City of Piedmont
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: May 5, 2025
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Rosanna Bayon Moore, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Consideration of Civic Center Parking Plan Modifications
RECOMMENDATION
By a single motion, take the following actions regarding the Civic Center Parking Plan:
1. Approve the “Maximum” scenario parking plan provided as Attachment A.
2. Authorize staff to implement the proposed modifications.
BACKGROUND
In anticipation of the opening of the Community Pool and after six years of construction activity, the City is revisiting the subject of parking in the Civic Center area. City staff are performing a comprehensive review of public parking along Bonita Avenue, Hillside Avenue, Highland Avenue, Magnolia Avenue, and Vista Avenue. The Civic Center Residential Parking District is assumed to remain unchanged.
At the March 17th meeting, City staff presented a “maximum” parking scenario with the expressed intention of providing the greatest number of parking spaces that can be achieved within the Civic Center based on industry standards, best practices, compliance with City Code, and State and Federal laws.
At the April 21st meeting, City staff received feedback on several components of the proposed plan, including diagonal spaces on Highland Avenue (Sierra Avenue and Sheridan Avenue), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant spaces, the addition of a pick-up/drop-off zone on Magnolia immediately in front of the Community Pool, and maximizing school pick-up/dropoff zone parking during non-peak hours.
DISCUSSION
Based on feedback received from Council, features of the “maximum” parking scenario have been modified and now are proposed to include the following:
Highland Avenue (between Sierra Avenue and Sheridan Avenue) The proposed plan includes the permanent installation of 16 diagonal and parallel parking spaces along the Highland/Sheridan strip.
Bonita Avenue (between Vista Avenue and Oakland Avenue) The proposed plan limits one-way vehicular traffic to the northbound direction on the referenced roadway segment, eliminating the pick-up/ drop-off zone, reorienting from parallel to diagonal parking on the east side of Bonita Avenue to gain 17 additional parking spaces, 2 or which are ADA compliant.
ADA Compliant Parking Spaces
The City is required to provision a percentage of available parking as designated ADA compliant spaces. Staff have reviewed available on-street parking and have identified 13 compliant on-street ADA spaces which are presented in the parking plan.
Time Limited (2-hour and 30-minute) Parking
This proposed plan includes an increase in the number of time-limited parking spaces. As requested, the locations of time-limited parking spaces have been prioritized in the vicinity of the commercial buildings, the tennis courts, 801 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont Park, and the Community Pool.
Expanded Pick-up/Drop-off Zones on Highland Avenue
The proposed plan includes expanded pick-up and drop-off zones in both the northbound and southbound directions of Highland Avenue in the immediate vicinity of Havens Elementary School. Based on feedback from PUSD staff, and validated by traffic counts, City staff recommend a new pick-up/drop-off option on the northbound side of Highland Ave., directly across the street from Havens Elementary School. A significant number of vehicles attempt to use Craig Avenue to access the existing pick-up/drop-off zone and bypass the congestion on Vista Ave. and Bonita Ave. These vehicle turning movements could be eliminated with the appropriately located pick-up/drop-off zone that is proposed.
Community Pool Pick-up/Drop-off Zone
The proposed plan includes a 2-space pick-up and drop-off zone immediately in front of the community pool.
Maximizing School Pick-up/Drop-off
Allow 2-hour parking in the various PUSD pick-up and drop-off zones, with parking prohibited within ½ hour (before and after) of scheduled student release. Release times vary in each zone and signage will be tailored to specific locations.
PARKING ALLOCATION
The current, temporary parking allocation is as follows:
Employee 2-Hour 30-
Minute
ADA Residential Undesignated EV
Charging
Pickup/DropoffPolice Total
Public
Parking
102 81 6 34 uncounted 0 30 10 263
Agenda Report Page 2
The proposed plan includes the following allocation of parking in the Civic Center:
Employee 2-Hour 30-
Minute
ADA Residential Undesignated EV
Charging
Pickup/DropoffPolice Total
Public
Parking
121 81 36 13 34 72 4 31 10 402
EMPLOYEE PARKING PASSES
Staff recommends the comprehensive evaluation and improvement of the employee parking permit program to ensure that finite resources are responsibly managed within the City right of way. This will encompass permits issued to City and PUSD employees. Staff will be updating policies and procedures in regard to the employee parking passes and will look to implement new procedures in advance of next school year.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS & COUNCIL DIRECTION
Parking demand significantly exceeds the availability of parking spaces within the Civic Center.
Additionally, 27 of the 402 spaces are fixed in that they address ADA requirements, the City’s public safety fleet, and EV charging spaces committed under the 10-year license agreement with AVA Community Energy.
The Council has the authority and discretion to balance a variety of interests, and allocate public parking spaces accordingly. Based on feedback received from the Council at previous meetings, staff recommends approval of the proposed parking plan.
ATTACHMENTS
A. “Maximum” Scenario Parking Plan
By: Daniel Gonzales, Public Works Director
Agenda Report Page 3
Attachment A Agenda Report Page 4