Parking will remain free in the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara.

The Santa Barbara City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday against charging $2 an hour for parking in the area around lower State Street that has taken off in recent years with the arrival of hotels, bars, restaurants and tasting rooms.

"I don't like the idea of using the public right of way as a vending machine," said Councilman Randy Rowse.

Nearby parking is often scarce in the Funk Zone, once home to an eclectic mix of craftsmen, artists and surf shops.

City officials recently completed a Funk Zone Access and Parking Assessment Study that found the existing parking supply is sufficient, but that the parking closest to the businesses is typically taken. The further out in the Funk Zone, the more spaces become available, and with a fee.

There are 1,064 parking spaces in the Funk Zone. Of those, 551 are on-street and free and fill up quickly.

The railroad depot lot has 193 spaces, and the first 75 minutes are free. The nearby Garden Street lot charges $2 an hour. The Hotel Californian lot has 113 spaces, and the first 75 minutes are free.

"I don't know what problem we are trying to solve," Rowse said. "From the survey, there's plenty of parking all the time."

The council did agree to take several other actions to increase traffic flow in the Funk Zone, including:

» Removing illegal signage reserving public parking for private use.

» Changing existing “No Parking 12 a.m. – 6 a.m.” signs to “No Parking 2 a.m. – 6 a.m.”

» Adding employee parking permits.

» Designating ride-share pick-up and drop-off zones.

Most of the council discussion focused on opposing staff's recommendation to add priced parking.

Under that plan, customers could pay at a self-service station or by using a mobile app. Customers would enter their license plate into the pay station or mobile app, then select and pay for the time they plan to stay, with no need to return to their vehicle to display a receipt.

Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon said if the city started to charge for parking, it should also make free spaces available somewhere to encourage locals to keep going to the Funk Zone. She opposed the idea of charging for parking.

"I personally don't want to see us go in that direction," Sneddon said.

Councilman Oscar Gutierrez agreed.

"All I have heard from residents is that they don't want metered parking in the city," Gutierrez said.

— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) . Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.