Before buying our first home, my wife and I lived in a cozy 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment on Muller Street in Downey. It’s a nice neighborhood just north of Stonewood Center. Great neighbors, great landlord.

The 6-unit complex was built in 1956 in classic ranch-style architecture indicative of the times (complete with mahogany cabinets and a flamingo pink bathroom). 

Another sign that the building was built in the 1950’s: the complex was built with a carport that allocates exactly one parking space per unit. 

Maybe that was suitable in the ‘50s, but today, most everyone drives a vehicle. My wife and I each had cars for commuting, so one of us was required to park on the street. 

This wasn’t a big deal until a couple years ago, when the city council granted a preferred parking district to residents of Shellyfield Road. What that meant is when the street got crowded – which was basically every day after 5 p.m. – we now had to park the next street over, on Clancey Avenue; a minor inconvenience for us, but more so for residents of Clancey, who now had apartment residents parking in front of their homes. 

You can’t blame Downey’s city planners of 60 years ago; they had no way of forecasting the decline of single-income households and the rise in use of personal automobiles. One vehicle per apartment unit was appropriate back then. 

We have no such excuse today. Times have changed and households today have multiple vehicles, yet Downey still relies on an antiquated formula that allows developers to build housing with insufficient parking, pushing cars onto side streets and clogging our downtown.

The townhomes on 3rd Street and La Reina utilize tandem parking (an elongated garage with cars parked in front of each other). How long before residents ditch the hassle of asking their spouse to move their car and simply park on the street? 

A proposed apartment complex on 4th Street near La Reina will feature eight units with 12 parking spaces (eight spaces for residents and four for guests). It’s naïve to think that such parking is sufficient. 

The city of Downey should put the needs of its residents ahead of those of developers. Update the Downtown Specific Plan and mandate that new residential developments include sufficient parking to meet the needs of residents, both incoming and existing. 

We’re talking quality of life and simple common sense.