PISMO BEACH COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item #12.B
SUBJECT/TITLE:
PISMO BEACH PARKING MANAGEMENT PLAN
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt a Resolution adopting the 2023 Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan.
BACKGROUND:
Pismo Beach is one of the region’s most popular coastal destinations. It provides access to coastal areas and recreational opportunities, while also offering a unique blend of residential neighborhoods and local commercial districts around a vibrant downtown commercial core. Given the strong demand for visitation, one of the most challenging issues the City faces is how to effectively manage its parking supply and address the impacts of parking demand. In order to address this challenge, the City’s first Parking Management Plan (PMP) was adopted in 2007. As a guidance document, the 2007 PMP focused on implementing timed parking, paid parking, enforcement and ticketing, revenue management, and acquiring parking capacity. The PMP is intended to be a “living document” that will be updated, as needed.
On May 3, 2022, the City Council authorized an agreement with Walker Consultants to complete an update to the PMP. The 2023 PMP (Attachment 1.A) was developed by updating a draft from the 2018 PMP effort that was never completed and includes recent summer parking demand data, Parking Advisory Committee and public input, and adapted parking management best practices based on observations and knowledge of parking conditions, opportunities, and challenges in Pismo Beach. The Parking Advisory Committee reviewed the 2023 PMP at its June 21, 2023, meeting and recommended the City Council adopt the plan.
The purpose of the 2023 PMP is to ensure that the finite supply of publicly available parking in the city is managed with policies that facilitate access to visitor-serving commercial districts. More specifically, the 2023 PMP focuses on parking management in the Commercial Core. As such, the overarching goals of the 2023 PMP are as follows:
Support the Commercial Core as a viable economic center. Provide enough parking in and around the Commercial Core for residents, visitors, business owners and employees.
Create revenue streams for the purpose of maintaining current parking assets, acquiring more parking capacity, and/or funding alternative solutions to constructing or acquiring additional parking supply.
Provide direction and oversight for parking impacts or issues outside of the Commercial Core.
To achieve these goals, the 2023 PMP provides findings relating to parking supply and peak parking demand and recommended parking management strategies. The
12.B-1Council Agenda 10-17-2023
recommended parking management strategies serve as options to be considered in future City decisions, rather than required actions.
The consensus is that peak parking is the primary concern in Pismo Beach. Furthermore, the 2023 PMP identifies the following key findings:
Parking Supply
o More than half of the parking supply in the study area consists of on-street parking spaces.
o The total number of parking spaces in the study area is 1,932. On-street parking spaces (public): 1,095
Off-street parking spaces (public): 423
Off-street parking spaces (private): 414
Peak Parking Demand
o In times of peak parking demand during summertime and weekends, on- and off-street public parking spaces were at or above 100% occupancy, but the private parking supply had significant availability, with just 60% occupancy.
o In times of peak parking demand during weekdays, on-street public parking spaces were at nearly 100% occupancy, with some parking availability on- street and in private parking lots.
o The data suggests that successful parking management measures will create some parking availability and “turnover” in high parking occupancy locations while better utilizing under-utilized spaces.
Parking is just one component, albeit an important one, of the broader system of access.
Effective parking management strategies will leverage other components of the system, including connections to peripheral or remote parking through pedestrian, bicycle, micro- mobility, or shuttle connections. The key recommended parking management strategies identified in the 2023 PMP are as follows:
Parking Management Strategy #1 – Effectively expand the paid parking area to help maintain some availability and reduce searching for free parking, which helps alleviate congestion. This can be accomplished through:
o Increased hours of enforcement later into the evening o Non-preferential parking meter permit program
o Raised rates, particularly on summer weekends, to manage demand o Incentives for employees to carpool and use other means of transportation, and/or
o Increased parking enforcement.
Parking Management Strategy #2 – Make more parking spaces available and increase access to underutilized off-street parking. This can be accomplished through cooperative agreements (including leasing, acquisition, and shared parking agreements) to cost-effectively increase the total number of parking spaces.
Parking Management Strategy #3 – Leverage active and sustainable transportation options. Pedestrian, bicycle, and other micro-mobility improvements
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are already being used informally by drivers parking outside of the Pismo Beach commercial district and by locals in Pismo Beach and Grover Beach. These modes effectively increase access to Pismo Beach and are often times more cost effective than building additional parking facilities. Rental bicycles in remote parking areas could serve a similar purpose. Leveraging these modes further is recommended. Parking Management Strategy #4 – Increase the supply of publicly available parking. This can be accomplished through the leasing of private spaces, providing attendant-assist or valets in strategic locations, or building surface or structure parking.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Should the City Council adopt the 2023 PMP, future potential actions related to parking will be evaluated against the recommendations of the document to help inform decisions.
The recommendations contained within the 2023 PMP are intended to ensure effective management of the City’s parking supply and address the impacts of parking demand so that Pismo Beach continues to provide access to coastal areas and recreational opportunities. Accordingly, it is recommended that the City Council adopt a Resolution (Attachment 1) adopting the 2023 PMP.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct fiscal impact that would result from staff’s recommendation. Future modifications to the parking system may impact revenues and expenditures and would be analyzed at that time.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Modify and adopt the Resolution for adoption of the Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan.
2. Provide other direction to staff.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution
1.A Exhibit A to Resolution: 2023 Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan Prepared by: Meeting Date: October 17, 2023
Cory Hanh, Planning Manager
Submitted by:
Matthew Downing, AICP, Community Development Director
City Manager Approval:
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RESOLUTION NO. R-2023-XXX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PISMO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING THE 2023 PISMO BEACH PARKING MANAGEMENT PLAN
WHEREAS, on March 20, 2007, the City Council took action to form a Parking Advisory Committee with the main mandate to create paid parking in the Downtown Commercial Core; and
WHEREAS, on September 4, 2007, the City Council adopted the Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan (Phase One); and
WHEREAS, the City Council adopted the following mission statement: “It is the mission of the Pismo Beach Paid Parking District to provide excellent customer service to all visitors, residents and employees seeking short-term or long-term parking. We welcome opportunities to create solutions for special parking circumstances. Through collection of parking fees, we seek ways to improve safety and security, while balancing the parking needs of our visitors, business owners, and residents. We affirm the goals to maintain reasonable turnover of our parking spaces and to direct collected funds to parking infrastructure improvements”; and
WHEREAS, the Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan is a “living document” that needs updating to address current conditions, opportunities, and challenges as it relates to parking in the city; and
WHEREAS, on May 3, 2022, the City Council authorized an agreement with Walker Consultants to prepare an update to the Parking Management Plan; and
WHEREAS, on June 21, 2023, the Parking Advisory Committee held a meeting, at which all interested persons were provided the opportunity to give public comment, and made a recommendation to the City Council to adopt the 2023 Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds, after due study, deliberation, and consideration of public comment, that the 2023 Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan provides parking supply and demand information and parking management strategies that help ensure that the finite supply of publicly available parking in the city will be managed with policies that facilitate access to visitor-serving commercial districts.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Pismo Beach hereby adopts the Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan, as set forth in Exhibit A, and attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference.
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Attachment 1
UPON MOTION OF Council Member , seconded by Council Member , the foregoing resolution was adopted by the City Council of the City of Pismo Beach this 17th day of October 2023, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
RECUSED:
Approved: Attest:
________________________ ________________________
Ed Waage, Mayor Erica Inderlied, City Clerk
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Attachment 1
1 PISMO BEACH
PARKING MANAGEMENT PLAN
October 2023
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Attachment 1.A
2 MISSION STATEMENT
It is the mission of the Pismo Beach Paid Parking District to provide excellent customer service to all visitors, residents and employees seeking short‐term or long‐term parking. We welcome opportunities to create solutions for special parking circumstances. Through collection of parking fees, we seek ways to improve safety and security, while balancing the parking needs of our visitors, business owners, and residents. We affirm the goals to maintain reasonable turnover of our parking spaces and to direct collected funds to parking infrastructure improvements. (Adopted by Pismo Beach City Council, October 2011).
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3 Table of Contents
MISSION STATEMENT ............................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 7 Background .............................................................................................................................. 8 Establishment of Paid Parking Zone .............................................................................................. 8 Purpose and Intent ........................................................................................................................... 9 Parking Management Goals ............................................................................................................ 9 Parking Access Management Principles ...................................................................................... 10 Need to Manage Parking ............................................................................................................... 11 Benefits Of a Managed Timed Parking Program, Past and Future ........................................... 12 Current/Existing Conditions ................................................................................................. 13 Current Downtown Public Parking Supply .................................................................................. 13 Parking Utilization .......................................................................................................................... 14 Parking Utilization, Policy Findings, and Considerations ........................................................... 20 Related Goals and Policies .................................................................................................... 21 General Plan Circulation Element (2021 update) ........................................................................ 21 Downtown Strategic Plan (2014) ................................................................................................... 22 Climate Action Plan (2014) ............................................................................................................. 23 Parking Advisory Committee (PAC) Feedback ................................................................... 23 Recommended Parking Management Strategies .............................................................. 23 Paid Parking .................................................................................................................................... 23 On-Street Parking ........................................................................................................................... 24 Off-Street Public Parking ............................................................................................................... 24 Paid Parking Hours of Enforcement ............................................................................................. 25 Residential Parking ......................................................................................................................... 25 Vacation Rental Parking ................................................................................................................. 25 Employee Parking ........................................................................................................................... 26 Special Permit Parking ................................................................................................................... 26 Expansion of Public Parking .......................................................................................................... 27 Unlock Private Supply .................................................................................................................... 28 Downtown Shuttle .......................................................................................................................... 29 Electric Bicycles (E-Bikes)……………………………………………………………………………………………………29 Extension of Boardwalk……………………………………………………………………………………………………..29 Roles and Responsibilities .................................................................................................... 30 Program Management ................................................................................................................... 30 Enforcement and Citation Administration................................................................................... 30 Appendices ............................................................................................................................. 30
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4 Figures
Figure 1 Downtown Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan Area……………………………13 Figure 2 Peak Parking Demand, Summertime Saturday – 3:00 PM.……………………………14 Figure 3 Peak Parking Demand, Summertime Friday – 3:00 PM…………………………………15 Figure 4 Summer Saturday On-Street Parking Demand……………….…………………………….15 Figure 5 Summer Saturday Off-Street Parking Demand……………….…………………………….16 Figure 6 Summer Saturday Private On-Street Parking Demand………………………………….16 Figure 7 Revenue and Transactions by Month……………………………………………………………17 Figure 8 Transactions by Day of Week………………………………………………………………………..11 Figure 9 Wolosz Lot Transactions by Day……………………………………………………………………18 Figure 10 Parking Timed Purchased Averages……………………………………………………………..13 Figure 11 Parking Timed Purchases by Kiosk Location…………………………………………………14 Figure 12 Parking Timed Purchases by Metered City Block …………………………………………19
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Attachment 1.A
5 Executive Summary
The purpose of the Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan (PMP) is to ensure that the finite supply of publicly available parking in the city is managed with policies that facilitate access to visitor‐serving commercial districts. The PMP is a guidance document with parking demand informaƟon and recommended parking management strategies that serve to inform future City decisions.
To reflect current condiƟons and prepare for future condiƟons in the visitor‐serving commercial district and to develop and/or expand on current pracƟces and systems that address parking challenges, this document is an update to the 2018 PMP using the most recent summer parking demand data, Parking Advisory CommiƩee input, and parking best pracƟces customized based on observaƟons and knowledge of parking in Pismo Beach.
Key Findings
Parking Supply:
More than half of the parking supply in the study area are on‐street parking spaces. The total number of parking spaces in the study area is 1,932. o On‐street parking spaces (public): 1,095
o Off‐street parking spaces (public): 423
o Off‐street parking spaces (private): 414
Peak Parking Demand:
In Ɵmes of peak parking demand during summerƟme and weekends, on‐ and off‐street public parking spaces were at or above 100% occupancy, but the private parking supply had significant availability, with just 60% occupancy.
In Ɵmes of peak parking demand during weekdays, on‐street public parking spaces were at nearly 100% occupancy, with some parking availability on‐street and in private parking lots. The data suggests that successful parking management measures will create some parking availability and “turnover” in high parking occupancy locaƟons while beƩer uƟlizing under‐uƟlized spaces.
Key Recommended Parking Management Strategies
Parking is just one, albeit an important one, component of the broader system of access. EffecƟve parking management strategies will beƩer leverage other components of the system, including connecƟons to peripheral or remote parking through pedestrian, bicycle, micro‐mobility, or shuƩle connecƟons.
Parking Management Strategy #1 – EffecƟvely ex pand the paid parking area to help maintain some availability and reduce searching for free parking, which helps alleviate congesƟon. This can be accomplished through:
o Increased hours of enforcement later into the evening; o Non‐preferenƟal parking meter permit program;
o Raised rates, parƟcularly on summer weekends, to manage demand; o IncenƟves for employees to carpool and use other means of transportaƟon; and/or
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Attachment 1.A
6 o Increased parking enforcement.
Parking Management Strategy #2 – Make more parking spaces available and increase access to underuƟlized off‐street parking. This can be accomplished through cooperaƟve agreements (including leasing, acquisiƟon, and shared parking agreements) to cost‐effecƟvely increase the total number of parking spaces.
Parking Management Strategy #3 – Leverage acƟve and sustainable transportaƟon opƟons.
Pedestrian, bicycle, and other micro‐mobility improvements are already being used informally by drivers parking outside of the Pismo Beach commercial district and by locals in Pismo Beach and Grover Beach. These modes effecƟvely increase access to Pismo Beach and are oŌen Ɵmes more cost effecƟve than building addiƟonal parking faciliƟes. Rental bicycles or scooters in remote parking areas could serve a similar purpose. Leveraging these modes further is recommended. Parking Management Strategy #4 – Increase the supply of publicly available parking. This can be accomplished through the leasing of private spaces, providing aƩendant‐assist or valets in strategic locaƟons, or building surface or structure parking.
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Attachment 1.A
7 Introduction
Parking is an essential component of the transportation system since residents, employees, customers, and visitors who access Downtown Pismo Beach by private vehicle must park at their destination. Parking management refers to policies and programs that result in more efficient use of existing parking and transportation resources; parking is one component, albeit a very important one of the transportation system. When appropriately applied, parking management can significantly reduce the number of parking spaces required in a particular situation, encourage other modes of transportation, and support the goals of the City’s General Plan/Local Coastal Program, Downtown Strategic Plan, and Climate Action Plan. Also, when all impacts and costs are considered, improved management is often the most practical solution to parking problems. Future parking supply expansion is based on both a reaction to supply and demand and as an investment in the future for public and community good. However, even when increasing the parking supply, parking management measures are still necessary for all parking spaces to be properly utilized and for the parking system to be utilized efficiently.
The City of Pismo Beach is one of the region’s most popular destinations, generating the high demand for parking which has been quantified in this document, and which the recommendations in this document are intended to address. Improving access to the City of Pismo Beach is a common goal of the City, its businesses, and the California Coastal Commission.
Parking capacity is not only a function of the number of spaces, but equally important, how those spaces are managed can have more of an effect than the number of spaces.
One of the most challenging issues facing Pismo Beach is how to effectively manage its parking supply and mitigate the impacts of parking demand, especially during peak periods (i.e., weekends).
This Parking Management Plan provides survey data and recommendations to address parking challenges in Pismo Beach. The Plan summarizes recommended strategies for implementation to improve and enhance overall parking management in Downtown Pismo Beach, and the broader goal of providing equitable access, based on accepted parking studies and best management practices for parking and transportation. It is intended to be used as a strategic guide to continue modifications to current parking management practices as needed to achieve the current and future needs for downtown parking.
On March 20, 2007, the Pismo Beach City Council took action to form a Parking Advisory Committee whose main responsibilities include:
1.To act as an advisory committee to the City Council with respect to implementation of an overall Parking Management Program; and
2.To act as advisory committee to the City Council with respect to parking issues within Pismo Beach; and
3.To act as a community forum to hear requests from the public regarding the operation and maintenance of downtown parking lots and programs; and
4.To maintain adequate liaisons with other committees, agencies and districts; and
5.To advise the City Council as to other matters upon the Council’s request.
The Committee's main mandate was to create paid parking in the downtown commercial core, a key component of maximizing the efficiency of any busy parking system. As a result of this City Council action, the management of public parking now falls under the Parking Division under the Police Department.
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8 Recommendations in this Plan are established on the premise that parking and transportation are not ends in themselves but means to achieve broader community goals. These recommendations seek to leverage existing Pismo Beach assets, respond to its current challenges, and further the overall vision for the Downtown Pismo Beach area.
The Parking Management Plan is intended to be a living document that, as needed, is updated and/or modified.
It has been observed and reported that the downtown's most desirable spaces are often heavily occupied for most of the day on weekends throughout the year, and particularly during the summer season.
Typically, this means that there is a lack of appropriate turnover, and other patrons who would like to park in these spaces, with the exception of those who are lucky, cannot. However, close by, within a comfortable walk, there are usually plenty of empty spaces most times of the day and days of the year.
Thus, except for the busiest days and season of the year, parking management can improve the effective utilization of the parking system. Effective parking management will guide some people to park their cars away from prime parking areas, particularly those parking for long periods of time, provided the entire parking system is not at or over capacity. Time limits are one method to accomplish this by capping the visit time, after which time one must leave, freeing the space for someone else (turnover). Portions of Price Street have two‐hour time limits, and the seasonal summertime‐limited parking areas have three‐ hour time limits. Paid parking is another method to encourage turnover by requiring people to pay more for prime parking during peak periods and by encouraging bargain hunters to park away from the core at cheaper parking in peripheral areas. Both time‐limited parking and paid parking are intended to dissuade employees from parking in prime visitor spaces. Without these mechanisms in place, parking congestion will (and does) occur, no matter how many parking spaces are available. When longer‐term parkers park away from high demand locations and short‐term parkers park in the high demand locations instead, turning spaces over more quickly and thereby making room for more cars and more people, the system maximizes efficiency and capacity. The presence of free, unrestricted parking encourages cruising for parking, as employees and patrons alike search and hope to find a rare unoccupied space, which often leads to increased traffic congestion.
This plan recommends parking and transportation policies and programs that apply to the downtown Pismo Beach Parking District. Its primary focus is the management of parking in the commercial core and related goals as described below and is designed to assist the City in achieving parking and mobility goals outlined in the General Plan Circulation Element (2021 Update), Downtown Strategic Plan (2014) and Climate Action Plan (2014). This plan identifies parking management techniques and recommendations to increase the efficiency of the existing parking system, to reduce employee demand for parking in the commercial core, thereby making more spaces available for visitors, and to create parking solutions. This plan may be revised from time to time to address parking needs in areas within and beyond the commercial core.
Background
Establishment of Paid Parking Zone
The Downtown Core of the City of Pismo Beach is limited in geographic size and, not surprisingly, the parking supply in the Downtown Core is not always adequate to meet the demand of residents, visitors,
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9 merchants, service providers and their employees. Given this, in 2007 the City Council established a paid parking zone with the intent of assuring that an adequate supply of parking would be available in the Downtown Core. The City Council also established and implemented a method for collecting funds to finance improvements that would enhance the parking supply through the construction or establishment of additional parking facilities. The establishment of the Paid Parking Zone is codified in Chapter 10.10 of the Pismo Beach Municipal Code.
Prior and subsequent to the original parking management plan’s adoption in 2007 there have been several studies and workshops in Pismo Beach that have occurred related to parking. Each one has addressed the need for public parking in the downtown. Some of major efforts include the following:
1. R/UDAT Study – 1987
2. Pismo Beach Parking District Study – 1989
3. Downtown Specific Plan (draft) ‐ 1991
4. Downtown Specific Plan ‐ 1995
5. Economic Development Strategies ‐ 1998
6. Chart the Course ‐ 2002
7. Wilbur Smith Study ‐ 2006
8. Downtown Parking Workshops – 2007
9. Walker Parking Study – 2016
10. Walker Consultants Data Collection & Input 2022/2023
Purpose and Intent
Managing and increasing the parking supply in the downtown core has been a central issue in almost all of the studies, meetings, and workshops that have been conducted in the development of an economic base for the community. One step to bolster the economic development was the development of an overall parking program for the core downtown. One goal of the City Council has been the establishment of parking facilities that serve residents and the visiting public. The purpose and intent of this document is to serve as a policy document for current and future decision makers and staff in the management and development of parking in the downtown consistent with the goals of the City.
The goals and principles identified in the Parking Management Plan can also be used by decision makers when reviewing parking issues and opportunities for areas located outside of the downtown core.
Parking Management Goals
The overarching goals of the downtown Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan include the following:
1. Support the downtown commercial core as a viable economic center.
2. Provide enough parking in and around the commercial core for residents, visitors, business owners and employees on the design day.
3. Create revenue streams for the purpose of maintaining current parking assets, acquiring more parking capacity, and/or funding alternative solutions to constructing or acquiring additional parking supply. Ultimately, providing access is the goal.
4. Provide direction and oversight for parking impacts or issues outside of the Commercial Core.
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10 Parking Access Management Principles
The following principles should be considered and adhered to as much as possible, in support of the parking management goals outlined above.
1.Consumer Choice. People should have viable parking and transportation options to reach their (Pismo Beach) destination. When parking spaces are full, there is no choice. Choice may be about parking conveniently albeit for a fee, or parking cheaply or free, albeit in a less convenient location. Further, not everyone prefers to drive. Choice is about allowing people a choice of modes by which they may access and move around within Pismo Beach.
2.User Information. Motorists should have information on their parking options. Wayfinding signs indicating locations and pricing should be considered.
3.Sharing. Parking facilities should serve multiple users and destinations. Reserved parking often excludes many drivers, even when spaces are vacant. The more that parking can be shared, the more drivers who can be accommodated, and the more efficient the parking system.
4.Efficient Utilization. Parking facilities should be sized and managed, so spaces are frequently occupied. Cost and lack of land are not the only reasons not to add parking capacity. When peak demand is infrequent, we can expect new parking capacity to sit empty most of the year, with all of the aesthetic, environmental, and nuisance‐related problems that come with empty parking spaces.
5.Flexibility. Parking plans should accommodate uncertainty and change. The most recent data shows that Pismo Beach experiences significant variations in parking demand throughout the year. The need for flexibility is addressed through management and operations, not building physical capacity.
6.Peak Management. Special efforts should be made to deal with peak demand. These include, but are not limited to, expanding the paid parking zone, increasing prices in the most highly utilized parking areas, and adding new time‐limited parking areas, as well as measures such as opening private parking to the public and shuttle operations during events and other spikes in parking demand.
7.Quality vs. Quantity. Parking facility quality should be considered as important as quantity, including accessibility, aesthetics, security, and user information. A parking facility should be designed to provide as pleasant an experience as possible for both the person parking and the pedestrian exiting/entering the site. The parking field should be designed to be as efficient as possible with a simple circulation pattern, clear signage, and appropriately located ADA spaces.
Landscaping and other aesthetic considerations, such as artwork, should be incorporated, as feasible, to enhance the pedestrian experience. Security features, such as lighting and security cameras, should be incorporated as needed.
8.Comprehensive Analysis. All significant costs and benefits should be considered in parking planning. Prior to making changes to parking, direct costs, such as the cost/maintenance of meters, shall be considered. Indirect costs, such as potential impacts to visitors, businesses, and residents, shall also be considered. These costs shall be weighed against benefits such as improved traffic flows, happier residents and tourists, improved parking arrangements, aesthetic considerations, and security features to assist in identifying the preferred alternative(s) looking at pricing and parking management strategies. Cost‐benefit analyses can help make clear the benefits of some parking management measures, and alternatives to driving and parking to provide people with access to the Pismo Beach coastal area and commercial core.
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11 Need to Manage Parking
There are three primary parking states in the parking management spectrum:
1. Paid Parking (timed and untimed)
2. Free timed Parking
3. Free untimed Parking
When the supply of any commodity is limited and demand for it is near or above that limited supply, the price goes up. If the commodity is free, then it will be quickly used up and exhausted by the first people who get to it, and there is no rational distribution for those who might need it or want it more. This is the main reason to charge for parking downtown; people will pay with their money or pay with their time and frustration. It also has a by‐product (revenue) that can be used to help improve the situation.
The main reason to charge for parking is to rationally allocate a limited supply of a coveted product. By charging for parking, people will be encouraged to park only as long as they need to, and not simply leave their car in one place “because they found a space.” When charging for parking, people move from spaces as quickly as possible in order to pay as little as possible, and spaces are made available to others. Thus, charging for parking makes fewer spaces operate like more through turnover of those spaces. It effectively increases capacity by accommodating more cars (and people) with the same number of spaces. Without parking management in general and fees in particular, employees and merchants tend to park in the best spaces all day, depriving paying customers of the most convenient spots. Business owners and employees "shouldn't" park in prime spaces, but they do. This pattern has been observed almost universally, anywhere where parking is not actively managed.
The second reason to charge for parking is to generate revenue for the maintenance and upkeep of parking facilities and to fund infrastructure improvements including parking management, parking capacity improvements, and parking alternatives. The ideal occupancy rate for any location is considered 85%, which means that 1 out of every 8 spaces is available, even in the most desirable locations and even during the busiest hours. In areas with paid parking, the highest demand spaces should be priced at a level to ensure adequate turnover.
Paid parking takes parkers' needs into account and appeals to those needs, enticing them to park where the downtown needs them to park. In order to understand the various needs of parkers, they can be divided into four groups:
The Unpleaseables ‐ a small but vocal group. They want to park right in front of their destination, for free, all day. Sadly, nothing can be done to please them. Free parking will be jammed up and unavailable to them when they want it, which will displease them. Enforcement of time limits may free up a space or two for them, but if they get a parking ticket it would displease them.
Charging them is of course upsetting, as is asking them to walk.
The Dream Parkers ‐ they are a dream for the parking manager. These are patrons who just want to get out of their car and hit the sidewalks. They will walk, they will pay. They do not mind what they have to do as long as it is reasonable. Unfortunately, they constitute a small percentage of parkers.
The Convenience Hunters ‐ they want to be close to their destination. That is their primary concern. They are usually coming to the area for relatively short periods of time to shop or to
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12 eat. They are often in a hurry, and this adds to their desire for close‐in parking spots. Like everyone else they enjoy free parking, but when they want a convenient space badly enough, they are willing to pay for it.
The Bargain Hunters ‐ they are looking for a great deal. They are typically people that will be downtown for a while and do not want to rack up a large tab for parking. They are often employees, merchants, or all‐day beachgoers. Typically, they are willing to do what it takes to get that bargain, whether it be circling around a free parking area or walking a few blocks. They just want the bargain.
If a city's downtown is lively and vibrant and there is a lot of competition for parking, it is inefficient to make all, or even any, parking free. In Pismo Beach, free parking spaces adjacent to paid parking areas and in the Addie Street Lot will be congested because these spaces are both a bargain and convenient enough. On‐Street meters and the Pier Lot are also congested because, despite the cost to park, they are very convenient to the beach, restaurants, and businesses. To partially compensate, some on‐street spaces are time limited during the summer. Rigidly enforced time limits can result in customers being burdened with an expensive ticket for just being a few minutes over time. Ironically, employees and merchants, the main focus of the time limits and ticket writing, often develop very sophisticated systems to rotate cars and avoid tickets in time‐limited parking areas while still congesting prime customer parking spaces.
Benefits Of a Managed Timed Parking Program, Past and Future
A strategy that cities use to create turnover of prime parking spaces is to limit the time that one may park in a given space. This system can be effective in causing customers to leave quickly. However, employees and merchants figure out systems for avoiding a ticket by moving their vehicle to another space before the time limit is up, by erasing the chalk before the enforcement officer returns, or by swapping spaces with a co‐worker several times a day.
Absent paid parking, the only way for time limits to create the desired turnover in a busy downtown is to back them up with aggressive enforcement. If the enforcement is not aggressive, people will figure it out quickly and flagrantly violate the time limits ‐ especially employees who have the advantage of being downtown all day every day and can easily figure out patterns to parking enforcement patrols. In cases where timed parking is not effective, paid parking solutions need to be implemented to maintain adequate turnover and access to parking spaces.
The conclusion is that timed parking can do the job but comes with a heavy downside of aggressive, expensive enforcement and customer ill‐will. If paid parking is instituted in more prime parking areas and adequate spaces are made available, then time limits are no longer relevant to achieve parking management goals, and instead potentially inconvenience customers. If there is a space or two available in the most desired parking areas, then it does not matter how long each individual car is there, as the patrons who value the spaces the highest are the ones paying to park there. Additionally, if needed, paid parking can be structured to simulate time limits through implementation of higher hourly fees for longer stays, such as $X/hour for the first four (4) hours and $Y/hour for additional hours. In a paid parking environment, timed parking can often be phased out.
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13 Current/Existing Conditions
This section provides an overview of parking conditions in the Downtown as of July 2022.
Current Downtown Public Parking Supply
As of July 2022, there were 1,518 public parking spaces in the Downtown based on fieldwork conducted by Walker Consultants. The breakdown of the public supply was as follows:
On‐Street Parking Spaces – 1,095 (includes 85 active metered parking spaces) o Note: this total does not include 18 metered parking spaces occupied by dining decks at the time of the review.
Public Off‐Street Parking Spaces – 423
The figure below shows the location of public off‐street parking facilities as well as the metered, timed, and seasonal timed parking areas.
Figure 1: Downtown Pismo Beach Parking Management Plan Area Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
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14 Parking Utilization
Parking occupancy data to inform the parking management plan update was collected on a Friday and Saturday in July 2022.
Figures 2‐6 below show the utilization at peak on both the Friday and Saturday, as well as parking demand levels throughout the day on the Saturday of data collection, by parking type (on‐street, public off‐street, private off‐street). The graphics include select private off‐street parking facilities that were also counted by Walker Consultants during the public parking data collection.
Figures 2‐6 below demonstrate, even during the busiest period, an imbalance between high parking occupancies at the core of the study area while parking spaces at the periphery are underutilized. This inefficient phenomenon is what the elements of a Parking Management Plan are intended to remedy.
Further, turning over the highest demand spaces frequently and moving longer‐stay parkers to underutilized spaces can materially increase the capacity of the parking system.
Figure 2: Peak Parking Demand, Summertime Saturday – 3:00 PM
Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
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15 Figure 3: Peak Parking Demand, Summertime Friday– 3:00 PM
Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
Figure 4: Summer Saturday On‐Street Parking Demand over Time
Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
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16 Figure 5: Summer Saturday Off‐Street Parking Demand over Time Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
Figure 6: Summer Saturday Private Off‐Street Parking Demand over Time Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
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17 Figure 7: Revenue and Transactions by Month
Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
Figure 7 above demonstrates that seasonal pricing leads to strong transactions throughout the year with Winter months averaging less revenue than in summer months. Both revenue and transactions overall were higher in 2021 than 2022.
Figure 8: Transactions by day of week (October 2021 – September 2022) Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
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18 As shown in Figure 8, Saturday and Sunday have the most transactions during the week, with Fridays being the next busiest. Monday had slightly higher transactions than Tuesday‐Thursday, likely due to holidays often occurring on a Monday.
Figure 9: Wolosz Lot transactions by day (October 2021‐September 2022) Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
Located between Pomeroy Avenue and Main Street, the Wolosz lot has been leased by the City for paid off‐street parking. The lease ends in April 2023. The information in Figure 9 is intended to convey the lot is highly used on the weekends year‐round with multiple users or ‘turns’ per space in a day. Usage is modest during summer weekdays with little to no demand off season weekdays.
Figure 10: Parking timed purchased averages
Source: City of Pismo Beach, 2023
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19 As shown in Figure 10, the average time per transaction at a meter in 2022 and 2023 was between approximately 46 and 49 minutes. The average time at a kiosk per transaction was approximately 1 hour and 56 minutes.
Figure 11: Parking timed purchases by kiosk location
Source: City of Pismo Beach, 2023
As shown in Figure 11, average time parked in a lot using a kiosk ranged from approximately one hour and 51 minutes to two hours and 19 minutes in 2022, and one hour and 50 minutes to two hours and 14 minutes in 2023.
Figure 12: Parking timed purchases by metered City block
Source: City of Pismo Beach, 2023
As shown in Figure 12, the longest timed purchases by metered block in 2022 and 2023 was the 100 block of Hinds Street, averaging between 52 and 57 minutes per transaction. The least amount of time
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20 by metered block in 2022 and 2023 was the 700 block of Cypress Street, averaging between approximately 41 and 44 minutes per transaction.
Parking Utilization, Policy Findings, and Considerations The recommendations in this updated Parking Management Plan have been made based on the observations related to the data collected in Pismo Beach, as well as parking management best practices.
Below we identify some of these considerations.
Parking Structure Considerations:
Addressing the dramatic swings in parking demand that occur throughout the year may be most productively addressed using parking management measures, rather than a parking structure that might not be used most of the year and could generate little to no revenue outside of weekends and busy summer days. A balanced approach of parking management measures and parking capacity increases could also prove effective.
o An example of the swings in parking demand in Downtown can be seen in revenue and transaction data in the Wolosz Lot. This lot had been leased by the up through April 2023 and may eventually be sold and developed, which would remove it from the public parking supply. Walker reviewed daily parking transactions in the Wolosz Lot between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022. On 175 of the 365 days there were 25 or fewer daily transactions recorded at this 92‐space parking lot’s pay stations. On 237 of the 365 days there were 92 or fewer daily transactions. On these days there is likely enough parking capacity elsewhere downtown to absorb the loss of the lots public parking spaces.
Thus, on most days a parking structure elsewhere downtown, to replace the lost supply in the Wolosz Lot due to the lease expiration, would be lightly utilized. o The expected, imminent removal of the Wolosz Lot from the Downtown’s parking supply will be keenly felt on weekends throughout the year, and in particular during the summer season, but will not have nearly the same impact on weekdays. o The 2016 Walker Parking Consultants study looked at the feasibility of constructing an approximately 300‐space (approximately 210 net new space) parking garage on the Wolosz Lot and found that parking demand throughout the year as a whole in Pismo Beach did not justify the costs of construction from a revenue/cost perspective. The study indicated that if the garage was used as an economic development tool to support increased development/density downtown “the City could potentially generate enough constant demand for parking with 15,500 SF of new restaurant, 28,500 SF of retail, and a 100‐room hotel” as an example. Thus, as part of a balanced approach and economic development driver, a parking structure could be a valuable resource. o The City should consider the significant cost of building and maintaining a parking structure as part of any policy decision. Funding a parking structure is challenging for any city, with a parking structure not likely to return a positive return on investment.
Improvements in how the City manages the parking can be a more cost‐effective strategy.
Since a parking structure would be a cost rather than a revenue center overall, it is a policy decision whether to absorb this cost to alleviate parking issues that occur only in the summer and on weekends (absent other economic development in the Downtown). Simply adding spaces may not be the best way overall to address capacity issues, as the construction of additional capacity does not mean that patrons will use that capacity if they find it inconvenient or expensive.
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21 The price charged for parking should be related to the demand for parking. Goals set forth in the Downtown Strategic Plan related to land use call for a “balanced” parking approach. Increasing the parking supply can be part of a balanced approach and work with the goals in the Strategic Plan. It can encourage walkability by providing a centralized parking location and a park once environment.
Peak parking demand does not occur frequently enough to justify building more parking in and of itself.
The City’s parking system is underutilized most of the year. Building parking to accommodate spikes in demand is a legitimate, but expensive parking management strategy. Additional off‐street parking spaces are typically the last spaces to be occupied but cost the most to build.
Other parking management considerations:
Many visitors can or do park in locations other than public parking when they come Downtown.
The generally ample supply of parking at the City’s many hotels, RV parks and campgrounds represents an opportunity for visitors to come to Pismo Beach without using public parking. Some of these visitors may only need to travel one to two miles to reach the Pismo Beach coastal and commercial core. Alternatives to driving and parking may benefit these visitors and the City.
Developing ways for these hotel guests to access Downtown without parking would be a cost‐ effective way of addressing the demand for parking while being consistent with the goals expressed in the City’s Downtown Strategic Plan.
Before adding additional capacity, the City should explore the potential to ‘unlock’ private parking in and near the Downtown that is currently underutilized on weekends.
Related Goals and Policies
Since the original Parking Management Plan in 2007, the City has updated its General Plan (2023), created a Downtown Strategic Plan (2014), and Climate Action Plan (2014). The updates to this Parking Management Plan are intended to be consistent with these plans. These documents contain goals and principles that support this Parking Management Plan. An effective parking management plan is an efficient plan, which tends to have the added benefits of being cost‐effective and environmentally sound.
In this way, Plans that promote these policy goals also support sound parking management practices.
General Plan Circulation Element (2021 update)
a. 4.1.20 Downtown Traffic and Parking
• The City shall work with the lodging industry to 1) provide free (or very low rent) bicycles for guests, and 2) to develop and maintain a trolley system for summer months, weekends, and special events.
• Consider implementing a shuttle program between satellite parking areas and Downtown as a Travel Demand Management strategy, to relieve traffic congestion and to reduce parking demand Downtown. Potential areas for satellite parking include sites east of the US 101 and to the north and south of Downtown.
• Consider implementing and installing a Dockless Bike program throughout the City as a Travel Demand Management strategy, to relieve traffic congestion and to reduce parking demand Downtown.
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22 • Consider Public/Private Partnership opportunities. • Rezone and develop parking structures in the Downtown area. b. 4.1.29 Traffic and Accident Monitoring & Reduction
• Encouraging employer‐sponsored incentives for transit, bike, or carpool use. • Providing shuttle service to major events and destinations. • Promoting shopping or entertainment events that are at off‐peak hours. • Utilize alternative parking strategies as a means of managing transportation demand. • Support programs that reduce the interregional use of single‐occupant vehicles and increase the use of alternative forms of transportation such as walking, riding buses and bicycles, bike share, and using carpools.
• Support and develop education programs directed at promoting types of transportation other than the single‐occupant vehicle.
c. 4.1.48 Promote Walking and Bicycling.
• Promote walking and bicycle riding for transportation, recreation, commuting, and improvement of public and environmental health. Make downtown more functional and enjoyable for bicyclists and pedestrians. Pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths shall receive at least the same emphasis and attention in future planning as facilities designed for the automobile.
d. 4.1.79 Comprehensive Transit Services.
• The City shall support the availability of transit service as a means to reduce automobile congestion, to provide transportation for those who have no other form of transportation, as a means to reduce air pollution, and as a service to visitors. Such support should include, but not be limited to, SCT, Greyhound bus service, vanpools, shuttle bus systems, dial‐a‐ride services, and cab services.
e. 4.1.80 Vanpools and Ride Sharing.
The City shall encourage and support vanpools and ride sharing. A special program should be developed in cooperation with the visitor industry to encourage vanpools and ride sharing for hotel and related workers. Appropriate locations shall be designated for ride share parking lots.
f. 4.1.81 Multimodal Transfer Centers.
The City will continue to work with Caltrans, SCT, RTA, SLOCOG, and the commuting public to develop multimodal transfer areas or centers that will incorporate automobile parking areas, bike parking, bus, transit, pedestrian bike paths, and park and ride pick‐up or drop‐off points for carpooling.
Downtown Strategic Plan (2014)
a. “Providing safe and convenient options to bike, walk, and shuttle to the Downtown will reduce the need for automobiles and will relieve traffic and parking congestion.” b. 6.2.4 Bike Share A bike share is a system whereby bicycles are made available for shared use on a short‐term basis. Bike shares would be well‐suited to the Downtown, and could encourage residents and visitors to use bikes as an alternative mode of accessing the Downtown. This would have positive environmental benefits, free additional parking spots, and provide a fun way to travel to and from Downtown.
c. 6.2.5 Shuttle Program A shuttle program could be used to transport people to and from the Downtown and satellite parking areas. Potential areas for satellite parking include sites east of the 101 Freeway and to the north and south of Downtown. The pedestrian/bike bridge at Pismo
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23 Creek could serve as a potential drop‐off location and could encourage the pedestrian orientation of Downtown.
Climate Action Plan (2014)
a. Measure TL‐6: Parking Supply Management suggests reducing or eliminating parking requirements downtown, creating maximum parking requirements, and/or allowing shared parking. (Goal of net reduction of 500 spaces by 2020). b. L‐7 Public Parking Pricing suggests adding meters to public spaces, charging market prices, and setting prices to achieve 85% utilization on‐street and 90% off‐street. (Goal to price 2,000 public spaces and increase prices 25%).
Parking Advisory Committee (PAC) Feedback
Walker Consultants spoke with all PAC members via phone in November of 2022 to gather their input.
Below is a summary of the feedback:
Lack of available parking spaces on busy days is a challenge for the Downtown Downtown and the beach area is a big sales tax generator. Need to reduce obstacles to parking and increase transportation access.
City’s budget is tourism dependent.
Need to get employees out of prime spaces.
There is not enough parking enforcement staff.
More bike racks/bike parking are needed.
A lack of a suitable site for a parking structure is a large constraint. Shuttles have failed in the past, but should be looked at periodically given the lack of options.
Recommended Parking Management Strategies
The overarching recommendation is for the City to continue implementing an integrated parking plan that considers multiple modes of transportation, parking capacity needs, and the needs of residents, visitors, businesses, employees, and beachgoers.
Paid Parking
Paid parking is more efficient and flexible for drivers than timed parking in achieving desired goals such as parking turnover, and ensuring the availability of the most desirable spaces, as they are occupied by the patrons who value them the most. The paid parking program in Pismo Beach has overall been successful. However, on weekends throughout much of the year, Fridays in the summer, and especially summer weekends, parking availability and circulation through the downtown area becomes challenging.
This suggests two things: that the current pricing in the most in‐demand parking areas continues to be below what the market will bear and that the continued presence of significant free on‐ and off‐street parking is causing treasure hunting behaviors that exacerbates circulation issues experienced in the summer. The 2022 data collection noted that while free parking at the Addie Street lot was the first parking area to be ‘full,’ the Pier Lot fills up second, including before outlying areas of free parking, which is indicative of strong demand for convenient parking in downtown Pismo Beach related primarily to beach access.
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24 The continued existence of free parking areas will continue to lead to “treasure hunting” behaviors, and even hoarding of spaces; the scarcity of spaces causes people to “hold on” to spaces longer than usual because they do not want to vacate a free space once they find it.
On‐Street Parking
Recommendation: It is recommended that the paid parking zone be enlarged significantly in a phased manner, starting with streets closest to the pier and spreading out from there. Paid parking should be expanded into the current areas of on‐street parking, some of which are now under seasonal time restrictions to include the following areas:
o Price Street between San Luis Avenue and Pomeroy Avenue o Pismo Avenue between Price Street & Dolliver Street
o Main Street between Price Street and the beach
o Pomeroy Avenue between Price Street and Dolliver Street o Hinds Avenue between Price Street and Dolliver Street o Stimson Avenue between Dolliver Street and the beach
o Ocean View Avenue, Park Avenue and Addie Street between Cypress Street and the beach o Dolliver Street from Pismo Avenue to Stimson Avenue
o Cypress Street between San Luis Avenue and Wadsworth Avenue o Cypress Street between Hinds Avenue and Stimson Avenue
Metered on‐street parking should continue to utilize demand‐based pricing. There can be significant pricing discounts during the offseason, particularly on weekdays. Based on the demand seen during the summer and the revenue data throughout the year, hourly parking rates in the Downtown core need to be increased from the current $5.00/hour. The newly recommended areas for metering on Price Street could have a lower rate based on demand and proximity to the beach. On weekdays during the off‐season, meter rates in non‐core areas could be as low as $0.25/hour.
The desired outcome of this recommendation is that long‐term parkers using spaces that are currently not priced will choose to park in currently underutilized spaces or choose other modes by which to access the area. Currently heavily utilized spaces will experience greater availability and incentives for parking space “hoarding” will diminish.
Off‐Street Public Parking
From a parking management perspective, free parking in the Addie Lot is problematic, as it represents a concentrated pool of “golden tickets” that vehicles will gravitate to and circulate in, hoping to grab a spot that can save money. As most vehicles arrive in Pismo Beach from the north, this results in a large number of vehicles driving through the entire downtown area to hunt for free parking at the south end of downtown. Free parking encourages all‐day parkers and inhibits turnover in the lot. In parking management, bargain hunters are typically encouraged to park in the periphery, not cruise for parking in the core. Both the increased traffic driving through downtown and reduced turnover in this lot inhibit access to the coast rather than enhance it.
Recommendation: This plan recommends that the City work with the California Coastal Commission to explore the feasibility of approval for paid parking in the Addie Street lot. The desired outcome is less cruising for parking by those seeking free parking at this location, their choice to park in peripheral spaces,
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25 and the use of Addie Street by drivers intending to stay for a shorter period of time so as to make way for additional parkers, thereby turning the spaces in the lot and increasing daily parking capacity.
Paid Parking Hours of Enforcement
During the summer in particular, parking demand remains high throughout the day and into the evening.
This suggests that the current hours of paid parking enforcement do not last long enough.
Recommendation: This plan recommends that hours of paid parking enforcement be increased from 10am‐6pm to 10am‐8pm. With dynamic pricing the City can set lower rates for the last few and/or first few hours of parking enforcement at lower rates than the peak of the day. If paid parking is implemented in the Addie Street parking lot, the City should consider having slightly modified hours of enforcement of 12pm‐8pm in that lot only, to allow for locals and bargain hunters the ability to enjoy a morning’s worth of free parking at the beach. The desired outcome is that the benefits of paid parking will last beyond the late afternoon, after which parkers may essentially pay a flat rate or (after 6:00 pm) pay nothing and be able to leave their car on the street for over twelve hours. This is particularly problematic for businesses open in the evening and for people looking for parking in the late daylight hours in summer.
Residential Parking
The recommended additional paid parking areas have a limited, but non‐zero impact on residents living in the Paid Parking Zone. In particular, residential properties on Stimson Avenue, Ocean View Avenue, Park Avenue, and Addie Street will be affected by paid on‐street parking. Since the Downtown is within the Coastal Zone, any proposed permit program would need to be approved by the Coastal Commission, which typically frowns upon programs that provide preferential access.
Recommendation: The City should explore the approvability of a program wherein any resident that lives adjacent to paid on‐street and does not have on‐site parking could apply for a no‐ or low‐ cost Parking Permit in the paid on‐street parking areas. An on‐site inspection by staff would be needed to verify the existing parking condition. One permit for one vehicle registered at that address would be issued. The permit would be valid to park in the same block as the residence only. A second option would be to consider a parking meter permit program open to all residents of the State of California, and therefore not preferential. The program could be restricted to any meters outside of the commercial core and excluding off‐street parking facilities as an undesirable side effect of a program that included, for example, the Pier Lot, could be residents of the Five Cities area monopolizing parking at the pier on summer weekends.
The desired outcome of this effort is at least twofold. First, to provide fairness to residents who must rely on street parking but would be subject to paid parking intended to turn over public parking spaces for visitors. Second, this fairness would hopefully allow for greater support, or at least less opposition from residents to policies designed to more actively turnover spaces on the street, thereby increasing parking access for the general public.
Vacation Rental Parking
Properties in the Downtown area that are vacation rentals should not receive any form of parking preference or special consideration in the Downtown area.
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26 Recommendation: This plan recommends that vacation rental listings within the Downtown paid parking zone be required to disclose whether the property has on‐site parking, and if it does not, disclose that guests would need to pay for parking on an hourly/daily basis if they intend to bring a personal vehicle for their stay. Although the fee would be calculated hourly, parking meters could accept an all‐day parking payment. The desired outcome of this policy would be for vacation rental guests to be more mindful of the scarcity of parking in the area and the number of vehicles they bring. Long‐term on‐street parking can have a negative impact on parking availability for the shorter‐staying public.
Employee Parking
There have been many discussions about employee parking over the years before and since the original parking management plan. On the one hand, the hospitality, retail, and restaurant industry in the downtown area includes many lower wage ‘service’ jobs whose workers may not be able to afford to pay market rates for parking. However, if there is free on‐street parking as there is today, employees (and business owners) will occupy prime parking spaces all day, reducing turnover and access to the Coast and businesses. Expanding the paid parking area will result in employees moving into residential areas east of Dolliver Street/North of Stimson Avenue or on Dolliver Street north of San Luis Avenue, areas that tend to be the least utilized parking in the area, and the last to fill up on summer weekends. It is not necessarily inequitable to charge for parking as long as parking alternatives and transportation alternatives are available so that both visitors and employees can decide how much to spend on parking and transportation.
Recommendation: Alternatives for employee parking include the following:
Employers, particularly hotels and larger restaurants, can offer employees incentives to carpool, vanpool or take transit. This could include the provision of free transit passes, provision of on‐site parking spaces for verified employee carpools/vanpools which could encourage employees to rendezvous outside of downtown and travel to downtown in one vehicle.
The City can look into securing shared‐use agreements with commercial establishments in the area that have low parking demand on weekends and offer parking to both downtown employees and ‘bargain hunting’ visitors as free parking options. Unlocking the private supply is discussed in more detail later in this Plan.
It should be noted that employees having to make a decision on whether to pay for parking or travel to work by another means of transportation is one of the most impactful ways of reducing single occupied vehicle mode share and helping the City achieve its climate action goals.
The desired outcome of this recommendation is to provide fair and affordable options for employee parking while limiting the impact that employee parkers have on the availability of parking for customers, visitors, and other members of the general public.
Special Permit Parking
To be in compliance with Coastal requirements, special parking permits should only be issued when absolutely necessary.
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27 Recommendation: The Police Department will manage the special permit parking program. Permits will be issued to the City for use by employees and elected/appointed officials conducting official City business.
Expansion of Public Parking
The need for expansion of parking facilities is more of an economic development decision than a financial feasibility decision. Currently, there is a need for additional parking on summer weekends as the parking system is effectively full and traffic is congested through Downtown. Parking demand is also high on weekends in general throughout the year and Fridays in the summer, although not to the same degree as on summer weekends. Existing demand alone would not allow for the acquisition of land and construction of parking that would pay for itself over time.
The main impediment to additional parking Downtown is the lack of available sites that would increase the downtown parking supply by a meaningful amount. City staff prepared a downtown parking options report for City Council consideration in June 2021. Most of the sites considered are already used for parking during the summer and would therefore not add to peak season parking capacity. The Council directed staff to explore acquisition of the parcel on the corner of Hinds Avenue and Cypress Street. Since this vacant, gravel, parcel is not gated off, it was observed to be parked to capacity during the summer 2022 parking occupancy counts by vehicles who drove over the curb and ‘made’ parking spaces.
If a parking structure is desired, the Wolosz lot is most advantageous in terms of lot size and proximity to the downtown core. The second choice would be to acquire the parcels adjacent to the north Main Street Lot, which could allow for the construction of a relatively efficient L‐shaped or rectangular structure. It is unclear if any of the property owners at either location have an interest in selling the land to the City at reasonable market rates.
Recommendation: If the City, and the downtown business community agree that the economic development benefits of additional parking downtown outweigh the costs, and is worth funding, there are several potential sources of funding the City should consider, including the following:
Bonding of revenue from the existing parking system (and potentially including the recommended expanded parking meter area) to debt service on a new parking facility. Use of transient occupancy taxes (hotel taxes)
City of Pismo Beach General fund.
Creation of a Parking Assessment District. Parking Assessment Districts have the ability to generate money for parking by charging Downtown properties an assessment on their property tax. The funds then can be used to pay off bonds for the construction of new parking facilities.
Parking in‐lieu fees for redevelopments in the downtown area. This could allow small parcels, here providing on‐site parking is not feasible to redevelop or intensify its on‐site uses in an economical fashion. This development could make a per space contribution (likely much less than the actual cost of constructing a space) and the new demand associated with these developments would add to the revenue potential of the additional downtown parking supply.
The desired outcome of this recommendation would be the achievement of the goal to build new parking near where it is desired most. As is typical in most communities where many people want to visit, the costs and lack of suitable and available parcels are the greatest constraints.
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28 Unlock Private Supply
During the summer 2022 data collection, pockets of underutilized private parking were observed, particularly on weekends, in and adjacent to the study area.
Recommendation: This Plan recommends the City examine working with private property owners to unlock their underutilized private supply for public use when their use is not active. Potential candidates include the below locations. They represent a significant number of parking spaces that already exist.
When one considers the cost to acquire the land and the capital cost to build these spaces, a city expenditure to lease these spaces during busy times only appears to be a cost‐effective solution to increasing the capacity of public parking.
Bank of the Sierra: This parking lot is large and generally empty on weekends. The City should consider entering into an agreement, if possible, with this business to utilize the lot for downtown parking on weekends. Tying in with Downtown Strategic plan and General Plan for a bike sharing system, the City could fund a bike share hub at this location, providing downtown employees or visitors who park in this lot a means to access the Downtown other than walking. Vista Seafood: This lot is empty in the morning, mainly empty during the day and fuller at night.
Portions of this lot, which is adjacent to Bank of the Sierra could be used for daytime Downtown employe parking, such as hotel cleaning staff, who would be finished with their shift before the restaurant’s dinnertime peak.
While not part of the 2022 data collection study area, the Kon‐Tiki Inn and Pismo Beach Athletic Club parking lots should be observed in 2023/2024 as they may also have significant availability on summer weekends, that could tie into the recommended bike hub/bike share program. Price Street Plaza: this primarily office building with 30+ parking spaces was generally empty on the weekend and would be a good location for downtown employee parking on weekends or could be operated as a commercial lot on weekends with an attendant and daily rate. Rosa’s Italian: This restaurant serves dinner only, and the parking lot is mainly empty on weekdays and weekends before 4pm. This could be a good location for daytime Downtown employee parking, such as hotel cleaning staff, who would be finished with their shift before the restaurant opens for dinner.
Thai Talay: This restaurant currently serves dinner only, and the parking lot is mainly empty on weekdays and weekends before 4pm. This could be a good location for daytime Downtown employe parking, such as hotel cleaning staff, who would be finished with their shift before the restaurant opens for dinner.
Both Hotel Pismo and Cypress Landing open their lots to public parking on summer weekends.
They employ a parking attendant and charge a high $50 flat rate, which, while high, was being paid by some visitors.
Parking at the Mechanics Bank at the corner of Main Street and Price Street was observed to be full on Friday night and on Saturday during the summer 2022 data collection. It appears this property may already have an agreement with adjacent uses (such as Giuseppe’s Cucina Italiana) for employees/customers to park here, or visitors generally know that the business allows parking for other uses during non‐business hours.
The City should also check parking utilization at Downtown hotels to determine if their existing parking supply is underutilized and could potentially be opened to daily public parking on summer weekends.
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29 The desired outcome of this recommendation is for the parking opportunities listed above, if all unlocked, would contribute as much or more parking to the weekend daytime parking supply than the parking structure on the Wolosz lot contemplated in the 2016 Walker Parking Consultants study.
Downtown Shuttle
It takes a lot of coordination and money to run an effective shuttle system, but it does provide a targeted increase in parking capacity to accommodate spikes in parking demand. The reason for this is that remote parking plus a shuttle will always be parking of last resort, particularly if there is free or inexpensive parking closer to one’s destination that can be searched for. Patrons and humans in general prefer to be or feel in control of their time, and time spent waiting for a shuttle from a remote parking lot feels worse to a patron than even time spent in gridlock trying to access Downtown on a summer Saturday. A shuttle offers enormous benefits in terms of the ability to increase access to a destination through capacity.
However, for a shuttle to be effective it must have frequent, reliable headways, which requires several shuttles and several drivers which is capital and labor intensive.
It is recommended that remote shuttle service be considered as an option in the long term to alleviate congestion during the summertime and special events. A shuƩle would allow people to avoid driving into the most congested parts of the Pismo Beach commercial area and to use underuƟlized parking locaƟons during the busiest Ɵmes, including locaƟons north and south of the downtown core and Pier area. To accommodate an efficient shuttle system, limiting or prohibiting vehicular traffic on specific street segments should be considered. This option would likely require a traffic study to assess potential impacts to the downtown circulation system. The remote parking facility would need to have high capacity, otherwise the effectiveness of the shuttle system would be significantly limited. For the cost of operating a shuttle from a remote location, it may be more cost effective, for the City to geofence the remote parking area, and pay for all ride hail (Uber, Lyft, or Via) trips to/from the remote parking area, as some rural areas have found replacing dial‐a‐ride with ride hailing has resulted in lower costs per trip.
Electric Bicycles (E‐Bikes)
This parking management plan recommends connecting to the downtown with a shared e‐bike service.
This would include planning and designing e‐bike docking areas (i.e., bike racks for e‐bikes that include re‐ charging capabilities) in strategic locations on the periphery and in the Downtown core so that e‐bikes are not left randomly on sidewalks and so that they remain in a state of good charge without being pulled out of service. Some form of security such as cameras and monitoring would also be required at dock locations. Ideally the City would work with an established micro‐mobility company that would provide an app and customer and technical support, and maintenance. The desired outcome of a shuttle program is the ability of the parking system to accommodate peaks or spikes in demand for access to events and the core commercial area of Pismo Beach.
Extension of Boardwalk
The boardwalk currently connects Addie Street northward to Main Street. Future plans should investigate the feasibility of extending the boardwalk north to the various hotels. This idea would provide a direct and convenient connection to the downtown area with ocean views. This concept would encourage guests of the hotels to keep their cars parked at the hotel, thus helping to alleviate downtown congestion. A variety of environmental studies and documentation would be required to assess the project feasibility
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30 due to the various gullies, drainages, and uneven terrain in many areas. Additionally, easements through various private properties would need to be obtained.
Roles and Responsibilities
This section summarizes the roles and responsibilities for those in the city who approve and administer the Parking Management Plan. It also references parts of the City ordinance and plans that may be relevant to planning for parking capacity within the study area.
The authority to amend and approve this plan rests with the City Council. The Parking Advisory Committee is required to provide a written recommendation on any proposed amendment to the Plan to the City Council.
Initiation of amendments to the Plan may begin with the City Council, the Parking Advisory Committee, City Staff, or any party submitting a request to amend the plan and paying the appropriate fee established by the City Council. Those requesting an amendment to the Plan, other than the City Council, Parking Advisory Committee, or City Staff, shall be responsible for the cost of any study or environmental compliance documents deemed necessary to properly evaluate the requested amendment.
Program Management
The City’s Chief of Police will serve as the Parking Operations Manager and the Director of Community Development will serve as the Administration Manager of the Parking Management Plan. Both positions will continue to work with the Parking Advisory Committee and City Council, to implement this plan. The Parking Division Manager (Parking Division of Police Department) will undertake a wide range of actions to make the public aware of the provisions of this plan including:
Management of Parking Generated Revenue
Financing of Paid Parking District
Annual Review of Parking Management Plan
Enforcement and Citation Administration
Parking Laws will be strictly enforced to discourage overtime parking. To discourage habitual parking violations.
To encourage paid parking payments.
To discourage meter feeding.
To direct employees and merchants to areas of free parking. Parking enforcement personnel to strictly enforce all parking laws, especially overtime violations and misuse of loading zones.
Appendices
Previous Studies (Walker Parking Consultants Study 2016), Walker Consultants 2022 Parking Data Collection and Analysis Summary)
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