The City of Carmel by-the-Sea will hold a public workshop on Thursday morning, Oct. 23, on the pilot parking program in the downtown commercial district, which is scheduled to start in early November. The workshop will begin at 9 a.m. at the former Coldwater Creek business at the Carmel Plaza, on Junipero Avenue south of Ocean Avenue.

Director of Public Safety Mike Calhoun and a representative from Digital Payment Technologies will present information regarding the multi-space parking meters and license plate technology that will be used for the pilot program.

“Because we plan to implement the pilot program the first week of November, we are in the process of reaching out to business owners on Ocean Avenue and the public regarding the program,” says Calhoun.

The streets to be included will be Ocean Avenue from Junipero Avenue  to Monte Verde Street.

Chief Calhoun says he is also developing a parking ambassador program to help everyone with this new transition to a downtown paid parking program. Two ambassadors will work daily for the first two months to assist the public in operating the machines and to answer questions.

A previous workshop was held in April on the parking initiatives and the pilot program. Prior to that, Chief Calhoun met with businesspeople, Monta Potter, the CEO of the Carmel Chamber of Commerce, and others.

Parking management is one of the 10 Key Initiatives that the City Council adopted for 2014. Each of those initiatives fits in with one or more of the city’s four Objectives. They are:

• Community Character

• Long-term Vitality & Sustainability

• Organizational Effectiveness

• Fiscal Stability