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Agenda Report
April 15, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Municipal Services Committee (March 26,2024)
FROM: Department of Transportation
SUBJECT: PRESENTATION OF CITYWIDE PARKING STRATEGIC PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS:
This report is intended to provide information to the City Council regarding the Citywide Parking Strategic Plan; no action is required.
BACKGROUND:
Since 2014, the Parking Division of the Department of Transportation has been the subject of several audits, each resulting in various findings for operations. Among those findings were several recommendations related to operation of the parking system, including the parking garages and meters.
In the fall of 2019, as a holistic approach in response to audit findings, the Department of Transportation prepared a Request for Proposals for a consultant to review the Parking program and create a Parking Strategic Plan (Plan) for the City. Dixon Resources Unlimited (Dixon) was selected as the consultant to conduct this review and City Council authorized the City Manger to enter into a contract with Dixon for this service on March 30, 2020.
Shortly thereafter, Dixon commenced their review of the Parking program. As an initial step, Dixon conducted several outreach meetings with a variety of stakeholders throughout the City, and issued an online survey to better understand the community's parking needs and concerns. Dixon also reviewed the City's parking ordinances, policies, and evaluated the on and off-street parking fee structures.
In January of 2021, staff brought an update of the plan development to the Municipal Services Committee (MSC) that included several draft recommendations. In response to the Committee's comments, staff committed to completing additional outreach to the residential and business communities. That outreach continued through 2023. .»"'
MEETING OFrl5/2024__AGENDA ITEM NO. 17
Presentation of Citywide Parking Strategic Plan
April 15, 2024
This report presents several of the most prominent recommendations from the Plan. It is important to note that many of the Plan recommendations will require future Council action to implement, and staff will work closely with stakeholders to determine how recommendations should be prioritized and implemented. Following additional data collection and outreach, staff will return to City Council with individual recommendations for program implementation.
Dixon compiled their findings from their outreach efforts and review of the Parking program, and submitted their final recommendations via the final Plan, which is included as Attachment A. The Plan's recommendations are geared toward better positioning the program to meet the following guiding principles:
•Streamlined program management: Unify the management of the citywide parking system.
User-friendly experience: Improve the parking user experience and enhance access.
Sustainable solutions: Implement financially sustainable strategies.
Adaptable policies: Create an integrated parking system that is adaptable to the City's ongoing needs.
The most significant recommendations from the plan are highlighted below.
On-Street (Metered) and Surface Lot Parking
The Plan recommends the City modernize both its on-street parking technology and the parking rate model. The recommendation to upgrade the on-street meter technology is coupled with a recommendation to utilize parking payment data as one way to determine on-street parking occupancy, which would then help to determine the appropriate parking rates. The demand-based parking rate recommendation is designed to maintain an 85% occupancy level on-street while providing drivers with different pricing options for their parking sessions. This in turn increases vehicle turnover and therefore the volume of drivers that can park in a metered area increases.
This recommendation proposes a flexible base rate that is updated periodically based on historic parking occupancy figures, along with an escalating rate model that encourages parking turnover but allows customers to pay premium rates if they choose to stay for longer periods while parked in a metered space.
In addition, the Plan recommends the City consider eliminating parking meter holidays.
The City currently has nine (9) parking meter holidays where meter payment is not required. When the first City parking meters were installed back in the 1990's, parking meter holidays made sense as most businesses were closed on major holidays. Today, in response to consumer behaviors a vast majority of businesses remain open on most holidays which brings more parkers to the area. As such, meter payments can be used as a means to manage parking demand on some of the highest volume parking days of the year.
Presentation of Citywide Parking Strategic Plan
April 15, 2024
Overnight Parking Permits
The Plan recommendations include simplifying the current parking permit program by consolidating permit offerings and offering a tiered annual permit rate structure for overnight permits. As presented to MSC in 2021, the draft Plan included a recommendation for the City to consider eliminating or restructuring the citywide overnight parking restrictions for residential parking. Initial citizen responses to the survey and comments received during stakeholder meetings that were conducted during the height of the pandemic indicated a level of support for elimination of the overnight permit program. Comments received indicated concerns regarding the equity of the overnight permit program as it applies to high-density residential areas, especially in lower income areas. However, once the draft Plan recommendations were shared with the public, a number of residents expressed concerns over the draft recommendation, and many indicated support of the existing overnight program and noted quality of life and public safety benefits to not having vehicles on the street overnight. Therefore, staff worked with Dixon to complete additional outreach, including a more robust survey. Based on community feedback the final Plan recommends retaining the overnight ordinance as is, and better publicizing the process to exempt individual streets and neighborhoods from the overnight ordinance.
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The Plan also includes recommendations updating parking signage to create consistent wayfinding signage that directs people to City parking facilities, to communicate parking regulations, and to communicate graduated parking rates, should they be implemented in the future.
Plan Recommendations Already Implemented or In Process
The Parking Strategic Plan includes many recommendations that have already been implemented by the City in response to the draft recommendations. These programs were implemented through City Council action to expedite improvements to the City's parking functionality while the final Plan was being completed. As summary of the improvements that have already been implemented is included below.
In November 2021, City Council approved the elimination of 90-minute free parking in four City-owned garages to a rate of $1 for the first two hours. In addition, the maximum daily rate was increased in all eight garages the City owned at the time and one leased garage. These rate changes became effective on July 1,2022.
•In November 2021, City Council approved consolidating the City's parking garage operation contract to a single vendor, reducing costs and providing for a more efficient operations of the garages. This contract was awarded to Parking Concepts Incorporated in November 2021 and the term of contract began February 1, 2022.
Presentation of Citywide Parking Strategic Plan
April 15, 2024
In January 2022, after receiving the Plan recommendation to update the City's Parking Services webpage, staff made changes to the website with a focus of helping site visitors find parking program information. Staff continues to make changes to improve website communications.
Through a separate Agenda Report submitted to City Council in April 2024, staff is recommending upgrading parking meters throughout the City and standardizing the meter technology throughout the City.
Next Steps
Based on the continued feedback received during the Parking Strategic Plan outreach efforts, Department of Transportation staff will create a prioritized list of Plan recommendations. Staff will work with affected stakeholders to craft staff recommendations to be brought to City Council for consideration prior to the implementation of any items requiring Council authorization. Timing for implementation of these efforts is dependent on prioritization, funding availability, and the ongoing evaluation of initial implementation steps.
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
This Plan is consistent with the City Council's goal to improve, maintain, and enhance public facilities and infrastructure. It also supports and promotes the quality of life and the local economy. The Plan is consistent the Mobility Element of the General Plan objective to create a supportive dimate for economic viability by working with existing businesses to assess parking needs and requirements.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The project has been reviewed for compliance with CEQA and is exempt per Section 15061 (b) (3), the "common sense" provision of CEQA (formerly the general rule), which applies to projects that may have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. The development of a strategic plan in and of itself does not result in any significant effect on the environment. Implementation of specific programs or projects resulting from the Plan will be brought to City Council for approval, with the associated environmental analysis completed at that time.
Presentation of Citywide Parking Strategic Plan
April 15, 2024
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impacts of any future actions taken based on the Parking Strategic Plan recommendations will be identified through a separate process and submitted to City Council for review and approval.
Respectfully submitted,
Prepared by:
)irector
Department of Transportation
Jonijlamblen
Parking Manager
Approved by:
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MIGUEt=-MARQUEZ
City Manager
Attachment:
Attachment A - Pasadena Citywide Parking Strategic Plan - Dixon