13-C
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager
FROM: Brian McNerney, Interim Director of Public Safety
SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to seek information and direction from the City Council for possible changes to various City-owned or controlled parking lots related to parking rules and regulations.
DATE: October 14, 2024
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Parking in Downtown Bellflower (“Downtown”) has become increasingly busy over the years. Certain lots are frequented more than others and at times are completely full of visitors, customers, and employees who visit and work in the vicinity. To ensure conformity with our parking restrictions and that the restrictions meet the parking demand, the Interim Public Safety Director (“Director”) is proposing modifications to existing regulations and seeking City Council’s direction.
RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL
1) Provide the Director with direction as to desired changes in existing City-owned or controlled parking lots; or
2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
DISCUSSION
With the growth of businesses, food eateries, and entertainment options, Downtown Bellflower has become a popular location for people to frequent and visit. Parking in the area has gone through many transformations with the addition of new parking lots, creation of new rules and removal of past restrictions, the construction of the parking structure, and the loss of a parking lot due to the Edgeway development.
We are once again at the beginning stages of another transformation. The Director examined the use of parking lots in the Downtown area in conjunction with the North Downtown Parking Analysis completed by TJW Parking Consultants and the respective parking restrictions which are in place.
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Staff Report –City-Owned or Controlled Parking Lots
October 14, 2024
DISCUSSION – Continued
Trying to meet the needs of all parties who have a vested interest in parking Downtown (residents, customers, visitors, business owners, and employees ), The following are recommendations for the Council to discuss and consider:
• Lot #1, Lot #2, adjust two-hour parking from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. (except Sunday), and Lot #3 from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. (except Sunday) to 1 p.m. - 10 p.m. (except Sunday). o These lots are the most highly utilized during peak evening times, Thursdays-Saturdays. Removing the parking restriction during the morning hours will allow for employees, deliveries, and repair work to occur while enforcement activity can still take place when parking is the most impacted.
Also, the change would make all three lots consistent in their restrictions.
• Lot #17, open the newly acquired parking areas to allow additional employee parking in the area with five spaces being marked for two-hour parking 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. (except Sunday).
o This area is the second most highly utilized lot in the Downtown area due mostly in part to the United States Post Office. Parking is primarily impacted during the morning to early afternoon hours. Once the Post Office is closed, spaces tend to free up. The City recently acquired two additional parking lots which are being opened for public use, a total gain of 29 spaces. Of these additional spaces the Director is recommending making five of them two-hour parking 7 a.m. - 6 a.m. (except Sunday). There are no proposed changes being requested for the existing two-hour parking located in the City owned lot closest to Flower Street.
• Parking Structure, no parking overnight midnight - 6 a.m. daily. o Currently, there are no parking restrictions at the parking structure and based on the Director’s observations and reports from Southwest Patrol, vehicles are being stored for long periods of time. The lack of any formal rules leaves enforcement efforts at a minimum. Also, the removal of vehicles during the overnight hours will reduce vandalism occurrences and persons loitering.
• Budget modification to hire an additional full-time Community Services Officer. o Existing staffing levels are not sufficient to enforce Downtown parking regulations on a consistent proactive basis. An additional full-time staff member will need to be hired to adequately patrol during peak parking lot usage times and to proactively enforce the various time restrictions.
The Director is seeking the City Council’s input and additional feedback on what parking restrictions should be in place. Ultimately, any recommendations will need to be brought back to the City Council in the form of a resolution approving the modified requirements.
ATTACHMENT
City-owned or Controlled Lot Map ................................................................................... 3 2 Flower St
Mayne St
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