This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Where Is That Money Tree When We Need It?

Would you pay a quarter to park & shop in a clean, well-maintained area? I will and do.

I like to shop in an area that is clean, pretty, safe, and has parking conveniently located. OK, I just like to shop. I try to shop local first (as I tell my husband, if you can't find it in San Mateo then you don't need it). As the shopping districts have evolved however, I find myself going to other areas to spend my hard earned dollars. Why? I can walk to the 25th Avenue shops. Yet I will get in my car, spend the $4.30 for gas and give my money to other merchants.

A shopping area should be free of animal and human waste. Flies swarming should not be evident. Bare flower planters, or more likely filled with garbage, should not be displayed. Clean storefront windows also can help. Sidewalks that one can easily walk down without gum being added to the soles of your shoes are nice also. Faded, torn marketing banners, hanging by a thread overhead, make one worry about walking underneath.  All small things, but none the less, subconciously, these things stop me from shopping 25th Avenue.

Contrary to popular belief, the sidewalk cleaning (please note dog walkers) does not magically happen. For the merchant, they must carry buckets of water from their restrooms to try and wash away any mess. It cost money to have the sidewalks steam cleaned periodically, over $1800 just for those 2 blocks! And money is exactly what our communities don't have right now.

Find out what's happening in San Mateowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

25th Avenue originally was built as an overflow shopping district from the downtown area. As the housing spread, so did the needs of the residents. Still, it can be a viable service district for this residental area. Casual dining abounds, a post office, market, cleaners, and salons, can all thrive. If we clean it up.

That said, how can we fix the problems of this area without any money? The merchants are too fractured and evolving to sustain an association that would produce income through its dues right now. So other avenues must be explored. One low cost idea is being considered that could take care of all these problems and more: Parking meters.

Find out what's happening in San Mateowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The downtown area recently upgraded their meters with cost effective replacements. The old meters from downtown could be installed on 25th Avenue for about $200 per meter. Before you start screaming about the cost of parking for a quarter versus free, please stop and think of how much this could change the face of 25th Ave. With about 80 spaces that could be metered, this could generate well over $4000 per month! And to the merchant that says their customers cannot afford the 25¢, I would say if a customer cannot afford a quarter, then they probably are not spending anything at your establishment. In addition, a face lift to the area can help attract new merchants that will benefit the neighborhood and fill the storefront vacancies.

Now picture stopping for a frozen yogurt with the kids after school. Sidewalks clean, flowers blooming, new banners flying, a place that feels like part of the neighborhood rather than a blight. All because you spent a quarter to park. 

If you have ideas or opinions on adding parking meters to 25th Avenue, please contact San Mateo's Department of Economic Development -- try Marcus Clarke, Economic Development & Business Assistance for the City of San Mateo, at (650) 522-7244) -- or add your comments here!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?