Plans to convert more than 200 free parking stalls to paid ones at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor are under way, according to state Department of Land and Natural Resources officials.

The Land Board recently approved a request to issue a revocable, 12-month permit to Diamond Parking LLC to manage the parking plan while a longer-term management plan is developed.

The permit "should be ready in perhaps a month's time for execution," according to DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward.

Diamond Parking will receive a monthly operating fee of $13,500 from the parking fees and also collect 15 percent of the remaining gross revenues generated by the fees.

The state will collect the other 85 percent.

The paid parking plan is a compromise that was approved in May following an outcry over the state's original plan to do away with all or most of the free parking stalls at the harbor.

Once in place, the permit will bring new rules regarding the use of the lot, which is a popular place for beachgoers and surfers to park their vehicles.

The plan will ensure that a minimum of 300 out of 549 free stalls remain available to the public at no charge. About 313 stalls designated as parking areas for harbor tenants will continue to require parking permits.

Remaining stalls may be subject to hourly charges of 25 or 40 cents. Parking lot users may be able to purchase a monthly parking pass, the cost of which is still unclear.

Under the new plan, the parking area will also close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Staff workers will monitor the harbor full time during operating hours, and intermittently when the parking areas are closed.

"The issuing of a revocable permit for parking management at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor is a positive step that will place day-to-day operations in a management company onsite and ensure increased parking enforcement," Ward said.

In addition, issuing a permit to an outside vendor "will ensure timely removal of derelict or abandoned vehicles, which will open up additional spaces for public use, and generate revenues while allowing boating staff to attend to normal duties."

Diamond Parking will have the option of restriping the lot to make better use of available space, numbering stalls and installing signs.

The DLNR is also looking toward plans for long-term management of the parking area. The Land Board will form an ad hoc committee to provide community feedback at a meeting tomorrow at the Jefferson Elementary School cafeteria.

"We welcome all interested parties to attend this meeting and participate in the process of forming the ad hoc committee," DLNR chairwoman Laura H. Thielen said in a news release. "The public input from the ad hoc committee being formed will be crucial to the plan's success."

The DLNR's Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation will develop a request for proposals for a long-term parking plan over the next year.