SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Volunteers and staff with the USS Midway Museum expressed their concerns to the California Coastal Commission Thursday night about planned changes to the Navy Pier.
John "Mac" McLaughlin, president and CEO of the Museum, said there are several different things that are in the works. They want to tear down the building in front of the Navy Pier to open up the parking lot. They also want to increase the parking fee from $10 to $15.
While McLaughlin said he could live with those changes, he and others are concerned about a proposal to turn 75 percent of the pier parking lot into a park in four years. McLaughlin and some of the volunteers are worried about the impact that could have on museum visits.
"A lot of people drive, we need parking," museum volunteer Herb Zoehrer said.
At the end of the night, McLaughlin said they got good news. The commission still wants part of the pier turned into a park, but dropped the 75 percent mandate from the plans.
McLaughlin said the next four years would be used to determine the proper park-to-parking ratio on the pier.
