City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: MAY 16, 2023 FROM: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: ORDINANCE FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A CAR SHARE PARKING PROGRAM FOR RIVERSIDE CLEAN AIR CAR SHARE – AMEND RIVERSIDE MUNICIPAL CODE TO ADD SECTION 10.52.260 ISSUE:
Consideration adoption of an Ordinance for the establishment of a Car Share parking program in the City of Riverside.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council introduce and subsequently adopt an Ordinance amending Chapter 10 of the Riverside Municipal Code to add Section 10.52.260 regarding parking of car share vehicles.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
The item was scheduled to be brought before the Mobility and Infrastructure Committee on April 13, 2023, however, the meeting was cancelled. Due to the time sensitive nature of the item and upcoming launch of the program, the item has now been brought forth to City Council for consideration. Mobility and Infrastructure Committee Chair Conder has been briefed on the item.
BACKGROUND:
On October 6, 2020, City Council authorized submittal of a $1,000,000 grant application through the CALSTART “Clean Mobility Voucher Pilot Program” to establish a network of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with free usage (up to two hours) for qualifying low-income residents, in partnership with StratosShare and the University of California Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology (UCR CE-CERT). The grant award was formally accepted by City Council on July 6, 2021.
This project is separate from the recently approved $1,000,000 ARPA-funded initiative to pilot a hydrogen generation project at a City facility. No new hydrogen fueling stations will be implemented as part of this project.
DISCUSSION:
The City’s project partner and program operator, StratosShare, is an established local mobility service provider that operates car share stations in San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside Counties. Currently, there are Riverside car share locations at the Riverside Municipal Airport and University of California, Riverside. StratosShare is unique because its vehicles are exclusively hydrogen fuel cell based and do not emit harmful air pollutants like traditional gasoline and diesel vehicles, and can be driven within a 100-mile radius of the rental station.
The grant-funded program, now named Riverside Clean Air Car Share, will provide up to 21 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles available for rent at seven station locations in the City of Riverside. The City has also ensured that qualifying low-income residents be provided with up to two hours of rental service per day at no charge. The qualification and administration of the program will be managed by StratosShare. The City will not own or maintain the vehicles used as part of the program. In turn, the City will provide on-street parking locations within the qualifying Senate Bill (SB) 535 disadvantaged communities location for vehicle rental stations. Each station location can accommodate up to three vehicles. Users can select a vehicle from any station location and will be required to return the vehicle to the station from which it was rented.
Proposed station locations and the type of parking facility are shown in the chart below and can be seen in the attached map.
Location
Parking Facility Type
Downtown Riverside Food Lab – Sixth St
On-Street parking Stalls
UCR - Lot 50 – near University Village
Parking Lot Stalls
UCR - Lot 1
Parking Lot Stalls
Cesar Chavez Community Center – Kansas Ave
On-Street parking Stalls
Casa Blanca Library
Covered Parking Lot Stalls
Arlanza Library
Parking Lot Stalls
Neighborhood near Galleria at Tyler – Banbury Dr
On-Street parking Stalls
The Public Works Department has been working diligently with its grant partners on the planning of the program, including parking locations for the Car Share vehicles. In preparation for the creation of Riverside Clean Air Car Share stations, staff is requesting adoption of a Car Share Parking Program to establish exclusive parking zones for the City’s Car Share vehicles. None of the planned parking zones will reduce the metered parking inventory in the Downtown, or eliminate parking on residential frontages.
Exclusive car share parking zones would ensure vehicles can be made available at the designated locations and will ensure parking is available for users to return the vehicles after completing their rental. A proposed ordinance has been prepared to provide the Public Works Department with the ability to establish such zones and create Car Share stations.
Additional program details are currently being developed and will be shared as the program nears its launch, including rental pricing. While final rental pricing is to be determined, the vehicles will be freely available to qualifying low-income residents. A map illustrating how the planned car share stations will service disadvantaged communities is included in Attachment 2, with the darkest red census tracts illustrating the most severely disadvantaged communities.
Each parking stall, whether on- or off-street, will be designated with signage as well as pavement markings, such as the example shown in the image below:
Los Angeles and San Francisco have existing car share parking zones and staff conferred with them regarding their program regulations, parking conversion, and enforcement. Both agencies have established No Parking Tow-Away Zones for car share vehicles and recommended the City of Riverside do the same to mitigate violations and subsequent impacts to the Car Share Service.
A preliminary draft of the Tow-Away No Parking Sign is shown below. Program branding and rental info will be added to the sign assembly when it has been finalized.
The proposed Car Share Parking program is consistent with the City’s initiatives for a cleaner environment and increase accessibility to low-cost, zero emissions vehicles for disadvantaged communities.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This item contributes to Strategic Priorities 3 – Economic Opportunity, 4 – Environmental Stewardship, and 6 – Infrastructure, Mobility, and Connectivity, and the following goals:
Goal 3.1 - Facilitate partnerships and programs to develop, attract and retain innovative business sectors.
Goal 4.3 - Implement local and support regional proactive policies and inclusive decision-making processes to deliver environmental justice and ensure that all residents breath healthy and clean air with the goal of having zero days of unhealthy air quality per the South Coast Air Quality District’s Air Quality Index (AQI).
Goal 6.1 - Provide, expand, and ensure equitable access to sustainable modes of transportation that connect people to opportunities such as employment, education, healthcare, and community amenities.
This item aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads:
Community Trust – The purpose of this presentation is to initiate community engagement regarding the proposed establishment of exclusive parking zones for the City’s car share vehicles.
Equity – The purpose of the car share program is to increase accessibly of zero emissions vehicles to residents, especially those in disadvantaged communities. The establishment of a parking program within walking distance of the disadvantaged communities would ensure the best service to the transportation hubs.
Fiscal Responsibility – Riverside is a prudent steward of public funds and ensures responsible management of the City’s financial resources by garnering available grant funding from the California Climate Investment’s Clean Mobility Options Voucher Program.
Innovation – Riverside is inventive and timely in meeting the community’s changing needs and prepares for the future through collaborative partnerships and adaptive processes. Riverside Clean Air Car Share will be the City’s first car share program and will be a part of the only hydrogen fuel car share network in the region.
Sustainability & Resiliency – Riverside is committed to meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future and ensuring the City’s capacity to persevere, adapt and grow during good and difficult times alike.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report. Should the program be adopted, costs for the installation of signage and pavement markings will be specified in future reports associated with specific zone establishments.
Prepared by: Gilbert Hernandez, Public Works Director
Certified as to
availability of funds: Edward Enriquez, Interim Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer/City Treasurer
Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachments:
Ordinance
Map
Presentation
Car Share Parking Program ● Page 2