DOWNTOWN — Hoping to raise revenue for Downtown parking improvements, Santa Monica officials are asking the City Council to allow advertisements inside city-owned parking structures.
The proposal, which the council is set to consider tonight, could raise between $150,000 and $400,000 per year that could be spent on additional signs inside the structures and on Downtown streets aimed at helping drivers find parking spaces more efficiently, said Don Patterson, City Hall’s business and operations revenue manager.
The advertising spaces, he said, would likely be located inside stairwells and elevators and would be similar to ads at other shopping centers.
“We’re definitely not looking to have ads wherever you look in the parking structures,” Patterson said, adding that the advertisements would be in “tasteful displays” that wouldn’t “overwhelm” people who enter the buildings.
The proposal is to create a one-year pilot program for parking structure advertisements. If approved, it would be the first time ads were authorized for the Downtown sites, according to Patterson.
Despite previous City Council concerns about expanding advertising opportunities in Santa Monica, the plan was placed on the council’s consent agenda for tonight’s meeting, a sign that officials view it as uncontroversial.
In addition to raising revenue from ad sales, the proposal would also give City Hall a new outlet for messages about city programs, like citywide smoking prohibitions and homeless outreach efforts, Patterson said.
City Councilman Bob Holbrook said he’s behind the plan to sell ads.
“I think it’s a good idea. It would be helpful for everybody,” he said, adding that he favored using the spaces to promote local businesses rather than national brands.
