STAFF REPORT
DATE: January 25, 2022
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Patrick Prescott, Community Development Director BY: David Kriske, Assistant Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Introduction of an Ordinance to Manage Parking at Off-Street City Lots and Structures and Adoption of a Resolution to Update Parking Violation Fees In Preparation for Implementing a Metrolink Station Parking Management Plan
RECOMMENDATION
1) Introduce AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURBANK REPEALING AND REPLACING ARTICLE 16 OF CHAPTER 1 (VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC) OF TITLE 6 (MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC) OF THE BURBANK MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO PUBLIC PARKING (Attachment 1); and 2) Adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURBANK AMENDING ARTICLE V, SECTION 10 OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 -2022
CITYWIDE FEE SCHEDULE TO UPDATE AND AMEND THE FEES RELATED TO PARKING VIOLATIONS (Attachment 2).
BACKGROUND
On May 21, 2019, the City Council approved six Citywide Parking Management Principles to guide implementation of parking mana gement in the City of Burbank. The purpose of these principles is to help the City Council communicate the priorities Staff should consider when developing parking management projects, and help implement the City’s Burbank2035 General Plan, specific plans, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan, and other policy documents. The six Citywide Parking Management Principle s are summarized in Attachment 3.
On February 25, 2020, the City Council approved a Parking Management Plan for the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station, which would be the first implementation of the
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
2 City’s Parking Management Principles. The Plan included four objectives to improve parking at the Metrolink Station, including:
1. Ensure convenient parking is always available for transit users by preventing the parking lots from filling completely at any time during the day.
2. Allow non-transit users to park as long as their use of the parking does not impact transit users by managing the parking lots to accommodate both parking users.
3. Discourage long-term parking abuse (car storage, abandoned cars, camping, etc.) that takes up parking supply and contributes to other Metrolink Station operational issues.
4. Identify potential surplus parking that could be put to better economic or community use by supporting new transit-oriented development opportunities.
The Management Plan also included an outline of the parking lot operational parameters needed to be implemented to achieve these objectives and recommended that the City procure the services of a parking lot operator to implement the plan and operate the Metrolink Station parking.
On August 21, 2021, the City Council considered whether to implement the Parking Management Plan when staff recommended the Council introduce an Ordinance, adopt a Fee Resolution, and approve an Operations and Maintenance Agreement with a private parking operator. Staff recommended the City Council take these three actions to update regulations regarding parking at the Metrolink Station and other City parking lots, establish parking fees in line with the Parking Management Plan, and procure third-party services of a parking operator to manage the parking lot. However, rather than approve these recommendations, the City Council decided to defer action on the Metrolink Station Parking Management Plan due to low Metrolink transit ridership and low parking utilization at the station resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The City Council directed staff to return in six months with an update on ridership and parking utilization to determine when the City Council should consider proceeding with the Parking Management Plan. In response, Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the municipal code revisions necessary to implement the Parking Management Plan now, as these changes will enable the City to have the proper regulations in place should the City Council wish to further implement parking management at specific locations, including the Metrolink Station.
DISCUSSION
In order for the City Council to implement Parking Management at the Metrolink Station or any other off -street City parking garage or lot, the Burbank Municipal Code must be amended. Title 6 of the Burbank Municipal Code includes outdated regulations for the administration of “parking meter zones” which no longer exist in the City and does not include provision for implementing parking management for off -street City - or Parking 3 Authority-owned parking lots and parking structures. Staff recommends that the City Council adopt an Ordinance removing the outdated language referencing parking meter zones, and replacing it with new language enabling parking regulation at City - and Parking Authority-owned public parking lots and structures when lots are designated by City Council resolution . The proposed Public Parking Lot Ordinance (Attachment 1) would make the following changes to the Burbank Municipal Code:
• Add new parking provisions that allow City – and Parking Authority-owned parking lots and structures to be regulated if designated by the City Council through a resolution. Regulations will be in accordance with the newly added Municipal Code provisions, which include parking fees, parking time limits, and other use provisions.
• Define how the City may impose and collect parking fees, and how fee revenue is utilized, in line with the City Council’s adopted Parking Management Principles. • Define basic operational regulations for off-street public parking lots and structures including how to park, use by commercial vehicles, speed limits, and other rules. • Authorize penalties for improper use of off-street public parking facilities. • Remove outdated regulations referring to parking meter zones that no longer exist in the City. Should the City wish to manage on-street metered parking as a future phase of parking management, Staff will return with new Municipal Code language pertaining to on-street parking.
The proposed changes to the Municipal Code will allow the City Council to implement the City’s Citywide Parking Management Principles at any City lot or structure that is designated by Council resolution, when it believes that parking, transit, and economic conditions are ready to implement these c hanges. Notably, this gives the City Council the ability to:
• Use parking pricing to manage parking demand, which can be adjusted up or down periodically to maintain desired parking occupancy. • Issue permission to park through use of a vehicle’s license pl ate to simplify enforcement.
• Direct parking revenue generated from lots and structures towards offsetting the costs to operate, maintain, control, and regulate these parking assets, with any excess revenue directed towards improvements to public infrastruc ture adjacent or near the parking facility being managed.
In addition to the proposed ordinance, staff also recommends the City Council amend the City’s 2021-2022 Fee Schedule, as required by California Vehicle Code section 40203.5, to add corresponding civil penalties for parking violations of the proposed ordinance (Attachment 2). These penalties include fees assessed for overstaying parking time 4 limits, unauthorized parking in public lots or structures (for instance, parking in a designated lot where the driver fails to pay applicable parking fees) , and parking in marked spaces . Staff is not proposing to change any existing penalty amounts, but recommends that City Council re- adopt all existing penalties that currently apply to parking l ots and structures so that these penalties reference the new municipal code language in the Ordinance. The proposed resolution would go into effect only if the City Council adopts the proposed ordinance.
Note that the proposed ordinance does not actually implement parking management at the Metrolink Station or elsewhere. The proposed code amendment requires that a separate City Council Resolution is required to designate lots where the parking management ordinance will be implemented, and separately set specific parking fees and charges at those designated locations. If Council chooses to designate lots in the future, parking management would still require the services of a private parking lot operator to implement the infrastructure and systems needed to manage the parking.
Staff continues to monitor ridership and parking conditions at the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station and will return to the City Council with recommended steps to implement parking management once conditions are more favorable. Note that should conditions rebound quickly due to improved COVID -19 conditions, staff estimates it would still take approximately four months to resume activities needed to manage the parking, including restarting the procurement of a parking operator. Staff estimates that conditions may be more favorable to parking management at the Metrolink Station once ridership and/or parking demand returns to 50% of pre-pandemic activity.
California Environmental Quality Act
Adoption of the proposed Public Parking Lot Ordinance qualifies for a categorical exemption pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15301, as the proposed Ordinance establishes operational requirements for existing public facilities and involves negligible or no expansion of existing facility uses.
Additionally, parking ordinances such as the proposed Ordinance were assessed as part of the Burbank2035 General Plan EIR. The proposed Ordinance is consistent with the following Burbank2035 General Plan goals and policies:
• Mobility Element Goal No. 7, which notes “Burbank’s public and private parking facilities are well managed and convenient;”
• Policy 7.1 of the Mobility Element which directs that the City should “Effectively manage citywide parking to improve convenience while maximizing use at all times of day.”
5 Finally, adoption of the proposed Ordinance further implements the General Plan Realization Program , Program M- 9: Parking Management, that provides as follows:
“Revise the City’s parking requirements to implement Burbank2035 goals and policies.
Expand innovative parking techniques, such as use of shared parking districts, parking in-lieu fees, parking information systems, and parking pricing and/or validation programs.”
FISCAL IMPACT
Adopting the proposed ordinance does not create a fiscal impact, as the ordinance merely puts in place required regulations necessary to implement parking management in the future. Once the City Council identifies when it wishes to implement parking management at the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station or other public parking lots, staff will assess the fiscal impact based on ridership and parking demand as well as updated negotiations with a parking operator, as these variables will influence how much the cost to manage the parking can be offset by revenues generated.
CONCLUSION
Introducing the proposed Ordinance to update the Burbank Muni cipal code regulations for managing off-street public parking lots and structures will be the first step City Council takes to implement its Citywide Parking Management Principles. The proposed Ordinance will prepare the City for properly managing Metrolink Station parking in line with its previously-approved plan. In the future, managing parking at the Metrolink Station will also allow the City to test several parking management concepts that c an be introduced to other areas of the City such as Downtown Burbank. Adopting the proposed Public Parking Ordinance will modernize the Municipal Code to allow the City Council to begin implementing parking management at the Metrolink Station as well as f uture off- street public parking facilities in Downtown Burbank. Staff recommends the City Council introduce the proposed Ordinance to begin its Parking Management implementation.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Proposed Ordinance Related to Public Parking Attachment 2 – Proposed Resolution Amending FY 2021-2022 Fee Schedule Attachment 3 – Citywide Parking Management Principles