Hermosans may soon need a little less jingle in their pockets as the Hermosa Beach City Council Tuesday unanimously approved the addition of 150 credit card parking meters to Pier Avenue.
The new parking meters will replace existing coin operated meters that currently operate at single parking spaces along Pier Avenue. The new meters will also be added to nine motorcycle spaces and two former loading spaces in front of Club 705 that do not currently have meters.
In September, the city began a three-month pilot program for the new credit card meters and deemed the test a success, according to a city staff report.
According to that same report, purchasing and installing the new equipment would have originally cost the city $77,267 but the equipment manufacturer allowed the city to return multi-space parking meters originally purchased in 2010 for a credit of $62,160.
With the $62,000 credit, the new meters will cost the city $15,107 plus $8.50 per month, per meter for software, reporting and wireless technology.
The move was supported by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, which also called for similar meters to be installed along Hermosa Avenue.
"We are very much in support of installing these types of meters," chamber executive director Maureen Hunt wrote in a letter to the council. "These meters offer convenience to our residents, customers and visitors and help make parking in Hermosa Beach a more friendly experience."
Neighboring cities including Manhattan Beach and the City of Los Angeles have already installed similar meters.
According to finance director Viki Copeland, the new meters may start appearing along Pier Avenue as early as this month.
