KAIMUKI — Construction to convert Kaimuki's largest municipal parking lot from coin-fed meters to an attendant operation will begin as early as next month, a solution that concerns some people who think this is just a temporary fix to the neighborhood's parking woes.

The plan is to add up to 30 more stalls, install gates at exits and entrances, and raise the cost of parking after the first two hours to discourage long-term users from taking up the high-demand stalls.

The city awarded the three-year contract to Seattle-based Republic Parking Northwest Inc. to make capital improvements and manage the lot, which serves more than 100 businesses in the area.

Work likely will begin in May and could last up to a year, said Mel Kaku, director of the city's Department of Transportation Services. Improvements will be done in phases, he added, with as little disruption to parking and traffic flow as possible.

"We think this is the best alternative because it doesn't cost the city a lot of money and the parking lot really needed some rehabilitation," said DTS planner Strather Ing.

While many patrons and merchants welcome any solution to the area's parking troubles, some don't think the city's plan will help much.

Aaron Montoya, a 29-year-old teacher from Palm Springs, Calif., who spends summers and breaks with his family in Kaimuki, said he thinks having parking attendants may create additional problems.

"It would just cause more congestion outside," he said, referring to the possible backup of traffic on 11th and 12th avenues.

It took him 10 minutes to find a parking spot yesterday during lunch at the municipal parking lot. But he wasn't surprised.

"It's always been crazy here," he said. "I don't think I've ever come here and found parking right off the bat."

Last December the city decided to convert the metered lot between 11th and 12th avenues into an attended lot.

Once construction is completed, weekday parking will cost 75 cents per hour for the first two hours — the current rate. A 20-minute grace period is included.

After that, however, the price will double to $1.50 per hour.

(The weekend and holiday rate will remain 75 cents an hour.)

"The incentive is to, as quickly as possible, make as many stalls available as possible," Kaku said.

Last May the Kaimuki Neighborhood Board voted unanimously to approve the plan as a short-term solution, though some still aren't convinced gating the lot and replacing the meters with an attendant will improve the parking situation.

"We're concerned because we don't know how the gates will impact traffic flow," said Mike Abe, chairman of the Kaimuki Neighborhood Board who favored building a three-story parking structure in a corner of the municipal lot rather than put up gates. "Some people felt it would be better if (the city) did nothing than do this."

John Kobayashi, a Kaimuki Realtor and president of the Kaimuki Business and Professional Association, called the plan an "excellent idea," praising the city for coming up with a way to deter people from parking there for hours at a time.

"What this will do is penalize the long-term parker who should not be parking there," Kobayashi said. "This should be parking for patrons who keep these businesses going."

Kobayashi said he's opposed to building a multilevel parking structure, which would cost between $7 million and $11 million.

Though it would add more stalls, he said it would invite vandalism and other crime to the area.

Terralani Parrish loathes parking at the Kaimuki municipal lot.

She considers herself impatient and won't circle longer than 10 minutes to find a stall before leaving.

Luckily, yesterday, she found a stall within two minutes — a record for her, said Parrish, 22, of Mo'ili'ili. But she doesn't think gating the parking lot or replacing meters with an attendant will solve the area's parking problems.

"It's hard to say what would really be the best solution," she said.

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.