkins said at Morro Bay City Council's Oct. 24 meeting. "We are at a dead end with the rock, literally and figuratively."

The city commissioned two studies of parking in Morro Bay. The first was done by Walker Consulting—a process that began in 2020 but was delayed until 2023—and focused on the Embarcadero. The second was completed by the city, and it focused on Morro Rock.

"I am shocked at the number of cars there are and how close they were to each other," Councilmember Laurel Burton said. "I knew it was busy, just not that busy."

Watkins said the city has tried unsuccessfully in the past to tackle the myriad issues caused by traffic congestion there.

"Throughout the last few years, we have tried creating parking designations, making official entrances and exits, [but] even those small changes have not been enough," she said. "We have seen increased daily visitors to the rock, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. ... Currently, the operation costs are hard to recover," she continued, referring to the money spent on the constant repair of the parking lot.

City Public Works Director Greg Kwolek echoed Watkins' concerns.

"A parking payment could potentially open up a revenue option outside of the city general fund," Kwolek said. "Any new money would help pay for that. Of course, there are other options to look to for funding as well, but at a minimum, we would have the money to pay for the expenses of what we are already doing."

Community Development Director Scot Graham told the council that anything approved by the Coastal Commission would include a requirement that the funds generated from paid parking at the rock only be used for improvements and operational costs in that area, including for non-parking related issues.

"The bathrooms by the parking lot are massive issues, especially the women's restroom, and overall maintenance of that area is pretty intense," Kwolek said. "We already have several community volunteers—sometimes showing up multiple times a week—cleaning up trash left by visitors, so this paid parking could be a way to ensure that we can maintain it and have some form of cost recovery."

But even if Morro Rock turns to paid parking, the city still faces problems on the Embarcadero.

"We came into this to help solve the problem of cars sitting on Embarcadero and not leaving room and access for people who want to come into town," a representative from Walker Consultants told the council. "Something like paid parking on the street could increase business access."

However, that study garnered criticism from residents and officials over its lack of updated numbers.

"I am concerned about what exactly the scale of what your study shows us," Councilmember Zara Landrum said, adding that she felt some of the numbers were not accurate or seemed implausible—a sentiment echoed by residents during public comment.