SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM #3
MEETING DATE May 21, 2025
PREPARED FOR Mayor and Town Council
PREPARED BY Jeffrey Beiswenger, AICP, Planning & Building Services Director Bryn McKillop, Associate Planner
SUBJECT Discuss the Initiation of a Town Center Parking and Circulation Study
RECOMMENDATION
Discuss and provide direction to staff on initiating a Town Center Parking and Circulation Study.
BACKGROUND
The Town of Fairfax established a Town Center area in the 2010-2030 General Plan, as depicted in Figure 1 below. The northern limit of the Town Center incorporates the parcels along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The southern limits are generally Park Road and Mono Road. The Town Center area extends to the west to the library and to the east at Pastori Avenue.
Figure 1: Town Center Planning Area
When the General Plan’s Town Center element was adopted, it was anticipated that a more detailed Town Center Area Plan would be developed at a later time. The configuration of the Town Center area is interesting from a parking perspective, since it is an easily walkable area. An able-bodied person 2 could park once and walk the full extent of the Town Center in under twenty minutes. The concept of “park once” is widely used for town center planning purposes.
A parking and circulation study of the Town Center could be a first step in the preparation of a Town Center Plan, which is called for in both the Circulation Element and Housing Element of the General Plan. The following are selected goals and policies from the General Plan. The goals and policies were ambitious, many were not implemented.
The Fairfax Chamber of Commerce has expressed interest in a re-evaluation of loading zones, bike parking, and automobile parking in the Town Center area, as have several individual business owners.
In order to move forward, initiating a Town Center Parking and Circulation Study should be considered.
Circulation Element
The overall objective of the General Plan’s Circulation element is to plan for the efficient and safe movement of people and goods within Fairfax. It should be noted that the majority of goals, policies and programs in the Circulation Element are related to pedestrian, bicycle and transit mobility and seek to mitigate impacts from single occupancy vehicles. The following goals are specifically related to parking and circulation:
• Goal C-1: Maintain Sir Francis Drake as a functional regional artery. • Goal C-2: Promote the safe use of collector streets by automobiles, cyclists and pedestrians. • Policy C-6.2.1. Consider the use of additional parking fees and tax revenue to fund alternative transportation projects.
• Program C-6.2.1. Develop a managed parking program. (Attachment A is the 2003 Parking Survey).
• Program C-6.3.9. Develop an employee parking plan for the businesses in the Town. (Attachment B shows Fairfax Police Department’s merchant parking program). • Policy C-8.1.1. Promote better utilization of the Elsie Lane/Bank Street to connect Bolinas Road to Broadway and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
Town Center Element
Similar to the Circulation Element, the majority of the Town Center Element is focused on ways to promote safer and more effective bicycle and pedestrian circulation. Selected Goals, Objectives, Policies and Programs from the Town Center Element related to parking and circulation are listed as follows:
• Objective TC-3.2: Create a strategic plan for the Town Center, including an urban design program for the Parkade and a parking improvement program. • Policy TC-3.2.4: Shopping in the Town Center Planning Area should be made more attractive by creating safe and pleasant pedestrian routes, managing the parking supply for both cars and bicycles more efficiently, and developing and maintaining an attractive well-designed streetscape that encompasses landscaping and pedestrian amenities. • Program TC-3.2.4.3: The Town shall prepare a vehicle and bicycle-parking plan for the downtown area.
• Program TC-3.2.6.1: The Town shall refine the parking space survey prepared by GPAC to provide guidance for the parking plan included in the Circulation and Town Center Elements.
Housing Element
• Program 1-A. Develop and Adopt Town Center Plan.
3 2003 Parking Study
The 2012 Circulation Element contained a downtown parking study, included as Attachment A to this staff report. While this study was completed over 20 years ago, it provides a good baseline for comparison with today’s parking conditions.
Elsie-Bank Roadway Improvement
The Town Center Element included an analysis of the Elsie-Bank Roadway and included several suggestions for improvements, which were not implemented, and the Council may wish to change.
DISCUSSION
The purpose of this agenda item is to:
1. Review the policy direction that is currently contained within the 2010-2030 General Plan.
2. Discuss options for moving forward with additional study. Specifically, does the Town Council seek to update the Town Center Parking Study.
3. Does the Council wish to change the Elsie-Bank Roadway Improvement Plan or consider a more comprehensive circulation study for the Town Center?
4. Does the Town Council want additional research completed on any of the above topics?
ATTACHMENTS
A. 2003 Parking Study (part of the Circulation Element, 2010-2030 General Plan) B. Current Fairfax PD Downtown Parking Permit Application CIRCULATION ELEMENT T OWN OF FAIRFAX 2010-2030 GENERAL PLAN C-18 ADOPTED APRIL 4, 2012Figure C‐5 Downtown Parking Areas T OWN OF FAIRFAX 2010-2030 GENERAL PLAN CIRCULATION ELEMENT ADOPTED APRIL 4, 2012 C-19
TABLE C‐5 PARKING SPACES IN DOWNTOWN FAIRFAX
Location Spaces Disabled Potential* Notes
Fair‐Anselm Center
On‐Street 36
Private
South of Albertson’s. 51 2
North of Albertson’s 64 2 25
Post Office 17 1
South Fair Anselm 44 2
North Fair Anselm 54 2
Broadway
On‐Street 27 9
Private
Library 28 2
Lumber Yard 42 1
Peri’s 16 1
Theater 32 2
Bank of America 20
School Street Plaza 60 2
Bolinas Road
On‐Street 42 5
Mono Lane Lot 28 1
Private
7/11 Store 9
Fairfax Square 17 2
Cleaners 3
Across from Mono Lane 12
Elsie Lane/Bank Street
On‐Street 26
CIRCULATION ELEMENT T OWN OF FAIRFAX 2010-2030 GENERAL PLAN TABLE C‐5 PARKING SPACES IN DOWNTOWN FAIRFAX (CONTINUED) C-20 ADOPTED APRIL 4, 2012
Location Spaces Disabled Potential* Notes
Pavilion Lot 22
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
On‐Street 22
Parkade 79 2
Private
Fairfax Market 87 4
M&G Burgers 11
Good Earth 23 1
Total Street 287
Total Private 585
Grand Total 872 27 31
Note: *Potential spaces include eliminating gaps between street spaces and clearly marking all street spaces.
Source: LAK & Associates, 2010.
In addition to public parking areas there are private parking lots in the Town Center serving a bank (Bank Street/ Broadway – 19 spaces), a grocery (Claus/Sir Francis Drake Boulevard – 25 spaces) and the Fairfax Theater (Broadway/Pacheco – 20 spaces) that add significantly to the downtown parking supply.
Although there has been no formal survey, parking is observed to be available in the downtown during most hours of the day and evening on weekdays and weekends. Merchants in the Town Center report that, in general, parking is available most of the time within a reasonable walking distance. Exceptions can occur during a Farmer’s Market or special events in progress. Merchants generally support the concept of maintaining the existing parking supply rather than lose spaces to projects such as landscaping portions of the Parkade.
There are no officially designated park-and-ride lots in Fairfax. Commuter park-and-ride lots are located outside the Town, at locations served by Golden Gate Transit. However, transit riders have utilized the Pavilion parking lot as a local park-and-ride lot for years, albeit without official sanction.
T OWN OF FAIRFAX 2010-2030 GENERAL PLAN CIRCULATION ELEMENT ADOPTED APRIL 4, 2012 C-21
Residential Street Parking
Parking in residential areas is in short supply in many locations in Fairfax. This reflects a roadway system built in a time before families had multiple vehicles, and the dense use of residential properties in Fairfax, with numerous small lots supporting secondary dwellings. Converting garage space to other uses is also common. Therefore, it is important to enforce parking requirements in residential areas.
Many streets do not accommodate two-way traffic if vehicles are parked on both sides of the street. However, due to residential parking demand exceeding supply, curbside parking and parking along roadway shoulders on both sides of narrow streets is often the practice. Residents are observed to tolerate the resulting street width that supports only one-way access, requiring vehicles to yield and take turns passing through narrow sections. However, emergency vehicle access can be impeded, raising safety concerns.
These problems are common on hills where roadways may be both narrow and steep.
There has been no comprehensive survey to document the most severe areas of parking problems, nor any formal program of marking spaces to maximize use, or red-curbing to limit use.
Transit
Golden Gate Transit runs the #24 into San Francisco AM and back to Fairfax PM. There is presently no direct transit connection from Fairfax to the Larkspur ferry: Marin Transit sponsored #29 provides service to the Ferry Terminal, but has no coordination with ferry departures and arrivals. Commuting to the East Bay requires getting to San Rafael and transferring to a #40/#42. To travel to Petaluma or northwards requires getting to San Rafael and transferring to a #80. Local transit to and through Fairfax is governed by the county-wide agency Marin Transit, which contracts with the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District GGBH&TD to provide local bus service via the #23 connecting to the San Rafael Transit Center, and with West Marin Stage providing service via Fairfax to San Geronimo Valley and Point Reyes. Currently there is no neighborhood transit service, except for the limited service for the elderly and the disabled, by appointment, via Whistlestop Wheels. Other private and non-profit operators provide other specialized transportation.
ROUTING: 1 copy to purchaser, 1 copy to records (June 2018)
MERCHANT PARKING PERMIT APPLICATION
Permit(s)#:_______________________________ Receipt # ______________________ Business Name ___________________________ Bus. Phone ____________________- ___
Business Address:__________________________________________________________________ Purchaser’s Name:_________________________________________________________________ Last First MI
Purchaser’s address ____________________________Home phone _______________________ I am the (choose one): The Owner ❑ An Employee ❑
Employment Verified: Yes ❑ No ❑ Officer:_________________ ID#:__________ Permit Valid From:________________ to_________________
• Merchant Parking Permits are valid for the calendar year indicated. They expire on December 31st at midnight.
• Merchant Parking Permits shall be hung on the rear-view mirror. Merchant Permits not displayed as indicated will be subject to citation.
• The fee is $120 per year. There are no discounts for second vehicles. Fees will be prorated for late applications. Permits cannot be turned in for a refund. • Stolen or damaged permits will be replaced for a $15 fee per incident. • Merchant Parking Permits are valid for parking only in the Parkade parking lot, the Mono lot, the Lower Pavilion lot (Elsie to Bank, street level), or other 4-hour designated parking areas. (space permitting)
• Merchant Parking Permits are valid between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. • Permits cannot be copied. Vehicle’s not displaying original permits will be cited and permit will be revoked.
I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE ABOVE PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN THIS APPLICATION.
_____________________________________________ (Signed)