More parking could soon come to downtown Campbell.

The Campbell Planning Commission voted 5-2 to allow a private entity to convert a vacant parking lot near Orchard Valley Coffee into space for up to 22 parking stalls.

The lot, which has been unused since 2011, is at 345 E. Campbell Ave. A portion of property located at 39 N. Central Ave. will also be used to make room for the stalls.

The lot is operated by Jeremy Blanchard and will see restriping and repairs done to the existing pavement and existing lights converted to LEDs. Motorists will be able to access the lot 24 hours a day for a fee of $2 per hour.

The lot will be completely automated, and there will be no parking attendant on site.

The commission’s vote lets the operator run the parking lot for seven years. The lot was open for free public parking from 2000 to 2011, when the city leased it from owner J. Xavier Sanchez. The lot and its adjacent wall were also used for occasional outdoor summer movie screenings.

The city ended its lease agreement with Sanchez when it could not afford to keep paying for the arrangement, according to a Dec. 8 city staff report.

Since then the parking lot has been chained off, but Sanchez often opens the lot at no charge during major downtown festivals to be used as activity space.

At the commission meeting, downtown store owners spoke in support of resurrecting the parking lot to help businesses. Brooke Ramirez, owner of Bombshell Boutique, told the commission she receives constant complaints from customers about the lack of parking. Her boutique is located right next to the lot inside the The Courtyard.

“Our parking has been a tremendous problem for small businesses like me who are very much a [mom and pop] shop. I need my clients to be able to find parking,” Ramirez said.

Jewel Box owner Todd Ulery told the commission that he has seen a drop in business since Sanchez’s parking lot closed. The Jewel Box is located directly across the street from the lot.

“A lot of my clientele is older. Having a parking lot across from my business was vital,” Ulery said.

Before voting, the commission debated whether a parking lot was the best use for the site. Sanchez spoke in support of reopening the parking lot to give him time to plan a residential/retail development for the property. Sanchez told the commission he is interested in bringing a three-story project with one commercial pad and two condominiums to the 7,130-square-foot lot.

“All these things take time to plan, and it takes cash,” he added.

Ulery told the commission that development would be great, but it would not immediately help retailers in the downtown core.

“I would love to see it developed … but ultimately having a parking lot would be the crucial thing to support our businesses right now,” Ulery said.

The commission’s Dec. 8 vote is final unless appealed. A lot beautification plan is set to be approved by Campbell community development director Paul Kermoyan at a later date.