1. Land Use and Urban Design
The land use and urban design policy area provides policies to guide the: mix of permitted uses, intensity and type of future development, function and character of the public realm, and strategies that will result in recognizable, distinguishing features within the downtown plan area.
Goal: The Downtown Specific Plan aims to create a vital social place for the community, while strengthening a distinctive character and identity for San Carlos, rooted in its culture, history, and context. This identity will be defined by thoughtful land use, the physical form of the built environment, and the overall experience of the downtown area.
Policies:
• LU1. Establish the Plan Area as a pedestrian-oriented, vibrant mixed-use district with a cohesive identity that also honors its historic significance. • LU2. In collaboration with key stakeholders and community members, create a distinct identity for each sub-area within the Plan Area: the Downtown Core, Mid-Laurel, and South Laurel (SoLa), by prioritizing appropriate land uses, development character and intensity, and public realm design.
• LU3. Enhance the identity and function of Laurel Street as the “Heart of San Carlos” while prioritizing a unique experience on the 600, 700, and 800 blocks to transform it as the “living room” of the community.
• LU4. Support land use and design strategies for the 1100–1200 blocks of San Carlos Avenue to establish this street segment as a pedestrian and bicycle friendly gateway and a welcoming entrance to the downtown.
• LU5. Promote and support a mix of uses that draw visitors and the local community into the downtown as a place to do business and shop, dine, and gather within the Downtown Core.
• LU6. Enhance the experience along El Camino Real, establishing it as the “front door” to downtown and as an active transportation friendly gateway at key intersections such as San Carlos Avenue and El Camino Real, Arroyo Avenue and El Camino Real and Brittan Avenue and El Camino Real, through infill development with active ground-floor uses,high-quality architecture, and extensive greening. • LU7. Maximize development potential within the Plan Area, by encouraging a mix of uses that create vitality and vibrancy by offering diverse employment opportunities,
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supporting various businesses, providing community amenities and social gathering spaces, recognizing an increase in residential population, and to support activation throughout the day and night.
• LU8. Establish a well-defined streetscape to foster synergy and activation between the Downtown Core and the civic center.
• LU9. Coordinate with SamTrans to align the redevelopment of its headquarters parcel to ensure a mix of land uses based o community goals.
• LU10. Encourage a mix of uses that promote convenience, economic vitality, fiscal stability, safety, and a high quality of life.
• LU11. Promote a balance of resident and worker population in the Plan Area to better support downtown businesses.
• LU12. Establish development standards that improve the visual quality of development, creating a unified, distinctive, and attractive character along downtown streets within the Plan Area.
• LU13. Prioritize active uses on the ground-floor along the 600, 700, and 800 blocks of Laurel Street and the 1100 and 1200 blocks of San Carlos Avenue and at key intersections of El Camino Real with Arroyo Avenue and Brittan Avenue. • LU14. Ensure that all mixed-use buildings with retail and service commercial uses on the ground floor maintain consistent storefront design to enhance the pedestrian experience and create a cohesive public realm.
• LU15. Encourage high-performing uses on the ground floor that support successful retail activity and economic stability of the downtown area. • LU16. Ground-floor public spaces along the 600, 700, and 800 blocks of Laurel Street and 1100 and 1200 blocks of San Carlos Avenue should incorporate a European model for outdoor dining and retail, including but not limited to bistro seating, awnings, umbrellas, and drop-down panels to create visible, inviting, human-scaled and comfortable spaces.
• LU17. Secondary entrances to businesses (including those along alleyways) should be established and required to be clean, maintained, organized, landscaped, well-lit, with enclosed trash receptacles to create a welcoming presence and to allow for pedestrian activity, wayfinding, and ease of access.
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2. Prosperity and Economic Development
The Prosperity and Economic Development policy area outlines strategies to support a thriving downtown economy. The policies discussed here focus on strengthening local businesses, attracting new investment, fostering a diverse mix of commercial uses, and enhancing San Carlos’s position as a regional destination and aim to create a supportive environment for innovation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive economic growth.
Goal: Downtown San Carlos will be a dynamic economic hub that fosters entrepreneurship, enhances infrastructure, and promotes arts and culture to create a thriving, inclusive, and prosperous community. Through strategic placemaking, branding, and enriched by a mix of land uses, the downtown core will support both retail and dining destinations, strengthen economic vitality, and provide for everyday needs through a welcoming and engaging public realm that supports residents, visitors, and businesses alike.
Policies:
• PED1. Prioritize Downtown Core activation through placemaking strategies, fostering entrepreneurship, infrastructure improvements, arts and culture initiatives and promoting equity to be inclusive of all members of the community. • PED2. Work to position the Downtown Core as a special destination through a branding and marketing strategy, and programming of community events and activities.
• PED3. The Parks and Recreation Department will work with the City’s Economic Development Division, stakeholders and local organizations to create and oversee a branding and marketing strategy for the downtown core, including coordinating community events, programming, business promotion, and activities. • PED4. The downtown core – 1100 and 1200 blocks of San Carlos Avenue and the 600, 700, and 800 blocks of Laurel Street shall seek to create a mix of uses, including dining, retail, and everyday services and needs (banking, shopping, salon, doctors, etc.), to become a downtown that supports the local workforce and businesses. • PED5. Designs for the public realm of the downtown core shall reinforce economic prosperity by providing an inviting, vibrant, safe and comfortable downtown experience for all users.
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• PED6. Support and activate the plaza on the 600 block of Laurel Street by enabling program and infrastructure for temporary small business pop-ups to enhance vibrancy and support local entrepreneurs.
• PED7. Ensure proactive coordination and outreach with local businesses during public realm and streetscape improvements. The City will develop construction plans that aim to minimize disruption and support business continuity throughout all project phases.
3. Mobility and Transportation
This policy area presents a multimodal transportation approach that prioritizes improvements to walking, biking, and transit infrastructure, and supports a balanced street network while enhancing downtown circulation and accessibility.
Goal: The Downtown Specific Plan sets forth a comprehensive framework for a multimodal transportation network that prioritizes active transportation, safety, accessibility, and connectivity, while fostering a pedestrian-friendly, vibrant, and equitable downtown that serves the needs of all residents, workers, and visitors in alignment with the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan.
Policies:
• M1. Prioritize development of the 700 block of Laurel Street as a pedestrian-only plaza supporting vitality, vibrancy and equity for all users. • M2. Prioritize the pedestrian experience and corresponding street character for all streets within the downtown core: 1100 and 1200 San Carlos Avenue; 600, 700, 800 blocks of Laurel Street; and the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Cherry St., Olive St.; and the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Arroyo Avenue.
• M3. Prioritize pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure by implementing wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes with vertical buffers, bike parking, green striping for visibility, and safe crossings—particularly along key corridors such as San Carlos Avenue, El Camino Real, Brittan Avenue, Arroyo Avenue, and Laurel Street. • M4. Actively pursue public transit connectivity by enhancing bus stops and improving first- and last-mile connections to Caltrain and bus services through implementation of active transportation infrastructure.
• M5. Promote safe and visible biking infrastructure by incorporating protected bike lanes with vertical buffers, green striping for high visibility, and ample bike parking along primary corridors including San Carlos Avenue, El Camino Real, Brittan Avenue, Arroyo Avenue, and Laurel Street.
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• M6. Develop one bicycle hub at each entry point to the 700 block of Laurel Street that includes secure bicycle stands and supportive amenities to encourage active transportation and support the 700 block of Laurel Street as a wheel-free zone. • M7. Design bus stops to safely interface with bike lanes by using features like boarding islands, curb extensions, and clear signage, as specified in the SamTrans Bus Stop Design Guidance, 2024.
• M8. Ensure equitable access to transportation by incorporating ADA-compliant infrastructure throughout downtown.
• M9. Ensure the downtown alleys have designated locations or managed times for delivery services to park and access businesses.
• M10. Enhance the alleys and extend their function to incorporate secondary access to the businesses as well as loading and unloading services, while strengthening and highlighting the role of alleys in the overall mobility network. • M11. To improve safety for active transportation, promote traffic calming measures and reduced speed limits through improved street design and other measures for streets within the Plan Area.
• M12. Ensure accessibility to the 700 block of Laurel Street pedestrian plaza by establishing designated pick-up/drop-off points for seniors, children, and people with health conditions or mobility challenges.
• M13. Provide clear, consistent, and accessible wayfinding for all mobility users, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers—through signage, maps, and markers that guide people safely and efficiently to key destinations. • M14. Evaluate long-term vehicular traffic modifications, including Holly Street swing lanes, emerging transportation technologies, and congestion mitigation strategies to further support the goal and policies for a vibrant and safe pedestrian-oriented downtown.
• M15. Collaborate with SamTrans, Caltrans, and the Grand Boulevard Initiative to plan and implement coordinated improvements along El Camino Real that enhance safety, mobility, and streetscape quality, consistent with the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan.
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4. Parking & Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
The policy area of Parking and TDM addresses downtown parking needs while promoting more sustainable travel behavior. It introduces strategies to optimize existing parking resources, reduce demand through TDM programs, and support a mode shift toward transit, walking, and biking—all while maintaining convenient access for visitors and businesses.
Goal:
The Downtown Specific Plan sets forth parking management strategies that efficiently address parking needs, responds to changing state and federal laws, and reduces car dependency through innovative Transportation Demand Management strategies.
Policies:
• PTDM1. Manage parking resources as a coordinated, shared system to efficiently and flexibly serve the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors. • PTDM2. Reduce the reliance on single-occupant vehicle (SOV) travel by requiring the use of cost-effective Transportation Demand Management programs, including transit subsidies, carpool incentives, and unbundled parking for new developments. • PTDM3. Establish parking maximums to promote land efficiency and reduce vehicle dependence for encouraging alternative modes of travel, reduce reliance on singleoccupancy vehicles, and limit land devoted to private parking. • PTDM4. Eliminate parking minimums to align with AB 2097 and MTC TOC Policy and encourage development without unnecessary parking requirements. • PTDM5. Require shared parking for new developments to maximize use of underutilized private parking, reduce land use inefficiencies, and support mixed-use and off-peak occupancy patterns.
• PTDM6. Unbundle parking from residential and commercial leases to increase housing affordability and give tenants the choice to opt out of paying for unused parking. • PTDM7. Limit the total downtown parking supply through district-wide caps by land use to support long-term climate and livability goals; Require mew developments to rely on shared or public parking once caps are met.
• PTDM8. Include downtown San Carlos in any future Transportation Management Authority (TMA) to support coordinated mobility strategies, reduce vehicle trips, and enhance access through shared transportation services and programs.
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• PTDM9. Encourage adaptive reuse of parking areas for temporary public space or commercial activation during annual events such as the Art and Wine Faire. • PTDM10. Prioritize pedestrian-friendly design by limiting excessive parking requirements and encouraging the use of existing parking garages and public parking lots as parking solutions.
• PTDM11. Allow for the flexible use of curb space to accommodate a variety of potential needs including vehicle parking (time limited, loading, accessible, etc.), bicycle parking, street trees, temporary event space, etc.
• PTDM12. Develop clear way-finding signage for parking facilities and consider using smart technology that identifies parking availability to reduce congestion from vehicles searching for parking.
• PTDM13. Provide bike parking in downtown alleys and at entrances to the pedestrian plaza, especially near the dismounting zone. Facilities should be easy to find, safe, and convenient for both short- and long-term use.
• PTDM14. Improve alley parking and access by organizing loading, service, and parking functions to reduce street congestion and enhance pedestrian safety, using successful alley layouts as models for future improvements.
5. Public Realm
The Public Realm policy area prioritizes a strong, well-designed public realm to create a socially vibrant and economically thriving downtown with multi-functional streets, generous sidewalks, inviting plazas, and accessible green spaces. Together, these elements support community interaction, enhance walkability, and contribute to the overall appeal and success of Downtown San Carlos.
Goal: The Downtown Specific Plan creates high-quality, multi-functional public spaces and a well-connected street network that fosters social interaction, promotes health and wellbeing, and enhances downtown’s vibrancy. With an expanded tree canopy and sustainable landscaping, the downtown improves ecological resilience, air quality, and pedestrian comfort while addressing climate challenges such as urban heat island effects and stormwater management. Public spaces are designed to be inclusive, ensuring equitable access for all users while contributing to a more sustainable and visually appealing downtown environment.
Policies:
• PR1. Expand and enhance public plazas within the downtown core, including the pedestrian plaza along the full span of the 700 block of Laurel Street (including
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Harrington Park) and the new plaza on the 600 block of Laurel Street to create vibrant community gathering spaces.
• PR2. Enhance connectivity between public spaces to ensure seamless, accessible movement for pedestrians and cyclists.
• PR3. Widen sidewalks in the downtown core in order to accommodate comfortable space for outdoor dining and retail displays and ample space for pedestrian circulation. • PR4. Activate streets by providing public outdoor seating areas that enrich the pedestrian experience and support local businesses.
• PR5. Establish high-quality design standards for outdoor dining and outdoor retail displays to ensure they are safe, attractive, and contribute to a vibrant and cohesive public realm.
• PR6. Provide the full range of public street amenities and furnishings to support public street life and provide a rich downtown experience. This should include distinctive paving, street furnishings (including benches, drinking fountains, trash & recycling receptacles, bike parking racks), signage, wayfinding, and lighting. • PR7. Provide spaces for pop-ups to encourage small local businesses and to provide affordable food and beverage options to the community. Spaces will include electrical outlets so that gas-powered generators can be prohibited. The City will have mechanisms for reviewing and approving pop-up businesses considering location, business type, and design quality.
• PR8. “Smart Poles” will be located throughout the downtown to provide a range of courtesy amenities such as vendor outlets, car charging, courtesy outlets for phone and laptop charging, and Wi-Fi. These will be housed in streetlight poles to the greatest extent possible.
• PR9. Provide extensive greening in the downtown by planting uniform street trees on all downtown streets for shade and cooling, and seasonal variation (spring flowering and fall color).
• PR10. Without impeding ample pedestrian space, integrate green infrastructure throughout downtown, including rain gardens and permeable surfaces, to enhance sustainability and improve stormwater management.
• PR11. Preserve and enhance the urban canopy through the tree preservation ordinance that protects mature trees and encourages long-term maintenance. • PR12. Coordinate early with the City Arborist and tree growers on all downtown improvements to ensure successful cultivation of street trees and long-term enhancement of the urban tree canopy.
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• PR13. Encourage native and/or drought-tolerant landscaping in all new developments and public realm projects to promote sustainability and reduce water usage. • PR14. Ensure regular maintenance of landscaped areas to sustain their ecological, functional, and aesthetic benefits.
• PR15. Encourage and allow for vertical greening, including green walls and rooftop gardens, to improve air quality and mitigate the urban heat island effect. All vertical greening shall have permanent and effective irrigation. • PR16. Create distinctive public spaces by planting accent trees and establishing groves at key nodes along the 600, 700, and 800 blocks of Laurel Street and 1100 and 1200 blocks of San Carlos Avenue to strengthen placemaking and reinforce local identity, as set forth in the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan.
• PR17. Incorporate climate-resilient plantings in all rain gardens, prioritizing native, drought-tolerant, and stormwater-friendly species to support biodiversity and manage urban runoff.
• PR18. Design public spaces for inclusivity, incorporating features and developing programs that engage and accommodate all users.
• PR19. Support the public realm design, particularly along the 700 Block of Laurel and expandable to the 600 & 800 Blocks, to accommodate large community events and gatherings such as farmers markets, art and wine festivals, and other civic celebrations. • PR20. Downtown programmed activities will follow the City’s Noise Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 9.30) and specifically shall follow regulations prescribed in Municipal Code Section 9.30.040 Permit to exceed noise levels when City-sanctioned or sponsored activities are scheduled. Music stage venues will be situated and equipped to minimize excessive ambient noise.
• PR21. Gas-powered generators will be prohibited for downtown events, vendors, performers and pop-ups. Instead, the downtown will be equipped with a network of electrical outlets integrated in “smart poles” to accommodate electrical needs.
6. Public Art
The policies discussed in the Public Art area outline a vision for integrating public art into the fabric of downtown. It encourages collaboration with artists, local organizations, and the community to create engaging, site-specific works that reflect San Carlos’s identity, activate public spaces, and contribute to a vibrant cultural landscape.
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Goal: The Downtown San Carlos Specific Plan aims to create a culturally rich and dynamic downtown through public art that reflects the city’s cultural and ecological heritage. By integrating art into streetscape, alleys, plazas, and civic spaces, community identity is strengthened, local artists are supported, and the public realm is enhanced. This fosters placemaking and inspires both residents and visitors.
Policies:
• PA1. Encourage the integration of public art in streetscapes, plazas, and building facades.
• PA2. Express community cultural and ecological heritage through public art. • PA3. Encourage the retention and preservation of existing public art that holds community significance, such as the Balancing Act sculpture in Harrington Park and the mural on the 800 block of Laurel Street, and promote rotating art installations and interactive public art experiences in the form of QR codes that lead visitors online to learn about art in the newly created public plazas and public spaces in the downtown. • PA4. Collaborate with local arts organizations to support the creation of site-specific artworks and temporary exhibits along the 700 block of Laurel Street Pedestrian Plaza, the new public plaza on the 600 block, and the gateway to downtown at San Carlos Avenue and El Camino Real, enriching the downtown core with vibrant cultural expressions.
• PA5. Collaborate with community stakeholders to identify key locations for murals, sculptures, and other forms of public art.
• PA6. Develop a funding mechanism to support upkeep and maintenance of existing and future public art initiatives.
7. Sustainability and Resiliency
The Sustainability and Resiliency policy area establishes goals and policies to advance environmental sustainability and climate resilience. It promotes green infrastructure, energy efficiency, water conservation, and climate adaptation strategies that reduce environmental impacts while preparing the downtown for future challenges.
Goal: The Downtown Specific Plan aims to promote environmentally sustainable development and infrastructure that enhances downtown’s long-term resilience to climate change and natural hazards, while fostering a vibrant and adaptable urban environment.
This includes integrating resilient infrastructure and climate-responsive strategies to mitigate the impact of environmental challenges and ensure the sustainability of the downtown area for future generations.
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Policies:
• SR1. Implement green infrastructure through rain gardens, permeable pavements, green roofs, and low-impact development strategies to reduce runoff and improve water quality.
• SR2. Integrate electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities in both on-street and off-street parking spaces to promote sustainable mobility and support the adoption of clean energy transportation options throughout downtown.
• SR3. Support local businesses and residents in adopting sustainable practices through incentive programs and education campaigns.
• SR4. Require new developments to incorporate green building standards and energyefficient design.
8. Infrastructure
The infrastructure policy area puts forth infrastructure improvements serving the Plan Area, including wet utilities, and solid waste disposal.
Goal: The San Carlos Downtown Specific Plan aims to ensure a robust, adaptable, and future-ready infrastructure system that supports growth, enhances the quality of life, and meets the evolving needs of the community. This includes investing in modern infrastructure, embracing innovative technologies, and promoting sustainable practices to create a resilient downtown that can effectively accommodate future development and improve the overall urban experience.
Policies:
• I1. Partner with California Water Service (CalWater) and other utility providers to align infrastructure upgrades with Downtown Streetscape Master Plan projects, ensuring seamless coordination, minimizing disruptions, and optimizing project efficiency. • I2. Upgrade water and sewer systems to meet growing demands and incorporate water-saving technologies in new developments and public infrastructure. • I3. Implement smart technologies such as smart street lighting, EV charging stations, public Wi-Fi connectivity, and smart waste management etc. for improved energy efficiency, waste management, and public services.
• I4. Enhance broadband connectivity to support economic growth and innovation.
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• I3. Develop a waste management strategy that prioritizes reduction, recycling, and composting, emphasizing circular economy practices.
• I6. Ensure equitable access to community services, including emergency services for all downtown residents, workers, and visitors.
• I7. Secure funding through public-private partnerships and other models to implement sustainable and cost-effective infrastructure improvements.
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San Carlos
Downtown
Specific Plan 2045
Goals
Policies
Actions
Standards
The Project
Adoption Schedule
PTC: August 18, 2025
CC: September 22, 2025
Downtown Streetscape Master Plan
Adopted April 28, 2025
Packet Pg. 597
Land Use and Urban Design
Land Use and Urban Design
Goal: The Downtown Specific Plan aims to create a vital social place for the community, while strengthening a distinctive character and identity for San Carlos, rooted in its culture, history, and context. This identity will be defined by thoughtful land use, the physical form of the built environment, and the overall experience of the downtown area.
Re-zoning Recommendation
1200 Block San Carlos Avenue | North Side Only
• Rezone MU-DC-100 site
(SamTrans) on San
Carlos Avenue to MUD-120 to allow more
residential density and
maintain current
development envelope.
Rezone site from
MU-DC-100
to MU-D-120
Packet Pg. 600
SAM TRANS
PARCEL
MAX
BUILDING
HEIGHT PER
MU-D-120
= 75’
BUILDING
HEIGHT PER
MU-DC-100
= 50’
San Carlos Avenue
(Looking towards Caltrain Station)
Adjust Building Stepback Standards for San Carlos Avenue
BUILDING
HEIGHT PER
MU-DC-100
= 50’
Remove Bldg. Stepback along South Side of San Carlos Avenue Section Per Zoning Code Proposed Section
EXISTING PROPOSED
Packet Pg. 602
Ground Floor and Public Space Interface -
Laurel Street
LAUREL STREET
(DOWNTOWN CORE)
ADJACENT ZONES
MIN 12’
Laurel Street (Downtown Core)
Section Per Zoning Code Proposed Section
1:2 Ratio
MIN 14’-16’
(FOR LARGER SPACES)
EXISTING PROPOSED
Adjust Building Stepback Standards for Laurel Street & Increase Ground/1st Floor Height Propose 4th Story Stepback along Laurel Street
Laurel Street
(600 Block Looking South)
Stepback considered in Specific Plan
to maintain the 1:2 Ratio of the
Vertical to Horizontal Scale – per
Allan Jacob’s Ratio for street scale
3rd story stepback
reconsidered as 1:2 ratio
works well with 4th story
stepback
Packet Pg. 605
Allow Awnings to Align with 8 -9 ft Outdoor Dining Areas Laurel Street
(600 Block Looking South)
Rolled Down Rolled Up
Mobility and Transportation
Mobility and Transportation
Goal: The Downtown Specific Plan sets forth a comprehensive framework for a multimodal transportation network that
prioritizes active transportation, safety, accessibility, and connectivity, while fostering a pedestrian-friendly, vibrant, and equitable downtown that serves the needs of all residents, workers, and visitors in alignment with the Downtown
Streetscape Master Plan.
Mobility/Transportation
Framework Policies
Balanced Network M14. Evaluate long-term vehicular traffic modifications, including Holly Street swing
lanes, emerging transportation
technologies, and congestion mitigation
strategies to further support the goal and
policies for a vibrant and safe pedestrianoriented downtown.
M15. Collaborate with SamTrans, Caltrans,
and the Grand Boulevard Initiative to plan
and implement coordinated improvements
along El Camino Real that enhance safety,
mobility, and streetscape quality, consistent
with the Downtown Streetscape Master
Plan. Packet Pg. 609
Mobility/Transportation
Framework
M1. Prioritize development of the 700 block of
Laurel Street as a pedestrian-only plaza
supporting vitality, vibrancy and equity for all
users.
M2. Prioritize the pedestrian experience and
corresponding street character for all streets
within the downtown core: 1100 and 1200 San
Carlos Avenue, 600 – 700 – 800 blocks of
Laurel Street, and the 1100 and 1200 blocks of
Cherry St., Olive St., and the 1100 and 1200
blocks of Arroyo Avenue.
M3.Prioritize pedestrian infrastructure by
implementing wider sidewalks, safe and
accessible crossings, and streetscape
enhancements—particularly along key
corridors such as San Carlos Avenue, El Camino
Real, Arroyo Avenue, and Laurel Street.
Pedestrian Experience
Mobility/Transportation
Framework Policies
Biking Experience M4. Actively pursue public transit
connectivity by improving first- and lastmile connections to Caltrain and bus services through implementation of active
transportation infrastructure.
M6. Develop a bicycle hub on the 700
block entrance points that includes secure
bicycle stand, and supportive amenities to
encourage active transportation and
support 700 black as wheel-free zone.
Packet Pg. 611
Mobility/Transportation Framework
M5. Promote safe and visible
biking infrastructure by
incorporating protected bike
lanes with vertical buffers,
green striping for high visibility,
and ample bike parking along
primary corridors including San
Carlos Avenue, El Camino Real,
Brittan Avenue, Arroyo Avenue,
and Laurel Street.
El Camino Real
(Looking North)
Mobility/Transportation
Framework
San Carlos Avenue-1100, 1200 Block
(Looking towards Caltrain Station)
Future studies will be necessary to guide
• the network level changes
• the broader transformation of San
Carlos Avenue Westward beyond the
1100 and 1200 blocks.
M5. Promote safe and visible biking
infrastructure by incorporating protected
bike lanes with vertical buffers, green
striping for high visibility, and ample bike
parking along primary corridors including
San Carlos Avenue, El Camino Real, Brittan
Avenue, Arroyo Avenue, and Laurel Street.
Packet Pg. 613
Mobility/Transportation
Framework
Policy
M7. Design bus stops to safely interface
with bike lanes by using features like
boarding islands, curb extensions, and
clear signage, as specified in the SamTrans
Bus Stop Design Guidance, 2024.
Transit Experience
Mobility/Transportation
Framework
Transit Experience: Bus Boarding Island (Per SamTrans Bus Stop Design Guidance, 2024) M7. Design bus stops to safely interface
with bike lanes by using features like
boarding islands, curb extensions, and
clear signage, as specified in the SamTrans
Bus Stop Design Guidance, 2024.
Packet Pg. 615
Public Realm
Public Realm
Goal: The Downtown Specific Plan creates high-quality, multifunctional public spaces and a well-connected street network that fosters social interaction, promotes health and well-being, and enhances downtown’s vibrancy.
With an expanded tree canopy and sustainable landscaping, the downtown improves ecological resilience, air quality, and pedestrian comfort while addressing climate challenges such as urban heat island effects and stormwater management.
Public spaces are designed to be inclusive, ensuring equitable access for all users while contributing to a more sustainable and visually appealing downtown environment.
Public Realm Framework Policies
Plazas/Open Space/ Parks
800 Block Plaza
Centennial Plaza
Harrington Park
600 Block Plaza
Caltrain Station Plaza
PR1. Expand and enhance public plazas within the
downtown core, including the pedestrian plaza
along the full span of the 700 block of Laurel Street,
the new plaza on the 600 block of Laurel Street, and
Harrington Park, to create vibrant community
gathering spaces.
600 Block 700 Block 800 Block
Public Realm Framework
600 Block Plaza - Programming
PR1. Expand and enhance public plazas within the
downtown core, including the pedestrian plaza along
the full span of the 700 block of Laurel Street, the new plaza on the 600 block of Laurel Street, and Harrington Park, to create vibrant community gathering spaces.
PR7. Provide spaces for pop-ups to encourage small
local business start-ups and to provide affordable food and beverage options for the community. Spaces will
include electrical outlets so that gas-powered
generators can be prohibited. The City will have
mechanisms for reviewing and approving pop-up
businesses considering location, business type and
design quality.
Standards:
• For the 600 Block, the space currently occupied by overflow public parking will be redeveloped as a multi-use public plaza. • This plaza will be flexible in its programmed uses and will have a performance pavilion and stage at the west end, a pop-up food vendor space along its southern edge and a large open space to accommodate a variety of activities and seasonal programs.
CONCERT SCENARIO BEER GARDEN SCENARIO WINTER (ICE RINK) SCENARIO Public Realm Framework
600 Block Plaza - Programming
Packet Pg. 620
Public Realm Framework
600 Block Plaza – Beer Garden Scenario
Public Realm Framework
600 Block Plaza – Concert Scenario
Public Realm Framework
700 Block Plaza
STANDARDS:
• For the 700 Block, the entire Laurel Street
right-of-way will be redeveloped as a
curbless, linear public plaza space which will
accommodate a variety of activities including
a wide pedestrian promenade, space for
outdoor dining and retail displays, raingarden
planting areas featuring groves of trees and
additional space for special programming and
public art.
Public Realm Framework
700 Block Plaza
STANDARDS: • In addition, the 700 Block will have a central plaza space with a performance pavilion and
stage and a water feature. Extending
eastward from this central plaza space will be
a redeveloped Harrington Park featuring a
multi-purpose plaza space, public restrooms,
seating and a raingarden with a grove of
trees. The donor bricks in the current
Harrington Park will be retained and
incorporated into the new plaza.
Public Realm Framework
Expanded Sidewalks Policies
PR3. Widen sidewalks in downtown core600, 700 and 800 block of Laurel Street and 1100 and 1200 blocks of San Carlos
Avenue to accommodate comfortable
space for outdoor dining and retail displays
and pedestrian circulation.
San Carlos Avenue
(Looking towards Caltrain Station)
Public Realm Framework
Policies
Laurel Street 600 Block
(Looking South)
Expanded Sidewalks
PR3. Widen sidewalks in downtown core600, 700 and 800 block of Laurel Street and 1100 and 1200 blocks of San Carlos
Avenue to accommodate comfortable
space for outdoor dining and retail displays
and pedestrian circulation.
Packet Pg. 626
Public Realm Framework
Outdoor Dining and Retail
San Carlos Ave
Arroyo Avenue E l Camino Real
PR5. Establish high-quality design standards for outdoor dining and retail displays to ensure they are safe, attractive, and contribute to a vibrant and cohesive public realm..
STANDARDS:
• The primary focus of sidewalk widening to accommodate outdoor dining and retail display space is in the downtown core area and in particular on the 1100 and 1200 Blocks of San Carlos Avenue and on the 600, 700 and 800 Blocks of Laurel Street.
• Although some widening is also proposed on the north
frontage of Arroyo where some outdoor dining currently
occurs and on the west frontage of El Camino Real where active ground floor uses are anticipated0.
• For the 700 Block of Laurel, additional width can be
provided for dining as well as spill over space in the
promenade itself.
Laurel Street 700 Block
(Looking North)
Laurel Street 600 and 800 Block
(Looking North)
Public Realm Framework
Outdoor Dining and Retail
STANDARDS:
• The space allocations for the 600 and
800 Blocks of Laurel have been carefully
designed to accommodate ample
outdoor dining and retail display space
and also a “market day” condition which
accommodates vendor tents, patron
circulation and emergency access.
Packet Pg. 628
Public Realm Framework
Outdoor Dining and Retail
Public Realm Framework
Outdoor Dining and Retail – Market/ Event Days
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Sustainability and Resiliency
Sustainability and Resiliency
Goal: The Downtown Specific Plan aims to promote
environmentally sustainable development and infrastructure that enhances downtown’s long-term resilience to climate change and natural hazards, while fostering a vibrant and adaptable urban environment. This includes integrating resilient infrastructure and climate-responsive strategies to mitigate the impact of environmental challenges and ensure the sustainability of the downtown area for future generations.
Sustainability & Resiliency Framework
Plazas/Open Space/ Parks
SR1. Implement green infrastructure
through rain gardens, permeable
pavements, and green roofs, and lowimpact development strategies to reduce runoff and improve water
quality.
Rain Garden Permeable Pavements
Rain Garden
Packet Pg. 633
Sustainability & Resiliency Framework Green
Infrastructure
SR2. Integrate electric vehicle (EV) charging
facilities in both on-street and off-street
parking spaces to promote sustainable
mobility and support the adoption of clean
energy transportation options throughout
downtown.
1 Draft San Carlos Downtown Parking Management Plan
June 12, 2025
Executive Summary
Overview
Like many communities between San Jose and San Francisco, the City of San Carlos developed its downtown near its rail station as a mixed-use, village-like environment. During the twentieth century the automobile replaced rail, and a greater emphasis was placed on Downtown vehicle access and parking. The City’s Downtown Specific Plan, 2025, reimagines the district as a denser, walkable environment. It includes significantly altered street designs to support a variety of mobility options, but it is recognized that vehicle parking remains a key means of access to the downtown and crucial to the livelihood of the district.
This report represents the City’s efforts to address current and future parking challenges within Downtown.
The existing parking conditions in Downtown San Carlos are documented, including an inventory of the parking supply and demand through a study of parking occupancy and turnover in public and private onand off-street parking facilities. The results of this parking survey provide data to support analysis of actual parking patterns (rather than perceptions of parking patterns), and to identify key parking trends occurring throughout Downtown San Carlos.
While visitors to Downtown San Carlos may have difficulty finding parking in high-demand areas at peak times, parking data collected shows that there are available public and private parking spaces in areas farther from destinations: almost two out of every five spaces in Downtown are vacant during peak demand.
In the near-term, there are opportunities to optimize the use of the existing off-street parking supply to better meet visitor and employee needs. Short-term strategies proposed in this plan would encourage longer stays in Downtown, improve the experience of visiting Downtown, and support travel alternatives to driving alone. With development anticipated for Downtown over the next 20 years, parking demand would intensify, especially as many new projects may supply little to no new off-street parking. This increase in demand could warrant the recommended “mid-term” and “long-term” strategies, including a potential Downtown Residential Permit Parking (RPP) district to limit the impacts of spillover on-street parking on established residents.
In addition, recent State law and regional policy necessitate that the City amend its Zoning Code. For example, the City must implement parking maximums, eliminate parking minimums, and require a minimum amount of bicycle parking to comply with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) policy and remain eligible for grant funding. Although updating standards would allow the City to comply with state law and regional policy, they also present an opportunity to shape Downtown into a denser, more walkable, bicycle-friendly, and vibrant district. Parking maximums and shared parking limit the amount of land in Downtown allocated to parking, unbundled parking requirements make it cheaper to live in Downtown without a vehicle, and revised bicycle parking requirements make trips around San Carlos by bike more viable. The standards proposed in this plan are subject to the change via the Citywide project to amend Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and parking standards.
Following the review of existing conditions, phased parking management strategies that can be implemented in anticipation of new development are detailed as well as Zoning Code edits intended to proactively address existing and future parking challenges in a way that supports the continued success of Downtown San Carlos as a destination as well as a place to live and work. Strategies for future consideration (that are not recommended at this time) are provided for the City’s reference.
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Existing Conditions
Study Area
The study area for the Parking Management Plan (referred to as Downtown San Carlos) is generally bounded by Holly Street, El Camino Real, Brittan Avenue, and Elm Street. Within this area, the North Downtown and South Downtown are defined as the zones north and south of Arroyo Avenue, respectively. All public and private on- and off-street parking spaces within the study area were surveyed on two Thursdays, two Saturdays, and one Sunday in May 2023. The zones included in the study area, as well as locations of onand off-street parking facilities surveyed, are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Downtown Parking Study Area
Parking Supply
The vehicle parking supply in Downtown San Carlos consists of 3,073 spaces in total, including 1,150 onstreet spaces, 654 public off-street spaces, and 1,269 private off-street spaces –248 of which are part of the Caltrain Station lot. Most on-street spaces either do not have restrictions (47 percent) or are limited to two hours (48 percent). The majority of off-street public spaces have two- or three-hour time limits, while offstreet private spaces are generally reserved for customers, visitors, or employees of the associated use.
Parking Occupancy and Turnover
On the days surveyed, peak parking occupancy rates within Downtown ranged between 54 and 60 percent.
Privately-owned parking spaces tended to be less occupied than public spaces, especially on Saturday when private off-street spaces were 45 percent occupied during the peak hour and on Sunday when private offstreet spaces were 38 percent occupied at the peak time. On-street spaces had their highest recorded occupancy during midday on Sunday (80 percent), likely because there are no time restrictions in effect.
The Caltrain lot was consistently vacant during the hours surveyed, with occupancy that ranged between 4 and 20 percent.
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Visitors to Downtown using public parking facilities likely have difficulty finding parking in high-demand areas at peak times, but public parking is available farther from destinations such as on Walnut Street, on Elm Street, and in the Wheeler Plaza Garage. Customers and employees that can park in private facilities are most likely to easily find parking given that private facilities generally had lower occupancy. Peak daytime parking occupancy on Thursday (the day of the week with the highest peak occupancy) by onstreet segment and lot are shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, respectively.
Figure 2 Thursday Peak On-Street Parking Occupancy
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Figure 3 Thursday Peak Off-Street Parking Occupancy
Peak parking occupancy was observed to be similar for the North Downtown and South Downtown areas.
However, nighttime on-street parking occupancy was higher in the North Downtown (up to 62 percent) than in South Downtown (up to 35 percent). While adherence to time limits appears to be generally good for both on- and off-street spaces, vehicles that were parked long-term occupied spaces for a disproportionate number of hours. For example, although only four percent of surveyed vehicles parking on-street on a Thursday stayed four hours or more, those vehicles comprised 22 percent of the total hours that vehicles occupied parking spaces.
Future Parking Demand
Comparing the effective parking supply (i.e., 90 percent of the actual parking supply, assuming there is a 10 percent desired vacancy rate for all spaces) to the peak-hour demand for parking, the Downtown study area has 834 vacant spaces, or 33 percent of the effective parking supply. Currently, 2.52 parking stalls per 1,000 gross square feet (GSF) of built non-residential space are provided within Downtown. The existing peak hour parking demand is 1.52 spaces per 1,000 GSF of occupied non-residential space, which is less than the parking ratio supplied.
With the 20-year growth projected in the Downtown Specific Plan and planned losses in parking, the Downtown would have a surplus of 379 spaces during the overall peak hour of demand for the study (Thursday from 12 to 1 p.m.) and a surplus of 118 spaces during the evening on Saturday (7 to 8 p.m.).
Applying an assumed parking maximum of one space per unit for multi-family residential developments to future growth to account for the MTC TOC policy, the Downtown would be expected to have a surplus of 69 spaces on Saturday evening.
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Parking Management Strategies
The parking strategies described below are broken into three phases with “short-term” strategies prioritized for the next five years, “mid-term” strategies to be coordinated with completion of streetscape changes and planned development in Downtown, and “long-term” strategies to be implemented following the mid-term strategies if there is a demonstrated need. Edits to the City’s Zoning Code are recommended in preparation for new Downtown development but are subject to change with the adoption of Citywide Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and parking standards.
Short-Term Strategies
Short-Term Strategy 1 All-Day Parking in Off-Street Lots The City should designate the second floor of the Wheeler Plaza Garage and the top floor of the SamTrans garage as free parking with a ten-hour limit to better utilize the currently vacant spaces there; existing “clean air” spaces on the second floor of the Wheeler Plaza Garage should be shifted to the first floor to encourage their use. Long-term visitors to Downtown and employees should be directed (by new wayfinding described in “Short-Term Strategy 4”) to park in the ten-hour spaces. As employees would park in the free ten-hour spaces, the Downtown Employee Parking Permit program could be temporarily suspended (resulting in a minimal fiscal impact) until higher parking demand warrants its return. The Civic Center Employee Parking Permit program should remain in place.
Short-Term Strategy 2 Modify Time-Restricted Hours for Public Parking To encourage parking turnover during some of the periods of highest demand, time-restricted hours for on-street spaces and high-demand off-street lots (i.e., Clark Plaza, South Plaza, and Wheeler Plaza) should be shifted to include Sundays and the period between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The Wheeler Plaza Garage should expand its hours to include Sundays while maintaining the current 6:00 p.m. limit. It is recommended that the City collect parking occupancy data for the morning hours and, if spaces have low occupancy before 8:00 a.m., move the time-restricted hours for public spaces to begin at 8:00 a.m. rather than 7:00 a.m.
Short-Term Strategy 3 Transportation Management Association (TMA) A Citywide Transportation Management Association (TMA) should be created for San Carlos that includes Downtown, the Northeast Area, and the Eastside Innovation District at a minimum; one option is to build off of the proposed TMA in East San Carlos if that is implemented first and expand that program to other areas of the City. TMAs are typically member-controlled organizations that promote travel alternatives to driving alone and are funded through membership and/or developer fees. The TMA can take on the role of managing shared parking agreements, implementing coordinated TDM services (e.g., purchasing and distributing transit passes and providing district-wide shuttle services), and monitoring TDM programs through standardized travel surveys and/or driveway counts.
Short-Term Strategy 4 Parking Wayfinding
It is recommended that new parking wayfinding signs be installed to direct drivers seeking long-term parking to the newly converted ten-hour spaces (see “Short-Term Strategy 1”). Signs should have a heading of “All-Day Free Parking” and include rows with the text “Wheeler Plaza (2nd Floor)” and “SamTrans Garage (Top Floor).” Rows should be grouped with directional arrows guiding drivers to the facility. If privatelyowned parking spaces are made accessible to the public through shared parking agreements, wayfinding signage should be installed to direct drivers to the publicly accessible spaces. The signs should note the hours of public access.
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Short-Term Strategy 5 Mobility Information
Before the TMA is formed, the City should add consolidated mobility information for Downtown San Carlos to its website, feature new resources, and share the information with organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce to better market to employees and visitors. The webpage should include information on how to access Downtown via driving, bicycling, and transit, as well as interactive maps of public vehicle and bicycle parking locations, costs, regulations, and occupancy (if such data is available). Commuter resources should be linked, such as:
• Shuttles and rewards through Commute.org;
• Clipper START pilot program;
• Discounts on SamTrans buses and Caltrain;
• Redi-Wheels and Peninsula Rides paratransit services; and • 511 Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program.
Short-Term Strategy 6 Shared Parking Agreements
It is recommended that the City or TMA (once it is formed) pursue shared parking agreements with the owners of private off-street lots in Downtown, particularly owners of lots with higher vacancy during at least one peak time period. Shared parking agreements would be between the City or TMA and private parking lot owners and allow some vacant private off-street spaces to be used for public parking. The agreement would specify the times during which the lot is publicly accessible (typically when the lot is in low demand for its associated tenants) and also outline specific provisions related to maintenance, operations, security, and liability. Wayfinding signage and an interactive online map should be provided to direct drivers to shared spaces and indicate the hours during which the lots are open to the public.
Based on a review of Downtown private parking lots (including Caltrain and SamTrans parking facilities) and their occupancy at various times of day, it was estimated that up to 569 parking spaces could potentially be made available during weekdays before 5:00 p.m. as well as 764 spaces after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and 803 spaces all day on weekends. The Caltrain lot includes 248 spaces that could be shared at all times and even accommodate long-term employee and visitor parking. However, only spaces in the Caltrain lot south of Cherry Street should be shared with the public to maintain priority stalls for transit riders.
Short-Term Strategy 7 Parking Enforcement
The City should either transition from the County’s Sherrif Office for enforcement to an internal office of Community Service Officers (CSOs) or enforcement through a third-party company, such as LAZ Parking, or work with the Sherriff’s office to augment enforcement. CSOs should work both within and outside of regular business hours. If internal or augmented enforcement is chosen, investment should be made in one or more electric interceptors with Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) mounted on the vehicle to increase the efficiency of parking enforcement Citywide.
Short-Term Strategy 8 Resident Permits for New Developments A Supplemental Parking Permit (SPP) program would allow residents of new multi-family developments to be exempted from on-street time limits (these same residents would not be eligible for a traditional resident parking permit – see Mid-Term Strategy 2). Permitholders would park long term in spaces adjacent to their buildings for a relatively high, “market-rate” cost. It is recommended that an SPP program be adopted for Downtown San Carlos and allow residents of new multi-family developments unlimited parking in timerestricted spaces along or near the building’s frontage. Permit costs should be equivalent to the market
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value of the space (e.g., $250 per month) to prevent the street from being oversaturated with resident vehicles and encourage residents to pay for on-site parking if it is available.
Short-Term Strategy 9 Daylighting and Accessible Parking As part of the planned streetscape changes in Downtown, the City should comply with the state “Daylighting” law by using signage and/or curb paint to prohibit parking near intersections. The City should also designate the minimum number of required on-street spaces as accessible per the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) with the planned Downtown street design changes.
Mid-Term Strategies
Mid-Term Strategy 1 Downtown Bicycle Parking Hub
It is recommended that the City install a Downtown bicycle parking “hub” on the 700 Block of Laurel Street when it is converted into a permanent car-free public plaza. The bicycle parking hub should include shortterm bicycle parking spaces of traditional U or post-and-ring shapes, long-term bicycle lockers, and a bicycle repair station. The hub should be highlighted by wayfinding signage for bicyclists and could serve as the pick-up/drop-off point for a bicycle valet service.
Mid-Term Strategy 2 Residential Permit Parking District A Residential Permit Parking (RPP) District should be established in Downtown if it is supported by the neighborhood (by a petition signed by at least 50 percent of residences) and if data analysis from the City demonstrates that there is a parking spillover problem. The City and neighborhood should collaborate to determine the boundaries of the permit zone, but it should generally include primarily residential streets near Laurel Street. Residents of new multi-family developments should be excluded from the RPP program if analysis shows they would cause demand for on-street parking to exceed the available supply (see “ShortTerm Strategy 8” for an alternative permit program for new developments).
Hours of operation for the RPP district should align with hours of spillover impacts. A tiered pricing structure should be established such that residents with a greater off-street parking capacity pay more, while residents of homes with no garage or driveway would receive free or discounted permits. Additionally, an escalating price structure should be set (e.g., $25 for the first permit, $50 for the second permit, etc.) and there should be a limit on the number of permits per household. An equity provision should be included so low-income households are not disproportionately burdened by the permit prices.
The proposed Downtown RPP program should be based on a cost recovery model, so it typically would not generate more revenue for the City than the program costs. The City should ultimately defer to the Citywide parking study for precise protocols for the future RPP program.
Long-Term Strategies
Long-Term Strategy 1 Special Event Valet Parking
The Citywide TMA should operate vehicle valet parking programs for special events with substantially higher than usual parking demand, such as the Art and Wine Faire. The City should consider utilizing the Caltrain lot, Wheeler Plaza Garage, and/or SamTrans Garage as vehicle valet parking locations. Additionally, a bicycle valet program should be operated for attendees to special events in Downtown. The bike valet program may be managed by the City, a contractor, or a bike-related organization.
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Zoning Code Updates
Zoning Code Update 1 Downtown Parking District
The City should establish Downtown San Carlos as a distinct parking district, as shown in Figure 4, for the purposes of managing and monitoring parking.
Figure 4 Proposed Downtown Parking District Map
Zoning Code Update 2 Eliminate Parking Minimums
California Assembly Bill (AB) 2097 prohibits a public agency from imposing minimum parking requirements on most developments within a half-mile of a major transit stop and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Transit Oriented Community (TOC) Policy requires that all minimum requirements be removed. To comply both of these standards, the City should remove all parking minimums for the Downtown Parking District from its Municipal Code.
Zoning Code Update 3 Loading Standards
The loading standards shown in Table 1 should be adopted for the Downtown Parking District. These standards would consolidate several non-residential land uses into one “non-residential” category, consider loading needs for mixed-use and residential developments, and exclude smaller infill projects from loading standards.
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Table 1 – Proposed Downtown Loading Standards
Uses Gross Non-Residential Floor
Area or Residential Units Required Loading Spaces
Non-Residential Only, or Mixed
Use with 10,000 sf or more of
non-residential use
0 – 9,999 sf 0
10,000 – 30,000 sf 1
30,001 sf + 2
Primarily Residential (residential
with less than 10,000 sf of
non-residential uses)
0 – 99 units 0
100+ units 1
Note: sf = square feet
Zoning Code Update 4 Parking Maximums
To comply with the MTC TOC policy, it is recommended that “soft” (Tier 1) and “firm” (Tier 2) parking maximums be implemented for the Downtown Parking District. Tier 1 maximums would be available by right with Tier 2 maximums allowed if applicants:
a. Make 100 percent of on-site parking publicly accessible and potentially priced during some or all hours; or
b. Provide supplemental TDM measures in addition to those required in the TDM ordinance; or c. Pay an in-lieu fee to the City to offset the impacts of building additional parking.
Per the MTC TOC policy, a Downtown district-wide cap of 1.0 space per residential unit and 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of non-residential development is required and should be set based on total anticipated growth by 2045. Developers should be able to supply parking up to the maximum limits until the Downtown Parking District contains the maximum allowed spaces for all land use types combined. Adjustments to the General Plan that increase or decrease the projected anticipated level of development in Downtown should also result in an adjustment to the maximum allowed spaces. Proposed vehicle parking maximums are provided in Table 2.
Table 2 – Proposed Vehicle Parking Maximums for Downtown Land Use Tier 1 Tier 2 MTC TOC Downtown Parking District Cap Ratio Projected
Growth
Allowed
Spaces*
Multi-Family
Residential 0.7 spaces/bdr 0.8 spaces/bdr 1 space/unit 1,516 units 1,516 spaces Non-Residential 2.0 spaces/ksf 2.5 spaces/ksf 2.5 spaces/ksf 421 ksf 1,052 spaces Hotel 0.7 spaces/rm 0.9 spaces/rm 1 space/unit 100 rooms 100 spaces Other Determined by Director N/A N/A N/A
Total N/A N/A N/A 2,668 spaces
Note: All requirements represent parking maximums; bdr = bedroom; ksf = 1,000 square feet; rm = room; * = Number of
allowed spaces for individual land use types can be exceeded before 2045 if the number of allowed spaces for all land
uses combined is not yet met
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Allowing developers to exceed maximums up to a “Tier 2” level offers flexibility to property owners wishing to supply more vehicle parking spaces. However, developers building more parking must select measures to offset the effects of doing so. The proposed maximums are based on data from recent developments in San Carlos. Table 3 shows how the average spaces supplied with each land use type would be accommodated by the proposed maximums.
Table 3 - San Carlos 2019-2024 Development Data Compared to Proposed Maximums Type of Project Fully
Market-Rate
Partially
Affordable
Fully
Affordable
Office/R&D Hotel
Number of sites 6 6 2 11 1
Average spaces
supplied 0.73 spaces/bdr 0.75 spaces/bdr 0.48 spaces/bdr 2.07 spaces/ksf 0.82 spaces/rm Proposed “Tier 2
maximum 0.8 spaces/bdr 2.5 spaces/ksf 0.9 spaces/rm
Note: R&D = Research and Development; bdr = bedroom; ksf = 1,000 square feet; rm = room Since developers would not be able to provide their desired parking ratios with a residential maximum of
0.6 space per bedroom (which is about equal to the 1.0 space per unit maximum from the TOC policy), a
0.8 space per bedroom maximum is recommended along with a 1.0 space per residential unit district-wide cap for the City to comply with TOC policy. If the overall cap on new vehicle spaces is met within 20 years, then new developments in Downtown would be unable to supply new parking and would need to lease spaces from nearby facilities or rely on the public parking supply. While there are currently underutilized spaces that may be available for use, new developments would be required and/or incentivized to make their parking spaces publicly accessible, which would increase the public parking supply available for uses unable to provide private parking after the district cap is met.
Zoning Code Update 5 Shared Parking
The City should note that, per AB 2097, it has the ability to require new parking within Downtown to be shared with the public. The Citywide parking study will determine specific requirements for developments to make a portion of their parking supply publicly accessible.
Zoning Code Update 6 Unbundled Parking
“Unbundling” parking is the practice of keeping the price of parking separate from the price of purchasing or leasing property or units. It is recommended that the City require unbundled parking for multi-unit residential uses (i.e., three or more units) and non-residential projects greater than 10,000 square feet. The requirement would not apply to the following residential uses:
• Uses with individual garages that are functionally part of the property or unit; • 100-percent affordable housing projects;
• Projects receiving low-income housing tax credits;
• Developments financed by tax-exempt bonds through the California Housing Finance Agency; or • Units leased to tenants receiving federal housing assistance vouchers.
Zoning Code Update 7 Electric Vehicle and Accessible Parking The Zoning Code should reference the requirements for off-street accessible parking and electric vehicle charging stations from the California Building Code, 2022, and the California Green Building Standards Code,
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2022, and as updated in the 2025 code cycle. The Zoning Code should also reference the Public Right-ofWay Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG), adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2024, which require that any modification of on-street vehicle parking must add accessible parking spaces to the curb per Table R211.
Zoning Code Update 8 Bicycle Parking
The bicycle parking requirements shown in Table 4 should apply to new uses and changes of use greater than 10,000 square feet in the Downtown Parking District.
Table 4 – Proposed Bicycle Parking Requirements for Downtown Land Use Short-Term
Spaces
Long-Term
Spaces
Cargo &
Adaptive
Electric
Bicycles
Showers Lockers
Residential 0.25 per unit 0.75 per unit
10% of
required
LT spaces
1 outlet or
other
charging
infrastructure
per 5
required LT
spaces
N/A N/A
Office 0.167 per ksf 0.50 per ksf
1 unisex for first 40
ksf; 1 unisex for each
additional 20 ksf;
minimum of 1
75% of
required
LT bicycle
spaces,
minimum
of 2 Hotel 0.05 per
room
0.05 per
room
N/A
Retail/Dining 0.375 per ksf 0.125 per ksf
5% of
required
LT spaces
N/A N/A
Note: A minimum of two short-term spaces and one long-term space shall be provided for each site with a nonresidential use included in this table; LT = long-term; sf = square feet; ksf = 1,000 square feet The proposed standards would no longer require bicycle parking as a proportion of the number of vehicle spaces required and would bring the City in compliance with MTC TOC policy. Standards would be included for new and emerging types of bicycles that take up more space than traditional bicycles (i.e., cargo and adaptive bicycles) or require charging equipment (i.e., E-bikes). Showers and lockers in certain uses would benefit employees with longer bicycle commutes. The siting, design, and signage standards detailed in the “Bicycle Parking” section of this report should be added to the Zoning Code.
Zoning Code Update 9 Transportation Demand Management (TDM) For Downtown TDM policy reforms, refer to the project to update the Citywide TDM Ordinance, due to be completed in early 2026.
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Parking Demand Analysis
Overview of Study Area
Downtown San Carlos is located west of US 101 and adjacent to El Camino Real in San Mateo County. The downtown area is comprised of a mix of land uses that includes small-scale retail and commercial, singlefamily homes, mixed-use and multi-family apartments. Laurel Street is the primary commercial street and center of retail activity.
The area for the parking study is bounded by Holly Street, El Camino Real, Brittan Avenue, and Elm Street and includes the City Hall block and the Caltrain lots located between El Camino Real and the Caltrain tracks.
The area is broken into two zones for the purpose of analysis:
• North Downtown: Area generally bounded by Holly Street, El Camino Real, Arroyo Avenue, and Elm Street as well as the City Hall block and the Caltrain lots east of El Camino Real. • South Downtown: Area bounded by Arroyo Avenue, El Camino Real, Brittan Avenue, and Elm Street.
The study area was divided such that any destination within a zone would be within a reasonable walking distance of any parking space in that same zone. As visitors to a business on San Carlos Avenue may not be willing to park on Brittan Avenue and walk five blocks, categorizing the two streets in separate zones reflects that not all parking resources are useful for a given destination in Downtown. The assessment of parking within the study area includes public on-street and off-street spaces as well as private off-street parking, which comprises a substantial portion of the overall supply. Figure 5 and 6 show the two zones included in the study area and the locations of the on- and off-street parking surveyed, respectively.
Figure 5 Downtown On-Street Parking Study Area
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Figure 6 Downtown Off-Street Parking Study Area
Parking Inventory and Regulations
An inventory of parking facilities in the study area was conducted on the following days and included all accessible, public, and private on- and off-street spaces. • May 7, 2023 (Sunday)
• May 11 and June 8, 2023 (Thursdays)
• May 13 and June 10, 2023 (Saturdays)
This section provides a brief summary of the parking inventory and regulations for each on-street block and off-street facility recorded as part of this study.
Methodology
Parking inventory and regulations were determined through field observations, including counting all onstreet parking spaces as well as spaces in public parking lots and private parking lots that are publicly accessible (i.e., not gated or closed for construction) and noting any regulations.
Findings
Parking Inventory and Regulations
The total parking supply inventoried on Thursday and Saturday includes 3,073 spaces, or 1,150 on-street and 1,923 off-street spaces. Of the total off-street spaces, 654 are for public use and 1,269 are private or reserved (248 of these spaces are reserved for Caltrain parking). Table 5 provides a detailed breakdown of parking types by various restriction categories for on-street and off-street facilities within the study area.
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Table 5 – Parking Inventory by Facility Type
Location Total Percent
Space Type On-Street, Public
Off-Street,
Public
Off-Street
Private
Unregulated 535 0 0 535 17%
Loading 14 0 2 16 1%
Short (<30 min) 33 0 0 33 1%
Medium (2 hrs) 553 300 0 853 28%
Long (3 hrs) 0 251 0 251 8%
ADA 15 21 56 92 3%
EV 0 25 0 25 1%
Permit/Reserved 0 57 1,211 1,268 41%
Total 1,150 654 1,269 3,073 100%
Percent 37% 21% 41% 100%
On-street parking is available on most streets in the study area and comprises approximately 37 percent of the total supply. Spaces that were not usable at the time of the survey due to street closures, parklets (i.e., outdoor dining spaces), and construction were not included in the inventory of on-street parking. As Table 5 shows, of the 1,150 total on-street spaces the large majority either do not have restrictions (535 spaces) or are two-hour time-limited (553 spaces). Two-hour time restrictions are present primarily on streets with commercial or retail uses, including Laurel Street, El Camino Real, most of Walnut Street in North Downtown, and around City Hall. Residential streets typically do not have parking restrictions. There are 33 spaces with time limits of 30 minutes or less, primarily with 20-minute limits, near the corner of Laurel Street and Olive Street. Accessible spaces are spread throughout the study area.
Off-street parking in the study area is provided in 36 facilities, totaling 1,923 spaces. Of these spaces, 66 percent are reserved for private use. The largest off-street parking facilities are the SamTrans garage, the Wheeler garage, and the Caltrain station lot with a combined 39 percent of all off-street parking.
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Figure 7 shows the predominant regulations for each block face and public off-street lot.
Figure 7 Study Area Predominant Parking Restrictions by Block Face and Public Off-Street Lot Occupancy and Turnover
This section provides an overview of the parking occupancy and turnover findings, including a summary of the count methodology as well as key figures.
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Methodology
Parking occupancy and turnover counts were conducted on the following dates at hourly intervals during these time intervals:
• Sunday, May 7, 2023, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• Thursday, May 11, 2023, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. (Residential on-street 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.)
• Saturday, May 13, 2023, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. (Residential on-street 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.)
• Thursday, June 8, 2023, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. (Residential on-street 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.)
• Saturday, June 10, 2023, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. (Residential on-street 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.)
In order to observe parking behavior and demand at key time periods of the day, occupancy data was collected at hourly intervals on two Thursdays and two Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and for on-street spaces only on residential streets from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. The Sunday count was performed hourly from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the North Downtown only to assess parking demand for the Farmers’ Market. Occupancy counts were collected for all on-street parking spaces in the study area and all publicly accessible off-street facilities, including those with reserved parking for customers and employees.
Parking turnover data in the study area was collected for on-street parking on San Carlos Avenue from El Camino Real to Walnut Street and Laurel Street from San Carlos Avenue to Brittan Avenue as well as in two public off-street parking lots (Clark Plaza and the lot adjacent to 622 Laurel Street).
Occupancy
The number of parked vehicles in on-street spaces, public lots, and private lots was assessed in order to identify the peak hours of usage for each day. Peak usage was identified for the study area as a whole as well as for each of the two geographic zones.
For the entire study area, the peak hours of demand for each day were determined to be Thursday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The highest overall peak demand occurred on Thursday when roughly 57 percent of the total parking supply was occupied; 60 percent of the parking supply was occupied if the Caltrain lot is excluded. At those times, occupancy levels of public facilities reached approximately 61 percent for on-street parking and 65 percent for public offstreet parking. Private off-street parking, excluding the Caltrain lot, reached a peak occupancy of 57 percent.
These results are shown in Table 6 and Figure 8.
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Table 6 – Thursday Peak Occupancy for Study Area (Excluding Caltrain Lot) Location Parking
Supply
12 p.m. 5 p.m. 10 p.m.
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
On-Street, Public 1,150 700 61% 638 55% 287 47%
Off-Street, Public 654 423 65% 373 57% N/A N/A
Off-Street, Private 1,021 586 57% 442 43% N/A N/A
Total 2,825 1,709 60% 1,453 51% 287 47%
Note: Data collected Thursday, May 11, 2023, and Thursday, June 8, 2023; On-street public occupancy at 10 p.m. calculated
based on surveyed supply of 614 spaces; Shaded cells = Peak hour of demand among all hours observed on Thursday
Figure 8 Thursday Peak Parking Occupancy by Hour
On Saturday, parking occupancy was higher overall for on-street spaces (58 percent) and for public offstreet (60 percent) than private off-street (45 percent) spaces. By itself, on-street parking occupancy peaked at 7 p.m. with an occupancy of 59 percent while off-street parking occupancy was considerably lower (37 percent). The data for Saturday is shown in Table 7 and Figure 9. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
1 1 : 0 0 A M 1 2 : 0 0 P M 1 : 0 0 P M 5 : 0 0 P M 6 : 0 0 P M 7 : 0 0 P M
THURSDAY
On-Street Off-Street On + Off CalTrain
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Table 7 – Saturday Peak Occupancy for Study Area (Excluding Caltrain Lot) Location Parking
Supply
1 p.m. 5 p.m. 12 a.m.
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
On-Street, Public 1,150 666 58% 609 53% 313 51%
Off-Street, Public 654 390 60% 326 50% N/A N/A
Off-Street, Private 1,001 457 45% 412 40% N/A N/A
Total 2,825 1,513 54% 1,347 48% 313 51%
Note: Data collected Saturday, May 13, 2023, and Saturday, June 10, 2023; On-street public occupancy at 10 p.m. calculated based on surveyed supply of 614 spaces; Shaded cells = Peak hour of demand among all hours observed on Saturday
Figure 9 Saturday Peak Parking Occupancy by Hour
On Sunday, parking occupancy was much higher for on-street spaces (80 percent) than for off-street spaces (both types combined 49 percent). Public off-street spaces had higher occupancy than private off-street spaces (62 percent versus 38 percent) during the peak hour of occupancy on Sunday. It is likely that the significant shift toward higher parking occupancy on-street on Sunday is because there are no time restrictions present. These results are shown in Table 8 and Figure 10. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
1 1 : 0 0 A M 1 2 : 0 0 P M 1 : 0 0 P M 5 : 0 0 P M 6 : 0 0 P M 7 : 0 0 P M
SATURDAY
On-Street Off-Street On + Off CalTrain
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Table 8 – Sunday Peak Occupancy for Study Area
Location
(Excluding Caltrain
Lot)
Parking
Supply
12 p.m.
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
On-Street, Public 567 453 80%
Off-Street, Public 654 404 62%
Off-Street, Private 773 297 38%
Total 1,994 1,154 58%
Note: Data collected Sunday, May 7, 2023, in the North Downtown only
Figure 10 Sunday Peak Parking Occupancy by Hour
Caltrain Parking Occupancy
The Caltrain Station lot contains 248 parking spaces. Since the pandemic began in March 2020, Caltrain ridership has been significantly lower than it was pre-pandemic and therefore demand at the Caltrain parking lots has been significantly reduced as well. Parking data from Caltrain shows that in Spring 2019, there was a peak occupancy of 120 vehicles in the lots, with all of the vehicles parked in the spaces north of Olive Street. According to counts of the lots in May 2023, there were a maximum of 49 vehicles parked during the study periods.
Although a part of the downtown parking study area, this lot is separated from downtown by El Camino Real and not easily “shared” by employees or patrons of the downtown. Given its distinct use and low 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
9 : 0 0 A M 1 0 : 0 0 A M 1 1 : 0 0 A M 1 2 : 0 0 P M 1 : 0 0 P M SUNDAY
On-Street Off-Street On + Off CalTrain
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parking demand, the Caltrain lots were separated from the general off-street parking supply for the purpose of analysis. Occupancy for the Caltrain lot during the peak hours surveyed on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday is shown in Table 9.
Table 9 – Caltrain Lot Peak Occupancy
Day of Week Parking
Supply
Daytime Evening
Start of
Peak Hour
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Start of
Peak Hour
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Thursday
248
spaces
12 p.m. 49 20% 5 p.m. 26 10%
Saturday 1 p.m. 12 5% 5 p.m. 9 4%
Sunday 12 p.m. 28 11% N/A N/A N/A
Note: Data collected over five days in May and June 2023 Occupancy by Geographic Zone
Occupancy data was also analyzed by separating the downtown study area into two geographic zones:
Holly Street to Arroyo Avenue (North Downtown) and Arroyo Avenue to Brittan Avenue (South Downtown) to determine if there are varying patterns of parking behavior across the downtown given the differing land uses and levels of activity. North Downtown includes more commercial and retail establishments as well as the San Carlos Civic Center and contains 80 percent of the overall parking supply. A total of 68 percent of the downtown area’s on-street spaces and 87 percent of its off-street spaces are located in North Downtown.
On Thursday at 12 p.m. there were more off-street spaces occupied in North Downtown (64 percent) compared to the South Downtown (42 percent), but South Downtown has greater on-street occupancy (67 percent) than the North Downtown (58 percent) at that time in the on-street supply. However, while occupancy of on-street spaces in the North Downtown remained relatively consistent at 5 p.m. (58 percent) and 10 p.m. (55 percent), on-street spaces in the South Downtown were decreasingly occupied at 5 p.m. (50 percent) and 10 p.m. (34 percent). Table 10 shows peak parking occupancy by zone for Thursday.
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Table 10 – Thursday Peak Occupancy by Zone
Location Parking
Supply
12 p.m. 5 p.m. 10 p.m.
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
North Downtown
On-Street, Public 779 452 58% 454 58% 204 55%
Off-Street, Public 654 423 65% 373 57% N/A N/A
Off-Street, Private 758 475 63% 339 45% N/A N/A
Subtotal 2,191 1,350 62% 1,166 53% 204 55%
Caltrain 248 49 20% 26 10% N/A N/A
Total 2,439 1,399 57% 1,192 49% 204 55%
South Downtown
On-Street 371 248 67% 184 50% 83 34%
Off-Street, Private 263 111 42% 103 39% N/A N/A
Total 634 359 57% 287 45% 83 34%
Note: Data collected Thursday, May 11 and Thursday, June 8, 2023; On-street public occupancy at 10 p.m. calculated based
on surveyed supply of 373 and 241 spaces in the North Downtown and South Downtown, respectively; Shaded cells
= Peak hour of demand among all hours observed on Thursday On Saturday, there were consistently higher daytime on-street occupancy rates in the North Downtown (55 to 63 percent) than the South Downtown (49 to 53 percent). Late night on-street occupancy rates were considerably higher in the North Downtown (62 percent) than the South Downtown (35 percent). This data is presented in Table 11.
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Table 11 – Saturday Peak Occupancy by Zone
Location Parking
Supply
1 p.m. 5 p.m. 12 a.m.
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
Occupied
Spaces
Percent
Occupied
North Downtown
On-Street, Public 779 479 61% 429 55% 232 62%
Off-Street, Public 654 390 60% 326 50% N/A N/A
Off-Street, Private 758 336 44% 297 39% N/A N/A
Subtotal 2,191 1,204 55% 1,051 48% 232 62%
Caltrain 248 12 5% 9 4% N/A N/A
Total 2,439 1,216 50% 1,060 43% 232 62%
South Downtown
On-Street 371 187 50% 180 49% 84 35%
Off-Street, Private 263 122 46% 116 44% N/A N/A
Total 634 309 49% 296 47% 84 35%
Note: Data collected Saturday, May 13 and Saturday, June 10, 2023; On-street public occupancy at 10 p.m. and 12 a.m.
calculated based on surveyed supply of 373 and 241 spaces in the North Downtown and South Downtown, respectively; Shaded cells = Peak hour of demand among all hours observed on Saturday On Sunday, counts were taken only in North Downtown, so Sunday occupancy cannot be compared for the two geographic zones.
Occupancy by Block Face and Lot
Figures 11 to 18 show peak daytime and nighttime parking occupancy for on-street parking as well as peak daytime parking occupancy for off-street parking. During the peak hour of demand on Thursday, on-street parking occupancy was high on several block faces (in particular, on and near Laurel Street) and low on others (such as segments of Walnut Street and Elm Street) as shown in Figure 11. This indicates that visitors to Downtown may have difficulty finding on-street parking in some areas, but there is a surplus of available on-street parking in other areas that are a reasonable walking distance from key destinations.
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Figure 11 Peak Daytime On-Street Parking Occupancy – Thursday, 12 p.m.
Figure 12 shows that public and private off-street parking facilities close to the 600 and 700 Blocks of Laurel Street had relatively high occupancy during the peak hour of demand on Thursday. Many other private lots had low occupancy, especially in South Downtown, and there was low occupancy recorded at the public Wheeler Plaza Garage on Walnut Street. Visitors to Downtown could have trouble finding an off-street parking space in the core of Downtown near Laurel Street, but there is available public and private off-street parking farther away from their destination.
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Figure 12 Peak Off-Street Parking Lot Occupancy – Thursday, 12 p.m.
Figure 13 indicates that on-street parking was available on several block faces during the peak hour of demand on Saturday, particularly away from Laurel Street on Walnut Street and Elm Street. On-street spaces along and near Laurel Street tended to be heavily occupied during the Saturday peak hour.
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Figure 13 Peak Daytime On-Street Parking Occupancy – Saturday, 1 p.m.
Figure 14 shows that, during the peak hour of parking demand on Saturday, a surplus of parking was observed at several private lots (including the private SamTrans parking facility) and at the public Wheeler Plaza and Civic Center facilities. At other public and private off-street facilities close to the 600 and 700 Blocks of Laurel Street, parking was in relatively high demand.
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Figure 14 Peak Off-Street Parking Lot Occupancy – Saturday, 1 p.m.
According to Figure 15, on-street parking was highly occupied throughout North Downtown during the peak hour of demand on Sunday. Parking occupancy on Sunday was likely especially high because time restrictions to on-street parking do not apply on Sundays and there were fewer spaces available due to temporary street closures.
Figure 15 Peak Daytime On-Street Parking Occupancy – Sunday, 12 p.m.
Figure 16 indicates that, while peak on-street parking occupancy on Sunday is particularly high, there were available off-street spaces in both public and private facilities. Off-street facilities with low occupancy on Sunday included the Wheeler Plaza Garage, Civic Center facility, and SamTrans facility.
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Figure 16 Peak Off-Street Parking Lot Occupancy – Sunday, 12 p.m.
During the peak hour of occupancy on Thursday night, Figure 17 shows that residential on-street parking spaces tended to be most occupied in the North Downtown on particular block faces fronting multi-family residential uses, while occupancy on other nearby blocks was less than 50 percent. Parking occupancy in the South Downtown, where most residential is single family, was recorded to be consistently low.
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Figure 17 Peak Nighttime On-Street Parking Occupancy – Thursday, 10 p.m.
Figure 18 illustrates that, on Saturday night, peak on-street parking occupancy tended to be low for all block faces in the South Downtown and vary substantially by block face in the North Downtown.
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30 Draft San Carlos Downtown Parking Management Plan
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Figure 18 Peak Nighttime On-Street Parking Occupancy – Saturday, 12 a.m.
Figures 19, 20, and 21 illustrate the proportions of parking occupancy for on- and off-street parking spaces by day, excluding the Caltrain lot. The data shows relatively high vacancy rates for parking overall in the study area with vacancies ranging from 38 to 45 percent at peak times. During the hours observed on Thursday, Figure 19 shows that between 38 and 51 of parking spaces were vacant throughout the day, and a greater proportion of occupied parking spaces within the study area were off-street spaces rather than on-street spaces.
19% 21% 20% 21% 21% 22%
37%
41% 40% 32% 29% 27%
44% 38% 40% 47% 50% 51%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
11:00 AM 12:00 PM 1:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM
On-Street Occupied Off-Street Occupied Vacant
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Figure 19 Thursday Parking Occupancy by hour
According to Figure 20, more spaces within the study area were vacant at peak times on Saturday than on Thursday. While a similar proportion of on-street parking spaces were occupied on Saturday compared to Thursday, considerably fewer off-street parking spaces were occupied at peak times on Saturday than on Thursday.
Figure 20 Saturday Parking Occupancy by hour
Figure 21 shows that parking occupancy between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday resembles occupancy for the same time period on Thursday, as between 42 and 46 percent of spaces were vacant and up to 35 percent of occupied spaces were located in off-street facilities. 20% 21% 22% 20% 22% 22%
30% 32% 33%
28% 27% 25%
51% 48% 45% 52% 51% 53%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
11:00 AM 12:00 PM 1:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM
On-Street Occupied Off-Street Occupied Vacant
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Figure 21 Sunday Parking Occupancy by hour
Parking Turnover and Length of Stay
Parking turnover and parking duration data were collected for: (1) on-street parking spaces located on Laurel Street between San Carlos Avenue and Brittan Avenue, (2) on-street spaces located on San Carlos Avenue between Walnut Street and El Camino Real, and (3) one off-street parking lot (the South Plaza). This data shows the total number of vehicles parking in a space over the course of a day (i.e., turnover) and their lengths of stay.
As shown in Figures 22 and 23, most of the vehicles occupying both on- and off-street spaces had relatively short stays with roughly 87 and 75 percent of all vehicles staying less than two hours in on-street and offstreet spaces, respectively. About 62 percent of vehicles in on-street spaces and half of vehicles in off-street spaces stayed less than one hour. The relatively high percentage of on-street parking stays of two hours or less is a good indication that the two-hour on-street parking restrictions are generally being followed. The number of vehicles parked in off-street lots for three or more hours was considerably higher on Sunday when no limits were in effect.
17% 21% 22% 23% 22%
20%
26%
32% 35% 34%
63%
53% 46% 42% 44%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
9:00 AM 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 12:00 PM 1:00 PM
On-Street Occupied Off-Street Occupied Vacant
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Figure 22 On-Street Parking Average Length of Stay
Figure 23 Off-Street Parking Average Length of Stay
For the block faces surveyed, there were longer lengths of stay in South Downtown than North Downtown, particularly on Laurel Street between Morse Boulevard and Brittan Avenue where several vehicles were parked for six or more hours on Thursday.
Figures 24, 25, and 26 illustrate the average length of stay on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively.
The length of stay was calculated by averaging the amount of time all vehicles were parked on a block. As data was collected every hour, the shortest length of stay that could be counted is one half-hour which 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
< 1 Hr 1 - 2 Hrs 2 - 3 Hrs 3 - 4 Hrs 4 - 5 Hrs 5 - 6 Hrs 6 - 7 Hrs 7 - 8 Hrs 8 - 9 Hrs Thursday Saturday Sunday
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
< 1 Hr 1 - 2 Hrs 2 - 3 Hrs 3 - 4 Hrs 4 - 5 Hrs 5 - 6 Hrs 6 - 7 Hrs 7 - 8 Hrs 8 - 9 Hrs Thursday Saturday Sunday
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would represent a vehicle that appeared in the survey only once. Only a portion of the study area was surveyed for length of stay and turnover, so data for some block faces is not shown.
Figure 24 Parking Average Length of Stay, Thursday
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Figure 25 Parking Average Length of Stay, Saturday
Figure 26 Parking Average Length of Stay, Sunday
Although the majority of vehicles were parked for less than two hours, the amount of time long-term vehicles occupied spaces made up a disproportionate number of hours. For example, although only four percent of vehicles parking on-street on Thursday stayed four hours or more, those vehicles comprised 22
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percent of the total hours that vehicles occupied parking spaces. Figure 27 shows the percent of vehicles by length of stay compared to the percent of time spaces are occupied by short- and long-term vehicles.
Figure 27On-Street Parking Length of Stay Analysis, Thursday With respect to how frequently spaces “turn over”, Figures 28, 29, and 30 show the average number of vehicles parked in a space per day by segment for Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Turnover is defined as the number of different vehicles parked on a block over a given time period of time divided by the inventory of that block. Higher turnover means the block is being occupied by a greater number of different vehicles over the course of the day. In some cases, areas with lower turnover rates may be more heavily used by employees and residents who park for greater periods of time. Higher turnover was typically seen on Thursday and Saturday with less on Sunday.
63%
22%
10%
4%
27% 29%
22% 22%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
< 1 Hr 1 - 2 Hrs 2 - 3 Hrs 4+ Hrs
Percent of Vehicles by Length of Stay Percent of Time Spaces Occupied by Vehicles
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Figure 28 Parking Turnover on Thursday
Figure 29 Parking Turnover on Saturday
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Figure 30 Parking Turnover on Sunday
Alley Loading Activity
The parking survey also included data regarding loading and parking patterns in the alleys between Laurel Street and El Camino Real, from San Carlos Avenue to Arroyo Avenue, from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday. Several small parking lots are located along the alley as well as numerous spaces utilized for loading and unloading. Data was collected regarding the loading and parking activity of vehicles stopped in the alley as well as the dwell time of those that were loading or unloading.
The survey revealed that most vehicles in the alley were parked rather than engaged in loading activity. The east-west alley located just south of San Carlos Avenue experienced the highest percentage of loading activity (68 percent) on both days, while the north-south alley located between Laurel Street and El Camino Real had varying levels of loading activity by block and day. The north-south alley had generally more loading activity on Thursday (23 to 39 percent) relative to Saturday (6 to 46 percent), and Saturday had vehicle significantly higher dwell times north of Olive Street.
Although many vehicles were engaged in loading throughout both days, the short average dwell time resulted in few loading vehicles being parked at the same time (excluding loading activity in the post office).
Typically, between zero to two loading vehicles were present at any given time with no more than three loading vehicles being parked at the same time in any single alley segment (occurring briefly in the eastwest alley south of San Carlos Avenue).
A summary of the alley loading survey is presented in Table 12.
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Table 12 – Alley Parking and Loading Summary
Alley Location Thursday 4 a.m. – 12 p.m. Saturday 4 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Number of
Vehicles
Parked
Percent
Loading
Avg
Dwell
Time
Number of
Vehicles
Parked
Percent
Loading
Avg
Dwell
Time
East-West Alley south of San Carlos Ave
between Laurel St and El Camino Real 34 68% 0:09:03 28 68% 0:10:54 North-South Alley
between Laurel St
and El
Camino Real
From East-West
Alley to Cherry St 79 39% 0:10:59 88 10% 0:49:03
From Cherry St
to Olive St 107 23% 0:13:01 131 6% 0:36:15
From Olive St
To Arroyo Ave 140 26% 0:18:54 92 46% 0:15:09
Total 360 32% 0:14:10 339 23% 0:32:40
Note: Data collected Thursday, May 11 and Saturday, May 13, 2023 Parking Ratio Analysis
This section provides an analysis of current and future parking conditions in the study area based on real estate data and observed peak parking demand. More specifically, parking demand data was crosstabulated with existing and projected land use information to determine the peak parking demand rate for commercial uses in Downtown San Carlos and the adequacy of the current and planned future parking supply.
Inventory, Occupancy, and Supply
As described in the Existing Conditions chapter, the entire Downtown study area has an inventory of 2,825 parking spaces including on-street, public off-street, and private off-street spaces (excluding the Caltrain lot), with the overall peak hour of parking demand as surveyed occurring at 12 p.m. on a Thursday when 60 percent of all spaces are occupied.
As a best practice amongst parking specialists, studies often assume an “effective parking supply” that is lower than the actual parking supply. Including a small proportion of spaces in the analysis that should be left vacant accounts for desired maneuverability and reduces the search time to find available parking.
Effective parking supply rates typically vary from as low as 85 percent of the actual supply for on-street spaces that experience frequent turnover to 95 percent for off-street facilities primarily serving longer-term parkers. In other words, a parking garage with 100 spaces could be described as having an effective parking supply of 95 spaces, meaning that planners would rely on the facility to accommodate 95 vehicles of demand rather than 100 vehicles (since a 100-percent occupied garage is not ideal for operation and can lead to a frustrating user experience).
Using a 90-percent effective parking supply metric for the Downtown as a whole given its mix of parking, 2,543 spaces would result in 834 spaces being available at the peak demand hour. Table 13 shows these results for the Downtown, including the north and south zones, as well as the number and percent of vacant spaces compared to the effective parking supply (i.e., over/under supply).
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Table 13 – Downtown Parking Study Area Effective Parking Supply and Peak Demand Comparison Zone Inventory Effective Parking
Supply – 90%
Existing Peak
Demand – Thursday,
12 p.m.
Over/Under Supply
North Downtown 2,191 1,972 1,350 622 +31.5%
South Downtown 634 571 359 212 +37.1%
Total 2,825 2,543 1,709 834 +32.8%
Note: North Downtown is defined as the area from Holly Street to Arroyo Street and does not include Caltrain parking. The
South Downtown is the area from Arroyo Street to Brittan Avenue.
To compare parking demand to existing development, building data was obtained from the Downtown Specific Plan project (DTSP) currently underway. As shown in Figure 31, the DTSP area is generally bounded by Holly Street, Greenwood Avenue, El Camino Real, and Walnut Street.
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Figure 31 Downtown Specific Plan (DTSP) Study Area
In the DTSP area, there is an inventory of 2,114 spaces, with an overall peak hour demand occurring at 12 p.m. on a Thursday when 58 percent of spaces were occupied during the survey. Assuming a 90-percent effective parking supply, or 1,903 spaces, there would be 680 spaces available at current peak demand.
Table 14 shows these results for the DTSP area under existing conditions, including the north and south zones, as well as the number and percent of vacant spaces compared to the effective parking supply (i.e., over/under supply).
Table 14 – Downtown Specific Plan Study Area Effective Parking Supply and Peak Demand Comparison
Zone Inventory Effective Parking
Supply – 90%
Existing Peak
Demand – Thursday,
12 p.m.
Over/Under Supply
North Downtown 1,702 1,532 1,003 529 +34.5%
South Downtown 412 371 220 151 +40.7%
Total 2,114 1,903 1,223 680 +35.7%
Peak Demand and Land Use Comparison
In addition to comparing existing peak parking demand with the available supply, parking demand was analyzed in relation to the amount (i.e., square footage) of built commercial space within the Downtown Specific Plan area. Error! Reference source not found. shows the existing and anticipated (within the next 20 years) build-out for the area contained with the Parking Study and Specific Plan boundaries.
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Table 15 – Anticipated 20-Year Growth Projection
North Downtown
Use Existing Projected Growth
(20-Year)
Multi-Family residential 371 units 1,276 units
Commercial 672,760 sf 125,470 sf
South Downtown
Multi-Family residential 186 units 240 units
Commercial 167,433 sf 21,689 sf
Hotel 0 rooms 100 rooms
Note: Existing commercial uses represent built gross square footage, rather than occupied; sf =
square feet
This assessment allows for a comparison in both the North and South Downtown geographic zones within the Specific Plan area, by analyzing two factors:
• Built Stalls to Built Land Use Ratio. This represents the ratio of the total number of existing parking stalls to total existing land use square footage (occupied or vacant) within the study area. According to data provided by CoStar, there is a 2.2 percent office vacancy rate and 6.5 percent commercial vacancy rate for the approximately 840,193 gross square feet (GSF) of total non-residential space, equaling 801,993 occupied square feet. At this time, about 2.52 parking stalls per 1,000 GSF of built land use have been developed/provided within the entire Downtown (combining the on-and off-street parking supplies).
• Combined Peak Demand to Occupied Land Use Ratio. This represents the ratio of the total number of parked vehicles to total existing occupied land use square footage within the Downtown, combining the on- and off-street supply. As such, parked vehicles were correlated with actual occupied building area. From this perspective, there is an existing peak hour parking demand of 1.52 spaces per 1,000 GSF of occupied land use, or 1.56 in the North Downtown and 1.37 in the South Downtown.
Table 16 summarizes the analysis for all of Downtown San Carlos and also by zone.
Table 16 – Peak Parking Demand Comparison to Land Use
Zone Gross
Square
Footage
(Built)
Gross
Square
Footage
(Occupied)
Inventory Parking
Supply
Ratio per
Built KSF
Existing
Peak
Demand –
Thursday, 12
p.m.
Peak Parking
Demand Ratio
per Occupied
KSF
North Downtown 672,760 641,650 1,702 2.53 1,003 1.56
South Downtown 167,433 160,343 412 2.46 220 1.37
Total 840,193 801,993 2,114 2.52 1,223 1.52
Note: North Downtown does not include Caltrain parking
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As a comparison, Table 17 provides a list of cities across California in which the consultant team has worked, detailing each of their built supply ratios to demand ratios in their downtowns or mixed-use districts.
Downtown San Carlos is roughly average in both its built parking supply and peak demand ratio compared to other California communities.
Table 17 – Peak Parking Demand in Downtowns & Mixed-Use Districts City Parking Supply Ratio
per Built KSF
Peak Parking Demand
Ratio per Occupied KSF
Difference
Soledad (Downtown) 4.21 1.21 3.00
Mill Valley (Miller Ave) 4.13 3.08 1.05
Gilroy (Downtown) 4.07 2.00 2.07
Lancaster (Downtown) 3.67 1.37 2.30
Ventura (Westside) 2.87 1.26 1.62
San Carlos (Downtown) 2.52 1.52 1.00
Sacramento (Downtown) 2.19 1.18 1.01
Monterey (Downtown) 2.14 1.20 0.94
Palo Alto (Downtown) 2.12 1.90 0.22
Newport Beach (Balboa Village) 1.84 1.78 0.06
Oxnard (Downtown) 1.70 0.98 0.72
Santa Monica (Downtown) 1.57 1.21 0.36
Average 2.75 1.56 1.19
Projected Demand Analysis
The DTSP provides a 20-year growth projection for the Downtown in terms of both residential units and commercial uses, as is provided in Table 15. Using this information, projected parking demand can be estimated using industry standard rates and the local data analyzed above. Additionally, the expected change in parking supply with 20-year growth was calculated to determine whether future parking demand in Downtown could be accommodated with future supply. Projected parking demands do not assume any future mode shift from potential changes such as increased multi-modal access from streetscape changes, Caltrain electrification, or increased transportation demand management (TDM) requirements.
Projected Parking Supply Methodology
Data from 14 developments located within or adjacent to the downtown in the past five years indicate that fully market-rate multi-family residential projects supply 1.7 spaces per unit on average and fully below market-rate (BMR) multi-family projects supply 0.7 spaces per unit on average. Should the City choose to align with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Transit-Oriented Community (TOC) Policy, a parking maximum of one space per unit would apply to new multi-family residential projects. In this case, developers would be expected to build one space per unit for both developments including both marketrate and BMR residential units to maximize the available parking on site given the constrained parking maximum, and allocate a greater portion of those spaces to market-rate units.
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It was assumed that new retail, restaurant, or commercial services uses would provide no parking on-site, as minimum parking requirements are generally prohibited within most of Downtown San Carlos per California Assembly Bill (AB) 2097 and customers could be reasonably expected to use public on- or offstreet parking. However, new office uses were analyzed as providing sufficient on-site parking to meet their own demand (i.e., no employees of new office uses would park in public spaces). As hotels are exempt from AB 2097, new hotels were also assumed to provide their own parking.
Projected Parking Demand Methodology
Parking demand for future multi-family residential developments was estimated based on vehicle ownership data from the Census block groups encompassing the DTSP area. A household within Downtown owns 1.56 vehicles on average. Data from Parking Generation, 6th Edition, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), indicates that parking demand for market-rate and BMR units are roughly equal, so the demand for marketrate units was assumed to be the same for BMR units in this analysis (although developers were presumed to supply different parking ratios for market-rate and BMR units). According to data from the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Shared Parking manual, 40 percent of resident vehicles would be parked at home at 12 p.m. on a Thursday and 80 percent of vehicles would be parked at home at 7 p.m. on a Saturday. Therefore, the resident parking demand per multi-family unit was calculated as vehicle ownership (1.56 vehicles per household) multiplied by the percent of vehicles at home during a given peak hour.
While residents were assumed to park in public spaces only when on-site spaces are fully occupied, visitors were expected to always park on street. Visitor parking demand was also sourced from the ULI and ranges from 0.02 spaces per unit at 12 p.m. on a Thursday to 0.15 spaces per unit at 7 p.m. on a Saturday. During the peak hour on Thursday, parking demand for commercial uses was previously derived to be 1.56 spaces per occupied 1,000 square feet in the North Downtown and 1.37 spaces per occupied 1,000 square feet in the South Downtown. On Saturday at 7 p.m., the ratio of parking demand per 1,000 occupied square feet of commercial space is 1.27 in the North Downtown and 1.14 in the South Downtown. To find the expected parking demand generated by new commercial uses, these ratios were applied to projected commercial square footage (excluding hotels and offices which would provide parking on-site).
Projected Surplus/Deficit
Table 18 and Table 19 show the calculations for the North Downtown and South Downtown during the study’s overall peak hour of demand (Thursday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.) and during the evening on Saturday (7 to 8 p.m.) when residential parking demand peaked with evening restaurant/retail demand. As the projected surplus of parking is smallest during Saturday evening, projected demand on Saturday was compared to projected effective supply (i.e., assuming at least ten percent of the parking supply should remain vacant) in Table 20 should the City adopt the MTC’s TOC policy and establish a one space per unit parking maximum for multi-family residential. Each table also includes a comparison to the future effective parking supply of each area, accounting for the effects of planned street design changes and changes in the public, off-street parking supply. Upon completion of 20 years of development included in the DTSP and changes in the public parking supply, the entire downtown would be expected to have an effective surplus of 379 spaces relative to projected parking demand during the study’s overall peak hour of demand on Thursday and an effective surplus of 118 spaces during the evening on Saturday. With a one space per unit parking maximum for new multi-family residential, the Downtown should have an effective surplus of 69 spaces during the evening on Saturday (two excess spaces in the North Downtown and 67 excess spaces in the South Downtown).
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Table 18 – Thursday 12 p.m. Projected Parking Surplus/Deficit Market-Rate
Residential BMR Residential Total
North
Downtown
South
Downtown
North
Downtown
South
Downtown
North
Downtown
South
Downtown
Multi-family Units 753 142 523 98 1276 240
Anticipated Supply1 1255 236 376 71 1631 307
Anticipated Vehicle
Ownership2
1176 221 817 154 - -
Owned Vehicles On-Site at
12 p.m. on Thursday3
470 88 327 61 - -
Deficit 0 0 0 0 0 0
Visitor Demand4-16 -3 -10 -2 -26 -5
Current Effective Parking Supply Available in DTSP, Thursday 12 p.m. 529 151 New Residential Demand -26 -5
New Commercial Demand -196 -30
Loss of Public Spaces from Streetscape Plan -47 0
Projected Surplus/Deficit 260 119
Note: DTSP = Downtown Specific Plan; North Downtown does not include Caltrain parking; 1 = 1.7 spaces per unit for
market-rate and 0.7 spaces per unit from development data; 2 = 1.56 vehicles per household from Census data; 3 = 40
percent of vehicles from ULI; 4 = 0.02 spaces per unit from ULI
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Table 19 – Saturday 7 p.m. Projected Parking Surplus/Deficit Market-Rate
Residential BMR Residential Total
North
Downtown
South
Downtown
North
Downtown
South
Downtown
North
Downtown
South
Downtown
Multi-Family Units 753 142 523 98 1276 240
Anticipated Supply1 1255 236 376 71 1631 307
Anticipated Vehicle
Ownership2
1176 221 817 154 - -
Owned Vehicles On-Site at
7 p.m. on Saturday3
941 177 654 123 - -
Deficit 0 0 -278 -52 -278 -52
Visitor Demand4-113 -21 -78 -15 -191 -36
Current Effective Parking Supply Available in DTSP, Saturday 7 p.m. 718 188 New Residential Demand -469 -88
New Commercial Demand -159 -25
Loss of Public Spaces from Streetscape Plan -47 0
Projected Surplus/Deficit 43 75
Note: DTSP = Downtown Specific Plan; North Downtown does not include Caltrain parking; 1 = 1.7 spaces per unit for
market-rate and 0.7 spaces per unit from development data; 2 = 1.56 vehicles per household from Census data; 3 = 80
percent of vehicles from ULI; 4 = 0.15 spaces per unit from ULI
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Table 20 – Saturday 7 p.m. Projected Parking Surplus/Deficit with TOC Policy Market-Rate
Residential BMR Residential Total
North
Downtown
South
Downtown
North
Downtown
South
Downtown
North
Downtown
South
Downtown
Multi-Family Units 753 142 523 98 1276 240
Anticipated Supply with 1
Space/Unit Maximum 753 142 523 98 1276 240
Anticipated Vehicle
Ownership1
1176 221 817 154 1993 375
Owned Vehicles On-Site at
7 p.m. on Saturday2
941 177 654 123 1595 300
Deficit -188 -35 -131 -25 -319 -60
Visitor Demand3-113 -21 -78 -15 -191 -36
Current Effective Parking Supply Available in DTSP, Saturday 7 p.m. 718 188 New Residential Demand -510 -96
New Commercial Demand -159 -25
Loss of Public Spaces from Streetscape Plan -47 0
Projected Surplus/Deficit 2 67
Note: DTSP = Downtown Specific Plan; North Downtown does not include Caltrain parking; 1 = 1.56 vehicles per household
from Census data; 2 = 80 percent of vehicles from ULI; 3 = 0.15 spaces per unit from ULI Summary of Key Findings
This review has yielded various key findings related to existing parking supply, occupancy, length of stay, and turnover in the study area. The specific findings of the existing conditions parking analysis are summarized below.
Summary of Existing Conditions
1. Visitors to Downtown using public parking facilities likely have difficulty finding parking in high-demand areas at peak times, but there is available public parking in areas that are farther from destinations, such as on Walnut Street, on Elm Street, and in the Wheeler Plaza Garage. Customers and employees using private parking facilities in the study area are most likely to easily find parking, as occupancy for private off-street facilities was generally lowest compared to public off-street and on-street spaces.
2. Some areas experience higher occupancy rates during the day, particularly in the core Downtown near Laurel Street. However, the study area generally has a substantial supply of vacant parking available during the days and hours surveyed, but Occupancy on Thursday and Sunday tended to be higher than on Saturday. Overall, daytime parking space vacancy rates range between 38 percent and 63 percent.
On-street parking generally experiences higher occupancy rates than off-street, especially on Sunday (80 percent) when time restrictions are not in place.
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3. On-street parking occupancy rates are relatively consistent on Thursdays and Saturdays, but off-street parking experienced moderately less occupancy during the midday and considerably less occupancy in the evening.
4. On-street parking occupancy in the North Downtown generally remained consistent throughout Thursday and Saturday (between 50 and 63 percent) reaching their peaks at 7 p.m. when on-street spaces were 62 percent occupied on Thursday and 63 percent occupied on Saturday. Alternatively, onstreet parking occupancy in the South Downtown peaked at noon on both days (67 percent occupied on Thursday and 53 percent on Saturday) and decreased in the evening. Off-street parking occupancy on Thursday was substantially higher in the North Downtown, where the peak off-street occupancy was 64 percent, than the South Downtown, where the peak off-street occupancy was 42 percent.
5. For the whole study area, parking occupancy reached 47 to 51 percent at night, with peak nighttime parking occupancy rates of 62 percent in the North Downtown area and 35 percent in the South Downtown.
6. Caltrain station parking occupancy is consistently very low. Surveys show that of the 248 spaces provided at the San Carlos Caltrain station, 49 spaces (20 percent) were occupied at the peak hour on a Thursday. Prior to the pandemic, in Spring 2019 the peak parking occupancy reached 120 vehicles, with all of the vehicles parked in the spaces north of Olive Street.
7. Adherence to posted time limits appears to be relatively good with 87 and 75 percent of all vehicles staying less than two hours in on-street and off-street spaces, respectively, with somewhat longer lengths of stay in South Downtown.
8. Although most vehicles were observed to be parked fewer than two hours, those who did park longterm vehicles occupied spaces a disproportionate number of hours. For example, although only four percent of surveyed vehicles parking on-street on a Thursday stayed four hours or more, those vehicles comprised 22 percent of the total hours that vehicles occupied parking spaces.
9. Although many service vehicles were engaged in loading in the alleys throughout both days, short average dwell times resulted in few loading vehicles being parked at the same time (excluding loading activity at the post office). Typically, between zero and two loading vehicles were present at any given time with no more than three loading vehicles being parked at the same time in any single alley segment (occurring briefly in the east-west alley south of San Carlos Avenue).
Summary of Parking Ratio Analysis
10. Comparing the effective parking supply (i.e. the parking supply assuming that there is a 10 percent desired vacancy rate for all spaces) to peak-hour demand for parking, the entire Downtown has an oversupply of 834spaces (32.8 percent of the effective parking supply) while the Downtown Specific Plan study area has an oversupply of 680 spaces (35.7 percent of the effective parking supply).
11. Currently, about 2.52 parking stalls per 1,000 gross square feet (GSF) of built non-residential space are provided within the entire Downtown, including both public and private on- and off-street spaces. There is an existing peak hour parking demand of 1.52 spaces per 1,000 GSF of occupied non-residential space, or 1.56 in the North Downtown and 1.37 in the South Downtown.
12. With the inclusion of 20-year growth projected in the Downtown Specific Plan and losses of effective parking supply from planned street design changes and future changes in public, off-street facilities,
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the entire study area would have a surplus of 379 spaces during the overall peak hour of demand for the study (Thursday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.) and a surplus of 118 spaces during the evening on Saturday (7 to 8 p.m.). Should the City adopt the MTC’s TOC policy and establish a one space per unit parking maximum for multi-family residential developments, the Downtown would be expected to have a surplus of 69 spaces on Saturday evening including two vacant spaces in the North Downtown and 67 in the South Downtown.
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Parking Management Strategies
This chapter provides a description of proposed parking strategies and Zoning Code updates designed to improve the availability and convenience of parking in Downtown San Carlos, as well as promote sustainable travel behavior. The recommendations were informed by the observation of current parking behavior, input from City staff, and feedback received from the residential and business community, property owners, and other local stakeholders during the Downtown Specific Plan process.
Included in this chapter are a diverse range of strategies to increase the publicly available parking supply, better manage demand, adjust parking policies in anticipation of new development and in response to recent policy changes, and finance components of the parking program. Additionally, the proposed strategies are intended to improve the experience of drivers visiting Downtown and looking for parking, support resident and employee long-term parking, and encourage sustainable modes of transportation.
The strategies are generally organized in three phases, with the mid- and long-term strategies that can be implemented as the Downtown grows over time. Also, recommended changes to the Zoning Code are detailed following each of the three phases. The Zoning Code updates recommended for Downtown are subject to change with the adoption of Citywide Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and parking standards. A set of “Strategies for Future Consideration” are described; while they are not recommended with this report, these strategies are commonly used parking management tools that the City may wish to reconsider in the future.
Parking Management Objectives
The San Carlos 2045 General Plan includes policies and actions related to vehicle and bicycle parking within Downtown such as the following:
• Policy LU-2.9 Continue to allow shared parking between commercial and residential uses. • Policy LU-2.20 Ensure adequate accessibility to the Downtown, which may include expanding automobile parking, bicycle parking and public transit. • Action LU-2.6 Review Downtown parking standards and amend as necessary to encourage and support a pedestrian-oriented environment while minimizing impacts on adjacent neighborhoods. • Action LU-2.7 Evaluate options to increase safe and convenient bicycle access and parking in the Downtown area.
Although visitors to Downtown may have difficulty finding parking at peak times immediately adjacent to their destinations in high-demand spaces, such as those on Laurel Street, data show there are available public and private parking spaces in the area, albeit farther from the original destination. Taken as a whole, almost two out of every five parking spaces in the Downtown (i.e., over 1,100 spaces) are vacant during peak demand. In addition, the Caltrain lot is especially underutilized, with 248 spaces and a maximum occupancy of 20 percent. Most drivers complied with posted time limits, but there were some drivers that stayed long-term and occupied spaces for a disproportionate number of hours, well in excess of time limits.
While historically “solving a parking problem” in a high-demand area in many cities has resulted in increasing the supply of off-street parking, this solution does not address the core problem of concentrated demand in which on-street spaces at select locations are consistently oversubscribed while nearby off-street spaces remain underused. The strategies in this plan are intended to manage demand for curb spaces to
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ensure parking availability and maximize vehicle turnover for businesses, while also optimizing use of the existing off-street supply to meet a variety of parking needs such as convenience for visitors and long-term resident and employee parking. Measures such as wayfinding, online mobility information, valet services, and long-term off-street parking would improve the experience of visiting Downtown San Carlos and encourage longer stays.
Anticipated development within Downtown over the next 20 years would intensify parking demand, especially as many new projects may supply little to no new off-street parking. Mid- to long-term strategies are recommended to minimize parking spillover effects in established nearby residential neighborhoods, and also to prevent new residents from parking long term on the street free of charge. Recommendations to support sustainable modes of transportation, such as walking, bicycling, carpooling, and public transit, are also presented in this plan. Efforts to improve bicycle infrastructure within San Carlos should be coupled with updated bicycle parking standards and public short- and long-term bicycle parking to ensure that cyclists have a secure place to lock their bikes at their destinations. The plan includes updated Zoning Code standards for Downtown to comply with recent regional policy requirements, encourage lower vehicle ownership and sustainable travel, and reduce the oversupply of parking with new developments.
Overview of Potential Parking Strategies
The parking strategies described below represent a toolbox of measures available to the City. As noted above, they are broken into three phases with “short-term” strategies prioritized for the next five years, “mid-term” strategies intended to be coordinated with the completion of planned development in Downtown and streetscape changes such as the public plazas on Laurel Street between San Carlos Avenue and Olive Street, and “long-term” strategies to be completed following the mid-term strategies if there is a demonstrated need. Edits to the City’s Zoning Code are recommended and should be implemented as soon as possible in preparation for new development in Downtown. However, these Zoning Code edits are subject to change with the adoption of Citywide TDM and parking standards. While not recommended at this time, a set of “Strategies for Future Consideration” are included which may be revisited by the City in the future. Table 21 shows a summary of the parking management strategies and ratings of their relative effectiveness in managing parking demand, cost, and ease of implementation.
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Table 21 – Summary of Parking Management Strategies
Strategy Effectiveness Cost Ease of
Implementation
Short-Term Strategies
1. Long-Term Parking in Off-Street Lots ★ $ ★★★
2. Modify Time-Restricted Hours ★★ $$ ★★★
3. Transportation Management Association ★★★ $$$ ★
4. Parking Wayfinding ★ $ ★★★
5. Mobility Information ★ $ ★★★
6. Shared Parking Agreements ★★★ $$$ ★
7. Parking Enforcement ★★★ $$$ ★★
8. Resident Permits for New Developments ★★ $ ★★
9. Daylighting and Accessible Parking ★ $ ★★★
Mid-Term Strategies
1. Bicycle Parking Hub ★ $$ ★★★
2. Residential Permit Parking District ★★★ $$ ★★
Long-Term Strategies
1. Special Event Valet Parking ★ $$ ★★★
Note: Sliding scale where ★ is least desirable and ★★★ is most desirable, $ is cheapest and $$$ most expensive
Short-Term Strategies
All-Day Parking in Off-Street Lots
Short-Term Strategy 1 – In place of the Downtown Employee Parking Permit program, designate the second floor of the Wheeler Plaza Garage and the top floor of the SamTrans Garage (202 total spaces) as free ten-hour parking.
Description
Currently, two- or three-hour time restrictions apply within all public parking lots in Downtown San Carlos.
As a result, visitors looking to park for more than three hours in public spaces must search for an unregulated on-street space, move their vehicle regularly, or park illegally in a time-restricted space and risk citation. The Downtown Employee Parking Permit is available to employees of businesses located on Laurel Street south of San Carlos Avenue and enables employees to park without restrictions in any of the 126 available spaces on the second floor of the Wheeler Plaza Garage or in any of the 76 spaces on the top floor of the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) Garage. At a cost of $103 per six months (which is approximately $0.79 per weekday), roughly 60 Downtown Employee permits are issued by the City annually. The number of active employee permits indicates that most employees do not use this program and may be parking in on-street spaces, even though the daily cost of a permit is relatively low for a fulltime employee working in-person. Employees of San Carlos City Hall, San Carlos Library, San Carlos Library
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Tenants, the County Sheriff’s Office, and the Adult Community Center are eligible for the Civic Center Employee Parking Permit program which exempts the permitholder from the three-hour time restriction in any section of the San Carlos Library Parking Garage.
Purpose
Creating more long-term parking in less proximate locations can benefit both employees and visitors.
Parking occupancy and turnover data show that vehicles parked long-term (over four hours) in on-street spaces occupy spaces for a disproportionate number of hours (four percent of vehicles on Thursday comprised 22 percent of the total hours that vehicles occupied parking spaces). This indicates that some employees are likely parking on the street for long periods and understand that, with infrequent enforcement, they can park long term in convenient spaces without consequence. In other words, there is little reason for employees to pay for a permit and park in less convenient off-street spaces when free parking is available in prime locations if the employee regularly moves their vehicle or risks citation. A free long-term parking option in underutilized off-street lots would be more desirable for employees than paid permits and could have the effect of increasing turnover for high-demand on-street spaces. As with employees, there is no existing option for long-term visitor parking in Downtown other than circulating for an unregulated on-street space, regularly moving between spaces, or illegally parking long-term in a timerestricted space. Long-term parking in less convenient locations can also serve visitors who wish to stay longer and visit more businesses during the same trip, creating an economic benefit for Downtown.
Implementation
It is recommended that the City designate the second floor of the Wheeler Plaza Garage and top floor of the SamTrans garage as free ten-hour parking; the current 13 “clean air” spaces on the second floor of the Wheeler Plaza Garage should be shifted to the first floor to encourage their use. Based on occupancy data collected over three days, the 126 spaces on the second floor of the Wheeler Plaza Garage have a peak occupancy of 15 percent and the 76 spaces on the top floor of the SamTrans Garage have a peak occupancy of eight percent, indicating that both locations have a significant number of vacant parking spaces. Longterm visitors to Downtown and employees should be directed (via new wayfinding signage described below) to park at the ten-hour spaces, which would allow some of the more popular on-street spaces to be used by short-term parkers. With the conversion of spaces to ten-hour parking, the Downtown Employee Parking Permit program would no longer be needed and should be suspended until greater Downtown parking demand warrants its return. The Downtown Employee Parking Permit program generates $5,722 of annual revenue, excluding the approximately ten hours of staff time to run the program, and its suspension would have a minimal fiscal impact. The free Civic Center Employee Parking Permit program, which has 200 annual permits issued, is better utilized than the Downtown Employee program and should remain in place.
Modify Time-Restricted Hours for Public Parking
Short Term Strategy 2 – Modify the time-restricted hours for all public on-street parking and high-demand public off-street parking to include the period between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. as well as Sundays. The City should collect morning parking occupancy data and, if occupancy is low before 8:00 a.m., move the timerestricted hours for all Downtown public parking to begin at 8:00 a.m. instead of 7:00 a.m.
Description
Currently, the majority of time-restricted on- and off-street public parking spaces have two- or three-hour time limits between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Thursday parking data show that
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on-street parking occupancy in Downtown remained constant at 55 percent between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and then increased to 58 percent during the hour between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., which is relatively close to the peak on-street parking occupancy for the day (61 percent). On Saturday, on-street parking occupancy reached its peak of 58 percent between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., outside of the current timerestricted hours for most on-street parking spaces. In general, demand for public off-street parking spaces tended to decrease after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday. However, high-demand public facilities such as Clark Plaza, South Plaza, and Wheeler Plaza (surface lot) were heavily utilized past 7:00 p.m. Peak onstreet and off-street parking occupancies on Sunday were especially high, even in the Wheeler Garage, likely due to the lack of time restrictions on Sunday and increased activity from the Farmers’ Market.
Purpose
While the current parking hours align with more traditional business hours, shifting the time-restricted hours of on-street parking to include 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sundays would encourage parking turnover during some of the periods of highest demand. The hours between 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. are a peak time for visitors to eat out at restaurants, spend time at bars, or attend special events. Restaurants and shops are typically open on both Saturdays and Sundays, and the lack of time restrictions combined with the Farmers’ Market has resulted in particularly high demand for on-street parking spaces and off-street spaces near Laurel Street on Sunday. These restrictions may be particularly effective in discouraging evening-shift employees from parking in more convenient spaces beginning at 4:00 p.m. and leaving their vehicles in place all night.
Maintaining parking time restrictions between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. is relatively uncommon for most jurisdictions, as many businesses (except coffee shops) tend to be closed at this time. However, no parking demand data before 9:00 a.m. was obtained for this study.
Implementation
The time-restricted hours for on-street spaces and high-demand off-street lots (i.e., Clark Plaza, South Plaza, and Wheeler Plaza) in Downtown San Carlos should be shifted to include the period between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sundays to better align with when spaces are most in demand; Wheeler Garage should maintain its current 6:00 p.m. limit, but expand its hours to include Sundays. The City should collect parking occupancy data for the morning hours and move the time-restricted hours for public on- and off-street spaces to begin at 8:00 a.m., provided that spaces are measured to have low occupancy before 8:00 a.m.
Moving time-restricted hours to between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. would be in line with nearby jurisdictions such as Redwood City and San Bruno, which require payment for metered on-street parking spaces between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. All other public off-street lots (e.g., City Hall) should maintain their current time restrictions to encourage their use during evening hours and on Sundays.
Transportation Management Association (TMA)
Short-Term Strategy 3 – Create a Citywide Transportation Management Association (TMA) for San Carlos that includes Downtown.
A Transportation Management Association (TMA) is typically either a private/non-profit or public-private partnership member-controlled organization that is established to promote commute alternatives to driving alone. TMAs are controlled and funded through membership and/or developer fees with the goal of reducing vehicle trips and congestion. Typically, TMAs allow for businesses of all different sizes to collectively provide commute reduction services to a broader range of travelers. TMAs allow multiple
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entities within a geographic area to jointly provide Transportation Demand Management (TDM) services and measures to employees and visitors, rather than each company providing services individually.
Residential projects can also be included in TMAs, enabling local residents to take advantage of these services and incentives to walk, bike, carpool, vanpool or use transit to reach their destinations. TMAs can take on the role of pursuing and managing shared parking agreements with the owners of private lots within its boundaries, as sharing underutilized parking resources reduces the need for new off-street parking and promotes alternatives to driving.
It is recommended that a Citywide TMA be created for San Carlos that includes Downtown, the Northeast Area, and the Eastside Innovation District at a minimum, as well as other areas of San Carlos or neighboring cities if desired. One option would be to build off of the proposed TMA in East San Carlos if that is implemented first and then expand that program to other areas of the City. Creating a unified TMA for multiple regions would be a more efficient use of resources than maintaining multiple smaller TMAs, since certain service and administrative costs do not scale proportionally to the size of the organization (i.e. a single small TMA could be a similar level of cost and effort to a larger TMA). The mission of the TMA should be to collectively represent all users, existing or new, within its boundaries; manage parking as a districtwide resource by pursuing and managing shared parking agreements; oversee TDM measures; and take actions to achieve the collective goals of the TDM program. The TMA could include representation from the City along with existing and new businesses and residential projects. The work needed to develop the TMA can be a lengthy process and should begin as soon as possible.
Case Studies of TMAs in the Bay Area
Case studies of existing TMAs throughout the Bay Area are described in Table 22. Existing TMAs could be helpful resources for the City of San Carlos when creating a TMA.
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Table 22 – Case Studies of TMAs in Bay Area
Name of TMA Description Primary Duties Website
Mountain View
TMA
Non-profit organization
with a mission of reducing
traffic on Mountain View
streets
Operates four free MVgo shuttle routes
and provides mid-day mobility
reimbursements for commuters. Directs
residents and commuters to programs
such as Valley Transportation Authority’s
(VTA) Guaranteed Ride Home, 511’s
Merge ridematching service, Clipper’s
START pilot program, and VTA ACCESS
paratransit
https://mvgo.org/
Palo Alto TMA Private, non-profit
organization to reduce
Single Occupancy Vehicle
(SOV) trips, traffic
congestion, and demand
for parking
Provides transportation information for
living car-free and commuting by transit.
Offers free transit passes, participation in
the Bike Love rewards program for
biking to work, and subsidized late-night
Lyft rides to qualifying employees.
https://www.paloal
totma.org/
Alameda TMA Public-private, non-profit
organization created to
connect Alameda
commuters to sustainable
and affordable
transportation
Includes information about travel
options to/from the City of Alameda.
Offers an incentive for TMA members
that purchase an electric bike, free
transit passes for TMA members, and
Car Share credit for Alameda workers.
https://www.alame
datma.org/
Moffett Park
Business
Group
(Sunnyvale
)
Membership-driven
organization addressing
common business
concerns within the
Moffett Park area
(including a transportation
group)
Coordinates an annual employee
commute survey, forms a group of
safety and security personnel for
emergency preparedness, offers
transportation information on the
“Resources” page.
https://www.mpbg.
org/
West San
Leandro
BID
Business Improvement
District collecting fees to
fund LINKS shuttle service
Operates the LINKS shuttle service to
the Downtown San Leandro Bay Area
Rapid Transit (BART) station.
Participation in BID qualifies as a
commuter benefit for employers
https://sanleandrol
inks.com/bid/
Implement TDM Programs
Joining and paying fees and/or membership dues to a TMA should qualify as a TDM measure that results in trip reduction, as the TMA would provide coordinated TDM services to employees, residents, and visitors, that would otherwise be provided individually by each business or residential project. The TMA should provide online mobility information to promote alternatives to driving alone, as well as coordinate with the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) and Commute.org to implement local programming. For members of the TMA located in the same area, the TMA could support and/or provide district-wide shuttle services in place of each entity operating a separate shuttle. The TMA can assist businesses or residential
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property managers with purchasing and distributing transit passes (through Caltrain GoPass, for example) and provide other technical assistance in helping them meet TDM requirements.
Monitor TDM Programs
In addition to implementing TDM measures, the TMA should monitor and report vehicle trips and program data to help assess the effectiveness of their vehicle trip reduction efforts. This may include monitoring parking usage through driveway counts or distributing travel surveys. Travel surveys should be intuitive, quick to complete, and ask standardized questions that can easily be compared between employers and properties. Additionally, the TMA can maintain and regularly update a database of travel behavior data and TDM performance information, and the travel behavior data could be shared annually with the public.
Monitoring can enable a TMA to make effective adjustments to its programs to maximize their effectiveness, more efficiently mitigate vehicle trips, and reduce vehicle miles traveled and parking demand within the TMA service area.
Parking Wayfinding
Short-Term Strategy 4 – Install new parking wayfinding signs to guide drivers to long-term parking spaces on the second floor of Wheeler Plaza Garage and the top floor of the SamTrans Garage (using the heading “All-Day Free Parking”), as well as shared, private parking spaces should they become accessible to the public.
Description
Parking wayfinding such as highly visible directional signage can better direct motorists to public, off-street parking or private lots that are publicly available. The signs should be in line with public standards (e.g., the use of a large “P”) and be consistent with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Downtown San Carlos currently has static parking wayfinding signs in about 30 locations that generally include a large “P,” arrow pointing in the direction of the nearest public parking facility, and the text “Free Parking” or ”Parking.”
Purpose
Wayfinding signage can be used to direct motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. For motorists, the time taken to search for vehicle parking may be reduced and the visibility of parking availability may be increased.
Pedestrian-oriented signage directs people on foot to and from the parking facilities as well as providing information regarding the proximity of destinations. For bicyclists, signage can direct users to bicycle parking and safe routes. Larger vehicle parking facilities sometimes include automated parking counters which provide information on electronic signs or online about the real-time availability of parking spaces, helping direct visitors to a lot with empty spaces.
While Downtown has existing wayfinding signage, supplementary wayfinding signage could inform employees and visitors looking to stay longer than two or three hours to park all day for free in parts of the Wheeler Plaza and SamTrans garages; this could prevent some long-term parkers from parking illegally or frequently moving between time-restricted parking spaces. If off-street private lots are made publicly accessible through shared parking agreements, wayfinding signage can note what lots are available to the public and at what times of day.
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Implementation
With the conversion of the second floor of the Wheeler Plaza Garage and top floor the SamTrans Garage to free ten-hour parking, is recommended that new parking wayfinding signs be installed to direct drivers looking for long-term parking to the ten-hour spaces. The signs should have a heading of “All-Day Free Parking” and include a row with the text “Wheeler Plaza (2 nd Floor)” and a row with “SamTrans Garage (Top
Floor).” Each row should be grouped with a directional arrow guiding drivers to the facility. The new signs should be situated at common entrances to Downtown, such as Holly Street and San Carlos Avenue; along streets where drivers are likely to circulate for parking, such as Laurel Street, Cherry Street, and Olive Street; as well as along Walnut Street near the entrances to the long-term parking facilities. Figure 32 shows proposed locations for the new parking wayfinding signs as well as desired paths of travel for drivers to access the long-term spaces.
Figure 32 Proposed New All-Day Parking Wayfinding Signs If shared parking agreements are pursued to make private lots accessible to the public, wayfinding signage should be installed to direct drivers to publicly accessible spaces. These signs should note at what hours shared lots are publicly accessible, and would supplement online resources that inform the public what parking facilities are available. Should public, off-street parking facilities consistently become full in the future, the City could consider installing parking counters and real-time, dynamic signage that tells drivers how many spaces are open in larger facilities.
Mobility Information
Short-Term Strategy 5 – In advance of formation of the TMA, the City should provide online mobility information for visitors, employees, and residents traveling to/from Downtown including information on multimodal travel options, commuter programs, parking lot locations, parking costs, and parking regulations.
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As the City of San Carlos’ website does not currently offer consolidated information on multimodal transportation options, commuting programs, or public parking facilities in Downtown, there is an opportunity to improve the quality and accessibility of online information to visitors, employees, and residents. It is recommended that the City add consolidated mobility information for Downtown San Carlos to its website, feature new resources, and share the information with organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce to better market to employees and visitors.
The webpage should offer information on how to access Downtown via driving, bicycling, and transit, and include interactive maps of public vehicle and bicycle parking locations (including shared parking lots and bicycle lockers at the Caltrain station), parking costs if applicable, parking regulations, and parking occupancy (if such data is available). Providing detailed website information on the available mobility options to/in Downtown could encourage people to use alternatives to driving alone, to drive in less congested areas, or to park in underutilized parking resources and avoid circulating for parking. The website should link to commuting resources such as shuttle services and rewards through Commute.org, the Clipper START pilot program, discounts on SamTrans buses and Caltrain, Redi-Wheels and Peninsula Rides paratransit services, and the 511 Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program.
While a TMA would typically be responsible for providing online mobility and commuting information, it is recommended that the City add this information to the website in the short term as it will likely be several years before the Citywide TMA is formed. Examples to reference include the cities of San Luis Obispo, Walnut Creek, and San Jose which have created websites that offer information regarding the location of public parking lots, the cost of parking, and parking regulations. The cities of Walnut Creek and San Jose also provide information on how to use transit, bikes, and other modes to get to Downtown and their associated incentive programs.
Shared Parking Agreements
Short-Term Strategy 6 – The City should pursue shared parking agreements with private off-street lot owners and Caltrain to better utilize the existing parking resources within Downtown. The Citywide TMA would take over responsibility for pursuing and managing shared parking agreements once it is formed.
Description
Shared parking is one of the most effective tools in parking management. Since many different land uses (a bank and a bar or restaurant, for example) have different periods of parking demand, they can often share a common parking facility, thereby limiting the need to provide additional parking inventory for the entire area. Shared parking policies do not treat the parking supply as individual units specific to particular businesses or uses, but rather emphasize the efficient use of the parking supply by including as many spaces as possible in a common pool of shared, publicly available spaces.
This is relevant in Downtown San Carlos where there is lower demand for off-street private parking lots than public on- and off-street spaces, especially on weekends when many businesses are not operating. While occupancy in public lots ranged from 60 to 65 percent during peak hours of demand throughout the week, peak occupancy in private lots was observed to be between 38 and 57 percent (with the lowest peak demand occurring on Sunday). On a typical Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., for example, there were 365 public on- and off-street spaces vacant (30 percent of the total public spaces) and 476 private spaces vacant (62 percent of the total private spaces). Shared parking agreements would allow some of those vacant private off-street spaces to be used for public parking in the Downtown area.
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Parking demand for the Caltrain parking lot in San Carlos was analyzed separately from other private offstreet lots, and the Caltrain lot was observed to have particularly low occupancy during all recorded hours.
The occupancy of the 248-space Caltrain lot peaked at 20 percent between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, while off-peak occupancy reached levels as low as two percent on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. On Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., there were 220 vacant spaces in the Caltrain lot (89 percent of total spaces).
The portion of the Caltrain lot south of Olive Street is currently available for public parking outside of business hours on weekdays and all day on weekends; however, given the low observed overall occupancy, there are opportunities to share a larger portion of the lot during all hours of the week.
Shared parking agreements would be between the City or TMA and private parking lot owners and would provide for privately-owned off-street parking to be available to the general public, typically during specified periods of time, when the parking lot is in low demand for its associated tenants. The agreement with the parking lot owner would stipulate the times during which public users may park in the lot and terms for compensation and operation. Compensation for the use of private lots may be made in the form of lease agreements that also outline specific provisions related to maintenance, operations, security, and liability (see more details below). Signage and online information would also be provided to clearly indicate the times when the lots are available to the general public.
Purpose
Shared parking agreements present an opportunity to increase the supply of publicly available off-street parking. They can bring multiple benefits to both private parking lot owners (to maximize the use and value of their parking lots) and the City, particularly since the cost of constructing new parking supply in most cases exceeds the costs of shared parking agreements. In addition, the agreements allow for better use of existing resources and elimination of opportunity costs of using Downtown parcels for parking instead of for active land uses. Shared parking agreements have the following benefits. They:
• Increase the supply of public parking that is easily accessible, especially in the busiest parts of Downtown during peak periods of demand;
• Create a more welcoming environment for customers and visitors because they do not have to worry about getting towed for parking at one business while visiting another; • Reduce traffic associated with drivers searching for vacant parking spaces; • More efficiently use the existing parking supply and increase the ability to manage this supply as a cohesive unit;
• Can be implemented in a short timeframe;
• Better distribute parking demand away from the most popular on-street spaces; • Reduce the potential for parking “spillover” into adjacent residential neighborhoods; • Reduce costs, as the cost associated with sharing parking is less than the construction of new supply; and
• Provide new and/or increased revenues for private property owners.
Although there are numerous benefits to shared parking agreements, some private property owners may not be interested in participating in such agreements, especially non-local property owners (e.g., national banks). As such, it will be important for the TMA to approach multiple private lot owners and have a flexible, customized approach to negotiating terms and conditions with each individual lot owner.
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Implementation
Management
The responsibility of managing and overseeing agreements with private parking lot owners would fall to the City of San Carlos until the formation of the Citywide TMA. After the TMA is formed, the TMA would begin managing and overseeing agreements. The City or TMA should pursue shared parking agreements with private off-street lot owners in the Downtown area, particularly owners of the lots described in the “Potential Lots” section below. Wayfinding signage should be created to direct drivers to shared lots and could include publicly available hours for shared spaces as well as real-time signage showing the number of available parking spaces. Additionally, an interactive online map should show all shared spaces and indicate the hours at which the lots are open to the public, as well as costs, regulations, and occupancy if applicable.
Potential Lots
A review of private parking lots in the study area was conducted to determine possible partnerships that could be pursued. Lots were considered if they had ten or more spaces, an occupancy level under 50 percent during the Thursday and/or Saturday peak hours sampled, and were not used as an integral part of the business (e.g., an auto repair shop). Some lots are more geographically desirable, but may be more difficult to open to the public depending on ownership and land use. In some cases, there could be an opportunity to share a portion of the spaces rather than the entire lot. Other sites may have enough spaces for a shared parking agreement but may not be a viable option given that the agreement may need to be brokered through a bank’s national office. Based on this analysis (including both Caltrain and SamTrans parking facilities), it was estimated that up to 569 parking spaces could potentially be made available during weekdays before 5:00 p.m. through public-private partnerships as well as 764 spaces after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and 803 spaces all day on weekends. The Caltrain lot includes 248 spaces that could be shared all day on weekdays and weekends and even accommodate long-term employee and visitor parking.
However, it is recommended that only the spaces south of Cherry Street be shared with the public, as the spaces north of Cherry Street and closest to the platform are viewed by the transit providers as priority stalls for their riders. Locations of candidate lots for shared parking based on Wednesday and Saturday occupancy are shown in Figure 33 and Figure 34Error! Reference source not found., respectively.
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Figure 33 Candidate Private Lots for Shared Parking – Thursday Figure 34 Candidate Private Lots for Shared Parking – Saturday Types of Public/Private Agreements
There are three potential types of agreements into which the City, or TMA once it is established, could enter with a willing private property owner, as follows.
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• Leasing of a private lot: Under this arrangement, vehicle parking spaces would essentially be “rented” from the property owner and the City or TMA would be entitled to establish regulations during “shared” use hours. Upgrades (lighting, striping, signage, etc.) could be made and the City/TMA would enforce compliance with regulations.
• Private ownership, public enforcement: Under this arrangement, the private property owner would open their lot to the public and establish appropriate regulations (including any pricing). The owner could choose to charge for parking, depending on parking demand. The City or TMA would enforce compliance with regulations and collect citation revenue. • Third-party management: The City or TMA could contract with a private company with experience facilitating shared parking arrangements instead of crafting and managing its own agreements. This company would also establish regulations (including any pricing).
For any agreement, the City or TMA would work with the property owner and/or tenants to address many of the issues that are typically associated with such agreements, such as those listed below. It is recommended that the template in Appendix A be used as a starting point for the City to facilitate negotiations towards shared parking agreements.
• Financial compensation: Some property owners may want to be compensated for the use of their property. In such cases, spaces would be leased as described above. While not free, the costs of such agreements would be far less than constructing an equivalent number of new spaces. • Liability: Liability issues often emerge as a potential concern, and these issues are typically addressed in standard liability coverage in any land use policy relative to property accessible to the public. In addition, liability can be more comprehensively addressed through well-written lease agreements that include provisions about requiring the lessor to maintain a good state of repair, meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access requirements, etc., and the lessee to provide adequate and appropriate signage for patrons and take actions to avoid overcrowding or other potentially hazardous situations. • Operation and maintenance: Ongoing costs associated with operation and maintenance are also a common concern. These issues should be addressed as part of the shared parking agreement and would depend on the scope of the shared parking arrangement between private and public users. • Displacement of tenants: Displacement of current tenants’ customers is often a key concern. To address this issue, it is recommended that agreements should only be pursued with land uses with peak demand that does not occur simultaneously, or if there are a sufficient number of excess parking spaces available, or by restricting public use hours to those outside of the tenants’ core hours.
Funding
Shared parking agreements should be funded by the Citywide TMA once it is formed. The costs of individual shared parking agreements can vary significantly based on each agreement. For example, the City of Sacramento has a long history of entering shared parking agreements and maintains over 20 shared parking agreements with privately owned parking facilities. In this example, the City initially assumes the cost of upgrading the facility to meet regulations and to hire staff. When the lot begins to be profitable, the City starts paying itself back and once it breaks even, it can share profits with the private lot owner. The City typically assumes two models of shared parking – enforcement only where there would be no revenue sharing and private owners would give right of entry to the City, and full management, where the City manages the revenue collection, insurance, citation, branding, and maintenance of the parking facility.
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Parking Enforcement
Short-Term Strategy 7 – It is recommended that the City either transition from enforcement through the County’s Sheriff Office to an internal office of Community Service Officers (CSOs) or third-party enforcement, or work with the Sherriff’s Office to augment enforcement. If internal enforcement is selected, the City should invest in one or more electric interceptor vehicles with Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology.
Description
Parking enforcement has evolved over the years as the transportation field has become more heavily influenced by technology. While parking enforcement has traditionally been conducted on foot and with chalk markings on tires, there are several more modern innovations to assist in making enforcement more time- and cost-efficient. One of the most recognized technologies is Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR). ALPR is a camera system (typically mounted to a vehicle) that takes pictures of license plates and uses a computer algorithm to determine whether a vehicle is in violation of the posted regulation. ALPR is an increasingly prevalent enforcement practice and has been adopted by many jurisdictions because it offers the potential to reduce staff and labor costs, resulting in long-term savings.
Existing parking enforcement in Downtown San Carlos is carried out by the County Sheriff’s Office, which has its San Carlos Police Bureau offices at City Hall. Although relatively few drivers in Downtown were observed to park on the street for longer than the posted time restriction (four percent on Thursday), vehicles parked long term (over four hours) occupied spaces for a disproportionate number of hours (22 percent of the total hours that vehicles occupied spaces). Enhanced parking enforcement would increase turnover for high demand on-street spaces by ensuring drivers illegally parked long-term parkers receive a citation. Efficient and frequent enforcement enables parking management strategies such as time restrictions and Residential Permit Parking (RPP) to be successful, as otherwise drivers have little incentive to obey time limits or purchase permits.
Purpose
The primary purpose of parking enforcement in an area with time limits is to ensure that there is a proper turnover of vehicles, particularly in retail districts where it is not desirable for long-term parkers (e.g., employees) to occupy prime, store-front parking. The turnover of vehicles can be critical to the economic success of a downtown and a consistent pattern of parking enforcement can have a profound impact. The use of modern technology such as ALPR can make parking enforcement a cost-effective option.
Enforcement is not meant to be used to raise revenue or be cost neutral, but to create the desired parking behavior by enforcing parking regulations.
Additionally, the current system of relying on County police officers for parking enforcement could be improved, as officers generally have several responsibilities in addition to enforcing parking regulations, many of which are prioritized over parking enforcement. Hiring one or more Community Service Officer(s) (CSOs) would ensure that staff time is fully dedicated to enforcement each week rather than split between multiple tasks. Alternatively, the City can pay and/or share a portion of citation revenues with a third-party company for full-time enforcement services. LAZ Parking currently provides parking enforcement for the City of South San Francisco and, among other companies, could be considered as a potential partner for the City of San Carlos. CSOs or third-party enforcement also would have more flexibility than the County’s Sherrif Office to conduct parking enforcement outside of regular business hours, such as during weekends
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and evenings. As a result, the use of CSOs or third-party enforcement would be expected to result in more consistent and effective parking enforcement.
Implementation
If internal enforcement or continued enforcement through the Sherriff’s office is chosen, it is recommended that investment be made in one or more electric interceptors with ALPR mounted on the vehicle to increase the efficiency of parking enforcement Citywide; each electric interceptor with ALPR costs approximately $50,000. In addition to upgraded technology, the City could transition from the County’s Sherrif Office for enforcement to an internal office of CSOs working within and outside of regular business hours. It is estimated that each individual CSO would cost the City about $159,000 per year, including benefits, similar to that of CSOs paid for by the Sherriff’s office. Enforcement can also be conducted through a third-party company, such as LAZ Parking. For comparison purposes, the third-party enforcement contract between LAZ Parking and the City of South San Francisco is up to $3.5 million for five years ($700,000 per year) but it is noted that South San Francisco has about twice the population of San Carlos and a substantial number of office parks east of US 101. A more precise scope of services would be necessary to obtain a specific price quote from LAZ Parking for San Carlos.
Privacy
User privacy is a common concern that often arises from the use of ALPR, with some motorists worried their vehicle information could be used or distributed without their consent. If ALPR or other such technology is to be employed in San Carlos, it is recommended that the City develop a policy regarding the security and use of data collected. In the Bay Area, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has an effective two-page policy that could serve as a guideline to the City of San Carlos; a copy is provided in Appendix B.
By incorporating a privacy policy into a revised enforcement approach, the City can both address potential concerns and demonstrate that it is using new parking strategies strictly for their intended uses.
Resident Permits for New Developments
Short-Term Strategy 8 – Introduce permits for residents of new multi-family developments in Downtown to park without limits in time restricted or, if pricing is eventually implemented, priced on-street spaces along or near their building’s frontage. The cost of the permit should be equivalent to the market value of the space.
Description
The City of Sacramento is currently conducting a pilot of a Supplemental Parking Permit (SPP) program at three recent residential developments. The SPP pilots allow residents to purchase a permit to be exempt from on-street pricing and time limits. Unlike the permit described in the “Resident Permits for Priced Parking” section, these permits would allow residents to park long term in spaces adjacent to their buildings and the cost of the permit would be substantially higher to reflect the market value of the parking space.
Purpose
Residents of new multi-family developments may not be able to park long term on the street due to time limited, permitted, and/or priced parking (if pricing is eventually implemented) particularly if new residents are not allowed to purchase residential permits to park in RPP zones. Allowing residents of new developments to purchase cheap residential permits could cause excess demand beyond the available parking supply. Many new residents also may not have available on-site parking in their buildings, as there
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are generally no minimum parking requirements applicable to new development in Downtown. There should be a system for residents of new developments without on-site parking spaces to have the option to pay a market rate to park in public on-street spaces. This would give new residents the option to park in convenient locations if needed, but the relatively high “market rate” price would prevent the street from being oversaturated with resident vehicles and encourage residents to pay for on-site parking if it is available.
Implementation
It is recommended that a Supplemental Parking Permit (SPP) program similar to the pilot program in Sacramento be implemented in the short term for Downtown San Carlos. Residents of new multi-family developments should be given the option to purchase a permit for unlimited parking in time restricted or, if pricing is implemented in the future, priced on-street spaces along or near the building’s frontage. The cost of the permit should be equivalent to the market value of the space (e.g., $250 per month), or the expected annual revenue a priced space would produce. In addition to providing information about the SPP program, managers of new multi-family developments that do not provide on-site parking should be clear to residents that parking on the street without a permit is not a feasible alternative given time limits, pricing, and/or RPP restrictions.
Daylighting and Accessible Parking
Short-Term Strategy 9 – When improving Downtown streets, prohibit parking near intersections per the state “Daylighting” law and designate accessible on-street spaces required by the federal Public Right-ofWay Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG).
California Assembly Bill (AB) 413, or the “Daylighting” law, prohibits on-street vehicle parking within 20 feet on the approach to an unmarked or marked crosswalk, or within 15 feet of a crosswalk where there is a curb extension. Applying parking prohibitions near intersections per AB 413 improves visibility between drivers and pedestrians in a crosswalk or waiting to cross. Additionally, the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG), United States Access Board, adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2024, require that any modification of on-street vehicle parking (on new or altered facilities) must add accessible spaces to the curb according to Table R211. Table R211 requires a minimum number of accessible spaces based on the total spaces provided on a block perimeter. Table 23 shows the 18 blocks in the Downtown, their current and required number of accessible spaces, and the resulting surplus or deficit.
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When improving Downtown streets, it is recommended that the City complies with the Daylighting law and PROWAG by using signage and/or curb paint to prohibit parking near intersections and designate the minimum number of required on-street spaces as accessible. These changes to on-street parking would be easiest to implement as part of the planned streetscape changes in Downtown rather than gradually on a location-by-location basis. Streetscape changes would trigger PROWAG’s requirement for accessible onstreet parking spaces, so the City would not be able to legally delay adding accessible spaces to modified streets.
Mid-Term Strategies
Downtown Bicycle Parking Hub
Mid-Term Strategy 1 – Install a Downtown bicycle parking “hub” on the 700 Block of Laurel Street that includes bicycle racks, bicycle lockers, and a bicycle repair station.
Table 23 – Accessible Spaces Provided and Required by PROWAG Block Name
Total
Provided
Spaces
Accessible
Required Spaces
Accessible
Provided Spaces
Surplus/
Deficit
Holly-San Carlos-ECR-Laurel 36 2 0 -2
Holly-San Carlos-Walnut-Laurel 45 2 0 -2
Holly-San Carlos-Walnut-Elm 56 3 0 -3
Cherry-San Carlos-ECR-Laurel 45 2 2 0
Cherry-San Carlos-WalnutLaurel 51 3 0 -3
Cherry-San Carlos-Walnut-Elm 40 2 0 -2
Cherry-San Carlos-Chestnut-Elm 51 3 6 3
Cherry-Olive-ECR-Laurel 37 2 0 -2
Cherry-Olive-Walnut-Laurel 44 2 0 -2
Cherry-Olive-Walnut-Elm 66 3 0 -3
Arroyo-Olive-ECR-Laurel 42 2 2 0
Arroyo-Olive-Elm-Laurel 75 3 1 -2
Arroyo-Morse-ECR-Laurel 47 2 1 -1
Arroyo-Morse-Walnut-Laurel 53 3 0 -3
Arroyo-Morse-Walnut-Elm 65 3 0 -3
Brittan-Morse-ECR-Laurel 21 1 0 -1
Brittan-Morse-Walnut-Laurel 46 2 1 -1
Brittan-Morse-Walnut-Elm 62 3 0 -3
TOTAL 882 43 13 -30
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Description
Every bicycle trip begins and ends with bicycle parking. It is important to provide user-friendly, secure, and convenient bicycle parking that is highly visible and close to popular destinations. This strategy aims to provide bicycle riders with secure storage downtown, create a more welcoming environment for potential bicycle riders, and encourage bicycle trips as an alternative to automobile trips. Currently, there are 48 shortterm bicycle rack spaces and eight long-term bicycle parking spaces located near the San Carlos Caltrain station. While there are some bicycle racks along Laurel Street, they are limited in number and of decorative styles, which can inadvertently impede their use. At the Wheeler Plaza Garage, there are 25 short-term bike parking spaces. There are no public long-term bicycle parking spaces located in Downtown, with the exception of the lockers at the Caltrain station.
As part of the Downtown Specific Plan project, a new public plaza is proposed for the 700 block of Laurel Street, prohibiting the flow of general vehicle traffic. Road diets for the 600 and 800 blocks of Laurel Street will further reduce traffic volumes near the plaza. Additionally, new protected bike lanes would be added to San Carlos Avenue, El Camino Real, and Brittan Avenue which would improve bicycle access to Downtown.
The newly opened public space on Laurel Street presents an opportunity to provide short- and long-term bicycle parking and amenities within the expanded public right-of-way.
Purpose
There are multiple benefits to providing bicycle parking, such as the following. • Increase visibility of bicycling as a mode and encourage bicycle travel. • Create additional customer parking capacity and attract bicycle customers (particularly to certain businesses such as coffee shops).
• Maximize usage of on-street spaces (on-street corrals offer approximately eight bicycle parking spaces for one vehicle parking space).
• Can be implemented at a relatively low cost.
• Provide space efficiency that is especially effective when implemented at special events, where vehicle parking is limited.
• Provide a cost-effective way to attract visitors to Downtown (with inverted u-racks costing roughly $200 and bike lockers costing $2,000 to $3,000).
The existing bicycle racks along Laurel Street in
Downtown San Carlos feature an unusual shape that is
visually appealing such as the rack shown in Figure 35.
However, traditional bicycle rack shapes (specifically, inverted U or post-and-ring racks) tend to be more space efficient, more cost effective, intuitive to use, and
accommodate a variety of bike types and attachments.
Providing public long-term bicycle parking spaces
Downtown, such as bicycle lockers, would allow
employees and visitors with longer stays in Downtown to store bicycles without fear of bicycle wheels and
attachments being stolen. Including a bike repair station near bicycle parking would cost about $1,000 to $2,000 and provide convenience for riders traveling to Downtown that experience issues (such as flat tires) or need to perform regular maintenance on their bicycles.
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Implementation
It is recommended that a Downtown bicycle parking “hub” be installed on the 700 Block of Laurel Street when it is converted into a permanent car-free public plaza. The particular location along the Laurel Street block should be coordinated with other streetscape
changes, but the location should generally be a sufficient distance from the existing bicycle parking at the San Carlos Caltrain station and be highlighted by wayfinding signage for bicyclists. The bicycle parking hub should include short-term bicycle parking spaces (of traditional inverted U or post-and-ring shapes) and long-term bicycle lockers for employees and longer-term visitors. These lockers would supplement the existing bicycle lockers at Caltrain but could serve cyclists visiting uses farther away from Caltrain and/or not reaching Downtown via Caltrain. A bicycle repair station, similar to the station shown in Figure 36, should be located at the hub and feature a stand to mount a bicycle, basic tools for do-it-yourself bicycle repair, tire patches, and a bicycle pump at a minimum. Should a bicycle valet service be set up in Downtown during special events, the bicycle parking hub could serve as the pick-up/drop-off point. It is recommended that the TMA fund regular maintenance of the bicycle parking hub.
Residential Permit Parking District
Mid-Term Strategy 2 – Designate residential streets within Downtown as a potential Residential Permit Parking (RPP) district. Establish an escalating permit price structure (e.g. $25 for the first permit, $50 for the second permit, etc.) and tiered price structure based on a residence’s off-street parking capacity (e.g. residents of homes with no garage or driveway receive free permits while residents with more off-street parking spaces pay a greater amount). Include a lower cost or free permit option for lower income households.
Description
A Residential Permit Parking (RPP) program operates by exempting permitted vehicles from the parking restrictions and time limits for non-metered, on-street parking spaces within a geographic area, typically in a residential neighborhood setting. A conventional RPP is one that allows those without a permit to park for generally two to four hours within a specified time frame, such as 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Permit holders are exempt from these regulations. Ownership of a permit does not, however, guarantee the availability of a parking space. RPP programs are prevalent across the country and have been used for decades to prioritize residential parking needs.
Greater East San Carlos (GESC) is currently the only residential permit parking district included in the City’s RPP program. Two-hour time restrictions generally apply to on-street parking within GESC, but vehicles with permits are exempt from restrictions. Petitions for inclusion or removal of the program are limited to one per block and must be signed by 50 percent of residences on the block. Within GESC, residential permits are free, and each residence can be assigned permits for up to four vehicles and two guests. Employees of businesses pay $38 per six months for a GESC Business Permit. The GESC residential parking program has 1,429 annual permits issued as of 2024 and costs $1,674 per year in material costs, as well as 35 hours per year of staff time. The existing GESC Residential and Business Permit zone locations are shown in Figure 37.
Figure 365 Decorative Bicycle Rack in Downtown
Figure 356 Bicycle Repair Station
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Figure 37 Existing GESC Permit Zones
Purpose
As most new planned developments would not be required to provide off-street parking and parking costs must be unbundled from leasing or rental costs, spillover residential, visitor, and employee parking is expected to occur as many new uses will not include free on-site parking. Unregulated parking on residential streets could become in high demand as (a) Downtown visitors or employees try to avoid time limits, pricing (if it is implemented), or paying for permits and (b) Downtown residents with unbundled parking try to avoid paying for parking with their unit by parking on the street. Pricing parking spaces could be a suitable strategy for managing on-street excess parking demand on non-residential streets, but in neighborhoods there is often an expectation that residents and their visitors will be able to park on the street without paying hourly rates. Residents of single-family houses without driveways or garages are often particularly dependent on the availability of on-street parking near their home. No streets in Downtown San Carlos are currently part of an RPP zone, but one could be introduced to manage excess on-street parking demand on residential streets while allowing established residents and their visitors to park on the street at a reasonable cost.
Implementation
The decision to implement an RPP program in Downtown should involve both the support of the neighborhood (by a petition signed by at least 50 percent of residences) and data analysis by the City demonstrating that there is a parking spillover problem. If those two elements indicate an RPP is appropriate, the City would need to work with the local neighborhood to determine the appropriate boundaries of the permit zone, and consideration should be given to potential impacts to immediately adjacent neighborhoods. The permit zone should generally include primarily residential streets close to the Laurel Street commercial corridor, such as Walnut Street and Elm Street. All residences within the proposed zones would be eligible to purchase permits, but application forms, payment, and proof of residency should be required. Residents of new multi-family developments should be excluded from the RPP program if analysis shows that allowing them to purchase residential permits would cause excess demand beyond the available on-street supply. The City can alternatively offer permits for on-street parking to residents of new multi-family developments at a higher “market” rate (see the “Resident Permits for New Developments” strategy).
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The hours of operation for the RPP district should align with the hours of spillover impacts (e.g., 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday to Sunday). To reflect that households without private garages or driveways are often more dependent on parking on street, a tiered pricing structure should be established based on an address’s off-street parking capacity (e.g. residents of homes with no garage or driveway receive free permits while residents with a two-car garage and two-space driveway would pay more). Additionally, an escalating price structure should be set (e.g., $25 for the first permit, $50 for the second permit, etc.) to disincentivize the storage of multiple vehicles on the street rather than in private garages and driveways. As is the current policy in GESC, there should be a limit on the number of permits per household. An equity provision should be included so that low-income households are not disproportionately burdened by the price of permits.
Resident permits would take the form of an online permit linked to the resident’s license plate number, while guest permits could be a hanging placard, sticker, or online permit. The program should be based on a cost recovery model, as the Downtown RPP program should generally not generate more revenue for the City than the program costs. Ultimately, the Citywide parking study currently underway will be developing precise protocols for the City’s future RPP program, and thus a potential Downtown district should conform to its rules.
Long-Term Strategies
Special Event Valet Parking
Long-Term Strategy 1 – Operate vehicle and bicycle valet programs for special events in Downtown.
Vehicle Valet Parking
Vehicle valet parking during large special events in Downtown can shift demand to underutilized off-street lots, increase the ease of parking for visitors, and discourage drivers from circulating within Downtown. It can also make more efficient use of the parking supply as valet operators can “tandem” or “triple” park vehicles. Valet parking also offers a highly convenient parking option for those customers willing to pay for it but could also be offered to customers at no cost. The City should implement a special event valet parking program for Downtown events which could generate substantially higher than usual parking demand such as the Art and Wine Faire. The program could be operated and funded through the Citywide TMA, and the service should be a single, seamless operation with consistent branding required (signage and uniform) and valet stands placed at convenient visible locations. The City should consider using the Caltrain lot, Wheeler Plaza Garage, and/or the SamTrans Garage as vehicle valet parking locations as these facilities are large and relatively vacant throughout the week (the SamTrans lot has higher weekday occupancies but most floors are largely empty on weekends).
Advances in technology have enabled valet parking drop-off, pick-up, and payment to be relatively seamless. Numerous valet operators now employ technology (e.g., point-of-sale handheld computers, key “fobs,” self-serve kiosks, mobile phone technology) that facilitates easy retrieval of vehicles and payment.
For example, a customer can notify the valet operator five to ten minutes before desired pickup so that a vehicle is returned by the time the customer is ready to leave. This technology can also enable more accurate collection of parking data and revenue.
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Bicycle Valet Parking
During special events within Downtown, the City, a
contractor, or a bike-related organization should
operate a bicycle valet parking program for attendees.
Bicycle valet parking is similar to traditional vehicle valet parking in that staff are present to park many
bikes in a secure location that is space efficient. While vehicle valet parking services should be located
slightly outside of Downtown in lower activity areas,
bicycle valet parking should be within Downtown in a
visible location, preferably the Downtown bicycle
parking “hub” on Laurel Street recommended
previously. The continual monitoring of bicycles by
staff is a significant safety incentive to encourage bicycling to special events. As an example, the City of Portland recommends organized bicycle parking for event organizers, and that the number of bicycle parking spaces equal two percent of the attendance or more, while five percent is ideal. Another example of a bicycle valet parking program, from Oracle Park in San Francisco, is shown in Figure 38.
Zoning Code Updates
The following recommended updates to the Zoning Code are subject to change with the adoption of Citywide TDM and parking standards.
Downtown Parking District
Zoning Code Update 1 – Establish Downtown San Carlos as a distinct parking district.
The Zoning Code currently maintains different minimum vehicle parking requirements for the Mixed-Use Districts (or parcels zoned as “MU”), the Industrial Arts District (parcels zoned as “IA”), and Other Districts which includes the remainder of the City. While the Mixed-Use District includes most of Downtown and several blocks to the north and south of Downtown, it is recommended that the City establish Downtown as a distinct parking district. This would allow the City to tailor strategies and Zoning Code regulations precisely to Downtown. The recommended boundaries of the new Downtown Parking District are shown in Figure 39.
Figure 38 Bicycle Valet Parking at Oracle Park,
San Francisco
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Figure 39 Downtown Parking District Map
Eliminate Parking Minimums
Zoning Code Update 2 – Eliminate vehicle parking minimums for Downtown from the City’s Code.
California Assembly Bill (AB) 2097, which took effect in January 2023, prohibits a public agency from imposing minimum parking requirements on most developments within a half-mile of a major transit stop.
Sections 21155 and 21064.3 of the Public Resources Code define a major transit stop as a site containing an existing or planned rail or rapid bus station, a ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service, or the intersection of two or more major bus routes with service intervals of 15 minutes or less during the morning and evening peak commute periods.
The existing San Carlos Caltrain station and planned bus rapid transit stops at the intersection of El Camino Real/Brittan Avenue qualify as major transit stops per the Public Resources Code definition. As a result, all of Downtown is within a half-mile of a major transit stop and AB 2097 prohibits most parking minimums within the entire Downtown Parking District. Further, the elimination of minimum parking requirements within a half-mile of the San Carlos Caltrain station is necessary to comply with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Transit Oriented Community (TOC) Policy and maintain eligibility for One Bay Area Grant funds. The City Code was amended in April 2024, to conform to AB 2097, which eliminates the great
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majority of minimum requirements. However, it is recommended that the City remove all parking minimums for the Downtown Parking District from its Zoning Code to comply with the MTC TOC Policy.
Loading Standards
Zoning Code Update 3 – Adopt new loading standards for the Downtown Parking District for developments with 10,000 square feet or more of non-residential uses and/or 100 or more residential units.
Description
Providing on-site loading spaces at larger-scale residential and non-residential uses permits prime curb space to be used for other purposes (such as on-street parking, passenger loading, bicycle parking, outdoor dining, etc.) and reduces conflicts on roadways with stopped delivery vehicles. The City maintains existing loading requirements for new buildings and buildings to be enlarged by more than 5,000 square feet, if they are to be occupied by particular non-residential uses requiring receipt or distribution of vehicles or trucks. Existing loading requirements are shown in Table 24.
Table 24 – Existing Citywide Loading Standards
Uses Gross Floor Area (sf) Required Loading Spaces
Manufacturing, storage facility,
warehousing, retail, eating
and drinking, wholesale store,
market, hotel, hospital,
mortuary, laundry, drycleaning establishment, or
other use requiring loading
0 – 6,999 0
7,000 – 30,000 1
30,001 – 90,000 2
90,001 – 150,000 3
150,001 – 230,000 4
230,001 + 1 per each additional 100,000 sf
or portion thereof
Note: sf = square feet
Proposed Standards
It is recommended that the proposed loading standards provided in Table 25 be adopted for the Downtown Parking District.
Table 25 – Proposed Downtown Loading Standards
Uses Gross Non-Residential Floor
Area or Residential Units Required Loading Spaces
Non-Residential Only, or Mixed
Use with 10,000 sf or more of
non-residential use
0 – 9,999 sf 0
10,000 – 30,000 sf 1
30,001 sf + 2
Primarily Residential (residential
with less than 10,000 sf of
non-residential uses)
0 – 99 units 0
100+ units 1
Note: sf = square feet
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Discussion
While space dimension, access, pavement, and location requirements for loading spaces from Section
18.20.090 of the Zoning Code can remain the same, the proposed loading standards would consolidate the land use categories for non-residential uses into a single “non-residential” category. Mixed-use developments would be considered in the proposed standards as well as developments with primarily residential uses. Loading spaces can be beneficial for larger residential developments, particularly for parking moving trucks, trash collection, and loading and unloading large appliances or furniture. Even though loading spaces are beneficial for residential and non-residential uses alike, smaller infill developments (less than 10,000 square feet of non-residential development or less than 100 residential units) are excluded from the loading requirements as (a) providing loading spaces could prove especially burdensome for a small project that may not include vehicle parking and (b) the loading spaces would be underutilized for smaller uses with less demand for loading activities.
Parking Maximums
Zoning Code Update 4 – Implement tiered vehicle parking maximums for Downtown with a district-wide cap on the number of new parking spaces.
Description
Providing more parking than is necessary reduces the land available for other uses, impacts walkability and a district’s placemaking while increasing traffic congestion, vehicle miles traveled, and housing and transportation costs. Currently, Downtown San Carlos has an oversupply of parking, particularly private parking as occupancy for private parking was not recorded to exceed 57 percent during any hour surveyed.
During the peak hour of demand on Thursday at 12 p.m., Downtown San Carlos has a surplus of 834 spaces (32.8 percent of the effective parking supply) which indicates that there is a need to better utilize the existing parking spaces in Downtown rather than build additional parking.
Parking maximums set a cap on the amount of new parking that an individual project or a district can supply.
Maximums can reduce the oversupply of new parking as Downtown experiences the significant growth anticipated for the next 20 years per the Downtown Specific Plan, encouraging developers to rely on the existing parking supply in addition to providing new parking. Parking maximums support affordability (particularly housing affordability) by mandating that developers use their land efficiently and avoid building excessively large parking facilities, as high construction and land costs of excess parking are often passed onto residents and tenants. Additionally, maximums support sustainable travel behavior by decreasing the amount of land allocated to parking, which in turn leads to denser development and a more walkable environment. Denser development in Downtown increases ridership for nearby transit lines and permits more households and businesses to locate close to transit and other amenities.
Setting parking maximums that comply with the MTC TOC policy allows the City to be eligible for grant funding. Within a half-mile of the San Carlos Caltrain station (classified as a Tier 3 station by MTC), MTC requires that a parking maximum of 1.0 space per unit or lower is set for residential development, and a parking maximum of 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet or lower is set for commercial developments. Upon completion of the 20 years of development included in the Downtown Specific Plan, assuming that the maximums from the TOC policy apply (and that residential and office projects build to their maximums while other retail and restaurant uses do not provide new parking), the existing effective Downtown parking
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supply would be expected to slightly exceed peak demand (there would be two excess spaces in the North Downtown and 67 excess spaces in the South Downtown).
MTC offers flexibility in complying with its policy. For example, the City could set a district-wide maximum (meaning that parking is limited for the entire district but is not capped on a site-by-site basis) or set a residential maximum by bedroom rather than unit, provided that the “per bedroom” maximum is approximately equivalent to the “per unit” maximum. Recent multi-family residential developments in San Carlos included 1.7 bedrooms per unit (or 0.6 units per bedroom) on average, so MTC’s 1.0 space per unit maximum could be implemented as a 0.6 space per bedroom maximum in San Carlos. This would be favorable to developers who expressed that the number of bedrooms per unit factors heavily into the decision of how much parking to provide. A cap of one space per unit could allow more than enough parking for a development with largely studio or one-bedroom units, while this same maximum would be overly constrained for a development with two- or three-bedroom units.
Proposed Standards
It is recommended that “soft” (Tier 1) and “firm” (Tier 2) maximums be implemented for the Downtown Parking District. A developer can supply parking up to the Tier 2 maximum if they (a) make 100 percent of on-site parking publicly accessible and potentially priced during some or all hours; (b) provide supplemental TDM measures in addition to those required in the TDM ordinance; or (c) pay an in-lieu fee to the City that would offset the impacts of building additional parking.
To comply with MTC TOC policy, a district-wide cap of 1.0 space per residential unit and 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of non-residential development should be set based on anticipated growth in Downtown by 2045. Developers should be able to supply parking up to the Tier 1 or Tier 2 maximums until the Downtown Parking District contains the maximum allowed spaces for all land use types combined. If the General Plan is adjusted to increase or decrease the projected development in Downtown, the maximum allowed spaces should be adjusted accordingly. The proposed vehicle parking maximums are provided in Table 26.
Table 26 – Proposed Vehicle Parking Maximums for Downtown Land Use Tier 1 Tier 2 MTC TOC Downtown Parking District Cap Ratio Projected
Growth
Allowed
Spaces*
Multi-Family Residential 0.7 spaces/bdr 0.8 spaces/bdr 1 space/unit 1,516 units 1,516 spaces Non-Residential 2.0 spaces/ksf 2.5 spaces/ksf 2.5 spaces/ksf 421 ksf 1,052 spaces Hotel 0.7 spaces/rm 0.9 spaces/rm 1 space/unit 100 rooms 100 spaces Other Determined by Director N/A N/A N/A
Total N/A N/A N/A 2,668 spaces
Note: All requirements represent parking maximums; bdr = bedroom; ksf = 1,000 square feet; rm = room; TOC policy is not
specific regarding hotel maximums. Residential maximums have been used as the closest proxy; * = Number of
allowed spaces for individual land use types can be exceeded before 2045 if the number of allowed spaces for all land
uses combined is not yet met
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Discussion
Including the ability for developers to exceed maximums up to a “Tier 2” level offers flexibility for property owners wishing to provide more vehicle parking to buyers, tenants, visitors, and/or public use, while still maintaining a cap on the number of spaces that can be built. The added flexibility could reduce the likelihood of parking maximums discouraging new development, as supplying what developers consider “sufficient” parking is important to developers in ensuring their products will be marketable. However, as building extra parking above the maximum requirements could induce more driving and negatively impact the walkability of Downtown, developers should select measures to offset the effects of building more parking. Making parking spaces publicly accessible increases the utilization of spaces and reduces the need to build additional public spaces elsewhere in the area. Additional TDM measures would reduce the vehicle miles traveled of the building’s occupants to counteract the increasing driving enabled by building more parking. A parking in-lieu fee could be used to pay for multimodal improvements or parking management strategies to reduce the reliance on private vehicles and better utilize the existing parking supply.
Data from developments in San Carlos (primarily within or near Downtown) from 2019 to 2024 show that fully market-rate residential developments have supplied 0.73 spaces per bedroom on average, partially affordable residential developments have supplied 0.75 spaces per bedroom on average, and fully affordable developments have supplied 0.48 spaces per bedroom on average. Non-residential office and research and development projects included 2.07 spaces per 1,000 square feet and a recent 188-room hotel development included 0.82 spaces per room. Recent development data suggests that non-residential development would likely not be affected by the 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet maximum from the TOC policy. However, residential developers would not be able to provide their desired parking ratios with a 0.6 space per bedroom maximum (which is about equal to the 1.0 space per unit maximum from the TOC policy). As such, the maximums proposed in Table 26 are intended to better match actual marked conditions (i.e., providing greater flexibility to residential development and less to commercial development). With a
0.8 space per bedroom maximum and Downtown district cap on vehicle parking spaces, developers would generally be able to supply up to their desired parking ratios.
If the overall cap on new vehicle spaces is met within 20 years (based on the sum of allowed spaces for residential, non-residential, and hotel land use types), then new developments in Downtown would be unable to supply new parking and would need to lease spaces from nearby facilities or rely on the public parking supply. While spaces that are currently underutilized may be available for use, new developments would be required and/or incentivized to make their parking spaces publicly accessible, which would increase the publicly accessible parking supply. A growing public parking supply would allow residents, employees, and visitors to park for uses unable to provide private parking after the district cap is met.
Although Table 26 notes that 1,516 spaces are permitted for multi-family residential uses in Downtown, more residential parking spaces (1,700 for example) could be built if the total number of spaces is less than the overall cap of 2,668 spaces for the Downtown. By treating residential, non-residential, and hotel parking spaces as interchangeable for the purposes of the district cap, the approach gives greater flexibility for residential developers to build more parking spaces than one space per unit if non-residential developers elect to provide less than 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet. The total number of spaces allowed in Downtown should be changed each time the General Plan is adjusted, such that more parking spaces can be built if the amount of expected development increases.
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Shared Parking
Zoning Code Update 5 – Per AB 2097, the City can require that parking built within Downtown be shared with the public.
In addition to removing minimum parking requirements within a half-mile of existing and planned major transit stops, AB 2097 allows public agencies to require that any parking provided within the half-mile radius be shared with the public, priced, and/or include spaces for car sharing. As noted previously, AB 2097 is applicable within all of Downtown as it is within a half mile of either the San Carlos Caltrain station and planned bus rapid transit stops at El Camino Real/Brittan Avenue. The City should note that it has the ability per AB 2097 to require that new parking within Downtown be shared with the public. The Citywide parking study will determine specific requirements for new developments to make a portion of their parking supply publicly accessible.
Unbundled Parking
Zoning Code Update 6 – Mandate unbundled parking for new residential and non-residential developments within Downtown.
Typically, rental and purchase prices for residential units and leasing prices of commercial/office space include the cost of parking. Doing so encourages auto ownership since residents and tenants must pay for parking regardless of whether they are using it or not. Although the parking cost may be “hidden,” it is eventually passed on to all users. By requiring that new development “unbundle” the cost of parking (i.e., keep the price of parking separate from the price of purchasing or leasing property or units), residents and tenants can opt to pay for parking based on their need, in turn encouraging households with fewer vehicles to locate to residential units with unbundled parking based on their affordability. Unbundled parking can reduce the demand for on-site parking, increase affordability, and allow those without cars to avoid paying for parking they do not use. A jurisdiction must allow unbundled parking to comply with MTC TOC policy.
It is recommended that the following provisions for unbundled parking be added to the Zoning Code and apply to new developments within the Downtown Parking District. For a multi-unit residential use (i.e., three or more units) or non-residential project greater than 10,000 square feet, the City shall require leased or sold parking spaces to be leased or sold separately from the rental or purchase of dwelling units for the life of the dwelling unit, such that the potential renters or buyers have the option of renting or buying a unit at a price lower than if there were a single price for both the unit and the parking space.
The requirement for unbundled parking would not apply to residential uses with individual garages that are functionally part of the property or unit, 100-percent affordable housing projects, projects receiving lowincome housing tax credits, developments financed by tax-exempt bonds through the California Housing Finance Agency, or units leased to tenants receiving federal housing assistance vouchers. Leases for parking spaces should have a maximum term of one year and the cost of the parking space should be included as a separate line item in the leasing agreement.
Electric Vehicle and Accessible Parking
Zoning Code Update 7 – Reference state and federal standards for electric vehicle and accessible parking in the Zoning Code and ensure compliance for new and altered facilities.
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For off-street parking provided voluntarily by a development, the Zoning Code should reference the requirements for accessible parking and electric vehicle charging stations from the California Building Code, 2022, and the California Green Building Standards Code, 2022, and as updated in the 2025 code cycle that will take effect on January 1, 2026. In addition to these guidelines for off-street parking, the Zoning Code should also reference the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG), United States Access Board, adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2024, which require that any modification of on-street vehicle parking must add accessible parking spaces to the curb per Table R211. Compliance is required for new and altered facilities. Offering accessible on-street parking would improve access to new buildings for people with disabilities, as these spaces would be in a convenient location even if the development does not supply off-street parking.
Bicycle Parking
Zoning Code Update 8 – Revise the existing bicycle parking requirements for Downtown to be independent from the number of vehicle parking spaces required, consider newer and/or emerging bicycle types, and include more specificity in the design guidelines.
Description
Offering secure bicycle parking facilities for short- and long-term use in Downtown is an important aspect to encouraging bicycling trips and reducing reliance on private vehicles. Currently, the Zoning Code requires that certain developments provide short-term parking spaces equal to 10 percent of the number of vehicle parking spaces required, and a minimum of four short-term spaces must be offered per use. Short-term bicycle parking requirements apply to multi-family residential uses with five or more units; public and semipublic uses except cemeteries and community gardens; and commercial uses except animal care, sales, and services and artists’ studios. Per the Zoning Code, one long-term bicycle parking space is required for every five multi-family residential units and for establishments with over 25 full-time equivalent employees at a rate of one per 20 vehicle spaces. Parking structures are required to provide at least one long-term bicycle parking space per 50 vehicle spaces, located near the entrance to the facility. The Code includes security, location, dimensional, and clearance requirements for short- and long-term bicycle parking spaces.
Proposed Standards
It is recommended that the bicycle parking requirements shown in Table 27 apply for new uses and changes of use larger than 10,000 square feet in the Downtown Parking District.
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Table 27 – Proposed Bicycle Parking Requirements for Downtown Land Use Short-Term
Spaces
Long-Term
Spaces
Cargo &
Adaptive
Electric
Bicycles
Showers Lockers
Residential 0.25 per unit 0.75 per unit
10% of
required
LT spaces
1 outlet or
other
charging
infrastructure
per 5
required LT
spaces
N/A N/A
Office 0.167 per ksf 0.50 per ksf
1 unisex for first 40
ksf; 1 unisex for each
additional 20 ksf;
minimum of 1
75% of
required
LT bicycle
spaces,
minimum
of 2 Hotel 0.05 per
room
0.05 per
room
N/A
Retail/Dining 0.375 per ksf 0.125 per ksf
5% of
required
LT spaces
N/A N/A
Note: A minimum of two short-term spaces and one long-term space shall be provided for each site with a nonresidential use included in this table; LT = long-term; sf = square feet; ksf = 1,000 square feet Additionally, the following siting, design, and signage standards should be added to the Zoning Code. • All bicycle parking shall:
o Be well-lit during both daytime and nighttime hours.
o Be identified by clear signage visible from all major building entrances. o Include at least five (5) feet of maneuvering space adjacent to bicycle parking (this would replace the existing requirement for two (2) feet of clearance between spaces and adjacent walls, poles, and other fixed objects).
o Ideally include 45 and never fewer than 30 inches of space between side-by-side bicycle racks. • Short-term bicycle parking shall:
o Be located along the “desire line” or path most likely for people who are using a bicycle to travel. o Ideally be located less than 25 feet and never 50 feet away from major building entrances. o Be located in sheltered areas with weather protection, when possible. • Long-term bicycle parking shall:
o Be located in areas with controlled access, either through use of a key, smart card, keycode, or similar technology.
o Be easily navigable and accessible for people with less common bicycle types, including larger cargo bicycles and three-wheeled bicycles.
o Be located no lower than the first basement level or the first complete parking level below ground, and no higher than the first above-ground level.
Discussion
While, in most cases, the City currently requires bicycle parking as a proportion of the number of vehicle spaces required, the removal of minimum vehicle parking requirements necessitates that bicycle requirements be based on the size of a development rather than required vehicle spaces. The proposed standards require short- and long-term bicycle spaces by number of residential units, hotel rooms, or square footage, and the standards exclude industrial and research and development uses given they are generally unexpected in Downtown. New and emerging types of bicycles that take up more space than traditional
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bicycles, such as cargo bicycles and adaptive bicycles, are included in the proposed requirements. Requiring charging equipment for E-bicycles is recommended as E-bicycles gain popularity. Showers and lockers should also be required for certain uses that may have employees with longer bicycle commutes.
For the City to comply with MTC TOC policy and be eligible for grant funding, one secure bicycle parking space per new residential unit and one secure space per 5,000 occupied square feet of new commercial office development within a half-mile of the San Carlos Caltrain station must be required. In combining the short- and long-term requirements, the proposed standards mandate one space per unit for residential uses and one space per 1,500 square feet of office space; both of which would bring the City in compliance with TOC policy. The recommended siting, design, and signage guidelines would expand on the existing location, security, size, and accessibility requirements in the Zoning Code, offering greater specificity than the current code and meeting the space requirements of larger bicycle types.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
Zoning Code Update 9 – For Downtown TDM policy reforms, refer to the project to update the Citywide TDM Ordinance.
There is an ongoing project to update the City’s existing TDM Ordinance that is due to be completed in early 2026. Rather than create a unique TDM framework for Downtown as part of this project (which would be made redundant by the Citywide TDM project), it is recommended that the City refer to the Citywide project for TDM policy reforms within Downtown.
Strategies for Future Consideration
The following strategies are often included in parking management toolkits and were evaluated as potential recommendations. While they are not recommended at this time, the City may wish to consider implementing these strategies in the future.
Parking Pricing
Strategy for Future Consideration 1 – The City could implement a program of priced parking on certain non-residential streets and in some off-street public facilities with higher occupancy. A graduated rate structure for on-street spaces may be adopted, and City staff could be authorized to adjust rates $0.50 at a time within set boundaries to maintain occupancy levels of 70 to 85 percent. All-day visitor and employee permits in off-street lots may be offered as an alternative to hourly parking.
Description
San Carlos permits the use of prime on-street parking spaces free of charge and instead uses time limits as the primary means of managing public on-street parking demand. The rate of utilization of on-street parking spaces in prime locations at any given time depends on the demand for motor vehicle access to the area, the supply of parking spaces available, any restrictions on the use of spaces (e.g., regulations, time limits), and, no less importantly, the price charged. With a high demand and no price for parking, Downtown curbside parking can be regularly filled to capacity during peak hours, causing motorists to search and circle in a wider area for available parking. Congestion associated with the competition for on-street parking in prime locations can be a major issue from the perspective of Downtown businesses and visitors alike.
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According to May 2023 occupancy data for Downtown San Carlos, on-street parking demand tends to be highest on Laurel Street and on east-west oriented streets within a block of Laurel Street. On these street segments, on-street parking occupancy during peak times is consistently greater than 85 percent, primarily during the midday period. On-street parking occupancy on Sundays is especially high, likely due to a lack of parking restrictions and increased demand from the Farmers’ Market, as the peak occupancy for onstreet spaces in the North Downtown was recorded to reach 80 percent. Similarly, off-street parking demand is high during peak hours in Clark Plaza and South Plaza, given their proximity to Laurel Street. As multifamily residential, commercial, and hotel development identified in the Downtown Specific Plan occurs, the new uses will not be required to provide parking per California Assembly Bill (AB) 2097. Since some of these new developments will expect their customers, tenants, or employees to park on the street, it is probable that on-street parking demand in Downtown will continue to increase and priced on-street parking could be an appropriate strategy to manage demand.
California Senate Bill (SB) 532 was approved in September 2024 and authorizes a pilot program of “meterless” paid parking in San Francisco, Long Beach, and Santa Monica. Meterless parking may be significantly more financially feasible given it can be implemented without installing any costly physical infrastructure improvements and it removes the need for meters obstructing the sidewalk. These three jurisdictions will be able to require meter payments by mobile device, although citations for failing to pay are to be reduced and there must be an equitable cash alternative to paying by mobile device. The pilot programs may last for up to five years or until January 1, 2033, and must be associated with a report evaluating the impacts of the program. Lessons learned from the pilot programs could address equity concerns associated with meterless parking, as there should be ways for users without mobile devices to pay for priced spaces and avoid citation. While meterless parking is currently not legal outside of the three pilot locations, there could be an opportunity to implement meterless parking in other cities such as San Carlos should these meterless parking programs be successful.
Purpose
The primary goal of parking pricing is to make it as easy and convenient as possible to find and pay for time occupying a parking space. It should not be treated as a means to generate revenue - the goal is to establish prices low enough to achieve the desired parking occupancy level. By setting specific availability targets and adjusting pricing (up or down), demand can be effectively managed so that when a motorist chooses to park, they can do so without circling the block or searching aimlessly. Demand-based pricing can result in the following benefits.
• Ensures consistent availability and ease in finding a parking space. • Provides flexible time limits or eliminates them altogether, thereby removing the need to move a vehicle to avoid time restrictions.
• Can have convenient payment methods that eliminate the need to “feed the meter” and make it easier to pay for parking and avoid parking tickets.
• Incentivizes long-term parkers and employees to park in less prime off-street lot locations. • Reduces search time for parking, resulting in less local congestion and vehicle emissions. • Reduces illegal parking and improves safety and street operations. • Distributes short-term parking demand throughout the Downtown area, taking advantage of on-street parking capacity on side streets.
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Implementation
In the future, the City could implement a program of priced on-street parking on non-residential streets in Downtown. A four-part strategy could ensure the maintenance of parking availability: (1) establish a policy goal, or target for the occupancy of on-street and off-street parking, (2) install a meterless paid parking system or smart parking meters that are easy to use and enforce, (3) commit to periodically monitoring occupancy and adjusting parking rates and regulations to meet established targets, and (4) dedicate revenues to the Downtown Parking Benefit District (PBD). The following elements should be addressed to achieve this strategy.
• Establish targets: The City may establish a policy goal, or target, for the ideal occupancy of on-street and off-street parking on non-residential street segments in Downtown. Achieving a commonly used occupancy target (e.g., 70 to 85 percent), could mean that―on average―a few curbside parking spaces on each block-face in the area could remain open and available for use by incoming vehicles, even during periods of peak demand. A block-face or lot could be priced (via mobile payments and/or meters) if (1) occupancy is equal to or exceeds 70 percent continually over a three-hour period and (2) the street segment or lot primarily serves non-residential or mixed uses. Figure 40 shows which nonresidential block-faces in Downtown could be eligible for priced parking based on 2023 occupancy data for Thursday and Saturday when time restrictions are in place, as well as Sunday when there are no restrictions. Additional segments are identified that could be priced to maintain continuity with nearby priced segments. For primarily residential streets, Residential Permit Parking (RPP) is a preferred onstreet management strategy to priced parking.
Figure 40 Candidate Block-Faces for Priced Parking from 2023 Occupancy Data Once a space is priced, the target occupancy for a given time period should be between 70 and 85 percent. Performance could be measured by comparing the average occupancy for all priced spaces to the target occupancy.
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• Meters or Mobile Payments: If priced parking is to be implemented, the City would have to decide whether to implement paid parking using mobile payments only or using physical meters. Currently, meterless paid parking can only be implemented in the pilot locations (San Francisco, Long Beach, and Santa Monica), but meterless paid parking using mobile payment could become an option for San Carlos if the pilot programs were completed and deemed successful. Should physical meters be selected, the City would need to evaluate technology and vendor options for the installation and operation of meters closer to the date of implementation. The City could consider a few criteria focused on convenience for the motorist and ease of enforcement in the selection of meters/vendors. a. User-friendly smart meters should accept payment by credit or debit card via insertion, swipe, or tap (in addition to cash or coins).
b. The City may wish to work with meter vendors to accept payment by smart/mobile phone. c. The City should consider the appropriate type of meters, opting for either multi-space meters (one or two on each block face), with a “pay and display” or “pay by space” model or the conventional deployment of one parking meter for each parking space. The optics of fewer meters may be more attractive to a community wary of installing parking meters as a primary strategy. d. Meters could include ALPR to detect parking violations for on-street metered spaces, link the violations with the vehicle’s license plate, and forward the information to enforcement personnel who can cite the vehicle’s owner.
• Graduated Rates: Initial on-street “base” rates may be $1.00 per hour (comparable to nearby jurisdictions – parking is $1.00 per hour in the Core Downtown in Redwood City and $1.50 per hour in San Bruno) and then adjusted based on how parking patterns change over time if needed. Rather than maintaining the existing two-hour parking limits with the addition of parking pricing, the City could establish a “2+” graduated rate structure. For example, hourly parking can be priced at the “base” rate of $1.00 per hour for the first two hours, $2.50 for the third hour, $3.50 for the fourth and subsequent hours. Signage at priced on-street spaces could reflect that parking is for “2+” hours with the pricing structure clearly detailed. The graduated rate system could maintain turnover in convenient on-street parking spaces through lower rates for short-term parking; however, by allowing the option to stay longer at a premium rate, the system could offer flexibility for on-street parkers to patronize several local businesses during the same trip. Because higher turnover is not needed for off-street lots, time restrictions or graduated rates are not needed for the off-street facilities. While free all-day parking can accommodate long-term visitor or employee needs until lots are priced, the City may offer all-day visitor permits and flexible employee permits as an alternative to hourly parking upon pricing off-street facilities.
• Hours: One of the best ways to balance parking supply and demand and generate turnover is with hours of operations and pricing that take into account when spaces are actually occupied. Future parking occupancy could be monitored and the hours of operation for meters be set whenever there is sufficient demand (e.g. 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. including on Sundays). • Monitor and adjust: The City could commit to monitoring the use of parking spaces Downtown on an annual basis and adjusting meter rates and regulations as necessary to meet the established availability targets. This means modifying the hours of operation and pricing for meters as needed to achieve the City’s adopted target. City staff may be granted the authority to set parking rates and paid hours as needed without seeking approval from the City Council, within a set of boundaries. If the City is committed to regular monitoring and adjustments of parking pricing, San Carlos should adopt a system of adjusting parking rates similar to the methodology detailed in the 2022 Paid Parking Annual Report, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), September 2023. In this system, rates for the morning (before 11:00 a.m.), afternoon (11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), and evening (after 5:00 p.m.) periods are adjusted separately to account for varying demand throughout the day. If the average occupancy for a
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time period is over 85 percent, the parking rates are increased by $0.50 per hour and if under 70 percent, rates are decreased by $0.50 per hour. Base rates cannot be lower than $0.50 per hour or higher than $5.00 per hour.
• Dedicate meter revenue to local access: The primary goal of a smart parking pricing program is to enhance the ease and convenience of access to Downtown, not to maximize revenue. To ensure merchant and public support for parking pricing, any meter and/or fine revenue collected in excess of program costs may be dedicated to parking and/or transportation improvements through the Downtown’s Parking Benefit District, rather than going to the City’s General Fund.
Funding
Installation, operation, and maintenance of parking meters for Downtown parking spaces (assuming meters are needed) could be funded by the TMA. If physical meters are to be installed, traditional smart parking meters can range in price, generally costing from $250 to $500 per single meter. As an example, there are roughly 340 candidate on-street parking spaces for meters identified within Downtown (on the segments shown previously in Figure 40). Metering this many spaces may range in cost from $85,000 to $170,000. For off-street lots, multi-space “pay by plate” meters can used, limiting the need for numerous meters. If needed, the TMA may distribute a portion of the parking citation and meter revenues collected within Downtown back into the upkeep of on-street parking meters in addition to using citation and meter revenue for other parking and/or transportation expenditures.
Parking Benefit District
Strategy for Future Consideration 2 – If parking pricing is implemented, consider establishing Downtown San Carlos as a Parking Benefit District (PBD) to return priced parking revenues to Downtown as transportation and public realm improvements.
Parking benefit districts (PBDs) are defined geographic areas, typically in downtowns or along commercial corridors, in which any revenue generated from on-street and off-street parking facilities within the district is returned to the district to finance neighborhood improvements. While a TMA is the entity which manages the policy and resources within a defined district, the PBD is the mechanism that allows revenues that often go into the City’s General Fund (e.g., parking fees) to instead remain within the district that generates them.
By funding local transportation projects or improved parking through the PBD, residents, visitors, employees, and local businesses can see that there is a visible and clear benefit to paying for parking. In contrast, strategies such as paid parking can be unpopular when parking revenue is placed into a city’s general fund, as drivers and local business owners may feel there is little direct benefit to the district.
Parking Assessment Districts (PADs) function differently from a PBD and cannot be used as a substitute for a PBD. A PAD raises funds to build more parking by levying a fee on developments within the PAD whereas a PBD simply directs funding from various sources to remain in the district. A PBD is only applicable if there are revenues from assessments, business fees, user fees, or some other source to generate funding.
If priced parking were to be implemented in Downtown, the Citywide TMA may establish the Downtown Specific Plan area as a PBD such that City revenues from drivers parked in priced on- or off-street parking spaces (after subtracting the administrative costs of managing the PBD and meter operation costs) would return to the area in the form of transportation and public realm improvements. In practice, a successful PBD in San Carlos could be implemented in the following fashion and incorporate certain key elements.
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1. Adoption of a City ordinance creating a Downtown PBD, stipulating that all parking revenue generated within the PBD be used to fund designated improvements.
2. Development of an approved program of revenue expenditures by the TMA, subject to final approval by the City Council.
3. Adoption of a defined list of PBD revenue expenditures, which can include the following:
a. Shared parking agreements;
b. Purchase and installation costs of meters;
c. Construction of additional parking, if deemed to be necessary; d. Transit, pedestrian, bicycle, and other micromobility (scooters, E-bikes, etc.) infrastructure and amenities;
e. Additional parking enforcement;
f. Marketing and promotion of PBD and local businesses; g. Management activities for the TMA;
h. Valet parking services during special events or peak periods; i. Shuttle services;
j. Landscaping and streetscape greening;
k. Street cleaning, power-washing of sidewalks, and graffiti removal; and l. “Mobility Ambassadors” to provide assistance to visitors as well as additional security.
4. Development of a coordinated public relations plan, which could use wayfinding, signage, and public outreach to articulate how parking revenue is being used to benefit downtown.
5. Performance of ongoing evaluation and management of PBD policies and expenditures.
Resident Permits for Priced Parking
Strategy for Future Consideration 3 – Should parking be priced in Downtown, the City may create virtual permits (linked to license plate numbers) for residents to park in priced spaces free of charge.
Description
Resident meter parking permits are placards, stickers, or virtual permits that allow residents within a city or geographic area to park at meters free of charge. One of the best local examples of a resident meter permit program is in Mill Valley, where the City has operated a Resident Shopper Vehicle Permit (RSVP) program for several years. The program allows residents of Mill Valley and those in surrounding zip codes to purchase annual permits for $75 to $105 for one or more vehicles. Other towns known for being tourist destinations such as San Clemente and Newport Beach in Orange County also employ similar programs, and fees for these programs range from $50 to $627.50 per year.
Purpose
Priced parking is often used as a way to manage visitor or employee-driven parking demand. However, residents often object to the notion of paying for parking when the “problem” is being caused by those not living there. A resident permit for priced on-street parking allows the community to take advantage of the benefits of priced parking in managing demand while allowing residents to pay a small fee for unlimited short-term use of those parking spaces.
Implementation
Should priced parking be implemented in Downtown San Carlos, virtual permits for priced parking could be offered to residents at a relatively low cost. The permits could be linked to a vehicle’s license plate
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number and enforcement could recognize vehicles with permits using license plate recognition (LPR). The City would need to clearly define the area(s) in which residents are eligible for meter parking permits, although it would be simplest for all San Carlos residents to be eligible. If resident permits are used, they would only exempt users from paying for short-term parking, as turnover should still be maintained for high-demand on-street spaces. For spaces with a “2+ hour” graduated rate structure, residents with permits for priced on-street parking would be exempt from paying for the first two hours. After two hours of parking, residents would be expected to pay for subsequent hours. Similarly, permits in off-street lots may exempt users from paying parking fees for the first three hours.
Parking Benefit District (PBD) and Parking Management Authority Strategy for Future Consideration 4 – The City could establish the authority and guidelines to implement a future Parking Benefit District (PBD) in the Zoning Code. Consider granting parking management authority to the Director of Public Works.
In combination with the “Parking Benefit District” and “Parking Pricing” strategies referenced previously, the City could establish the authority and guidelines to implement a future Parking Benefit District (PBD) in the Zoning Code, and parking management authority may also be granted by the Code to the Director of Public Works. The Zoning Code could outline the process for establishing a PBD; for example, a PBD is initiated by a neighborhood business representative, organization (such as the TMA), or the Director of Public Works and a complete application is reviewed by City Council. PBD revenue allocation and oversight of the organization could be described within the Code along with a list of potential PBD revenue expenditures.
To enable City staff to be responsive to changes in travel patterns and parking demand in Downtown, the Director of Public Works may be enabled to sign or mark spaces with appropriate regulations as necessary.
These types of space regulations could include time-limited vehicle parking, permit parking, accessible parking, loading zones, bicycle parking, electric vehicle charging spaces, car share parking spaces, outdoor dining areas, or other regulations. The Director of Public Works could also be able to price on- and offstreet spaces, adjust the hours of fee collection, and raise or lower meter rates within set rules and boundaries. As described in the “Parking Pricing” section, a primarily non-residential or mixed-use blockface or lot could be priced if the occupancy exceeds 70 percent continually for three hours. After a space is priced, the Director could modify paid hours and parking rates for the morning (before 11:00 a.m.), afternoon (11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), and evening (after 5:00 p.m.) periods to achieve a target parking occupancy of 70 to 85 percent. This could be done through an annual survey of parking occupancy. If the average occupancy for a time period is over 85 percent, the base parking rates are increased by $0.50 per hour and if under 70 percent, rates are decreased by $0.50 per hour. Rates must be between $0.50 and $5.00 per hour.
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Conclusions and Recommendations
Conclusions
Although available parking may be difficult to find in high-demand parts of Downtown during peak hours, parking is generally underutilized in Downtown San Carlos, particularly in certain facilities such as the SamTrans garage, the Wheeler Garage, and the Caltrain lot. Over the next 20 years, the completion of anticipated development would increase parking demand and is expected to increase the need for parking management in Downtown. Future growth presents an opportunity for the City to adjust the Zoning Code to better take advantage of existing parking resources, mandate robust bicycle parking, and reward drivers who do not own a car with lower housing costs through “unbundled” parking. The City should consider implementing some or all of the strategies and Zoning Code changes in this plan to more efficiently manage downtown parking, promote alternatives to driving alone, prepare for incoming development, and create a more welcoming environment for all users.
Recommendations
The following phased strategies are recommended for implementation in the Downtown. Zoning updates are listed separately from the operational strategies, but they are assumed to be implemented in the shortterm.
Short-Term Strategies
• Short-Term Strategy 1 – Suspend the Downtown Employee Parking Permit program. Designate the second floor of the Wheeler Plaza Garage and the top floor of the SamTrans Garage as free ten-hour parking.
• Short Term Strategy 2 – Modify the time-restricted hours for all on-street parking and high-demand public off-street parking to include the period between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., as well as Sundays.
Move the time-restricted hours for all Downtown public parking to begin at 8:00 a.m. instead of 7:00 a.m. if this is supported by future data collected.
• Short-Term Strategy 3 – Create a Citywide Transportation Management Association (TMA) for San Carlos that includes Downtown.
• Short-Term Strategy 4 – Install parking wayfinding signs to guide drivers to new free ten-hour parking spaces, as well as shared, private parking spaces should they become accessible to the public. • Short-Term Strategy 5 – In advance of formation of the TMA, the City should provide online mobility information for visitors, employees, and residents traveling to and from Downtown including information on multimodal travel options, commuter programs, parking lot locations, parking costs, and parking regulations.
• Short-Term Strategy 6 – The City should pursue shared parking agreements with private off-street lot owners and Caltrain to better utilize the existing parking resources within Downtown. The Citywide TMA would take over responsibility for pursuing and managing shared parking agreements once it is formed.
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• Short-Term Strategy 7 – The City should either transition from enforcement through the County’s Sheriff Office to an internal office of Community Service Officers (CSOs) or third-party enforcement, or augment enforcement through the Sherriff’s office. If internal or augmented enforcement is selected, investment should be made in one or more electric interceptor vehicles with Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology.
• Short-Term Strategy 8 – Introduce permits for residents of new multi-family developments in Downtown to park without limits in time restricted or priced on-street spaces along or near their building’s frontage. The cost of the permit should be equivalent to the market value of the space. • Short-Term Strategy 9 – When improving Downtown streets, prohibit parking near intersections per the state “Daylighting” law and designate accessible on-street spaces required by the federal Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG).
Mid-Term Strategies
• Mid-Term Strategy 1 – Install a Downtown bicycle parking “hub” on the 700 Block of Laurel Street that includes bicycle racks, bicycle lockers, and a bicycle repair station. • Mid-Term Strategy 2 – Designate residential streets within Downtown as a potential Residential Permit Parking (RPP) district. Establish an escalating permit price structure (e.g. $25 for the first permit, $50 for the second permit, etc.) and tiered price structure based on a residence’s off-street parking capacity (e.g. residents of homes with no garage or driveway receive free permits while residents with more offstreet parking spaces pay a greater amount).
Long-Term Strategies
• Long-Term Strategy 1 – Operate vehicle and bicycle valet programs for special events in Downtown.
Zoning Code Updates
• Zoning Code Update 1 – Establish Downtown San Carlos as a distinct parking district. • Zoning Code Update 2 – Eliminate vehicle parking minimums for Downtown from the City’s Code. • Zoning Code Update 3 – Adopt new loading standards for the Downtown Parking District for developments with 10,000 square feet or more of non-residential uses and/or 100 or more residential units.
• Zoning Code Update 4 – Implement tiered vehicle parking maximums for Downtown with a districtwide cap on the number of new parking spaces. • Zoning Code Update 5 – Per AB 2097, the City can require that parking built within Downtown be shared with the public.
• Zoning Code Update 6 – Mandate unbundled parking for new multi-unit residential and nonresidential developments within Downtown.
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• Zoning Code Update 7 – Reference state and federal standards for electric vehicle and accessible parking in the Zoning Code and ensure compliance for new and altered facilities. • Zoning Code Update 8 – Revise the existing bicycle parking requirements for Downtown to be independent from the number of vehicle parking spaces required, consider newer and/or emerging bicycle types, and include more specificity in the design guidelines. • Zoning Code Update 9 – For Downtown TDM policy reforms, refer to the project to update the Citywide TDM Ordinance.
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Study Participants and References
Study Participants
Principal in Charge Brian Canepa, TDM-CP
Transportation Engineer Nathan Sharafian, EIT
Editing/Formatting Jessica Bender, Rebecca Mansour
Quality Control Dalene J. Whitlock, PE, PTOE
References
2022 Paid Parking Annual Report, Seattle Department of Transportation, September 2023 Automated License Plate Recognition Policy, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority, https://www. sfmta. com/about-us/sfmta-board-directors/sfmta-policies/automated-license-platerecognition-policy, accessed April 7, 2022 California Building Code, 2022
California Green Building Standards Code, 2022
California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, California Department of Transportation, 2014
Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG), United States Access Board, adopted 2024 San Carlos 2030 General Plan, 2009
San Carlos Municipal, Code, 2024
Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) Policy, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, https://mtc.ca.gov/planning/land-use/transit-oriented-communities-toc-policy accessed 2024 SCA038
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Appendix A
Shared Parking Agreement Template
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Sample Shared Parking Agreement
CITY OF SACRAMENTO
PARKING MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
This Parking Management Agreement (“Agreement”) is made and entered into on ____________, 2021 (“Effective Date”), by and between ___________________, a ____________ corporation (“OWNER”) and the City of Sacramento, a municipal corporation (“City”).
Background
Based on the facts in the foregoing background, the City and OWNER agree as follows:
1. Parking Lot. The terms of this Agreement apply to the parking lot located at ________________ in Sacramento, California (hereafter “Lot”), as identified in the map attached hereto as Exhibit A.
2. Term; Termination.
A. Term. Unless terminated pursuant to the provisions of this Section 2, the Initial Term of the Agreement commences on the Effective Date and expires on ____________. OWNER is entitled to ___________ option to extend this Agreement (“Extended Term”), by providing written notice of extension to City not less than 180 calendar days prior to the expiration of the Initial Term.
B. Termination.
(1) Termination for Convenience. Either party may terminate this Agreement, at any time, by providing the other party written notice no less than 30 calendar days prior to the selected date of termination. Termination or expiration of this Agreement shall not release any party hereto from any liability or obligation hereunder, whether of indemnity or otherwise, resulting from any acts, omissions, or events happening prior to such termination or expiration. Upon termination or expiration of this Agreement, City will have 30 calendar days to remove any personal property from the Lot. All improvements paid for by OWNER shall remain the property of OWNER. (2) Early Termination Fee. _________ acknowledges certain initial costs incurred by City to activate this Agreement. As such, OWNER agrees to pay City $XXXXX if OWNER terminates this Agreement within 12 months after the Effective Date. Any early
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termination payment must be made by check payable to “City of Sacramento” and sent to the City address specified in Section 8 within 30 calendar days after receipt of City’s invoice.
3. Use. The Lot will be used solely and exclusively for the operation of a parking lot. Hours of operation will be determined by OWNER. Any change in use to all or a portion of the Lot must be mutually agreed upon in writing by both parties. The Lot will primarily be used for the following parking purposes unless otherwise agreed to by the parties:
A.
4. Management of Lot. Beginning on the Effective Date, City will manage parking operations for the Lot according to the following terms and conditions:
A. Parking Enforcement. City will add the Lot to its regular patrol coverage and issue citations for violations of posted signs. OWNER hereby consents to individuals parking on its Lot for purposes of City Code section 10.44.010(A).
B. Revenue Collection. City will collect all revenue from citations issued to vehicles parked in the Lot, perform billings, and collect accounts receivable in relation to City’s operation of the Lot. Revenue includes the total amount of cash receipts generated from all business operations conducted upon or from the Lot by City, including monthly permits, daily fees, and validations (collectively, “Total Gross Revenue”). Citation fees collected by City from its enforcement of the Lot will not be included in the Total Gross Revenue.
C. Electronic Permit Fees. City will invoice OWNER $1 for every electronic permit issued whereby the permit fee is collected directly by City. City will invoice OWNER $5 for every electronic permit issued whereby the permit fee is collected by OWNER. Payment must be made by check payable to “City of Sacramento” and sent to the City address specified below in Section 8 within 30 calendar days after receipt of City’s invoice.
D. Revenue Distribution. City will pay OWNER 80 percent of Total Gross Revenue collected at the Lot during each month (“OWNER Proceeds”). City will pay OWNER Proceeds to OWNER within 60 calendar days after completion of each month. Payment will be made by check mailed to OWNER’s address specified below in Section 8. Upon payment, City shall provide brief details of the income sources in a form reasonably acceptable by OWNER. The remaining 20 percent of Total Gross Revenue will be retained by City for its labor expenses, operating expenses, and monthly management fee.
E. Dismissal of Citations. If OWNER requests dismissal of a citation and City evaluates and dismisses the citation, OWNER shall pay City a $25 administrative fee (per citation) to recoup City’s staff time. Payment must be made by check payable to “City of Sacramento” and sent to the City address specified below in Section 8 within 30 calendar days after receipt of City’s invoice.
F. Improvements. OWNER, at OWNER’s expense, is responsible for all improvements to the Lot, including without limitation re-paving, striping, and installation of all signage required by City or
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other governmental regulations. OWNER may request that City perform such improvements to the Lot, but OWNER will be responsible for the cost and City may decline to perform such improvements in its sole discretion.
G. Maintenance, Repair, and Custodial. OWNER shall keep and maintain the Lot and all improvements thereon in good repair and in a neat and satisfactory condition, and shall make all repairs and replacements that may become necessary to the Lot, whether structural or nonstructural, ordinary or extraordinary. OWNER may request that City maintain the Lot and all improvements, but OWNER will be responsible for the cost and City may decline to perform such maintenance in its sole discretion. All notices and signs upon the Lot shall be neat and properly maintained. OWNER has the right to enter the Lot at all reasonable times to inspect the same. City is responsible for performing light custodial services such as minor trash pick up and clean up.
H. Payment Machines. City will install and maintain one parking payment machine to be used by customers parking in the Lot. City will retain ownership of the parking pay machine and will promptly remove it from the Lot upon termination or expiration of this Agreement.
I. Security. City will add the Lot to its regular security patrol route, but City shall not be responsible for the personal safety or security of any person or personal property on the Lot.
J. Utilities and Services. All charges for water, gas, light, heat, power, electricity, telephone or other communication service, janitorial service, trash pick-up, sewer, and all other services supplied to or consumed on the Lot, and all taxes, levies, fees, or surcharges related to the Lot shall be the sole responsibility of OWNER.
5. Release of Liability. OWNER shall release and hold City harmless for loss, damage, theft, or vandalism to property and equipment, or personal injury, of OWNER and its officers, employees, agents, contractors, subcontractors, invitees, volunteers, and others acting under its or their authority while such individuals, property or equipment is in or on the Lot, except where such loss of or damage to property and equipment, or personal injury, results from the sole negligence or willful misconduct of City and its officials, employees, agents or volunteers.
6. Indemnity.
A. Each party shall defend, hold harmless and indemnify the other party, its officers and employees, and each and every one of them, from and against any and all actions, damages, costs, liabilities, claims, demands, losses, judgments, penalties, costs and expenses of every type and description, including, but not limited to, any fees and/or costs reasonably incurred by staff attorneys or outside attorneys and any fees and expenses incurred in enforcing this provision (hereafter collectively referred to as “Liabilities”), including but not limited to Liabilities arising from personal injury or death, damage to personal property, real property, or the environment, contractual or other economic damages, or regulatory penalties, arising out of or in any way connected with performance of or failure to perform this Agreement by the indemnifying party, any subcontractor or agent, anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them or anyone for whose acts any of them may be liable, whether or not (i) such Liabilities are caused in part by a party indemnified hereunder or (ii) such Liabilities are litigated, settled or reduced to judgment; provided that the
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foregoing indemnity does not apply to liability for any damage or expense for death or bodily injury to persons or damage to property to the extent arising from the sole negligence or willful misconduct of the indemnified party, its agents, servants, or independent contractors who are directly responsible to the indemnified party, except when such agents, servants, or independent contractors are under the direct supervision and control of the indemnifying party. The provisions of this Section 6 shall survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement.
B. It is the intention of City and OWNER that, where comparative fault is determined to have been contributory, principles of comparative fault will be followed and each party shall bear the proportionate cost of any damage attributable to the fault of that party, its officers, directors, agents, employees, volunteers, and contractors.
7. Insurance Requirements. During the entire term of this Agreement, OWNER shall maintain the insurance coverage described in this Section 7. Insurance requirements are subject to review and revision every five (5) years to assure that policy terms, conditions and limits are maintained in accordance with current insurance industry standards for comparable premises and buildings.
City will not provide any compensation for OWNER’s insurance premiums. Any available insurance proceeds in excess of the specified minimum limits and coverages shall be available to the City.
It is understood and agreed by OWNER that its liability to the City shall not in any way be limited to or affected by the amount of insurance coverage required or carried by OWNER in connection with this Agreement.
A. Minimum Scope & Limits of Insurance Coverage.
(1) Commercial General Liability Insurance providing coverage at least as broad as ISO CGL Form 00 01 on an occurrence basis for bodily injury, including death, of one or more persons, property damage, and personal injury, arising out of activities performed by or on behalf of OWNER, its sub-consultants, and subcontractors, products and completed operations of OWNER, its sub-consultants, and subcontractors, and premises owned, leased, or used by OWNER, its sub-consultants, and subcontractors, with limits of not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence. The policy shall provide contractual liability and products and completed operations coverage for the term of the policy. (2) Automobile Liability Insurance providing coverage at least as broad as ISO Form CA 00 01 for bodily injury, including death, of one or more persons, property damage, and personal injury, with limits of not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) per accident. The policy shall provide coverage for owned, non-owned, and/or hired autos as appropriate to the operations of OWNER.
(3) Excess Insurance: The minimum limits of insurance required above may be satisfied by a combination of primary and umbrella or excess insurance coverage; provided that any umbrella or excess insurance shall contain, or be endorsed to contain, a provision that it shall apply on a primary basis for the benefit of the City, and any insurance or selfinsurance maintained by City, its officials, employees, or volunteers shall be in excess of such umbrella or excess coverage and shall not contribute with it.
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(4) Workers’ Compensation Insurance with statutory limits, and Employers’ Liability Insurance with limits of not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000). The Workers’ Compensation policy shall include a waiver of subrogation in favor of the City.
B. Additional Insured Coverage.
(1) Commercial General Liability Insurance: The City, its officials, employees, and volunteers shall be covered by policy terms or endorsement as additional insureds as respects general liability arising out of: activities performed by or on behalf of OWNER, its subconsultants, and subcontractors; products and completed operations of OWNER, its subconsultants, and subcontractors; and premises owned, leased, or used by OWNER, its subconsultants, and subcontractors. (2) Automobile Liability Insurance: The City, its officials, employees, and volunteers shall be covered by policy terms or endorsement as additional insureds as respects auto liability.
C. Other Insurance Provisions.
The policies are to contain, or be endorsed to contain, the following provisions:
(1) OWNER’s insurance coverage, including excess insurance, shall be primary insurance as respects City, its officials, employees, and volunteers. Any insurance or self-insurance maintained by City, its officials, employees, or volunteers shall be in excess of OWNER’s insurance and shall not contribute with it.
(2) Any failure to comply with reporting provisions of the policies shall not affect coverage provided to City, its officials, employees, or volunteers. (3) Coverage shall state that OWNER’s insurance shall apply separately to each insured against whom claim is made or suit is brought, except with respect to the limits of the insurer’s liability.
(4) City will be provided with thirty (30) days written notice of cancellation or material change in the policy language or terms.
D. Acceptability of Insurance.
Insurance shall be placed with insurers with a Bests’ rating of not less than A:VI. Self-insured retentions, policy terms or other variations that do not comply with the requirements of this Section 7 must be declared to and approved by the City in writing prior to execution of this Agreement.
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E. Verification of Coverage.
(1) OWNER shall furnish City with certificates and required endorsements evidencing the insurance required. The certificates and endorsements shall be forwarded to the City Representative named in Section 8. Copies of policies shall be delivered to the City on demand. Certificates of insurance shall be signed by an authorized representative of the insurance carrier.
(2) For all insurance policy renewals during the term of this Agreement, OWNER shall send insurance certificates reflecting the policy renewals directly to:
City of Sacramento
c/o Exigis LLC
PO Box 947
Murrieta, CA 92564
(3) Certificate Holder must be listed as:
City of Sacramento
c/o Exigis LLC
PO Box 947
Murrieta, CA 92564
(4) The City may withdraw its offer of contract or cancel this Agreement if the certificates of insurance and endorsements required have not been provided prior to execution of this Agreement. The City may cancel the Agreement if the insurance is canceled or OWNER otherwise ceases to be insured as required herein.
F. Subcontractors.
OWNER shall require and verify that all sub-consultants and subcontractors maintain insurance coverage that meets the minimum scope and limits of insurance coverage specified in subsection A, above.
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8. Notices. All notices shall be in writing and shall be deemed received when delivered personally or deposited in the United States mail, registered or certified, postage prepaid, or delivered by overnight courier, and addressed to the following address:
To OWNER:
To City:
Parking Services Division
Attn: Parking Services Manager
300 Richards Blvd., 2nd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95811
9. No Agency. This Agreement does not create or imply any partnership, agency, or joint venture. No relationship of employer-employee shall exist between OWNER and City for any purpose whatsoever.
OWNER shall not be entitled to any benefits payable to employees of the City. OWNER shall have no authority, express or implied, to act on behalf of City in any capacity whatsoever as an agent or to bind City to any obligations whatsoever.
10. Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding on the heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns of the parties.
11. Headings. The headings contained in this Agreement are for purposes of convenience only and are not to be used to interpret or construe this Agreement.
12. Waiver. A party’s failure to insist on strict performance of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy upon breach of this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of the performance, right, or remedy. Wavier of a breach of any provision in this Agreement is not a continuing waiver or a waiver of any later breach of the same or any other provision. No waiver will be effective unless it is in writing and signed by the waiving party.
13. Severability. In the event that any provision of this Agreement is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or is rendered invalid by any provision of state or federal law, the remainder of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
14. Enforcement of Agreement. This Agreement shall be governed, construed, and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of California. Venue of any litigation arising out of or connected with this Agreement shall lie exclusively in the state trial court or federal district court located in Sacramento County, California, and the parties consent to jurisdiction over their persons and over the subject matter of any such litigation in such courts, and consent to service of process issued by such courts.
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15. Attorney Fees. Except as required by Section 6 above, the parties shall bear their own costs and attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with this Agreement.
16. No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is solely for the benefit of the City and OWNER. It is not intended to benefit any third parties.
17. Counterparts. The parties may sign this Agreement in counterparts, each of which is considered an original, but all of which constitute the same agreement. Facsimiles, pdfs, and photocopies of signature pages have the same binding effect as originals. The parties agree that this document may be executed with electronic signatures.
18. Authority. The persons signing this Agreement represent and warrant that they are fully authorized to sign this Agreement on behalf of their respective party and to bind their respective party to the performance of the Agreement’s obligations.
19. Entire Agreement. This Agreement, which includes all attachments and all documents that are incorporated by reference, contains the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes whatever oral or written understanding they may have had prior to the execution of this Agreement. No alteration to the terms of this Agreement shall be valid unless approved in writing by both parties. [Signature Page Follows]
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Executed as of the Effective Date stated above.
OWNER CITY OF SACRAMENTO
a Municipal Corporation
By: __________________________ By: ______________________________ Assistant City Manager
Name: __________________________ For: City Manager
Title: __________________________
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
________________________________ BY: ___________________________ State I.D. No. Senior Deputy City Attorney
________________________________ ATTEST:
Fed. Tax ID No.
By: ___________________________
________________________________ Assistant City Clerk
City of Sac. Business Op. Tax Cert. No.
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Exhibit A – Map
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Appendix B
Sample ALPR Policy
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Sample Automated License Plate Recognition Policy
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) provides transportation and parking services for residents and visitors to the City of San Francisco. SFMTA uses Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) to support this mission.
What Is ALPR?
ALPR is a camera system that takes a picture of a license plate and uses a computer algorithm to convert the image of the license plate, and the characters it contains, into computer-readable data (ALPR data).
Purpose
SFMTA collects ALPR data for the purposes of managing SFMTA parking facilities and calculating parking fees, issuing citations for violations of parking laws and regulations, and collecting citation fines.
Authorized Users
Parking enforcement officers, SFMTA staff and contractors involved in issuing citations and collecting parking citation fines, and parking facility operators are authorized to access ALPR data.
Training
SFMTA conducts annual training of staff on the proper handling of personal information which includes ALPR data. The training addresses appropriate handling and transmission procedures, as well as consequences of a ALPR data security breach. SFMTA contractors and parking facility operators are required to provide similar training to their employees who access ALPR data.
Information Security
SFMTA utilizes physical access controls, computer application permission controls, and other technological, administrative, procedural, operational, and personnel security measures to record who has accessed ALPR data, the time and date of access, and reason for access, and to protect ALPR data from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure.
Official Custodian
The SFMTA’s Director of Security, Investigation and Enforcement is the Official Custodian of the SFMTA collected ALPR data and responsible for implementing this policy.
Audit
An ALPR Data Custodian performs a yearly audit to verify that all persons who access ALPR data are authorized to do so and that they have been properly trained. The Data Custodian reviews ALPR data requests and verifies they were properly approved. The Data Custodian also verifies that the SFMTA’s data retention policy has been properly enforced.
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Information Sharing
SFMTA only shares ALPR data with employees and contractors who responsible for processing citations and handling parking payments. SFMTA does not sell ALPR data to anyone, nor is it disclosed to the public. SFMTA will provide ALPR data to law enforcement if requested as part of a criminal investigation or if subpoenaed by a court or other public agency that has the legal authority to require the release of ALPR data.
Accuracy
Employees visually verify license plate data when a citation is issued or if there is a mismatch when a car leaves a parking facility.
Data Retention
ALPR data is stored based on the following schedule:
• License Plates collected, but not cited: Not retained • License Plates for issued parking citations: 5 years
• License Plates for parking in a parking garage: 60 days
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6/16/25 Planning and Transportation Commission Special
Meeting – Study Session Notes
8. STUDY SESSION
a. Receive a Presentation and Provide Input on the Downtown Specific Plan
QUESTIONS
Castaneda: Asked for clarification on the location for restricting vehicle sales/leasing in the downtown. Response: Only in the MU-DC (downtown core) zoning district. Does this also apply to the ground floor ceiling height increase? Response: Yes, that would apply to the same area, only in the MU-DC zoning district.
Garvey: Asked about the ground floor height relative to the overall height limit and what the impacts are to the floor to ceiling height; should allow at least a 9 ft floor to ceiling height. Response: assumption is 10 feet floor to ceiling, with a 50 ft. floor height allows for 3 stories above a 14 to 16 ft ceiling height, allows for at least 4 feet for a parapet.
Anand: Asked if the City will offer assistance for small business for stylistic design improvements that are required by the City. Response: city staff replied that policies could be established, and programs developed with the aim of assisting small businesses.
Garvey: Asked whether unbundling parking for the affordable units in a mixed-income multi-family development would be required? Chair Clements said she could further explain by sharing that for publicly subsidized affordable housing using tax credits and bond financing, the definition of rent includes the parking space. Accordingly, for 100% affordable housing, parking cannot be unbundled due to state law. But for inclusionary affordable units, parking for those units could be unbundled. Garvey further questioned whether inclusionary affordable units could have the parking included with the rent and not be required to be unbundled. Response: The recommendation is that for privately financed residential developments, the requirement is to unbundle parking because it helps housing affordability, which is what we are trying to encourage. Whether the City would condition the project otherwise could be taken into consideration at that time.
Bundy: How do we get the alleys implemented? Response: This would be a holistic city effort, involve coordination with all owners along the alley and collaborate to create an organized, aggregated parking area much like the alley on the 700-block west of Laurel Street.
Bundy: Is there any opportunity to strengthen and recognize the importance of downtown connectivity to the east side? Response: There is language in the plan, and we can strengthen it for strong connectivity, through Arroyo, through Brittan – need to
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think about this together as one plan. In this Specific Plan we don’t lose sight of it and could help when applying for grants.
Castaneda: For downtown employee parking, are there dedicated spaces assigned? Response: Correction – staff mistakenly said there were not and only exempt from time limits, however, the correct response is that parking for downtown employees is allowed at the top floor of the SamTrans parking garage and at the 2nd floor of the Wheeler Parking Garage. Castaneda: Shared that she wants to be sure others can park in the areas reserved for downtown employee parking as mentioned in the Plan. Response:
Its relatively underutilized, with quite a few spaces that go unused almost every day. To make better use of those spaces, the strategy is to encourage employees to park there free of charge, while still allowing others to park there.
Castaneda: Were merchants along Laurel consulted to identify the parking needs of their customers and would it help to consider shorter [than 2 hour] time limits for those customers? Response: What we heard is that there are a wide range of needs, from quick stops to longer lengths of stay. Suggest discouraging too many time limits below 2 hours because it would make the system less efficient, don’t want to punish people for staying long in downtown with too short time limits; we are not recommend going below 2 hours; maybe for certain uses with high turnover like coffee shops, but otherwise, 2 hours is working well.
Castaneda: Short-term bicycle parking could crowd the entrances of the 700 block and suggest finding areas for long-term bicycle parking. Response: The idea is that the ends of 700 block near the tree strips; as the usage grows, we can increase the number of spaces in areas that have room for expansion, and beyond those then other locations out of the street corridor perhaps in the parking zones.
Chair Clements: Are the funds for Harrington Park included in the City’s CIP budget? Response: Yes, funds have been appropriated in this years adopted City budget for FY 25/26.
Chair Clements: With the effort to organize city parking, space for loading, and trash collection with the many owners of downtown, how would this be funded? Could this be part of a Business Improvement District or how does it get funded in a situation like this? Response: the Plan would suggest funding, phasing, financing strategies, and all tools could be explored should the City decide to pursue any one of these. One of the original recommendations was a parking benefit district that could help finance things like this, but this approach was not favored by the Council. Clarification was provided that some Council members stated they do not believe it is a strategy to use at any time, while others saw it as a potential tool that could be used when conditions warrant and over the long term.
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Chair Clements: Concerned about the prescriptive measures by MTC’s TOC policy.
Planning and financing don’t always align and if the demand calls for parking, but cannot be financed, this is a concern. Do the parking ratios meet the market demand and thereby meet financial feasibility. Response: When trying to meet RHNA, don’t want parking to impede city goals. We have reviewed past projects in San Carlos to determine the amount of parking provided relative to MTC’s TOC parking requirements.
The recommendation is to cap the district as one lump sum, rather than by use, to give the greatest flexibility between developments and their needs.
Anand: Have we considered households that may not be able to afford the $50 annual residential parking permit fee? Response: Yes, the plan provides a provision for lowincome households, but not given a recommendation on the price, but the policy.
Anand: What does wheel free mean? Response: doesn’t apply to strollers, but applies to scooters, skateboards, and bicycles. Anand further requested clear signage to relay this.
FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS
Land Use & Urban Design/ Prosperity & Economic Development • Supported the rezoning of the SamTrans parcel to allow a height increase, adding up to 20 additional units.
• Agreed with the step-backs on San Carlos Avenue and Laurel Street to achieve a 1:2 scale ratio.
• Agreed to raise storefront heights to 14 to 16 feet, provided this change is limited to San Carlos Avenue and Laurel Street.
• Appreciated allowing umbrellas for outdoor dining, in addition to retractable awnings, • Appreciated that Objective Design Standards will be applied in Downtown. • Expressed support for the Laurel Street step-back transition from the third to the fourth level.
• Supported adopting a less restrictive approach to allowable ground-floor general personal services.
• Supported removing auto sales and leasing in the downtown core. • Appreciated removing restrictions that would deter developer. • Appreciated the illustration showing the relationship between street width and building height
Mobility & Transportation/ Parking & Transportation Demand Management (TDM) • Proposed relocating the 700 Block Laurel bike parking to the general parking lot instead of near the entrances, where congestion may become an issue. • Recommended clear signage to explain what “Wheel Free” means.
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• Appreciated the Holly Street swing lanes and the more detail schematic examples of the bus stop guidance.
• Recommended strengthening the ADA compliance infrastructure language to include connections to and through the downtown core.
• Supported the idea of allowing business parking publicly assessable during non-business hours.
• Emphasized prioritizing alley improvements, as they will support future enhancements on Laurel Street and help establish a gateway to the 700 block. The alley can also accommodate food delivery services using rear entrances for quick and efficient pickups. • Agreed that shared parking is essential in a small footprint area like San Carlos. • Suggested including the phrase “follow MTC/TOC policy recommendations” in reference to parking ratios, in case a higher ratio is allow to give more flexibility. • Supported reviewing the Employee Parking Permit program and revising it accordingly. • Recommended augmenting the parking enforcement through the Sherriff’s office Public Realm/ Public Art/ Sustainability & Resiliency/ Infrastructure • Noted there was not much mention of stormwater from a flood perspective. Currently, it only references rain gardens, which are designed for smaller storms. Suggested adding language on planning and designing rain gardens, stormwater catchments, and underground systems to account for more frequent, extreme storms and climate change. • Highlighted the need for larger stormwater pipes than what the City currently has, especially since the new plan will eliminate curbside stormwater storage. • Recommended emphasizing the role of the design concepts in mitigating the urban heat island effect, currently addressed in Section PR9.
• Encouraged a greater focus on the roles of trees and respite spaces in mitigating climate impacts, which could be incorporated into the resilience section of the framework. • Appreciated the idea of green development and how it translates into the Downtown. • Appreciated the incorporation of water-saving technologies in new developments and the efforts to reduce the urban heat island effect through green roofs and trees. • Appreciated DTAC’s recommendation to incorporate green building practices.
Other
• Proposed ensuring the plan is inclusive and does not lead to the displacement of small businesses.
• Recommended keeping the plan as a living document and ensuring it stays up to date with the impacts of technology, such as self-driving cars, and climate mitigation measures. • Encouraged careful consideration of funding for small business façade and alleyway improvements during the implementation phase. Emphasized the importance of retaining small businesses in downtown.
• Expressed appreciation for the vision presented in the plan. • Commended the staff and consultant team for developing an excellent plan and effectively facilitating community engagement.
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CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: June 23, 2025
ITEM TITLE: Discuss Merging the North Crestview Park Master Plan with the Parks Master Plan Update.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommend the City Council provide direction to merge the North Crestview Park Master Plan with the Parks Master Plan.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There is no fiscal impact or additional appropriation needed at this time.
Funds for this project were appropriated by the City Council under Capital Improvement Project C2329 Parks Master Plan.
BACKGROUND:
The North Crestview Park (“Park”) site is approximately three acres in size and located at the highest point in San Carlos. The site slopes from west to east with an approximate grade change of 50 feet. The site is bounded by homes to the north and south, and by San Francisco Public Utilities Commission land to the west. The Park is currently a natural open park with no improvements.
The Park site was previously studied in 2016, with several designs for active and passive park uses including a playfield, parking, restroom, sport court, playground, and trails. The City Council, at its February 13, 2017 meeting, selected the passive use design with a meadow area, walking paths, benches, service dog memorial, and a service road as its preferred plan. Following the adoption of the plan, funding was allocated in the “out years” of the Capital Improvement Program budget.
On January 27, 2023, the City Council held the annual Strategic Planning Retreat to discuss the City’s mission, vision and core values, review strategic goals and objectives, and to consider new priority areas for the upcoming year. Through the City Council’s conversations, a new goal, “Recreational Opportunities,” was discussed and added as a strategic goal. Under this goal, three objectives were identified and include: complete a new master plan for North Crestview Park to explore additional recreational opportunities at this site; complete a full Parks Master Plan; and assess new and existing opportunities to expand trails and trail connections with adjacent open space.
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The City kicked off the North Crestview Park master plan process with the award of a contract to Verde on August 14, 2023. Verde completed community outreach in 2024 with two in-person workshops, online surveys, and a pop-up event at the Farmers’ Market. Following the first phase of outreach, three design options were developed based on feedback and input received from the community. Common elements included a loop trail, multi-use meadow, climbing zone, fitness zone, restroom building, shade structure, universal play area, as well as picnic tables, hillside seating, accessible parking, native planting, and wind buffers. The added recreation amenity in the second option included a multi-use court.
The Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission reviewed the design options at its June 5, 2024 meeting and recommended Concept B (Attachment 1), with an amendment to the design that the multi-use sport court does not include pickleball lines. The City Council, at its June 24, 2024 meeting, selected Concept B as its preferred design for the North Crestview Park Master Plan.
Following this direction, the Verde design team further refined the design, conducted technical studies as required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and prepared cost estimates.
ANALYSIS:
The required technical analysis under CEQA of the preferred design for North Crestview Park included a biological evaluation of the existing site. During the site visit, the Paniculate Tarplant (Deinandra paniculata) was discovered at a central portion of the site. This plant is on the California Rare Plant Rank list. Removing the plant would be considered a significant environmental impact. The CEQA consultant noted that preserving the plant on site within a developed park would require a 30’ protected buffer zone with no improvements or soil disturbance and to maintain natural vegetation only.
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The consultant estimates that it would cost $8 to $10 million to construct the Park as designed with Concept B (not including preserving or relocating the tarplant). The high cost is attributed to the grading necessary for the driveway, the parking area, and the restroom and retaining walls at the top of the site. Currently, sufficient funding in the budget to begin construction is not available.
The City Council Parks Master Plan subcommittee discussed this item at its May 13, 2025 meeting and provided direction to staff to schedule the item for the City Council’s review and discussion.
Committee members expressed openness to consider a redesign for the park and noted the need to discuss prioritization of funds for improvements to our park system in the context of other City priorities.
There are several options for the City Council relating to North Crestview Park:
1. Request that the consultant redesign Park Concept B to preserve the plant in place with a 30’ buffer zone. The consultant would prepare an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration with a mitigation measure to protect the tarplant. This would result in limited usability of the park site.
2. Request that the consultant prepare a plan to relocate the tarplant within an open area on the site and prepare a Habitat Mitigation Plan. This would require preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and consideration of a Statement of Overriding Considerations, as it cannot be determined with certainty that the plant will survive relocation. Cost estimates for this option would be an additional $150,000 to $200,000 which does not include the ongoing sensitive plant monitoring expense the City would incur on an annual basis. This option would also result in a higher cost to construct the park.
9b.i
June 23, 2025 Packet Pg. 748
3. Fold the North Crestview Park design into the comprehensive Park Master Plan process.
This would provide an opportunity to re-evaluate the proposed park design given the discovery of the tarplant and consider design elements and amenities that would be appropriate at this location in conjunction with design recommendations that have come through the Parks Master Plan process and identified community priorities. It would give the City Council an opportunity to evaluate and prioritize the park system in a more holistic manner compared to considering this park individually.
If the Council selects this option, staff will bring forward a contract amendment for Gates to include North Crestview Park in their scope. A budget amendment is not needed as there are remaining funds from the Verde contract.
ALTERNATIVES:
The alternatives available to the City Council include:
1. Direct staff to merge the North Crestview Park Master Plan with the Parks Master Plan; or
2. Do not direct staff to merge the North Crestview Park Master Plan with the Parks Master Plan; or
3. Provide staff with alternative direction.
Respectfully submitted by:
Amy Newby, Parks & Recreation Director
Approved for submission by:
_______________________
Jeff Maltbie, City Manager
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. North Crestview Park Concept B Preferred Plan
2. North Crestview Park Preferred Plan with Tarplant Overlay 9b-i
June 23, 2025 Packet Pg. 749
June 23, 2025 Packet Pg. 750
June 23, 2025 Packet Pg. 751
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: June 23, 2025
ITEM TITLE: Discuss and Provide Direction on Preferred Opportunity Sites for Further Analysis of a Community and/or Aquatic Center.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommend that the City Council discuss and provide direction on preferred opportunity sites for further analysis for a community and/or aquatic center.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There is no fiscal impact at this time.
Funds for this process were appropriated by the City Council and have been included in the Capital Improvement Project C2331 - Conceptual Design of the Community Center.
BACKGROUND:
At its May 13, 2024 meeting, the City Council selected Gates + Associates to prepare the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update. As a part of that Agreement, the City authorized Gates to prepare three conceptual plans for a new community and aquatic center concurrently with the Parks Master Plan Update process, based on community outreach. Gates has completed two rounds of community outreach which included in-person workshops, online surveys, and pop-up events. Through this extensive community outreach, a community center and/or aquatic center have been identified as a top long-term amenity priority for the community.
Community outreach indicates desire for both a combined community and aquatic center and separately, for individual stand-alone facilities. For example, the Council could choose to move forward with design scenarios for a combined community and aquatic center, a stand-alone community center, and/or a stand-alone aquatic center.
ANALYSIS:
Based on community input, as well as input from Parks and Recreation staff and consultants, the following amenities have been prioritized for a new community center and/or aquatic center:
Community Center:
● Multi-use gym with two full size basketball courts
● Performance stage adjacent to gym and flexible for use as dance/fitness class space ● Fitness/dance studio
● Cardio/weight room
9b.ii
June 23, 2025 Packet Pg. 752
● Coffee shop/cafe
● Game room
● Meeting rooms
Aquatic Center:
● Recreation pool
● Splash pad
● Shaded areas
● Seating opportunities
Supporting Outdoor Space:
● Plaza space for social gathering and facility connection ● Shaded area with seating opportunities
● Recreation opportunities
The consultant team estimates a community center of approximately 30,000 square feet would be appropriate for the San Carlos community needs and be of sufficient size to accommodate the amenities listed above. The estimated cost for this sized community center is $25 to $30 million.
The estimated cost for an aquatic center appropriate for San Carlos is $4 to $7 million. The cost for on-site parking will range from $500,000 for surface parking to $30 million for below-grade parking. Both park sites recommended for further consideration fall within AB 2097 and as such, no new parking is required.
The City Council, at its February 24, 2025 meeting provided direction to consider Burton Park, Laureola Park, and City Hall park as opportunity sites for a community center and/or aquatic center. The consultant team has further analyzed these sites and recommends proceeding with design options for a facility at Burton Park and Laureola Park. The consultant team does not recommend City Hall Park given the limited size of the site, high cost to acquire adjacent properties, and removal of housing units.
At the June 23, 2025 City Council meeting, the consultant team will present several design options (Attachment 1) for facilities at Burton Park and Laureola Park for the Council to provide direction prior to further design study.
The City Council subcommittee discussed this item on May 13, 2025 and expressed preference to further study:
a combined community center and aquatic center at Burton Park; a stand-alone aquatic center at Burton Park; and
a stand-alone aquatic center at Laureola Park.
ALTERNATIVES:
The alternatives available to the City Council include:
1. Provide direction on preferred opportunity sites; or 9b.ii
June 23, 2025 Packet Pg. 753
2. Provide staff with alternative direction.
Respectfully submitted by:
Amy Newby, Parks & Recreation Director
Approved for submission by:
_______________________
Jeff Maltbie, City Manager
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Opportunity Sites
9b.ii
June 23, 2025 Packet Pg. 754
PRIORITY AMENITIES
Priority Amenities for a New Community Facility and supporting outdoor spaces Based on community outreach and Parks & Rec staff input Community Center
● Multi-use gym with 2 full size
basketball courts
● Performance stage adjacent to
gym and flexible for use as
dance/fitness class space
● Fitness/dance studio
● Cardio/weight room
● Coffee shop/cafe
● Game room
● Meeting rooms
Supporting Outdoor Space
● Plaza space for social
gathering and facility
connection
● Shaded area with seating
opportunities
● Recreation opportunities
Aquatic Center
● Recreation pool
● Splash pad
● Shaded areas
● Seating opportunities
Parking Needs
● A range of 40-100 parking
stalls needed
● 40-60 stalls is average for the
Peninsula area
BUILDING SIZE PROGRAMMING
Possible spatial program for a 30,000 sqft Community Center:
Space/program Approximate size
Multi-use gym with (2) full size basketball courts 10,000 sqft Performance stage adjacent to gym and flexible for use as dance/fitness class space 2,500 sqft Fitness/dance studio 1,000 sqft
Cardio/weight room 1,000 sqft
Coffee shop/cafe 1,000 sqft
Game room 1,000 sqft
Meeting rooms - (2) small rooms (500 sqft ea)aand (1) large room (1,000 sqft) 2,000 sqft Additional gathering and program spaces 3,000 sqft
Restrooms, circulation, and utility space (40% of program spaces) 8,500 sqft TOTAL 30,000 sqft
BUILDING SIZE PROGRAMMING
Possible spatial program for a 17,000 sqft Community Center:
Space/program Approximate size
Multi-use gym with (1) full size basketball court 5,000 sqft Performance stage adjacent to gym and flexible for use as dance/fitness class space 1,000 sqft Fitness/dance studio 1,000 sqft
Cardio/weight room 1,000 sqft
Coffee shop/cafe 1,000 sqft
Game room 1,000 sqft
Meeting rooms - (2) small rooms (500 sqft ea) and (1) large room (1,000 sqft) 2,000 sqft Restrooms, circulation, and utility space (40% of program spaces) 5,000 sqft TOTAL 17,000 sqft
POTENTIAL COSTS
Community Center & Parking General
Costs
● Community Center = $1000/sf
● Street Parking = $0
● Surface Parking = $15-20/sf
● Surface Parking Under Building = $350-400/sf
● Underground Parking = $1,000/sf
● Landscaping = $250/sf
Aquatic Facility General Costs
● Pool + pool equipment = $700/sf
● Splash pad = $350/sf
General High Level Costs for a New Facility:
30,000 sq ft Community Center:
$30 million
Avg. Recreational Aquatic Center Facility:
$4-7 million
On-site Parking (for 40-100 stalls):
Underground = $14-35 million
Surface = $280-700 thousand
OPPORTUNITY SITES
● Land opportunity limited
● Concern with adjacent
apartments/rehousing
● High cost and community
expense
● Extremely dense area
Burton Park Laureola Park City Hall Dog Park
● East side distribution and
opportunity
● Adjacent property buy out
● Utilize the entire site
● Available space, moderate
community expense
● City centric
● Community hub with all
available amenities in one
place
● Available space, moderate
community expense
OPPORTUNITY SITES
Burton Park Community
Center & Aquatic Facility
Building Size: +/- 30,000 sqft
Aquatics Size: +/- 12,000 sqft
Amenities
● Community center
building with sports
courts on the roof
● Aquatics facility with
recreational pool, 3-4 lap
lanes, splash pad,
support building
● Pedestrian gateway plaza
and entry
● Underground parking
AMENITIES REMOVED FROM PARK AND
REC SYSTEM:
- (1) basketball courts
- (3) tennis courts
- Kiwanis Building
AMENITIES ADDED TO PARK AND REC
SYSTEM:
+ (1) basketball courts
+ (2) tennis courts
+ (4) pickleball courts
+ Community + Aquatic facility
+ Outdoor plaza
OPPORTUNITY SITES
Burton Park Community
Center & Aquatic Facility
Building Size: +/- 30,000 sqft
Aquatics Size: +/- 20,000 sqft
Amenities
● Community center
building with sports
courts remaining as is
● Aquatics facility with
recreational pool, 3-4 lap
lanes, splash pad, support
building
● Pedestrian gateway plaza
and entry
● +4 pickleball courts or
other game courts
● Underground parking
AMENITIES REMOVED FROM PARK AND
REC SYSTEM:
- (1) Madsen Field (diamond field)
- Kiwanis Building
AMENITIES ADDED TO PARK AND REC
SYSTEM:
+ (4) pickleball courts
+ Community and Aquatic facility
+ Outdoor plaza
OPPORTUNITY SITES
Burton Park Aquatic Facility
(only)
Aquatics Size: +/- 15,000 sqft
Amenities
● Aquatics facility only
with recreational pool, 3-
4 lap lanes, splash pad,
support building,
spectator/ lounge lawn
● Pedestrian gateway plaza
and entry
● +2 pickleball courts or
other game courts
AMENITIES REMOVED FROM PARK AND
REC SYSTEM:
- Kiwanis Building
AMENITIES ADDED TO PARK AND REC
SYSTEM:
+ (1) Pickleball court
+ Aquatic facility with outdoor lawn space
+ Outdoor plaza
OPPORTUNITY SITES
Laureola Park Community
Center & Aquatic Facility
Building Size: +/- 30,000 sqft
Aquatics Size: +/- 12,000 sqft
Amenities
● Community center
building
● Aquatics facility with
recreational pool, 3-4 lap
lanes, splash pad, support
building
● Pedestrian gateway plaza
and entry from Holly St
● Reimagined park space
● Underground and surface
parking
● Vehicle entry from Old
County Rd, EVA from
Bayport Ct
AMENITIES REMOVED FROM PARK AND
REC SYSTEM:
- (1) basketball court
- (1) ball wall
- (1) splash pad
- (1) ball field
- (1) multi-use turf field
- 2-5 and 5-12 play area
AMENITIES ADDED TO PARK AND REC
SYSTEM:
+ New park amenities
+ outdoor gathering space
+ Community and Aquatic facility
OPPORTUNITY SITES
Laureola Park Community
Center & Aquatic Facility
(requires purchase of adjacent property)
Building Size: +/- 30,000 sqft
Aquatics Size: +/- 12,000 sqft
Amenities
● Community center
building
● Aquatics facility with
recreational pool, 3-4 lap
lanes, splash pad, support
building
● Pedestrian gateway plaza
and entry from Holly St
● Reimagined park space
● Surface parking
● Vehicle entry from Old
County Rd, EVA from
Bayport Ct
AMENITIES REMOVED FROM PARK AND
REC SYSTEM:
- (1) basketball court
- (1) ball wall
- (1) splash pad
- (1) ball field
- (1) multi-use turf field
- 2-5 and 5-12 play area
AMENITIES ADDED TO PARK AND REC
SYSTEM:
+ New park amenities
+ outdoor gathering space
+ Community and Aquatic facility
OPPORTUNITY SITES
Laureola Park Community
Center & Aquatic Facility
Aquatics Size: +/- 12,000 sqft
Amenities
● Aquatics facility with
recreational pool, 3-4 lap
lanes, splash pad, support
building
● Pedestrian gateway plaza
and entry from Holly St
● Laureola Building to
remain, renovated
● Reimagined park space
● Surface parking
● Vehicle entry from Old
County Rd, EVA from
Bayport Ct
AMENITIES REMOVED FROM PARK AND
REC SYSTEM:
- (1) basketball court
- (1) ball wall
- (1) splash pad
- (1) ball field
- (1) multi-use turf field
- 2-5 and 5-12 play area
AMENITIES ADDED TO PARK AND REC
SYSTEM:
+ New park amenities
+ outdoor gathering space
+ Community and Aquatic facility