Sonoma City Council
September 18, 2023

Special Events
FEE COST WORKSHEET NUMBER : SE-12
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Agenda Item #8.1:

SER-02 Plaza North East, North West, & South West Quadrants, per day $300.00 SER-03 Plaza South East Quadrant, per day $400.00
SER-04 Plaza Amphitheater, per day $200.00
SER-05 Plaza Horseshoe Pavement Only, per day $200.00
SER-06 Plaza Rear Parking Lot (only by exception), per day $300.00 SER-07 DELETE - REVISED AND RENUMBERED THIS FEE TO SE-09 SER-08 Special Event Security Deposit, Per Quadrant, Section or area, per day (refundable)

DEPOSIT AMOUNT EQUALS RENTAL FEE FOR SECTION(S)
RENTED
SER-09 Depot Park Picnic Area 1 & 2 per day $50 per section SER-10 Depot Park Picnic Area 3, per day $100.00
SER-11 Depot Park Volleyball Area #4, per day $100.00
SER-12 Depot Park Parking Lot, per day $100.00
SER-13 DELETE - REVISED AND RENUMBERED THIS FEE TO SE-09 SER-14 DELETE - USE REVISED SER-08 - Depot Park Security Deposit, Per Section or area, per day (refundable)
SPECIAL EVENTS, Rental, Maintenance Fees & Security Deposits Agenda Item #8.1:

City of Sonoma
Agenda Item Summary
Meeting: City Council - 18 Sep 2023
Department
Planning and Community Services
Staff Contact
Jennifer Gates, AICP, Community Development
Director, Kristina Tierney, Associate Planner
Agenda Item Title
Discussion, Consideration, and Possible Action to Adopt a Resolution Accepting the Downtown Parking Management Plan
Summary
Background
The Downtown Parking Management Plan (the “Plan”) represents a multi-year effort to develop strategies addressing parking challenges in Downtown Sonoma. The Plan builds on a study of parking conditions in the Downtown area that was prepared in 2017 and includes a coordinated set of recommendations designed to improve parking. The Plan was prepared for the City by W-Trans, a local transportation planning and engineering firm and developed in collaboration with City staff, the City Council, and the Planning Commission.

Public Outreach and Public Comments
Public outreach and engagement included the following:
• August 3, 2022 - City Council received a presentation from staff and W-Trans • September 21, 2022 - Draft Plan posted online
• October 17 - November 16, 2022 - The Draft Plan was circulated for a 30-day public comment period
• November 17, 2022 - Planning Commission review and public comments • December 15, 2022 - Planning Commission review and public comments While the Draft Plan was circulated for a 30-day public comment period, comments were accepted at all points during the process. Overall, the City received 22 public comments on the Draft Plan. Below is a summary of the public comments and all comment letters are attached hereto:
• Numerous concerns about paid parking on the Plaza
• Numerous concerns about the state-owned Casa Grande Lot converting to paid parking
• Support for increased public transit
• Support for working with local hotels on a shuttle system • Support for new underground parking lots
• Support for changing the parking limit from three hours to two hours • Support for maintaining the three-hour parking limit
Parking Management Plan Overview
The report identifies specific parking strategies, which represent a toolbox of measures available to the City to implement the Plan. Measures have been broken into two phases:

Phase 1 and Phase 2. The slate of strategies in the first phase are recommended to ensure existing parking assets are managed and utilized in the most effective manner. These Agenda Item #9.1:

strategies require minimal cost to implement and may, by themselves, result in an effective parking system for the City. Phase 2 measures may be implemented on an as-needed basis after Phase 1 measures have been implemented, utilized, and analyzed for effectiveness.

Phase 2 measures may be implemented on an as-needed basis at a later date, to be determined by the City Council based on analysis and feedback from stakeholders on Phase 1 implementation.

Phase 1 Measures
Below is a list of all the measures proposed for Phase 1. Staff recommends implementation of all Phase 1 measures:
• Parking Enforcement
• Parking Wayfinding
• Passenger Loading Zones
• Shared Parking Agreements
• On-Street Time Restrictions
• Bicycle Parking
• Special Event Bicycle Valet Parking
• Enhanced Mobility Information
• Downtown Circulator

Parking Enforcement – Enhance parking enforcement and evaluate the feasibility of technological improvements to enforce existing time limits ensuring 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 be occupying prime, store-front parking.

Parking Wayfinding - Expand implementation of parking directional signs installed by the City in 2020 to better direct motorists to future public-private shared parking agreements and consider the use of automated counters.

Passenger Loading Zones - Establish passenger loading zones to incentivize motorists to not use red zones or other no-stopping areas to pick up or drop off passengers.

Shared Parking Agreements - Develop shared parking agreements with property owners and/or tenants to expand public use of private lots to increase the supply of publicly available parking. This includes a potential lease agreement with the State for continued use of the Casa Grande Parking lot.

On-Street Time Restrictions - Maintain the three-hour time limit but evaluate revising onstreet parking time restrictions so they are in effect seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Bicycle Parking - Increase bicycle parking in Downtown Sonoma to promote bicycling.

Enhanced Mobility Information - Improve quality and availability of information on transportation resources for residents, visitors, and employees on the City’s website including information regarding bicycling, transit, and general vehicle parking directions.

Downtown Circulator - Conduct a formal study of a potential circulator accounting for factors such as routing, frequencies, ridership forecasts (including seasonal fluctuations), funding, and other relevant considerations.

Agenda Item #9.1:

Phase 2 Measures
The measures provided in Phase 2 are identified below and are not recommended to be implemented as part of this plan. Staff will present more details on these measures at the direction of the City Council. Phase 2 strategies include:
• Parking Benefit District
• Parking Pricing
• Resident Meter Permits
• Resident Neighborhood Permits
• Employee Permits
Recommendations
Staff recommends that the City Council accept the Downtown Parking Management Plan and authorize moving forward with the Phase 1 recommended measures. Staff will analyze the effectiveness of Phase 1 to determine if the City Council should consider implementing Phase 2 at a later date to achieve the desired parking environment. This phased approach is recommended as a gradual process to increase parking management in the Downtown, but strategies can be implemented on a different timeline based on the City’s assessment of its needs.

Recommended Council Action
Discussion, Consideration, and Possible Action to Adopt a Resolution Accepting the Downtown Parking Management Plan
Alternative Actions
1) Provide direction to staff regarding Phase 1 and Phase 2 strategies 2) Council discretion
Financial Impact
Environmental Review Status
Environmental Impact Report
Negative Declaration
Exempt
Not Applicable
Approved/Certified
No Action Required
Action Requested
Attachments
Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma 8.30.23 Downtown Parking Management Plan Comments
1_Resolution - Downtown Parking Management Plan 9 18 23 CC Presentation Sept 18 23
Alignment with Council Goals:

Compliance with Climate Action 2020 Target Goals:

Agenda Item #9.1:

CC:
n/a
Agenda Item #9.1:

Draft Report
Downtown Parking Management Plan for
the City of Sonoma
Prepared for the
City of Sonoma
August 30, 2023
490 Mendocino Avenue, Suite 201 SANTA ROSA, CA 95401 707.542.9500 7901 Oakport Street, Suite 1500 OAKLAND, CA 94621 510.444.2600 w-trans.com
Agenda Item #9.1:

Agenda Item #9.1:

i
Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Table of Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Parking Management Plan............................................................................................................................................. 5 Conclusions and Recommendations.........................................................................................................................19 Study Participants and References.............................................................................................................................21 Figures

1. 2017 Parking Study Area ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Potential Public-Private Parking Lots.............................................................................................................................10 Tables

1. On-Street and Off-Street Peak Occupancy Rates.......................................................................................................... 3

2. Summary of Strategies – Phase 1...................................................................................................................................... 6

3. Potential Public-Private Partnerships............................................................................................................................11 Plates

1. Example of current downtown parking lot.................................................................................................................... 7

2. Example of largely vacant private downtown parking lot......................................................................................... 8

3. Typical downtown parking sign......................................................................................................................................12

4. Example of post and ring bicycle parking....................................................................................................................13

5. Example bicycle repair station.........................................................................................................................................14 Appendices
A. 2017 Draft Parking Study
Agenda Item #9.1:

Agenda Item #9.1:

1 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Introduction
Overview
The City of Sonoma is a community that is home to a unique blend of historic and newer residential neighborhoods and a historic commercial district. It enjoys a regional status as a key Bay Area visitor destination and is a well-known tourist vacation spot because of the orientation of its Downtown around the Plaza. Combined, the mix of users creates parking issues for the City that make managing the parking supply challenging, especially during peak periods (i.e. , summer weekends).

This Parking Management Plan is the first step in the City’s efforts to address parking challengesin the Downtown.

The Plan summarizes the parking inventory, supply, and demand study, including counts of the public on- and off-street parking supply. These counts are used to examine actual parking data and establish key parking trends occurring throughout Downtown, pre-pandemic. Based on the key findings from the parking data, this Plan includes a coordinated set of recommendations designed to improve parking with a two phase approach.

It is important to note that the recommendations in this Parking Management Plan were established on the premise that parking and transportation are not ends in themselves, but means to achieve broader community goals, and the selection of strategies reflect those objectives. These recommendations seek to leverage Downtown Sonoma’s existing assets, respond to its current challenges, and further the overall vision for the area.

Relationship to Previous Analysis
A study of parking conditions in the Downtown area was prepared in 2017 and included the area bounded by the Sonoma Bike Path to the north, Patten Street to the south, 2nd Street West, and 2nd Street East. In addition to onstreet parking, the study considered usage of two public parking lots, but no private off-street lots were included in this prior study. The on-street and off-street parking survey locations from the 2017 study are shown in Figure 1 and the report is provided as Appendix A.

The current study builds on the 2017 parking study, the data for which was collected in 2014. Patterns of commuting, visiting, and travel for other purposes have been in flux since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as of April 2022 travel conditions had not fully reverted to historical patterns. Since the parking data was collected prior to the pandemic, it is assumed to represent “typical” conditions and serve as a viable basis for planning purposes.

Agenda Item #9.1:

Sonoma
Plaza
E Spain St
WSpain St
Sonoma Bike Path
E Napa St
W Napa St
Patten St
Nathanso
n
Cree
k
Ln
Church St
1st
St W
1st St
E
Broadway
2 nd
St E
2 nd
St W
McDonell St
12 12
Casa Grande Lot
Lot B
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
Figure 1 – 2017 Parking Study Area
Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma son070.ai 4/22
North
Not to Scale
LEGEND
# Block Face Number
Study Street
Public Lot
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3 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Utilization Summary
The use of on-street parking and public lots near Sonoma Plaza was assessed in July 2014. Summer was selected for data collection as it is the peak visitation period. The study periods included 11:30 a. m. to 1:30 p. m. and 6:00 p. m. to 8:00 p. m. on Thursday, July 24, and Saturday, July 26. These days and times were selected to capture unique weekday and weekend patterns, the specific peak parking demand periods, and the needs of the different populations, such as residents, visitors, and employees. In addition to assessing the usage of spaces at the study locations, observations were also recorded during the study periods to qualitatively assess parking turnover, parking duration, and spillover of parking into surrounding neighborhoods. Observations were also conducted during a “Tuesday Night in the Plaza” event, now known as the “Tuesday Night Market,” since that represents a time of higher usage than a typical weeknight.

Parking utilization was found to be higher during the weekend than on weekdays. Saturday peaks exhibited similar patterns during the midday and evening observation periods, which had 93 percent and 91 percent occupancy rates, respectively. On weekdays, parking was found to be more available, particularly during the evening period, as the spaces were 83 percent occupied during midday and only 68 percent occupied in the evening. During the “Tuesday Night in the Plaza” event, parking turnover was more limited than during the other observation periods. Table 1 shows the peak on- and off-street occupancy rates by day; as a point of reference, 85 percent is a commonly used threshold to determine ideal parking occupancy for high turnover retail parking and 90 to 95 percent is often used as a threshold for lower-turnover parking.

Table 1 – On-Street and Off-Street Peak Occupancy Rates Date
Time Period
Time of
Peak Parking
Utilization
On-Street Off-Street Total
Supply # % Supply # % Supply # %
July 24, 2014 659 179 838
Weekday Midday 1:00 PM 559 85% 137 77% 696 83%
Weekday Evening 7:00 PM 503 76% 71 40% 574 68%
July 26, 2014 659 179 838
Weekend Midday 1:30 PM 607 92% 170 95% 777 93%
Weekend Evening 6:30 PM 605 92% 158 88% 763 91%
Note: # = Number of occupied spaces; % = Percent of spaces occupied Key Findings
Analysis of the data in the 2017 study resulted in seven key findings.

Key Finding #1: Use of on-street parking by employees may contribute to the lack of availability around Sonoma Plaza.

While some vacant spaces were observed midday during the week, the on-street spaces immediately surrounding Sonoma Plaza were fully occupied. Survey data collected for the 2017 study indicates that the enforcement of parking restrictions is inconsistent and as a result, some of the usage of on-street parking may be due to employees parking in time-limited spaces intended for customers and moving their vehicles to avoid tickets from time limits. Strategies to address the need for employee parking could help alleviate demand for the highest demand spaces adjacent to the Plaza.

Key Finding #2: Peak demand occurs on the weekends when the parking supply is almost fully occupied.

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4 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Sonoma Plaza and the primarily visitor-serving businesses in the immediate area attract a substantial number of visitors on weekends. Visitors may live locally, elsewhere in the region, or even farther away. During peak times, drivers were routinely seen searching for on-street spaces around the Plaza and the adjacent areas; spaces that did become available were taken quickly.

Key Finding #3: Spillover parking occurs during special events and on weekends.

Spillover parking was observed during times of peak parking usage, resulting in visitors using on-street parking in neighborhoods two blocks away from the Plaza. The times that were most impacted were on weekends and during special events on weekdays.

Key Finding #4: Passenger drop-off and pick-up space is a need.

Passenger drop-offs and people picking up lunch orders were observed during the midday weekday and weekend peak periods. This often occurred at locations where parking is prohibited, and this resulted in challenges for drivers as well as pedestrians as crosswalks and driveways were sometimes blocked. Since people commonly drive around seeking parking adjacent to the Plaza, this added to the congestion and chaotic traffic pattern. Other factors are expected to contribute to a growing need for designated loading zones and short-term parking, including the growing popularity of ride-hailing and food delivery services.

Key Finding #5: Current on-street time limits are not respected.

Resident and employee survey data from 2015 indicated that parking restrictions are not regularly enforced. As a result, it is likely that the current three-hour limit has limited effectiveness and turnover may be reduced for Downtown’s on-streetspaces.

Key Finding #6: Some on-street spaces currently designated as “no parking” may be able to be better utilized.

While the great majority of on-street “no parking” areas in the Downtown are justified, there may be an opportunity to better use some of these spaces. For example, parking in the curb space in front of the historic mission (north side of East Spain Street, east of 1st Street East, and the east side of 1st Street East, north of East Spain Street) is currently prohibited.

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5 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Parking Management Plan
Parking Management Principles
Historically, a city wishing to "solve its parking problem" in a high-demand area has generally focused on increasing the supply of off-street parking. However, simply increasing supply does not fully address the core problem of concentrated demand, in which popular on-street spaces are consistently oversubscribed while nearby off-street spaces often remain underutilized. The goal of parking demand management is to manage demand for curb spaces to ensure availability, while also optimizing utilization of the existing off-streetsupply to meet a variety of parking needs.

Effective parking management strategies can result in positive economic impacts for local businesses as it allows employees, residents, and visitors to better utilize the parking supply to shop, dine, or recreate.

As Downtown Sonoma continues to evolve its parking needs will change as well. This plan includes techniquesto address current challenges in a phased approach to minimize the amount of effort needed to properly manage the parking supply. In particular, a parking management approach is proposed that emphasizes more efficient utilization of the existing supply and recognizes the interconnectedness of on- and off-street parking management.

In recognition of these considerations, the following goals and objectives informed the development of parking management recommendations for Downtown Sonoma.
• Establish a “park once” philosophy by managing Downtown parking as a single, integrated system that is convenient for motoriststo park and easily access all destinations. • Make the most efficient use of all existing parking resources including on-street, off-street, public, and private spaces.
• Ensure parking facilities adequately accommodate consistent peak period demand. • Establish parking regulationsthat encourage motorists to stay and enjoy Downtown. • Support the ability of local employees to find parking but discourage them from parking in “prime” on-street spaces.
• Ensure proper protection to help prevent “spillover” parking into adjacent residential neighborhoods. • Endorse parking management practices that support Downtown economic development. • Provide strategies that recognize and properly incentivize the differing needs of long-term and short-term parkers.
• Embrace new parking technologies where appropriate to maximize customer satisfaction as well as foster enhanced parking data management and analysis.
• Provide flexibility to decision makers and City staff to adapt to seasonal and long-term changes in parking demand.

Parking Strategies
The parking strategies described below represent a toolbox of measures available to the City. To prioritize their application, they are broken into two phases. The slate of strategies in the first phase are recommended because of their relative ease of implementation. These strategies require comparatively little management and may by themselves result in an acceptable parking system for the City. The first phase strategies are, however, limited in their effectiveness to manage parking demand and if the City finds they do not create a satisfactory parking environment, phase two strategies are available. Phase two measures can be significantly more effective in managing parking demand and primarily cost-neutral, but they require continual oversight to function well.

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6 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Phase 1 Strategies
The strategies provided in Phase 1 are described in more detail below and are recommended to be implemented as part of this plan. Table 2 shows a summary of Phase 1 strategies and ratings of their relative effectiveness in managing parking demand and ease of implementation. Regardless of the phase, some strategies work best when paired together (e.g., shared parking and improved wayfinding).

Table 2 – Summary of Strategies – Phase 1
Strategy Effectiveness Ease of Implementation
Parking Enforcement 4 3
Parking Wayfinding 1 5
Passenger Loading Zones 1 5
Shared Parking Agreements 4 2
On-Street Time Restrictions 3 5
Bicycle Parking 2 4
Special Event Bicycle Valet Parking 2 4
Enhanced Mobility Information 1 5
Downtown Circulator 4 1
Note: sliding scale where 1 is “Least” and 5 is “Most”
Parking Enforcement
Description
Parking enforcement has evolved over the years as the transportation field has become more heavily influenced by technology. While parking enforcement was originally 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.

Purpose
It is important to remember that 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 longterm parkers (e. g., employees) to be occupying 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, even on a limited schedule, can have a profound impact. The use of modern technology such as ALPR can make parking enforcement a more cost-effective option.

Implementation
Frequency
As noted above, parking enforcement can have a significant effect on parking behavior. From a motorist’s perspective, an enforcer does not need to be often seen to demonstrate that enforcement is being conducted. To Agenda Item #9.1:

7 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
manage costs, initial enforcement of parking regulations can be conducted infrequently with it occurring two or three days per week. With an ALPR system, an enforcement sweep of Downtown Sonoma could last less than an hour. If enforcement is proposed to be increased, it is advisable to issue warnings to motorists during the first month as the intent of the policy is to better manage curb spaces, not to be punitive.

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 Sonoma, it is recommended that the City develop a policy regarding the security and use of data collected. 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.

Parking Wayfinding
Description
In 2020, the City installed new highly-visible parking directional signs in the Downtown to better direct motorists to public, off-street parking located in the Casa Grande lot and a second public parking lot behind the Cheveux Salon at 156 East Napa Street. The signs are both in line with many private standards (e. g. , the use of a large “P”) and are consistent with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

Purpose
Wayfinding signage can serve both motorists and pedestrians.

Wayfinding signage for motorists reduces the search time for vehicles to be parked and also alerts drivers of parking resources in less visible lots. Pedestrian-oriented signage can help direct people on foot to and from parking facilities as well as provide information regarding the proximity of destinations.

Implementation
The City can make two further improvements to wayfinding. The first is to provide similar signage if public-private shared parking agreements are pursued and include appropriate signage notifying motorists of the hours of availability. Plate 1 shows an example of a current Downtown lot that is available to the public at certain hours.

The second improvement involves the use of automated counters and accompanying signage. Automated counters typically track the number of vehicles entering and exiting large off-street parking lots and provide information on electronic signs or apps about the real-time availability of parking spaces, helping to direct visitors to the lot.

The only off-street parking lot in the Downtown large enough to warrant countersis the Casa Grande lot. If the City is successful in reaching an agreement with the State to manage the lot (see recommendation below), the use of electronic counters and real-time availability signage or data posted on the City website may prove effective in encouraging motorists to use the lot, although it should be noted that counters and real-time availability signage are more costly to install and maintain than static wayfinding signage.

Plate 1 Example of current
downtown parking lot
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8 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Passenger Loading Zones
Description
The 2017 study included an observation that a considerable number of passenger drop-offs and pick-ups occurred in red zones, in the middle of the street, and in other inconvenient locations. The lack of passenger loading areas impacts the ability of mobility impaired people to access key destinations and in worst case situations, causes safety issues. It is recommended that the City increase the number of loading zones in one or more locations in Downtown. As there are no universal standards for the appropriate number of loading zones, it is recommended that the City stripe two to three spaces initially, and subsequently determine if their usage warrants more loading spaces.

Purpose
The presence of passenger loading zones incentivizes motorists to not use red zones or other no-stopping areas to pick up or drop off passengers. This increases safety for both pedestrians and vehicles as those entering and exiting vehicles will not be in the vehicle travel lanes, and vehicles parked in red zones will not be obstructing the sightlines of turning vehicles.

Implementation
Easily accessible locations close to the Plaza are likely the most suitable for such loading zones so that vehicles can quickly exit the Downtown without circling and can pick up and drop off passengers close to shops and restaurants. This can be particularly important with the number of ride-hailing services operating today. Passenger loading zone locations could include areas such as the on-street spaces at the northeast corner of West Napa Street/1st Street West or the off-street area in front of City Hall. Regardless of the location, if one or more passenger loading areas are designated, appropriate signage should be installed to direct motorists and ride-hailing services to those areas.

Shared Parking Agreements
Description
Currently, peak parking occupancy rates are nearing
capacity on weekends and during weekday events
occur in a majority of the existing off-street and onstreet parking spaces. When high occupancy counts like this occur, opportunities to use all parking
resources (private and public) to increase parking
supply should be considered. Some businesses in
Downtown Sonoma do not operate during the
evening or on weekends when peak parking demand
is at its highest and this presents an opportunity to
“share” parking resources. An example is shown in
Plate 2.

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 easily
share a common parking facility, thereby limiting the need to provide additional parking. 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.

Plate 2 Example of largely vacant private downtown
parking lot
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9 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Shared parking agreements are arrangements with private parking lot owners that provide for privately-owned off-street parking to be available to the general public during specified periods of time, usually 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 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 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 oftheir parking lots) and the City, particularly since the cost of new parking construction in most cases exceeds the costs of shared parking agreements. In addition, the agreements allow for better use of existing resources and eliminate the opportunity costs of using Downtown parcels for parking instead of active land uses. Shared parking agreements have the following benefits.
• Increase the supply of public parking that is easily accessible, especially in the Downtown core 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 from vehicles searching for vacant parking spaces. • More efficient use of the existing parking supply and ability to manage this supply as a cohesive unit. • Implementation timeframe can be short.
• Better distribution of parking demand away from most popular on-streetspaces. • Reduce the potential for parking “spillover” into adjacent residential neighborhoods. • Long-term costs are less than construction of new supply. • Provide new and/or maximized revenue source for private property owners. • Provide enforcement policies supported by the City’s regulatory authority and reduce enforcement burden for private property owners.

The City should keep in mind that although there are numerous benefits to shared parking agreements, many private property owners may not be willing to enter into any such agreements, especially non-local property owners (e. g. , national banks). As such, it will be important for the City to approach multiple private lot owners and have a flexible, customized approach to negotiating conditions with each individual lot owner.

Implementation
PotentialLots
A review of businesses within walking distance of the Plaza was conducted to determine possible partnerships that could be pursued. In general, lots were identified based on existing land use, the size of the parking lot, and its proximity to the Plaza. 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 available rather than the entire lot.

The Casa Grande parking lot is owned by the State Parks Department. Policy CE-28 of Sonoma’s 2016 update to the Circulation Element calls for the City to work with the State to retain and expand the use of the Casa Grande lot for public parking. The City is working with the State to develop a mutually beneficial agreement in order to increase the parking supply. As the off-street lot is less visible and convenient than on-street spaces, it is best suited for long-term parking, particularly those visiting for the day or employees of Downtown businesses. If an agreement with the State is reached, it may be prudent to reserve a portion of the lot for employee parking (see Employee Permit recommendation below).

Potential partnership opportunities are shown in Figure 2 and summarized in Table 3.

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12 12
Sonoma
Plaza
Figure 2 – Potential Public-Private Parking Lots
Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma Veterans Hall
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
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11 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Table 3 – Potential Public-Private Partnerships
Business Location Number of Spaces

1. Sonoma Court Shops 27 E Napa St 50

2. First Baptist Church 542 First St E 22

3. Sonoma Community Center 276 E Napa St 75

4. Wine Communications Group 584 First St E 12

5. Arnold Field – County of Sonoma 180 First St W 117

6. Trinity Episcopal Church 275 E Spain St 50

7. Sonoma Marketplace Shopping Center 201 W Napa St 403

8. First Congregational Church of Sonoma 252 W Spain St 75

9. Sonoma United Methodist Church 109 Patten St 29

10. Mechanics Bank 10 Maple St 52

11. Orchard Place 579 First St W 47

12. Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall 126 First St W 135

13. Bank of America 35 W Napa St 53

14. Westamerica Bank 202 W Napa St 28

15. Casa Grande 335 First St E 142
Total 1,290
Type of Public/PrivateAgreement
There are three potential types of agreements into which the City could enter with a willing private property owner, as follows.
• Leasing of a private lot: Under this arrangement parking spaces would essentially be “rented” from the property owner and the City would be entitled to establish regulations during “shared” use hours. Upgrades (lighting,striping, signage, etc. ) could be made and the City 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 regulations(including any pricing). The owner could choose to charge for parking, depending on parking demand. The City would enforce compliance with regulations and collect citation revenue.
• Third-party management: The City 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 other appropriate organization would work with theproperty owner and/ortenants to address the issues that typically arise from such agreements,such as the following. • Financial compensation: Some property owners may want to be compensated for use of their property. In such cases,spaces would need to be leased, as described above. While not free, the costs ofsuch agreements would be far less than building an equivalent number of new spaces. • Liability: Liability issues often emerge as a potential concern, yet these issues are typically covered in standard liability coverage in any land use policy to cover public passage. In addition, liability can be more comprehensively addressed through well- written lease agreements that include provisions about requiring Agenda Item #9.1:

12 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
the lessor to maintain a good state of repair, ADA access, etc. and the lessee to provide adequate and appropriate signage for patrons and take actions to avoid overcrowding or other 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 degree of shared parking between private and public users. • Displacement oftenants:Displacement of current tenants’ customersis often a key concern. To addressthis issue, it isrecommended that agreements are only pursued with land uses whose peak parking demand does not occur during the evening or on weekends, which data indicates are the busiest times in Downtown. For example, the City could pursue agreementsfor church parking lots during weekdays when demand is typically lower or at the Sonoma Marketplace Shopping Center during evenings when some of the businesses are closed.

On-Street Time Restrictions
Description
Currently, motorists are allowed to park for three hours from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m., Monday through Saturday, in Downtown on-street spaces, with no time limits in the public parking lots. Plate 3 shows a typical Downtown on-street parking sign. A 2015 public survey indicated mixed opinions regarding the time limits with an almost even split between respondents feeling that the time limits were too long and some feeling they were too short or not adequately enforced. Some survey respondents noted that employee parking in time-restricted street spaces was common, with employees often moving their vehicles every three hours to avoid citations.

Purpose
The primary purpose of time limits is to encourage vehicle turnover so that motorists have enough time to park and frequent businesses, while not using the spaces for long-term storage. Free, time-limited on-street parking is routinely occupied by employees in many downtowns across the state and the feedback from the 2015 public survey indicates that it is also an issue in Downtown Sonoma. This strategy is designed to encourage employees to park in spaces that are not considered prime, patron parking and are better suited to long-term parking. Effective time restrictions would incentivize employees to use public parking lots or less convenient spaces, particularly when paired with new shared off-street parking agreements or an employee permit program (see Phase 2 strategy).

Implementation
The large number of visitors who come to Downtown Sonoma often stay for an extended period to frequent its wine shops, cafes, restaurants, and park. Hourly time limits should not act as a disincentive for visitors to stay and enjoy the Downtown. As such, it is recommended that the three-hour time limit remain in place.

To discourage employee use of high-demand on-street spaces, however, the hours of operation for the time limits should be increased. With on-street time limits presently operating from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. , a motorist can legally park their vehicle at 2 p. m. and remain in that space until noon the following day. Although this likely occurs rarely, there is plenty of opportunity for employees working evening shifts to park on-street after 2 p. m. and remain until their shift ends, often during the busiest parking hours for the Downtown. Employees can also park earlier in the day (e. g., 8 a. m.) and move their vehicles once or twice to avoid a ticket. With no hourly limits in effect on Sundays, a motorist could conceivably park in a front-door space at 2 p. m. on Saturday and not move until noon on Monday.

Plate 3 Typical downtown parking
sign
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To encourage employees to use non-time limited, off-street spaces, it is recommended that the hours of operation be extended to every day, 8 a. m. to 8 p. m. By doing so, it will incentivize employees (particularly those working in the late afternoon or evening) to park off-street, thereby freeing store-front spaces for patrons. By extending the hours of enforcement to Sunday, it will help ensure that employees do not occupy on-street spaces all day during some of the Downtown’s busiest parking periods. This strategy could be implemented with the identification of additional off-street parking locations that do not have time limits.

In addition, it is recommended the City evaluate the use of “no parking” zones in the Downtown (e. g. , the onstreet spaces in front of the historic mission) to maximize the use of Downtown curb space (for parking, bike parking, loading zones, etc. )
Bicycle Parking
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. There are
currently a limited number of bicycle parking facilities in Downtown. This strategy aims to provide bicycle
riders with secure storage in Downtown, create a
more welcoming environment for potential bicycle
riders, and encourage bicycle trips as an alternative to automobile trips. There is a range of different kinds of bicycle parking that can be considered including
inverted u-racks, post and ring, wheelwell-secure, onstreet “corrals”, and lockers (longer-term parking).

Plate 4 shows an example of a post and ring bicycle
parking.

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 and is especially effective when implemented at special events, where vehicle parking is limited.
• Provide a cost-effective way to incentivize visitors to bike to Downtown (with inverted u-racks costing roughly $200 and bike lockers costing $2,000 to $3,000).

Implementation
Currently, the City is developing a bicycle parking master plan that will include the locations and standards for bicycle parking. The following recommendations are intended to help inform the plan.

Plate 4 Example of post and ring bicycle parking
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14 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Bicycle Parking Locations
When installing public bicycle parking, the following guidelines are recommended to ensure that facilities are accessible and can be properly used by bicyclists. Precise placement and spacing standards are provided in the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle and Professionals Essentials of Bike Parking, 2015. • Site Selection and Planning
a. Place near high-demand locations, otherwise bicyclists may use trees or street furniture. b. Site along existing/future bicycle routes and natural “desire” lines for bicyclists. c. Include in high-traffic areas with strong visibility and “passive” surveillance. d. Place near entrances/exits in off-street locations, and ensure that parking is well lit. • Racks
a. Locate racks to minimize obtrusions on sidewalks.
b. Orient racks to ensure that bicycles are parked parallel to the curb face and parked vehicles. c. Maintain sufficient clearances from walls, trees, tree wells, news racks, doorway exits/entrances, and parked cars.
• On-street corrals
a. Locate corrals as close as possible to high-demand
locations.
b. Prioritize corner locations as they provide greater
visibility and can be easier to navigate than mid-block locations.
c. Include physical protection such as a bollard or flexible stanchions.
d. Develop a formal application process for businesses
wishing to establish a corral in front of their business.

Some citieshave used an application process as a way to ensure local business support for these types of facilities and that the corral will be maintained as part of
public/private partnership.
• Additional amenity
a. Include bicycle repair stations, consisting of tools and amenities that make it convenient for residents and
employees to repair bicycles on-site, at some of the
bicycle parking locations in the downtown. These repair stations often provide basic amenities such as tire
pumps and patches as shown in Plate 5.

Municipal Code
In addition to the City providing bike parking at some key locations, the City may wish to consider revising its Code to require new businesses to provide more employee and guest bike parking. The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle and Professionals’ Bicycle Parking Guidelines, 2nd Edition, 2010, provides recommendations for the amount of bike parking to be provided by land use, which should be referenced when establishing requirements for Downtown.

Special Event Bicycle Valet Parking
Bicycle valet parking is a relatively new innovation having become more commonplace in the past 10 to 15 years across the Bay Area. Bicycle valet parking is similar to traditional vehicle valet parking in that staff are present to Plate 5 Example bicycle repair station
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15 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
park many bikes in a secure location that is space-efficient. The continual monitoring of the bicycles by staff is a significant safety incentive to encourage bicycling to special events. It has been widely used in Sonoma County at special events such as the Sonoma Farmers’ Market and Sonoma’s Hometown Fourth of July event. The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition offers a full-service bicycle valet for special events ranging from $300 to $1,000 per day.

It is recommended that the bicycle valet program be expanded to more special events in Sonoma. If there are a sufficient number of events, it may be more cost-effective for the City to operate in its own program rather than contracting for it.

Enhanced Mobility Information
The City currently provides transportation resources for residents, visitors, and employees on its website including information regarding bicycling, transit, and general vehicle parking directions. However, there is an opportunity to improve the quality and accessibility of information to residents, visitors, and employees in both electronic and physical forms.

Providing more detailed website information on the available mobility options can encourage more people not to drive or to park in less congested areas. In addition, providing information before people travel downtown on alternative transportation modes and the location of public parking lots can also be effective. There are many examples of cities with robust websites such as Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Walnut Creek, and San Luis Obispo that offer information regarding the location of public parking lots, the cost of parking, and parking regulations. Cities such as Walnut Creek provide information on how to use transit, bikes, and other modes to get downtown and their associated incentive programs.

In addition, by partnering with prominent local entities such as the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau and Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce, information can be specifically targeted to certain user groups, such as employees or visitors. For example, in Sonoma County, the GoSonoma program provides information and markets the various programs and incentives offered to employees in the county to rideshare, take transit, bike, or walk to work.

Many of these programs are free and it is recommended that the City of Sonoma include these resources as well as other mobility information in a more comprehensive website and printed marketing materials that can be disseminated directly by the City or through its partners.

Downtown Circulator
Description
A downtown circulator is typically a bus or large vehicle with a fixed route that travels to various points within a downtown to allow more convenient access to various destinations without the use of a private vehicle.

Downtown circulators are primarily intended for visitors, often serving hotels and key shopping and tourist destinations, but are frequently open to all users including residents and employees. Circulators can be financed in various ways, often funded either entirely privately, publicly, or through a public/private partnership; low-cost fare-based circulators are also implemented in some jurisdictions.

Purpose
A circulator serving downtown Sonoma could serve several different kinds of riders, but given the City’s strong tourist economy, it may be best oriented towards tourists. With hotels stretching along State Route 12 from Leveroni Road to Boyes Boulevard, there may be an opportunity for “back-and-forth” service to transport visitors downtown, with stops along the way, without the need for a private vehicle.

Implementation
The City is currently considering a downtown circulator through a collaborative effort with local hotels. The City should conduct a formal study of a potential circulator accounting for factors such as routing, frequencies, ridership forecasts (including seasonal fluctuations), funding, and other relevant considerations.

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16 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Phase 2 Strategies
The strategies provided in Phase 2 are described below and are not recommended to be implemented as part of this plan. Staff will present more details for these strategies at the direction of the City Council.

Parking Benefit District
Description
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.

Purpose
Paying for parking can be unpopular for several reasons. One of the primary reasons is that when motorists feed the meter, the money seems to “disappear”, and local business owners feel they derive little benefit from the transaction. This is largely because most cities have traditionally sent their parking revenue into the general fund rather than using it to improve parking or enhance the transportation system. In recent years, some cities have sought to reverse this dynamic by implementing PBDs.

The primary goal of a PBD is to effectively manage an area’s parking supply and demand so that parking is, above all, convenient and easy for motorists. PBDs typically employ a number of parking management techniques to manage parking supply and demand, including demand-based pricing and removal of time limits. However, experience has shown that in order to secure community and business support for new pricing of parking, the revenue needs to be reinvested back into the community. Drivers will always likely prefer not to pay for parking, but a PBD can create a new local constituency for pricing.

PBDs require local parking revenue to stay local, while financing neighborhood improvements. PBDs allow local merchants and property owners to clearly see that the monies collected are being spent for the benefit of their district, on projects that they have chosen. In turn, they become willing to support, and often advocate on behalf of, demand-based pricing.

Parking Pricing
Description
Like many Bay Area communities, Sonoma permits the use of prime curbside parking spaces free of charge, instead using time limits as a primary means of managing public on-street parking. The rate of utilization of onstreet parking spaces in prime locations at any given time depends on demand for motor vehicle access to the area, the supply of parking spaces available, any restrictions on the use ofspaces (e.g., regulations, time limits), and no less importantly the price charged. With a high demand and no price for parking, Downtown curbside parking is regularly filled to capacity, causing motorists to search and circle in a wider area for available parking; this may be exacerbated if the Casa Grande lot is converted to paid parking. Congestion associated with lack of on-street parking in prime locations can be a major issue from the perspective of motorists and Downtown visitors.

Purpose
The primary goal of parking pricing is to make it as easy and convenient as possible to find and pay for a parking space. It should not be treated as a means to generate revenue - the goal is to establish prices as low as possible to achieve a 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 orsearching aimlessly. Demand-based pricing can result in the following benefits. • Ensures consistent availability and ease in finding a parking space.

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17 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
• 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 “plug the meter” and make it easier to pay for parking and avoid parking tickets.
• Incentivizes long-term parkers and employees to park in off-street lots. • 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.
• Provides a more equitable and efficient way to account for the real costs to a city for providing parking. • Can generate excess revenue that can in turn be reinvested in Downtown improvements.

It is important to note that given the historic misuse of priced parking in some jurisdictions, it can be one of the more controversial strategies. Any efforts to consider paid parking should include a robust public outreach process that clearly educates and informs business owners and the public of its benefits and tradeoffs.

Resident Meter Permits
Description
Resident meter parking permits are placards or stickers that allow residents within a town, 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 $50 to $70 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.

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 meter permit 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 use of those parking spaces.

Resident Neighborhood Permits
Description
A residential neighborhood permit program (RPP) 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 during 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 and able to essentially store their vehicle on-street. Ownership of a permit, however, does not 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.

Purpose
The primary goal of an RPP is to manage parking “spillover” into residential neighborhoods and should be considered if parking meters are introduced. RPPs work best in neighborhoods that are impacted by high parking demand from other uses. By managing spillover, RPPs can ensure that residential neighborhoods are not overwhelmed by employees or visitors, thereby enabling local residents to park their vehicles on-street. RPPs are especially important in neighborhoods where residents have limited off-street parking.

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18 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Employee Permits
Description
An employee parking permit (EPP) program operates by designating priority parking within a geographic area for employers and employees. Designated parking areas for employees can be located in off-street facilities, with permit holders eligible to park in those spaces during a specific time period exempt from posted regulations.

Ownership of a permit, however, does not guarantee the availability of a parking space. For this reason, it is important not to sell permits far in excess of parking supply. Many conventional EPP programs do not prohibit non-employee parking but allow the general public to park within the area,subject to posted parking restrictions.

Purpose
The intent of an EPP program is to make parking more convenient and accessible for all users—residents, visitors, and employees—by providing a designated and concentrated parking area for employees. EPP programs offer a convenient parking option, thereby reducing the need for an employee to “hunt” for a parking space, move their vehicle to avoid parking restrictions, or occupy “prime” on-street spaces intended for customers. A consistent parking option for employees also makes it easier for employers to attract and retain employees. By managing employee parking, EPP programs can ensure that high demand parking areas are not overwhelmed by employees.

Strong employersupport is a crucial component to any successful EPP program. Employers are needed to inform their employees about the program, facilitate participation, and ensure that the program guidelines are adhered to. Employers must work to provide feedback and modify the program as needed. It is also important to note that this strategy will be much more effective if time limits are modified and enforcement is enhanced, providing employees with more of an incentive to seek out spaces that allow for longer term parking.

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19 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Conclusions and Recommendations
Conclusions
Downtown Sonoma is a consistently active area with parking challenges arising at various times and days of the week. Parking occupancies are not only high across much of the Downtown, but there is also a variety of users (i.e., residents, employees, visitors) who park and access the area in different ways. The City should consider implementing some or all of the strategies in this Plan to more efficiently manage Downtown parking and create a more welcoming environment for all users. As mentioned previously, the measures discussed in this report are intended to be a toolbox of strategies and the City should determine the most appropriate mix to achieve the community’s broader objectives. The implementation of these strategies should not preclude the City from considering other related studies that affect mobility to and from the downtown. Those studies could include parking in-lieu fees, traffic impact fee analyses, Safe Routes to School plans, a downtown circulator or shuttle and collaboration with businesses outside the downtown, the integration of bike paths, the use of street furniture, electric vehicle charging, and parking plans for other nearby areas of concern.

Recommendations
The City should implement the Phase 1 strategies to improve parking availability in the Downtown. If those measures do not achieve the desired parking environment, the City should consider implementing the Phase 2 strategies and determine their feasibility given the current context of Sonoma. This phased approach is recommended as a gradual process to increase parking management in the Downtown, but strategies can be implemented in a different timeline based on the City’s assessment of its needs. As presented, the recommended phased strategies are as follows.

Phase 1 Strategies
• Enhance parking enforcement through technological improvements. • Work with the State of California to develop a mutually beneficial agreement in which the parking supply of the Casa Grande lot is increased.
• Incorporate new wayfinding signage if shared lots become available and consider real-time technology for the Casa Grande lot if an agreement is reached with the State. • Introduce passenger loading zones in the heart of Downtown. • Identify shared parking opportunities with private Downtown lot owners. • Evaluate revising on-street parking time restrictions so they are in effect seven days a week from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m. and evaluate “no parking” zones in the Downtown.
• Offer more public bicycle parking in convenient locations Downtown and reevaluate the bicycle parking provisions of the Municipal Code.
• Expand the use of bicycle valet parking during special events. • Improve the City’s quality and distribution of mobility information, resources and incentives. • Conduct a study to determine if there is sufficient demand and funding available for a downtown circulator.

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20 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Phase 2 Strategies (If needed based on evaluation of Phase 1 Strategy Implementation)
• Institute a Parking Benefit District to manage Downtown parking and transportation improvements. • Implement on-street metered parking and regulate based on demand. • Create a Resident Parking Meter permit program to prioritize resident needs in the Downtown core. • Allow for the creation of Residential Parking Permit programs to address potential spillover issues in nearby neighborhoods.
• Create an Employee Parking Permit program and designate certain off-street parking spaces in the Downtown for employees.

Other Future Considerations and Studies
• Parking in-lieu fees. Consider a fee that gives developers an optional alternative to meeting minimum parking requirements while providing the City with a funding stream for broader parking and mobility improvements.
• Update Circulation Element to reflect vision for the future. Revise the City’s policies to reflect its changing mobility needs and priorities (part of the General Plan Update process). • Traffic impact fee analyses. Assess the advantages and disadvantages of a mandatory fee on new development within the downtown or City to fund mobility improvements. • Safe Routes to Schools plan. Develop a broader approach to promoting safe access to local schools including education, enforcement, infrastructure improvements, and other elements. • Vehicle valet program for special events.
• Integration of bike paths. Examine the bicycle network and determine the best ways to expand current routes and incorporate new ones (part of the Countywide Active Transportation Plan and Circulation Element).
• Improved use of street furniture. Study the use of seating and shading in the downtown as a means to draw more visitors using multi-modal transportation options (Plaza Master Plan). • Additional electric vehicle charging. Consider introducing more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in downtown as the use of EVs expands in the coming years (Climate Action Strategies). • Parking plans for other nearby areas of concern. Identify other parts of the city where parking issues occur and create tailored parking plans for those areas.

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21 Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 30, 2023
Study Participants and References
Study Participants
Principal in Charge Brian Canepa, TDM-CP
Transportation Planner Barry Bergman, AICP
Graphics Hannah Yung-Boxdell, Cameron Wong
Editing/Formatting Hannah Yung-Boxdell, Jessica Bender
Quality Control Dalene J. Whitlock, PE, PTOE
References
Automated License Plate Recognition Policy, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority, https://www. sfmta. com/about-us/sfmta-board-directors/sfmta-policies/automated-license-plate-recognition-policy, accessed April 7, 2022
Bicycle Parking Guidelines, 2nd Edition, Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle and Professionals, 2010 California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, California Department of Transportation, 2014
City of Sonoma Circulation Element Update, City of Sonoma, 2016 Draft Report: Downtown Sonoma Parking Study, W-Trans, 2017 Essentials of Bike Parking, Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle and Professionals, 2015 SON070
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A Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for the City of Sonoma August 2023
Appendix A
2017 Draft Parking Study
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490 Mendocino Avenue, Suite 201 SANTA ROSA, CA 95401 707.542.9500 505 17th Street, 2nd Floor OAKLAND, CA 94612 510.444.2600 1276 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 204 SAN JOSE, CA 95125 650.314.8313 w-trans.com
Draft Report
Downtown Sonoma
Parking Study
for the
City of Sonoma
May 3, 2017
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Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Existing Conditions ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Future Parking Demand ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 Parking Management Strategies ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 17 Study Participants and References ................................................................................................................................... 19 Figures

1. Parking Count Locations .......................................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Weekday Peak Hour Parking Utlization .............................................................................................................................. 6

3. Weekend Peak Hour Parking Utlization .............................................................................................................................. 7

4. Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Tables

1. Existing Parking Supply ............................................................................................................................................................ 3

2. On-Street and Off-Street Peak Occupancy Rates............................................................................................................. 5

3. Potential Public-Private Partnerships ................................................................................................................................ 13 Appendices
A. Parking Occupancy Surveys
B. Online Parking Survey Questions and Results
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Introduction
Downtown Sonoma hosts the historic Sonoma Plaza, the Mission San Francisco Solano, and a variety of land uses.

The Plaza is a popular destination for residents and visitors and is the frequent host of community events. Parking in the area is often in high demand.

The purpose of the Downtown Sonoma parking study is to determine current parking needs and deficiencies, assess future parking demands, and provide recommendations for potential parking strategies to address parking deficiencies. The report provides a foundation for, and includes information and guidance on, the future development of a Parking Management Plan.

Study Area and Scope
The parking study survey area includes public on-street and off-street parking in Downtown Sonoma. The study area is bounded by the Sonoma Bike Path to the North, Patten Street to the South, 2nd Street West, and 2nd Street East. This includes two public parking lots and segments of West Spain Street, 1st Street West, 1st Street East, East Napa Street, and Broadway. The on-street and off-street parking survey location and numbers are shown in Figure

1. Future parking conditions were estimated using the City of Sonoma’s General Plan 2040 land use buildout projections.

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Sonoma
Plaza
E Spain St
W Spain St
Sonoma Bike Path
E Napa St
W Napa St
Patten St
Nathanso
n
Cree
k
Ln
Church St
1st St W
1st
St E
Broadway
2 nd
St E
2 nd St W
McDonell St
12 12
Casa Grande Lot
Lot B
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
Figure 1 – Parking Count Locations
Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
son041 2016.ai 8/16
North
Not to Scale
LEGEND
# Block Face Number
Study Street
Public Lot
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Existing Conditions
The existing parking conditions in downtown were evaluated by collecting parking counts during multiple time periods, determining peak hour parking demand, completing qualitative observations, and determining the parking utilization of both on-street and off-street spaces. An online public survey was also distributed to gather public perceptions of parking conditions within the downtown.

Existing Parking Supply
A parking inventory of public spaces in Downtown Sonoma was completed, including on-street and off-street parking, along with any parking restrictions.

Public parking includes two lots with a total of 179 spaces and on-street parking with 659 spaces, for a total of 838 public parking spaces in the vicinity of Downtown Sonoma. The parking lots have no time limits, and provide free parking. One of the lots is located on First Street East, north of East Spain Street. The other public parking lot is located north of East Napa Street, between First Street East and Second Street East. On-street parking exists on both sides of the road on Napa Street, Spain Street, First Street, and Broadway.

Almost all of the on-street parking has a three-hour time limit between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., on every day except Sunday. On the east side of First Street East, north of East Spain Street, there are seven parking spots that do not allow parking from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. On the south side of West Napa Street between 1st Street West and Broadway Street, there are three 20-minute spaces. Throughout the entire downtown area, there are eight designated disabled parking spots. Table 1 summarizes the existing off-street and on-street parking supply.

Table 1 – Existing Parking Supply
Parking Location Street Name Parking spaces Description Off-Street Parking
Casa Grande Lot 1st Street East 142 Free parking, no time limit Lot B East Napa Street 37
Total Off-Street Spaces 179
On-street Parking
West Spain Street 659 3-hour time limit between
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. except Sunday* 1st Street West
1st Street East
East Napa Street
Broadway
Total Parking Spaces 838
Note: *As stated above, on the east side of 1st Street East, north of East Spain Street, there are seven parking spots that do not allow parking from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. On the south side of West Napa Street between 1st Street West and Broadway, there are three 20-minute spaces.

Existing Parking Utilization
Parking is generally considered at capacity when utilization rates reach 85 percent. That leaves 15 percent of spaces available for parking turnover and motorists seeking a spot. When parking utilization rates are higher than Agenda Item #9.1:

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85 percent, spaces are often difficult to find, which leads to more circulation in the area and longer times spent finding an open parking space.

Daily parking utilization was analyzed on Thursday, July 24 and Saturday, July 26, 2014, between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and again between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Qualitative observations were also conducted during these times of parking turnover, parking duration, and spillover of parking into surrounding neighborhoods. The parking occupancy counts are provided in Appendix A.

Weekday Midday
During the weekday midday period, there is a peak demand of 83 percent (or 696 parked cars) at 1:00 p.m. On all streets immediately surrounding the Plaza, there was at least one side of the road that was filled to capacity during the two midday hours. The south and east sides of the Plaza had higher parking occupancy levels than other areas.

Observations during the weekday midday peak period indicated that there is turnover of parking spaces, with visitors staying on average an hour or longer. When parking spots became available, they were taken relatively quickly. Between 11:30 a.m. and noon, the parking in front of Sonoma State Historic Park and Toscano Hotel was underutilized, with only a couple of cars parked in the 25 spaces. The side of the street adjacent to the Plaza was more heavily utilized than the opposite side of the street (near businesses). During the peak lunch period, drivers were observed stopping in no parking areas to drop-off/pick-up passengers, including areas in the middle of the street. Toward the end of the midday peak period, the parking lots filled up with people parking in unmarked parking spots in Lot B, and on-street parking became easier to find. There did not appear to be any measurable spillover of parking into the surrounding neighborhoods. Motorists were observed spending only a small amount of time hunting for a parking spot, but none were seen parking outside of the immediate downtown area to walk to or from the Plaza.

Weekday Evening
During the weekday evening, there was an observed peak demand of 68 percent (or 574 parked cars) at 7:00 p.m.

The use of parking spots during the evening was less than during the midday, with only a few street segments having full capacity at any time. Observations of parking were also conducted during a “Tuesday Night in the Plaza.” During this event there was almost no parking available either on streets or in parking lots, with very little turnover of parking spaces. There was observed spillover of parking from downtown to the surrounding neighborhoods, with visitors to “Tuesday Night in the Plaza” parking up to three blocks away. Vehicles were also seen partially blocking driveways and crosswalks on neighborhood streets.

Weekend Midday
On the weekend midday peak period, a peak utilization of 93 percent (or 777 cars) was observed at 1:30 p.m. Both sides of all streets immediately surrounding the Plaza as well as the adjacent public parking lots were filled nearly to capacity during the two midday weekend hours observed. These observations indicated that spillover began to occur after 12:30 p.m. with visitors parking up to two blocks away. The spaces immediately surrounding the Plaza were in highest demand, with a number of drivers observed travelling slowly and often stopping in the road to wait for a parking spot to become available. When parking spots became available, they were taken quickly.

Most visitors were observed parking in the first available parking spot and walking to their final destination.

Passenger drop-off/pick-up was also observed taking place in the roadway during the weekend peak lunch period.

Near the end of the midday peak period vehicles were observed parking in “Bus Only” spaces in the Casa Grande lot, which caused a large queue of tour buses to develop in the parking lot.

Weekend Evening
During the weekend evening, there was an observed peak parking utilization of 91 percent (or 763 cars) at 7:00 p.m. The use of parking spots during the weekend evening was higher than during the weekend midday, with Agenda Item #9.1:

5 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
May 3, 2017
many street segments reaching full capacity for the entire peak period. It was observed that the south side of downtown had lower parking occupancy levels than the other areas of downtown. Observations indicated that there is turnover of parking spaces, with visitors staying an average of one and a half hours or longer. Some motorists were seen outside of the immediate downtown area parking and then walking to their destination around the Plaza. However, most visitors to downtown were observed parking in the first available spot and walking to their destination. Many people were also observed in the Plaza park area during the weekend evening peak period. In many areas, there was 100 percent occupancy for at least one 30-minute period during both the weekend midday and evening peak periods.

Parking Utilization Summary
Generally, parking is available on weekdays in Downtown Sonoma, except when there are events such as “Tuesday Night in the Plaza.” Weekend parking is not as readily available, with parking utilization rates exceeding 85 percent during the weekend midday and evening periods. During those times that parking levels are high in Downtown Sonoma, motorists extend their search to include nearby neighborhood streets and were observed parking in the “Bus Only” lane in the Casa Grande lot and blocking driveways and crosswalks in the neighborhoods. Table 2 provides a summary of peak parking occupancy rate experienced during each time period for on-street parking, off-street parking, and the total parking supply. Figures 2 and 3 show parking utilization by block during the peak hour parking utilization for weekdays and weekends.

Table 2 – On-Street and Off-Street Peak Occupancy Rates Date
Time Period
Time of
Peak Parking
Utilization
On-Street Off-Street Total
Supply # % Supply # % Supply # %
July 24, 2015 179 659 838
Weekday Midday 1:00 PM 559 85% 137 77% 696 83%
Weekday Evening 7:00 PM 503 76% 71 40% 574 68%
July 26, 2015 179 659 383
Weekend Midday 1:30 PM 607 92% 170 95% 777 93%
Weekend Evening 6:30 PM 605 92% 158 88% 763 91%
Notes: # = number of occupied spaces; % = Occupancy Rate Public Input
In July and August of 2015, an online parking survey was open to the public to gather perceptions of parking conditions in Sonoma’s downtown. Downtown business owners were also asked to participate in the survey and answer a few additional questions regarding parking requirements for businesses including where employees park and how customers may be impacted by the existing parking conditions. There were a total of 462 participants in the survey, 42 of which were business owners. The survey questions and summary of responses are included in Appendix B.

Agenda Item #9.1:

Sonoma
Plaza
E Spain St
W Spain St
Sonoma Bike Path
E Napa St
W Napa St
Patten St
Nathanso
n
Cree
k
Ln
Church St
1st St W
1st
St E
Broadway
2 nd
St E
2 nd St W
McDonell St
12 12
Casa Grande Lot
Lot B
Figure 2 – Weekday Peak Hour Parking Utilization
Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
son041 2016.ai 8/16
LEGEND
85% to 100%
70% to 84%
50% to 69%
49% and below
North
Not to Scale
Agenda Item #9.1:

Sonoma
Plaza
E Spain St
W Spain St
Sonoma Bike Path
E Napa St
W Napa St
Patten St
Nathanso
n
Cree
k
Ln
Church St
1st St W
1st
St E
Broadway
2 nd
St E
2 nd St W
McDonell St
12 12
Lot B
Casa Grande Lot
Figure 3 – Weekend Peak Hour Parking Utilization
Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
son041 2016.ai 8/16
LEGEND
85% to 100%
70% to 84%
50% to 69%
49% and below
North
Not to Scale
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8 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
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According to participants, visitors to downtown primarily come for shopping, dining, or community events. One of the key questions in the survey asks participants whether they have trouble finding convenient parking in Downtown Sonoma. Responses were remarkably uniform among different user groups (visitors, business owners, residents), with about one-half of respondents answering yes. These responses suggest that parking is indeed a concern to many users, though it is equally important to recognize that the perception of a parking problem is not universal. Graph 1 provides a summary of the responses by each user group.

Responses to multiple survey questions revealed that many participants felt that the primary causes of parking problems are tourism, events, insufficient supply, limited parking regulation enforcement, and visitors and employees of downtown using the same supply. Additionally, several people felt that parking was only a problem on weekends, during events, and at the Tuesday night market.

Responses varied among participants regarding the adequacy of existing time limits of parking downtown. It was noted multiple times that three hour time limits for some of the on-street spaces is too long and that time limits were not enforced adequately. However, responses were more varied when asked more specific questions about the time limits as over one-half of the respondents felt that the time limits worked well most of the time, some of the time, or worked well in general. Similarly, although limited enforcement was noted multiple times as a problem, approximately half of the participants said that parking restrictions were enforced fairly and consistently and about 32 percent said they were unsure. Additionally, participants noted that private parking lots are underutilized in comparison to street spaces and that parking around the plaza is particularly difficult to find.

When respondents were asked about disabled parking in multiple-choice questions, the majority said that it was sufficient but there were several written responses that indicated there was limited disabled parking available, especially for the on-street spaces.

In general, participants would not be supportive of priced parking, as over 60 percent responded with “strongly oppose,” even if a portion of the resulting revenue was used for improvements to parking and streetscape amenities.
52%
49%
48%
47%
47%
50%
0% 20% 40% 60%
Employees
Downtown Residents
Business Owners
Those Doing Business
Visitors
All Participants
Do you have trouble finding convenient parking?
(percent "yes" responses by user group)
Graph 1: Ability to Find Convenient Parking by User Group Survey Responses Agenda Item #9.1:

9 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
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Business Owners
According to business owners who participated in the survey, employees who utilize on-street parking primarily park on First Street East and First Street West. Employees parking off-street varied between private and public surface lots. The most mentioned existing public parking lot by utilized by business owners and employees was the Casa Grande lot.

The majority of business owners felt that the existing businesses should be able to utilize the current parking supply or provide more of their own parking, and that any new development should be required to provide additional parking.

In regards to parking supply, the majority of business owners said there that there is insufficient parking for customers and employees. Business owners mentioned that employees use the same parking as downtown visitors and have to move their cars during their shifts when they park in time-restricted spots.

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Future Parking Demand
Downtown Sonoma is close to meeting its maximum buildout potential, leaving limited space for new development within the downtown area. However, the City of Sonoma’s General Plan 2040 buildout projections anticipate approximately 74,000 additional square feet of office space and 60,000 additional square feet of retail space located within or near the downtown area (a portion of which may be consumed by hotel uses). According to the City’s Municipal Code, all new development is required to provide parking. With the expected increase in office and retail space, approximately 447 new parking spaces would be required to accommodate this projected growth. Based on current parking utilization rates, there is currently no on-street capacity to accommodate additional parking on weekdays or weekends. There is limited parking available in off-street lots on weekdays only, although not during special events or on weekends.

Future development in the Plaza area should therefore continue to be required to provide onsite parking, as currently required by the City’s zoning code. At mixed-use projects or at larger projects that make onsite parking available to neighboring uses and/or public parking, the use of shared parking should be encouraged to maximize parking usage and efficiency. The shared parking concept recognizes that different uses encounter peaks in parking demand at different times of day (office versus tourist-related uses, for instance). In some cases, reductions to parking requirements can be made if it can be shown that shared parking effectively reduces the total amount of parking needed to serve a project’s total demand.

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11 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
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Parking Management Strategies
To address parking concerns as well as future parking needs, several parking strategies may be appropriate for consideration in Downtown Sonoma. The following strategies provide potential methods for the City to increase parking supply, turnover, prevent neighborhood spillover, and accommodate future parking demand in downtown, while also recognizing Sonoma’s small-town character and limited budget resources. These parking management strategies should be considered for inclusion in a Parking Management Plan.

Short-Term Strategies
Short-term strategies are designed to address the current parking needs during special events and on weekends.

These types of strategies can typically be implemented in less time and at a lower cost than more intensive parking strategies. These strategies are primarily focused on utilizing existing parking supplies and working toward managing the supply more efficiently rather than constructing new facilities.

Parking Enforcement
Some participants in the public survey said that parking enforcement of time-restricted parking spots was inconsistently enforced. In order to achieve the desired turnover of parking spaces that should occur with timerestricted parking, adequate and consistent enforcement is important. Additionally, the City should review their practices for parking enforcement during events, especially in residential neighborhoods where spillover from the downtown occurs and instances of blocking driveways and crosswalks were observed taking place. The City should review its existing parking enforcement practices to identify any potential shortfalls occurring and develop strategies to improve enforcement of time-restricted spaces.

Public-Private Partnerships
With the increasing popularity of Downtown and potential for future growth in the area, parking demand would be expected to increase. Currently, a majority of the existing off-street and on-street parking spaces experience parking occupancy rates greater than 85 percent on weekends and during weekday events. When high occupancy counts like this occur, opportunities to use all parking resources (private and public) to increase parking supply should be considered. The City has expressed a desire to not construct a parking structure or implement paid or metered parking and since downtown is already near its full buildout potential, there are limited opportunities for new surface lots. In order to accommodate the existing and future parking demands, the City should explore the potential for public-private partnerships. Some businesses in Downtown Sonoma do not operate during the evening or on weekends when peak parking demand is at its highest. A review of businesses within one-half mile of the downtown was conducted to determine possible partnerships that could be pursued. Based on this review, there is a potential need for 326 additional parking spaces during evenings and weekends through public-private partnerships. Since future development indicates the potential provision of 447 new parking spaces, creating public-private partnerships could help increase the parking supply when demand is at its highest without building new parking facilities. Partnerships with private businesses could also help reduce time drivers currently spend looking for parking spots and alleviate spillover in residential neighborhoods. Potential partnership opportunities are shown in Figure 4 and summarized in Table 3.

Agenda Item #9.1:

1st
St E
1st St W
2nd
St E
2nd St W
3rd St E
Andrieux St
Austin
Broadway
Ave
Church St
Donner Ave
E Napa St
E Spain St
France St
La
s Casitas Ct
Maple St
McDonell St
Nathanson Creek Ln
Oak
Ln
Padre Dr
Patten St
Sonoma Bike Path
Spr ni g Ln
W Napa St
W Spain St
12 12
Sonoma
Plaza
Casa Grande Lot
Lot B
Figure 4 – Recommendations
Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
son041 2016.ai 8/16
North
Not to Scale
LEGEND
Study Street
Public Lot
Potential Public-Private Partnerships
Formalize Parking Agreement with the State
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13 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
May 3, 2017
Table 3 – Potential Public-Private Partnerships
Business Location Hours of Operation Number of Spaces

1. US Post Office 617 Broadway Mon-Thurs: 9-5pm
Sat/Sun: CLOSED
53 2. Westamerica Bank 202 West Napa Street Mon-Thurs: 9-4pm Friday: 9-6pm
Sat: 9-1pm
Sun: CLOSED
28 3. Sonoma Community Center 276 East Napa Street Mon-Sat: 9-5pm Sun: CLOSED
75 4. Bank of America 35 West Napa Street Mon-Thurs: 9-5pm Friday: 9-6pm
Sat: 9-1pm
Sun: CLOSED
53 5. Sonoma Stompers
Professional Baseball Club
234 West Napa Street Mon-Fri: 10-4pm
Sat/Sun: CLOSED
117
Total 326
Formalize Casa Grande Lot Agreement with the State
The Casa Grande parking lot is owned by the State Parks Department. Policy CE-28 of Sonoma’s recent update to the Circulation Element calls for the City to work with the State to retain and expand the use of the Casa Grande lot for public parking. The City should work with the State to formalize the public’s use of the parking lot, and explore the possibility of improvements such as installation of additional wayfinding signs, re-striping the lot to increase the parking supply, and potentially reserving a portion of the lot for employee parking.

Wayfinding Signage to Off-Street Public Parking Lots
The City has expressed a desire for downtown visitors to utilize public parking lots before looking for an on-street space. The parking inventory and public survey indicated that most drivers will take the first spot they find, typically on the street, before using the surface lots. The primary public surface lot is located to the north of the Sonoma Plaza in the Casa Grande lot, behind Sonoma State Historic Park and the Sonoma Cheese Factory. This lot currently has an inventory of 142 spaces. Access is provided via a driveway on First Street East.

The second public parking lot is located on the north side of Napa Street, east of the Sonoma Plaza, behind the Basque Boulangerie Café, and has 37 parking spaces. Access to this lot is provided via two driveways, one on Napa Street and one of First Street East. Signage directing drivers to this lot is minimal as well. There are currently 15 signs at various locations around the Plaza directing drivers to these two public off-street parking lots.

It should be noted that on weekends and during weekday events, the public surface lots currently experience occupancy levels greater than 85 percent. Therefore, while increasing wayfinding signage could direct drivers to use these lots first, the overall parking supply during these times may not be sufficient to meet existing and future demands. If public-private partnerships are pursued, adequate signage would need to be provided to direct drivers to these lots on weekends and during events. Signs would also need to be posted within the private parking lots to indicate the hours they are open for public use.

The City should consider developing a wayfinding and signage program to direct users to the public parking lots.

This program should review the existing signage and determine locations where additional signage would be helpful in directing visitors to these parking facilities. This would be particularly helpful for tourists visiting Agenda Item #9.1:

14 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
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Downtown who may not be as familiar with where additional parking is available, especially if on-street spaces continue to become occupied more quickly.

Parking Management Plan
The City should develop a Parking Management Plan to formalize the specific strategies that will be used to efficiently manage the existing parking supply, and develop plans to accommodate future parking demand. The Parking Management Plan should include requirements for new developments to designate the amount of private parking spaces to be provided by private developers, considering the potential for shared parking among complementary uses. The plan should also include funding strategies to pay for upgraded parking facilities (such as improvements to the Casa Grande lot), as well as implementation of parking management strategies.

Long-Term Strategies
Long-term strategies are designed to address future parking needs in downtown Sonoma. These strategies may be more costly and take more time to implement. Long-term strategies are focused on primarily implementing more restrictive regulations on parking to improve turnover and discourage spillover into neighborhoods.

Reducing Hourly Limits on Time Restrictions
Currently, visitors to downtown are allowed to park for three hours in on-street spaces and have no time limits in the public parking lots. The public survey indicated mixed opinions regarding the time limits with an almost event split between respondents feeling that the time limits were too long and some feeling they were too short or not adequately enforced. If enforcement is not sufficient or future parking demand experiences significant increases, the City should consider reducing the three-hour time limit to encourage more frequent turnover. One of the parking issues expressed in the public survey was downtown Sonoma employees parking in time-restricted street spaces and having to move their vehicles every three hours. In order to encourage employees to use public parking lots before parking in the on-street spaces, the City should consider reserving a portion of the parking spaces in the Casa Grande lot and Lot B for employees and require downtown employee permits to use those spaces.

It should be noted that by reducing the hourly time limits, visitors and employees needing longer-term parking would still need to be accommodated. If the Casa Grande lot, Lot B, and potential lots from private-public partnerships have unrestricted time limits, visitors desiring to park for several hours could utilize these spaces and not need to rely on on-street parking availability.

Temporary Restrictions
During the “Tuesday Night in the Plaza,” there was observed spillover parking occurring from downtown to the surrounding neighborhoods. Observations indicated that vehicles were partially blocking driveways and crosswalks on neighborhood streets during this time. Blocking driveways can impede residents’ ability to gain access into and out of their home and blocking crosswalks may create barriers for pedestrians traveling through the neighborhood or trying to access downtown. The City should consider creating a temporary residential parking permit program to be administered during events to alleviate the instances of driveways and crosswalks being blocked as a result of event-generated parking demand. This program could be implemented in the event that increased enforcement and monitoring of downtown neighborhoods does not prevent visitors from illegally parking on residential streets. However, there would also need to be readily-available parking (i.e. in private lots) to accommodate the parking that would otherwise park on-street in the neighborhoods, and as such any such permit program would need to be combined with other measures as part of an overall management strategy.

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15 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
May 3, 2017
Paid Public Parking
More frequent turnover of the existing parking supply may be achieved if the City implements paid or metered parking and charges users for a parking space. Charging users for parking can increase turnover of more convenient spaces which can reduce the number of spaces needed to meet demand as the existing supply becomes more frequently available. Additionally, if more frequent turnover occurs, drivers will spend less time looking for a space and “circling” the block, waiting for one to open up. Charging for parking could also be used to direct long-term parking to the off-street parking lots by making parking costs lower in these locations and increasing the prices around the plaza and in the downtown core. Additionally, the funds gathered from charging for parking may be used for improvements in the downtown or used to create a fund to build additional parking facilities. Given the reluctance to paid parking expressed by survey participants, any efforts to further consider paid parking should include careful evaluation of how the proceeds could be used in a manner that provides the greatest community benefit, as well as a robust public outreach process that clearly outlines these benefits (as well as costs) to business owners and the public.

Casa Grande Parking Lot
The California Department of Parks and Recreation is currently exploring the option of converting the Casa Grande lot into a paid parking facility. Having one parking lot that charges to park in an area of otherwise free parking could potentially result in the redistribution of parking demand to on-street parking, other lots, and possibly to surrounding neighborhoods.

Generally, off-street lots are used for longer-term parking whereas on-street parking is typically used for shorterterm and/or high turnover parking. Paid parking strategies are most successful if all parking resources are coordinated with one another. In a typical coordinated parking strategy, the cost to the user is generally higher on the street than in off-street lots and the time limits on the street are shorter than the off-street lots; it is typically cheaper to park further away from a City’s downtown or activity centers. If the Casa Grande lot is converted to paid parking and the City’s surrounding parking facilities remain free, the areawide parking strategy becomes unbalanced, potentially leading to excess circulation of vehicles as drivers search for parking to avoid paying even if the paid parking lot is more convenient.

If the State ultimately does implement paid parking in the Casa Grande lot, one possible method to reduce impacts in surrounding areas would be to implement a validation program with local merchants. If merchants pay the parking operator (in this case the State), customers may not be as concerned about the cost of parking and are likely to continue using the Casa Grande lot because of its convenience. The City would need to collaborate with the State and local business owners to develop an appropriate mechanism to make such a validation program successful.

Residential Parking Permits
Permanent residential parking permits should be considered if spillover from downtown continues to cause problems for residents accessing or exiting their home and if illegal parking continues to occur in neighborhoods.

Residential parking permits would give residents priority use of the on-street spaces and discourage visitors from using neighborhood parking if reduced time restrictions or paid parking are implemented. Since this is primarily an issue on days that events are being held, this strategy may only need to be pursued if other strategies, such as reduced time limits and metered parking, are implemented in the Plaza area.

New Parking Facilities
Based on the evaluation of existing parking occupancy, results from the online survey, anticipated growth around the Plaza, and potential for increased efficiency of existing parking spaces (including public-private partnerships and other parking management strategies), there does not appear to be a pressing need for the City to pursue Agenda Item #9.1:

16 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
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construction of a future parking structure or acquire land for major new surface lots. The City may wish to seize upon opportunities to acquire one or more vacant or underutilized parcels located on the perimeter of downtown for use as small surface lots in the future, as funding allows. Some funding for these types of lots could be provided if the City begins charging for parking downtown, or alternatively, new development could be required to pay into a parking fund that ultimately leads to construction of additional parking resources.

The potential long-range impact of future technologies such as autonomous vehicles (shared and private) should also be considered prior to committing major funding to parking infrastructure. While there remains much uncertainty as to the impact of these evolving technologies, some research suggests that the future demand for parking spaces may decrease dramatically, while the need for curbside pick-up and drop-off spaces may increase.

Additional Event Strategies
The following strategies should be considered if event-related parking demand increases beyond what can be managed by the existing parking supply, in addition to the short-term and long-term strategies presented in this report.

Valet Parking
Downtown Sonoma experiences high parking utilization rates during events. If parking demand becomes too great to be accommodated for with the existing supply, the City could require event coordinators to offer a valet service to event attendees. Valet parking can increase the capacity of the existing public parking lots as cars are able to be more closely parked together.

Event Shuttles
Similar to valet parking, if an event’s parking demand cannot be accommodated by the existing parking supply, event coordinators could utilize off-site parking locations, such as local high schools, for parking and provide a shuttle to bring visitors to downtown and back to their car.

Agenda Item #9.1:

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Conclusions and Recommendations
The parking occupancy surveys revealed that in general, parking is available on weekdays in Downtown Sonoma, except when there are events such as “Tuesday Night in the Plaza.” Weekend parking is not as readily available, with parking utilization rates exceeding 85 percent during the weekend midday and evening periods. During those times that parking levels are high in downtown Sonoma, motorists extend their search to include nearby neighborhood streets and were observed parking in the “Bus Only” lane in the Casa Grande parking lot and blocking driveways and crosswalks in the neighborhoods. A public online survey was also distributed to gather perceptions of parking in Downtown Sonoma. The survey results indicated that parking is a concern for many users with approximately one-half of respondents noting that they had a hard time finding convenient parking in downtown. Buildout of the downtown area according to the General Plan would potentially require 447 additional parking spaces within or near the downtown. The existing public parking supply is not sufficient to accommodate this anticipated demand, and as a result, future development will generally need to accommodate its demand onsite. The use of shared parking increases parking efficiency where complementary land uses exist, and may result in the need for fewer parking spaces at suitable sites.

In order to more efficiently manage and plan for future parking demand, the City should consider both short-term and long-term strategies that would increase supply, increase parking turnover, and discourage substantial spillover into neighborhood streets. The City should consider these strategies and develop a Parking Management Plan to identify specific strategies that will be used to efficiently manage the existing parking supply and develop plans to increase the parking supply for future parking demand.

Recommendations for Development of a Parking Management Plan The City should consider including and further evaluating the following recommendations as part of a Parking Management Plan for Downtown Sonoma.

Short-Term Actions
 Identify specific actions and resources needed for the City to increase parking enforcement  Identify public-private partnerships that may be pursued to allow public use of private parking lots after hours  Formalize an agreement with the State of California for the Casa Grande lot  If the State intends to establish paid parking at the Casa Grande lot, the City should consider working with the State and local merchants to established a parking validation program at the lot  Determine locations for new wayfinding signage to direct users to the Casa Grande lot and Lot B Long-term
 Consider reducing the time restrictions for on-street spaces and determine the new hourly limits  Provide guidance on temporary parking permits for residential neighborhoods during events  Consider implementing paid parking for public spaces and develop a pricing plan Agenda Item #9.1:

18 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
May 3, 2017
 Identify neighborhoods that would benefit from a residential parking permit due to spillover from downtown and the process for neighborhoods to obtain permits
 Determine potential locations for new public parking facilities  Monitor emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles and their potential effects on long-range parking demand
Agenda Item #9.1:

19 Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
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Study Participants and References
Study Participants
Principal in Charge Mark E. Spencer, TE
Assistant Planner Shannon Baker
Intern Nivedha Baskarapandian
Graphics/Editing/Formatting Angela McCoy
Report Review Zack Matley, AICP
References
City of Sonoma 2020 General Plan, City of Sonoma, 2006
Sonoma Municipal Code, Code Publishing Company, 2016
SON041
Agenda Item #9.1:

Agenda Item #9.1:

A Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
May 2017
Appendix A
Parking Occupancy Surveys

Agenda Item #9.1:

Agenda Item #9.1:

Sonoma ‐ Parking Survey ‐ Weekday Mid‐day
Date:  Thursday, July 24, 2014
Number of
Spaces Current Parking Regulations
Area Lot # Location Side of Street Inventory 11:30 AM 12:00 PM 12:30 PM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM Spaces % Spaces % Public Lots A Casa Grande Parking Lot West side of East 1st Street 142 74 71 76 103 102 103 73% 71 50% 4 HANDICAP SPACES B Public Parking Lot North side of Napa Street 37 36 34 34 34 35 36 97% 34 92% 1 HANDICAP SPACE Public Lots Subtotal 179 110 105 110 137 137 137 77% 105 59% Area Street # Street Name Segment Inventory 11:30 AM 12:00 PM 12:30 PM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM Spaces % Spaces % Streets 1 North side West Spain Street 2nd Street West to 1st Street West 16 11 10 12 13 13 13 81% 10 63% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 2 South side West Spain Street 2rd Street West to 1st Street West 21 16 18 18 18 18 18 86% 16 76% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM3 West side 1st Street West West Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 30 11 10 12 13 13 13 43% 10 33% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM4 East side 1st Street West West Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 12 3 8 10 9 8 10 83% 3 25% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 5 North side West Spain Street 1st Street West to 1st Street East 47 13 25 46 45 43 46 98% 13 28% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 6 South side West Spain Street 1st Street West to 1st Street East 49 33 44 48 49 49 49 100% 33 67% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM7 West side 1st Street East East Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 24 4 5 7 10 8 10 42% 4 17% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 8 East side 1st Street East East Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 25 6 5 6 6 5 6 24% 5 20% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 7 SPACES NO PARKING 6AM TO 6PM 9 North side West Spain Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 18 12 13 16 16 14 16 89% 12 67% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 10 South side West Spain Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 20 7 11 7 14 13 14 70% 7 35% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM (6 SPACES BLOCKED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION) 11 West side 1st Street East East Napa Street to East Spain Street 45 39 41 45 44 43 45 100% 39 87% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 12 East side 1st Street East East Napa Street to East Spain Street 40 31 37 38 40 39 40 100% 31 78% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE ‐ 1 SECTION FOR MOTORCYCLES 13 North side East Napa Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 24 13 20 24 24 23 24 100% 13 54% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 14 South side East Napa Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 27 19 27 27 27 25 27 100% 19 70% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 15 West side 1st Street East Patten Street to East Napa Street 20 11 15 16 15 14 16 80% 11 55% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM16 East side 1st Street East Patten Street to East Napa Street 20 13 16 17 13 16 17 85% 13 65% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 17 North side West Napa Street 1st Street West to Broadway 7 4 5 6 6 6 6 86% 4 57% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE 18 South Side West Napa Street 1st Street West to Broadway 6 0 2 5 6 4 6 100% 0 0% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 19 North side East Napa Street Broadway to 1st Street East 13 12 13 13 13 11 13 100% 11 85% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 20 South side East Napa Street Broadway to 1st Street East 19 18 18 18 19 17 19 100% 17 89% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 21 West side Broadway Street East Spain Street to Patten Street 18 11 8 11 10 10 11 61% 8 44% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 22 East side Broadway Street East Spain Street to Patten Street 19 17 15 15 17 15 17 89% 15 79% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 3 20 MINUTE SPACES 23 West side 1st Street West McDonell Street to West Napa Street 15 11 15 13 13 10 15 100% 10 67% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 24 East side 1st Street West McDonell Street to West Napa Street 14 11 14 14 12 13 14 100% 11 79% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM25 North side Highway 12 2nd Street west to 1st Street West 8 3 6 6 6 6 6 75% 3 38% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 26 South side Highway 12 2nd Street West to 1st Street West 12 8 9 10 11 12 12 100% 8 67% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM27 West side 1st Street West West Napa Street to West Spain Street 45 36 44 44 45 42 45 100% 36 80% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 28 East side 1st Street West West Napa Street to West Spain Street 45 41 36 45 45 45 45 100% 36 80% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE Streets Subtotal 659 414 490 549 559 535 559 85% 414 63% TOTAL 838 524 595 659 696 672
63% 71% 79% 83% 80%
Parking inventory based on 25 feet per space.

Min # Occupied
Spaces (Weekday)
Max # Occupied
Spaces (Weekday) Number of Occupied Spaces
Agenda Item #9.1:

Sonoma ‐ Parking Survey ‐ Weekday Evening
Date:  Thursday, July 24, 2014
Number of
Spaces Current Parking Regulations
Area Lot # Location Side of Street Inventory 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM Spaces % Spaces % Public Lots A Casa Grande Parking Lot West side of East 1st Street 142 47 39 37 35 26 47 33% 26 18% 4 HANDICAP SPACES B Public Parking Lot North side of Napa Street 37 27 32 34 29 27 34 92% 27 73% 1 HANDICAP SPACE Public Lots Subtotal 179 74 71 71 64 53 74 41% 53 30%
Area Street # Street Name Segment Inventory 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM Spaces % Spaces % Streets 1 North side West Spain Street 2nd Street West to 1st Street West 16 13 16 14 12 13 16 100% 12 75% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 2 South side West Spain Street 2rd Street West to 1st Street West 21 18 17 19 19 17 19 90% 17 81% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM3 West side 1st Street West West Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 30 21 21 23 24 22 24 80% 21 70% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM4 East side 1st Street West West Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 12 10 8 9 9 8 10 83% 8 67% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM5 North side West Spain Street 1st Street West to 1st Street East 47 42 45 45 41 42 45 96% 41 87% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM6 South side West Spain Street 1st Street West to 1st Street East 49 47 46 49 46 46 49 100% 46 94% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM7 West side 1st Street East East Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 24 8 5 7 7 6 8 33% 5 21% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 8 East side 1st Street East East Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 25 6 8 10 9 9 10 40% 6 24% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 7 SPACES NO PARKING 6AM TO 6PM 9 North side West Spain Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 18 8 13 13 16 12 16 89% 8 44% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 10 South side West Spain Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 20 10 11 13 16 16 16 80% 10 50% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM (6 SPACES BLOCKED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION) 11 West side 1st Street East East Napa Street to East Spain Street 45 41 42 45 44 41 45 100% 41 91% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 12 East side 1st Street East East Napa Street to East Spain Street 40 32 37 36 36 35 37 93% 32 80% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE ‐ 1 SECTION FOR MOTORCYCLES 13 North side East Napa Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 24 21 20 22 24 23 24 100% 20 83% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 14 South side East Napa Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 27 24 25 25 25 26 26 96% 24 89% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 15 West side 1st Street East Patten Street to East Napa Street 20 11 7 5 9 9 11 55% 5 25% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM16 East side 1st Street East Patten Street to East Napa Street 20 11 10 11 11 10 11 55% 10 50% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 17 North side West Napa Street 1st Street West to Broadway 7 4 3 3 4 4 4 57% 3 43% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE 18 South side West Napa Street 1st Street West to Broadway 6 5 3 3 2 2 5 83% 2 33% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 19 North side East Napa Street Broadway to 1st Street East 13 10 9 13 13 12 13 100% 9 69% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 20 South side East Napa Street Broadway to 1st Street East 19 19 15 16 16 18 19 100% 15 79% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 21 West side Broadway Street East Spain Street to Patten Street 18 12 10 1 2 3 12 67% 1 6% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 22 East side Broadway Street East Spain Street to Patten Street 19 3 2 0 0 0 3 16% 0 0% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 3 20 MINUTE SPACES23 West side 1st Street West McDonell Street to West Napa Street 15 11 11 14 13 11 14 93% 11 73% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 24 East side 1st Street West McDonell Street to West Napa Street 14 8 11 13 9 8 13 93% 8 57% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 25 North side Highway 12 2nd Street west to 1st Street West 8 1 3 3 2 2 3 38% 1 13% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 26 South side Highway 12 2nd Street West to 1st Street West 12 6 5 5 5 4 6 50% 4 33% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM27 West side 1st Street West West Napa Street to West Spain Street 45 31 33 44 40 43 44 98% 31 69% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 28 East side 1st Street West West Napa Street to West Spain Street 45 37 35 42 40 43 43 96% 35 78% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE Streets Subtotal 659 470 471 503 494 485 503 76% 470 71% TOTAL 838 544 542 574 558 538
65% 65% 68% 67% 64%
Parking inventory based on 25 feet per space.

Number of Occupied Spaces
Max # Occupied
Spaces (Weekday)
Min # Occupied
Spaces (Weekday)
Agenda Item #9.1:

Sonoma ‐ Parking Survey ‐ Weekend Mid‐day
Date:  Saturday July 26, 2014
Number of
Spaces Current Parking Regulations
Area Lot # Location Side of Street Inventory 11:30 AM 12:00 PM 12:30 PM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM Spaces % Spaces % Public Lots A Casa Grande Parking Lot West side of East 1st Street 142 133 133 135 134 136 136 96% 133 94% 4 HANDICAP SPACES B Public Parking Lot North side of Napa Street 37 36 36 31 32 34 36 97% 31 84% 1 HANDICAP SPACE Public Lots Subtotal 179 169 169 166 166 170 170 95% 166 93% Area Street # Street Name Segment Inventory 11:30 AM 12:00 PM 12:30 PM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM Spaces % Spaces % Streets 1 North side West Spain Street 2nd Street West to 1st Street West 16 14 13 13 13 14 14 88% 13 93% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 2 South side West Spain Street 2rd Street West to 1st Street West 21 18 18 18 18 21 21 100% 18 86% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM3 West side 1st Street West West Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 30 30 28 30 30 30 30 100% 28 93% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM4 East side 1st Street West West Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 12 10 10 10 10 10 10 83% 10 100% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM5 North side West Spain Street 1st Street West to 1st Street East 47 46 46 46 47 47 47 100% 46 98% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM6 South side West Spain Street 1st Street West to 1st Street East 49 49 49 49 49 49 49 100% 49 100% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM7 West side 1st Street East East Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 24 14 21 21 23 20 23 96% 14 70% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM8 East side 1st Street East East Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 25 7 10 9 14 13 14 56% 7 54% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 7 SPACES NO PARKING 6AM TO 6PM 9 North side West Spain Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 18 15 17 17 18 17 18 100% 15 88% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 10 South side West Spain Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 20 14 15 14 16 15 16 80% 14 93% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM (6 SPACES BLOCKED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION) 11 West side 1st Street East East Napa Street to East Spain Street 45 45 45 45 45 45 45 100% 45 100% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 12 East side 1st Street East East Napa Street to East Spain Street 40 37 38 38 38 37 38 95% 37 100% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE ‐ 1 SECTION FOR MOTORCYCLES 13 North side East Napa Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 24 23 23 24 24 24 24 100% 23 96% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 14 South side East Napa Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 27 24 25 25 23 25 25 93% 23 92% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 15 West side 1st Street East Patten Street to East Napa Street 20 14 16 13 14 17 17 85% 13 76% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM16 East side 1st Street East Patten Street to East Napa Street 20 14 13 14 17 15 17 85% 13 87% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 17 North side West Napa Street 1st Street West to Broadway 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 100% 7 100% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE 18 South side West Napa Street 1st Street West to Broadway 6 3 6 6 6 6 6 100% 3 50% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 19 North side East Napa Street Broadway to 1st Street East 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 100% 13 100% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 20 South side East Napa Street Broadway to 1st Street East 19 17 17 19 18 17 19 100% 17 100% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 21 West side Broadway Street East Spain Street to Patten Street 18 8 10 15 16 15 16 89% 8 53% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM22 East side Broadway Street East Spain Street to Patten Street 19 13 16 16 17 18 18 95% 13 72% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 3 20 MINUTE SPACES 23 West side 1st Street West McDonell Street to West Napa Street 15 8 10 9 10 11 11 73% 8 73% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 24 East side 1st Street West McDonell Street to West Napa Street 14 9 11 12 12 12 12 86% 9 75% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM25 North side Highway 12 2nd Street west to 1st Street West 8 7 8 8 8 8 8 100% 7 88% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 26 South side Highway 12 2nd Street West to 1st Street West 12 9 10 12 12 12 12 100% 9 75% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM27 West side 1st Street West West Napa Street to West Spain Street 45 43 45 45 45 45 45 100% 43 96% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 28 East side 1st Street West West Napa Street to West Spain Street 45 45 45 45 45 44 45 100% 44 100% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE Streets Subtotal 659 556 585 593 608 607 608 92% 556 92% TOTAL 838 725 754 759 774 777
87% 90% 91% 92% 93%
Parking inventory based on 25 feet per space.

Number of Occupied Spaces
Max # Occupied
Spaces (Weekday)
Min # Occupied
Spaces (Weekday)
Agenda Item #9.1:

Sonoma ‐ Parking Survey ‐ Weekend Evening
Date:  Saturday July 26, 2014
Number of
Spaces Current Parking Regulations
Area Lot # Location Side of Street Inventory 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM Spaces % Spaces % Public Lots A Casa Grande Parking Lot West side of East 1st Street 142 134 128 123 118 108 134 94% 108 76% 4 HANDICAP SPACES B Public Parking Lot North side of Napa Street 37 31 33 35 36 32 36 97% 31 84% 1 HANDICAP SPACE Public Lots Subtotal 179 165 161 158 154 140 165 92% 140 78% Area Street # Street Name Segment Inventory 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM Spaces % Spaces % Streets 1 North side West Spain Street 2nd Street West to 1st Street West 16 14 14 14 14 14 14 88% 14 88% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 2 South side West Spain Street 2rd Street West to 1st Street West 21 21 20 21 21 18 21 100% 18 86% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM3 West side 1st Street West West Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 30 32 31 30 30 27 32 107% 27 90% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM4 East side 1st Street West West Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 12 12 11 10 10 10 12 100% 10 83% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM5 North side West Spain Street 1st Street West to 1st Street East 47 46 46 46 45 46 46 98% 45 96% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM6 South side West Spain Street 1st Street West to 1st Street East 49 48 49 49 48 49 49 100% 48 98% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM7 West side 1st Street East East Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 24 22 24 23 22 20 24 100% 20 83% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM8 East side 1st Street East East Spain Street to Sonoma Bike Path 25 18 22 22 21 18 22 88% 18 72% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 7 SPACES NO PARKING 6AM TO 6PM 9 North side West Spain Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 18 16 14 15 17 16 17 94% 14 78% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 10 South side West Spain Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 20 15 12 14 15 15 15 75% 12 60% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM (6 SPACES BLOCKED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION) 11 West side 1st Street East East Napa Street to East Spain Street 45 44 44 43 44 44 44 98% 43 96% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 12 East side 1st Street East East Napa Street to East Spain Street 40 37 37 40 38 39 40 100% 37 93% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE ‐ 1 SECTION FOR MOTORCYCLES 13 North side East Napa Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 24 20 23 22 21 21 23 96% 20 83% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM14 South side East Napa Street 1st Street East to 2nd Street East 27 20 24 24 23 21 24 89% 20 74% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 15 West side 1st Street East Patten Street to East Napa Street 20 19 20 19 19 19 20 100% 19 95% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM16 East side 1st Street East Patten Street to East Napa Street 20 17 19 20 20 19 20 100% 17 85% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM17 North side West Napa Street 1st Street West to Broadway 7 4 7 7 6 6 7 100% 4 57% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE 18 South side West Napa Street 1st Street West to Broadway 6 6 6 6 3 6 6 100% 3 50% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 19 North side East Napa Street Broadway to 1st Street East 13 12 13 13 12 12 13 100% 12 92% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM20 South side East Napa Street Broadway to 1st Street East 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 100% 19 100% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM21 West side Broadway Street East Spain Street to Patten Street 18 9 10 10 11 8 11 61% 8 44% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM22 East side Broadway Street East Spain Street to Patten Street 19 10 8 11 12 9 12 63% 8 42% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 3 20 MINUTE SPACES 23 West side 1st Street West McDonell Street to West Napa Street 15 12 10 10 12 10 12 80% 10 67% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 24 East side 1st Street West McDonell Street to West Napa Street 14 6 10 12 13 8 13 93% 6 43% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM25 North side Highway 12 2nd Street west to 1st Street West 8 7 7 7 7 4 7 88% 4 50% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 26 South side Highway 12 2nd Street West to 1st Street West 12 7 12 11 12 12 12 100% 7 58% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM27 West side 1st Street West West Napa Street to West Spain Street 45 45 43 43 43 45 45 100% 43 96% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM 28 East side 1st Street West West Napa Street to West Spain Street 45 45 44 44 43 45 45 100% 43 96% 3 HOUR PARKING: 9AM TO 5PM ‐ 1 HANDICAP SPACE Streets Subtotal 659 583 599 605 601 580 605 92% 580 88% TOTAL 838 748 760 763 755 720
89% 91% 91% 90% 86%
For occupancy over 100%, vehicles are using less than 25 feet per space to park and/or encroaching out of designated parking areas.

Parking inventory based on 25 feet per space.

Number of Occupied Spaces
Max # Occupied
Spaces (Weekday)
Min # Occupied
Spaces (Weekday)
Agenda Item #9.1:

B Downtown Sonoma Parking Study
May 2017
Appendix B
Online Parking Survey Questions and Results
Agenda Item #9.1:

Agenda Item #9.1:



 
  

 


 

 













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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: John Addeo
To: publiccomment
Cc: Joel Haggard; Barbara Addeo; John Addeo
Subject: Fwd: PUBLIC COMMENT RE: Parking on the Plaza
Date: Monday, November 7, 2022 10:19:38 AM
RE: Downtown Parking Management Plan
Dear City Council,
We would like to voice our thoughts and suggestions related to parking issues in the City of Sonoma. The Article in the October 28, 2022 Sonoma Index-Tribune, in Phase 1 mentioned "...form an agreement with the State to open the CASA GRANDE lot open to the Public". It appears that the lot is open to the public as it is used on a daily basis! 1)- There is a privately owned open space toward 1ST W (west of the Casa Grande lot) that would provide space for parking and conveniently right adjacent to the CASA GRANDE lot.

There are State "Parks and Rec". vehicles that occupy space in Casa Grande, but release of that space would very little impact our parking issue.
2)- Another privately owned property EAST of and behind the Mercato Building, has been vacant forever and exits just past the BLUE WING onto E Spain Street. This would be a very convenient addition location for more parking and accessible from East 1 St next to the Mercato building.
3) - There is also the State owned Lot behind the Mission along 1 St E that would provide more parking.

We suggest that these three properties, if purchased from their owners, (is Eminent Domain Acquisition a possibility?) and an agreement with the State on properties they control, would be a long term solution, providing excellent parking at the Plaza, and result in convenience for the many that come to spend money in Sonoma and provide the State with a much larger tax base. We disagree with the comment "However, simply
increasing the supply does not fully address the core problem of concentrated demand". Please do a study of these three properties and determine exactly how much additional parking they would provide. Parking meters will SURELY be a large deterinet to locals to 'just pop downtown for a meal to shop or get a drink', or do some last minute shopping. Enforcing the parking rules to lower the time a space is occupied, is a good idea, but NOT down to two hours, leave it at THREE hours and just ENFORCE that first. THEN make an informed decision, not now when the two hours is never enforced.

Please think this through, or you could FOREVER CHANGE the spirit and soul of our 'local downtown' where folks can just POP down to say Hi, Shop, get a meal, or an ice cream. Please consider,
the soul of SONOMA, and not just the Dollars. Dollars you can get back, you cant get the Spirt and Soul Back!
Agenda Item #9.1:

Respectfully,
Joel Haggard
192 - 5TH ST W
John and Barbara Addeo
155 - 5TH ST W
City of Sonoma records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, this email, any attachments and any replies are subject to disclosure on request, and neither the sender nor any recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the contents of such communications.

Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Melissa Mulcahy
To: publiccomment
Subject: Parking meters
Date: Monday, November 7, 2022 12:19:39 PM
To whom it may concern,
I have to respond re: parking meters in our town of Sonoma…a HUGE mistake.

Our Old World European feel in our town center is what brings us locals together as a community, which is what appeals to our tourist industry. Tourists and locals get to feel that every time they come to the plaza. Adding parking meters may seem like the easiest option but would absolutely destroy what makes Sonoma special. We need to get creative with parking options. One idea might be to make available public parking signage ie., behind the barracks, depot park, veterans center for example. And it’s ok to have to walk a bit. In Europe there are many small towns where cars do not go. People walk…It’s good for the body, mind and soul.

Thank you for opening this topic up to comments.

Sincerely,
Melissa Mulcahy
Sent from my iPhone
City of Sonoma records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, this email, any attachments and any replies are subject to disclosure on request, and neither the sender nor any recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the contents of such communications.

Agenda Item #9.1:

From: c davis
To: publiccomment
Subject: City Parking
Date: Friday, October 28, 2022 12:37:46 PM
I agree that to encourage shopping around the plaza, metered parking would not be helpful. Could there be painted curbs that indicate 2 or 3 hour COURTESY parking?
Are there resources to mark tires and collect fines?
Are there resources to construct an underground lot behind the barracks? Could there be a plan to transport shoppers from 1 or 2 points (The Lodge parking lot and SMInn) on the cable car or a city van?
Carol Davis
Sonoma
City of Sonoma records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, this email, any attachments and any replies are subject to disclosure on request, and neither the sender nor any recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the contents of such communications.

Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Marcia
To: publiccomment
Subject: Comment on public parking
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022 10:15:08 AM
As a resident of Sonoma, I would vote to keep parking free in the downtown, but return to
2-hour limits. The jammed parking situation occurred in my memory when we went from 2-hour to 3-hour limits.

Marcia Levy
City of Sonoma records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, this email, any attachments and any replies are subject to disclosure on request, and neither the sender nor any recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the contents of such communications.

Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Connie
To: Planning
Subject: Comments on Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2022 9:53:19 AM
I had a business on the Plaza in the past.

A lot of the parking spaces are taken by the owners and employees of the business around the Plaza -
Even with the Casa Grande Lot offering free parking a short walk away.

Much time and effort is taken to move cars from one space to the next to avoid a ticket.

A way to stop this would be great.

PHASE 1 – The strategies in the first phase are recommended because of their relative ease of implementation. These strategies require comparatively little management and may by themselves result in an acceptable parking system for the City. However, the first phase strategies are somewhat limited in their effectiveness to manage parking demand and if the City finds they do not create a satisfactory parking environment, Phase 2 strategies are available. Phase 1 strategies include:

Parking Enforcement
Parking Wayfinding
Passenger Loading Zones
Casa Grande Lot improvements in coordination with State Parks Shared Parking Agreements with private property owners
On-Street Time Restrictions
Additional Bicycle Parking locations
Special Event Bicycle Valet Parking
Establishment of a Parking Benefit District
City of Sonoma records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, this email, any attachments and any replies are subject to disclosure on request, and neither the sender nor any recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the contents of such communications.

Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Pam Burns-Clair
To: publiccomment
Subject: Comments re: Sonoma Plaza parking
Date: Friday, October 28, 2022 8:12:18 AM
Hello--
My husband and I have been east Sonoma residents for 25 years. Although we tend to avoid driving in or to the area of the plaza on the weekends, we do not want to see parking meters.

We are also quite disappointed by the decision to cancel parklets which have allowed us to dine at restaurants during Covid that we wouldn't dine at indoors, which we still avoid doing even though we're vaxxed and boosted (husband is immune compromised so we take extra precautions). One of the arguments about canceling the parklets was parking on the plaza, but the few spots taken up by the parklets certainly don't appear to have deterred tourists or business on the plaza on the weekends! We would like the parklets renewed (with inspections by fire department to make sure heaters are at a safe height and distance from tents or canopies but not eliminated--as is the case in other Sonoma Co towns), and we would like the 3 hour parking policy on the plaza to remain (2 hours is too short for a meal and any shopping) and be regulated by enforcement.

Thanks for inviting public comment on this issue,
Pam & Robert Clair
858 Austin AV
Sonoma, CA
City of Sonoma records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, this email, any attachments and any replies are subject to disclosure on request, and neither the sender nor any recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the contents of such communications.

Agenda Item #9.1:

From: toby
To: publiccomment
Subject: Downtown Parking
Date: Friday, October 28, 2022 8:26:55 AM
To whom it may concern,
I agree with Dan Eraldi, reduce the 3 hrs back to 2 hrs, the way it was 10 ish years ago, though I am aware of it, I never understood the theory as to why that change was made.

People remember places in their lives by the experiences they had in them, our town has a charm to it that is hard to rival. If you are looking to find ways to eliminate that, then by all means put parking meters in it.

Additionally, why add levels of complication, bureaucracy, costs associated etc. Keep it simple, 3 hrs to 2 and enforce that.

Toby
City of Sonoma records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, this email, any attachments and any replies are subject to disclosure on request, and neither the sender nor any recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the contents of such communications.

Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Rober Flahive
To: publiccomment
Subject: Downtown Parking
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022 12:42:27 PM
First: I believe the town should get rid of ALL “Parkettes” re-establish those parking spots.

Create more 20—30 minute parking spots for quick errands etc.

Long term, consider developing parking beneath the plaza, underground parking! Robert Flahive
P.O. Box 176
Vineburg, CA 95487
City of Sonoma records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, this email, any attachments and any replies are subject to disclosure on request, and neither the sender nor any recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the contents of such communications.

Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Kelley Eling
To: publiccomment
Subject: Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan
Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2022 9:47:29 AM
The Plan is 69 convoluted, and often barely legible, pages long.

No parking meters.

What else needs to be covered?
-------------------------------
Kelley Eling, Realtor
mobile: 415.308.1182
License # 01336994
Fathom Realty Group
Representing The Best Interests Of Sellers and Buyers Of Residential Real Estate Since 2002.

Serving Sonoma County, Marin County and Coachella Valley.

Find me online:

KelleyEling.com
zillowfacebooktruliayelptwitteryoutube
linkedin
instagram
City of Sonoma records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, this email, any attachments and any replies are subject to disclosure on request, and neither the sender nor any recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the contents of such communications.

Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Kristina Tierney
To: Matthew Courpet
Subject: FW: Parking Plan for Casa Grande lot.

Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2023 12:21:11 PM
Please add to the public comments for the parking management plan From: Laura Simpson <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 3, 2023 9:59 AM
To: Kristina Tierney <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Parking Plan for Casa Grande lot.

Just FYI.

From: Wayne Wirick <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2022 9:18 AM
To: Rebekah Barr <[email protected]>
Cc: Laura Simpson <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Parking Plan for Casa Grande lot.

FYI - Comments on Downtown Parking Plan.

From: Jack Ding <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2022 2:34 PM
To: David Katz <[email protected]>
Cc: Ilaria Marco <[email protected]>; Wayne Wirick <[email protected]>; Mike Berger <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Parking Plan for Casa Grande lot.

I am forwarding your email to the city management.

Thank you,
Jack
On Tue, Dec 27, 2022 at 2:14 PM David Katz <[email protected]> wrote:

See www.sonomanews.com/article/news/planning-commission-adopts-downtownparking-plan-sends-to-council/?ref=recent Agenda Item #9.1:

Downtown parking plan approved by Planning
Commission
With talk of paid parking at the Casa Grande lot, the plan next heads to the city council.

This lot is used by petanque players every day to make use of the courts at Depot Park. It would be best if the lot continued to provide free parking with perhaps a 3- hour limit if free is off the table. Also, the petanque club hosts occasional all-day tournaments on weekends which would be a major inconvenience if cars had to be moved to comply with paid parking or with limited free parking. I would like to discuss various options with you and would invite the president of the Valley of the Moon Petanque Club to join the discussion. If there is going to be a public hearing let me know so it could also be brought up with other members of the Council.

Kindly also share this message with other members of the Council. Thanks for your help. DAVE

DAVID KATZ
1130 BROCKMAN LANE
SONOMA, CALIFORNIA 95476-7600
Phone (707) 935-3479
Cell (415) 516-1147
[email protected]
--
Jack Ding, EA MBA
President
Unicom Tax Services
755 Broadway
Sonoma CA 95476
Telephone: 707-343-1898
Fax: 707-343-1951
Cell: 510-579-7000
www.unicomtax.com
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Maria Gregory
To: publiccomment
Subject: Meters
Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 6:24:14 AM
Hi,
I am not opposed to meters if it means that money will fix potholes. I do wish that residents get a parking pass and do not have to pay for the meter. I must be honest I loved here from Berkeley and the simplicity of not having to pay for parking here was one of the reasons I left a city. It will chance my idea of what Sonoma is.

Thanks,
Mark
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Sue Bartlett
To: publiccomment
Subject: No on parking meters.

Date: Friday, October 28, 2022 8:23:00 AM
No, I do not want parking meters around the plaza.

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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: David Palmer
To: publiccomment
Subject: No Parking Meters
Date: Sunday, October 30, 2022 3:13:04 PM
Regarding last Friday"s Sonoma Index Tribune, no parking meters! The parklets should be down shortly and then we will have more parking spaces.

Also, please go back to two hour parking! Local residents need to find parking to shop and eat around the plaza, too.

David Palmer
[email protected]
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Tami Epstein
To: publiccomment
Subject: Parking in the Square
Date: Friday, October 28, 2022 7:18:35 AM
City Leaders,
It is my opinion that parking meters not be installed on the square to solve the parking issues on the Square, which are only on weekends and during events. As a resident of the county that frequents the Square throughout the week, I would find it uninviting. I leave the city and come up north to get away from inconveniences such as these. Rather, the city should do what Napa has done and use some of the nearby parking lots to build parking structures thereby increasing the capacity for more cars and keeping it free.

Thank you for your consideration,
Tami Epstein
Glen Ellen resident
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: [email protected]
To: publiccomment
Subject: parking meters
Date: Friday, October 28, 2022 8:26:29 AM
I have lived in Sonoma since 1971. I traditionally only go into town on Mondays and Tuesdays because of all of the tourists. Parking is by no way a new problem, and the taking away of spaces to enable patrons to eat outside has only exacerbated the situation. I have always, when needed, found a place behind the barracks. Although I have totally stopped going to the Sebastian Theater at night because of walking alone to my car. I am 81.

That said, if you install parking meters, I will not bother to come into town at all. Already because of all the stupid tasting rooms, there are no longer stores that I shop at except for Halem's and Sign of the Bear and an occasional ice cream. That, too, will totally end if you put in meters. In the old days we had Simmons, Rexall Drug and a grocery store--too bad the town has gone to the tourists! I realize that they help Sonoma, but often to the detriment of the locals. At one time I only shop around the square, now that is no longer true. Like other Sonoma residents, we have to leave town to buy our things, other than groceries.

At the article in today's paper said, simply return the parking limit to two hours. I got a ticket years ago when it was only 2 hours and paid it without question. Too bad if a tourists has to pay. Or like some places, find a place outside of town, pave it, and make tourists park there, and then have a shuttle service for them. How about using the lot across from MacArthur's place and have them pave it for you. They make plenty of money off of tourists.

Please do not install parking meters--life is difficult enough without having to deal with some sort of electronic toy that not everyone can operate--not everyone is proficient with a cell phone. I definitely am not.

Please feel free to call if you need further reasons for not putting in parking meters.

Valerie Mathes (707) 996-6006
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: [email protected]
To: publiccomment
Subject: Parking Plan and the Square.

Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2022 4:06:04 PM
Good afternoon,
After reading the Draft Parking Management Plan I have the following comments; Parking enforcement, while expensive and somewhat cost prohibitive, will be the best way to manage parking on the plaza and in the downtown area. Many cities use plate reading technology to monitor parking enforcement times including the most liberal of all cities in the Bay Area, Berkeley.

Utilizing technology will allow the parking enforcement to require that a car be moved at least one block every parking enforcement cycle. Additionally, the technology will be able to be crossreferenced with residents who live within an enforcement zone- eliminating the need for permits and perhaps allowing for expansion of the enforcement zone. If indeed, the city ever decides to create other enforcement zones in other parts of the city (can anyone say Train Town?) the technology is easily carried in the vehicle to that location for a drive-by. No additional cost beyond signage.

Do not put meters on the plaza. That will be the nail in the coffin for any business that relies on locals patronage.

Why not encourage visitors to park at the high school and ride a free trolley? The parking study doesn’t even mention parking outside of the plaza area.

Thank you for taking the time to read my comments and making the effort to tackle this issue. The plaza is a great place, for both locals and visitors. Making it more accessible and easier to access is beneficial for everyone.

Thomas Fogle
275 Pickett St.

Sonoma, CA 95476
707-494-5505
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Kevin Lara
To: publiccomment
Subject: Parking Plan
Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2022 9:29:40 AM
Dear Sirs,
I have reviewed the sonoma city parking plan and would like to request you NOT implement paid parking other than for long term parking (exceeding 2 hours). I would much rather the city police current time limits more effectively to drive compliance than install unsightly and vandal attracting parking meters. What makes sonoma liveable and me a patron of local businesses is the ease of parking and dropping by a business. As a local, I think the city is simply going to create more overhead, business opportunities for parking solution providers with limited benefit to the local community. I say NOT to parking fees. Parking should be limited to 2 hours on the square, and longer paid for parking should be provided for at the city lots. I think bike parking might be useful...but not if it requires unsightly artifacts. I've certainly never had a problem finding a place for my bike when I come to the square - its' big enough!
Sincerely,
Kevin Lara
1851 Hyde Burndal Road, Sonoma
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Jessica McGarrity
To: publiccomment
Subject: Parking Solutions for the Square
Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022 10:54:33 AM
Hello,
I read about the proposed phased solutions for parking on the square. I want to say I as well as my family are all very strongly against introducing parking meters on the square. The assumption that this will create more available parking is correct, because it will deter people from coming to the square at all. Please remember what happened recently to Santa Rosa's Courthouse square. The parking meters frustrated locals and deterred people from going to the square and led to local small businesses going under or moving. Don't repeat history with this bad decision.

Consider having an employee parking lot, perhaps further off square and providing a shuttle from the lot to the square. Or increase\incentivize utilizing public transportation to the square, for employees and locals. For example the City of Palm Desert has a golf cart that they use to offer people rides from one end of El Paseo (their main shopping district) to the other.

Let's do our best to maintain the quaint small town charm that endears so many to Sonoma.

Allow the restaurants to keep their parklets, make the square more bike friendly, it is scary to ride a bike behind the row of parked cars that could back into you very quickly.

There are other solutions out there, let's be creative and not trigger happy when it comes to the changing the personality of our beloved downtown square.

Humbly,
Sonoma resident Jessica McGarrity
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Mary Marcussen
To: publiccomment
Subject: Plaza Parking
Date: Friday, November 4, 2022 9:18:18 AM
Dear City Council Members,
In response to the October 28 article in the Index Tribune, “Weigh in on Sonoma Plaza future parking plans,” I have lived in Sonoma for 37 years and have never had “trouble” finding a parking spot. Parking meters are not needed for several reasons.

First, I assume the “survey by the City” was conducted while the parklets were in place, which is a biased survey.

Once the parakeets are gone, dozens of spaces will open up.

Second, how do you define “trouble” finding parking spots? That someone had to circle the Plaza before finding a spot? Ot maybe twice around the Plaza? Or, heaven forbid, they had to walk a block to reach their favorite restaurant? People expect to walk a bit, assuming there is adequate handicapped parring for those unable to walk.

During the Tuesday Farmer’s Market I always found a parking spot within one block of the Plaza.

Finally, I had lunch the other day at El Dorado Kitchen. The four of us were there for 2 hours and 15 minutes. My two out-of-town guests mentioned that after lunch they wanted to stroll the neighboring shops and we did. A 2-hour limit would have required two of us to leave lunch early to find new parking spots. At that point, my visitors would have just headed home, causing the restaurant to lose a dessert service, local shops to lose patronage, and me to wonder if it would be smarter next time to meet for lunch in Marin.

I urge you to leave the Plaza parking alone. I don’t know a single person who complains about it.

Mary Marcussen
2300 Thornsberry Road
Sonoma, CA 95476
707-529-2339
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Terri Miller
To: publiccomment
Subject: Re: Traffic impact study
Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:48:28 PM
As a resident of Boyes Hot Springs (despite a Sonoma address and zip code), I am writing in response to the traffic impact study.

I support the implementation of the phase 1 recommendations but I do not believe that implementing parking meters as part of phase 2 will benefit Sonoma's local businesses, residents, or tourists.

We presently have a large public parking lot off of First St east just north of the plaza. We need more and better signage directing visitors to this free lot and to the lot on East Napa street between 1st st east and 2nd st east.

Further, as someone who frequents the plaza, I often park two or three blocks away.

Unless one is disabled and requires handicapped parking in front of their destination, why is it considered a parking problem when someone has to walk a few blocks? Given the obesity epidemic in our country and how that is impacting us all in rising healthcare costs, we should be encouraging walking! If you were a tourist in San Fracisco you would think nothing of walking 6 blocks to your destination or taking 10,000 steps in a day walking around and exploring the city but for some reason in Sonoma one should expect to be able to park on the plaza if they are going to be doing business on the plaza? I am also very much in favor of entering joint agreements with businesses such as plaza banks that are closed in the evenings and on weekends to make their parking lots accessible to locals and tourists coming down to the plaza.

Parking meters will discourage both locals and tourists from wanting to spend much time in downtown Sonoma. This will hurt local businesses, the charachter of the plaza community as it wil force buiness closures due to fewer sales, and will result in less tax revenue for the city.

A bad idea for Sonoma all around.

Sincerley,
T. Miller
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: Ken McGarrity
To: publiccomment
Subject: Sonoma Plaza Parking Solutions
Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022 10:57:20 AM
After reading a story regarding proposed parking solutions, I wanted to comment specifically regarding phase 2.

I feel that placing parking meters around the plaza would create a severe and lasting impact to the businesses of Downtown Sonoma by deterring visitors. Nobody wants to feed the meter, and while it will free up parking on the square, you will either drive those parking spots to neighboring streets, or just simply leave a bad taste in people’s mouth about visiting downtown.

Don’t make mistakes others have made in the past by killing their downtown by introducing unfriendly solutions that penalizes the visitor.

Creating off-square parking opportunities while expanding the feel of a downtown experience should be what the City of Sonoma should aims for.

Respectfully,
Ken McGarrity
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Agenda Item #9.1:

From: David Eichar
To: publiccomment
Subject: Study session on residential component, item 8.2 Date: Monday, November 14, 2022 9:13:39 AM
Commissioners;
First of all, the residential component in developments in mixed use and commercial zone should continue to be subject to the City’s inclusionary housing ordinance.

Otherwise, a developer could build large single family homes in a mixed use or commercial zoned parcel, with zero affordable housing units.

The City of Sonoma, 6th Cycle HCD Review Draft Housing Element, BACKGROUND REPORT, section 3. ASSISTED HOUSING AT-RISK OF CONVERSION states,
"High Risk assisted housing are those affordable homes that are at-risk of converting to market rate in the next 1-5 years that do not have a known overlapping subsidy that would extend affordability and are not owned by a large/stable non-profit, missiondriven developer." According to Table 39. Summary of Assisted Housing Developments of the document, there are just over 100 Subsidized Below Market Rate Units which are high risk. These units, once the deed restriction expires, will mostly end up being market rate for the "missing middle", those earning between 120% and 160% AMI.

This means:

1. The City needs to maximize the new supply of deed restricted Affordable Housing built.

2. The City does not need to sacrifice deed restricted affordable housing in order to build more missing middle units.

That said, the city should encourage missing middle units in place of housing which can only be afforded by those earning greater than 160% AMI.

Regards,
David Eichar
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Agenda Item #9.1:

321788.2

City of Sonoma
RESOLUTION # _______ - 2023

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SONOMA ACCEPTING THE

DOWNTOWN PARKING MANAGEMENT PLAN AND FINDING THAT THE ACTION IS NOT A PROJECT SUBJECT TO THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA).

WHEREAS, the Sonoma City Council directed the preparation of a comprehensive, long-term parking strategy and management plan for Downtown Sonoma. The Downtown Parking Management Plan represents a multi-year effort to develop a plan to address parking challenges in Downtown Sonoma; and
WHEREAS, the City contracted with W-Trans, a local traffic engineering firm, to create the Downtown Parking Management Plan outlining various strategies to address parking challenges in Downtown Sonoma; and
WHEREAS, the Downtown Parking Management Plan summarizes the most recent parking inventory, supply, and demand study, including counts of the public on- and off-street parking supply.

These counts are used to examine actual parking data and establish key parking trends occurring throughout Downtown; and
WHEREAS, based on the key findings from the parking data, this Plan includes a coordinated set of recommendations designed to improve parking, which builds on a study of parking conditions in the Downtown area that was prepared in 2017; and
WHEREAS, the City circulated the Draft Downtown Parking Management Plan for a 30-day public comment period from October 17, 2022 to November 16, 2022 and received 22 public comments on the Draft Parking Management Plan between October 28, 2022 and January 3, 2023; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission reviewed the Draft Parking Management Plan and provided comments at the regularly scheduled meetings on November 17, 2022 and December 15, 2022; and
WHEREAS, City staff and W-trans incorporated the comments received into the Final Downtown Parking Management Plan.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Sonoma resolves as follows:

Section 1. The above recitations are true and correct.

Section 2. Pursuant to Section 15060(c)(2) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the proposed activity is not subject to CEQA because approval of the Downtown Parking Management Plan, in and of itself, will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect foreseeable physical change int eh environment. All projects identified in Phase 1 that require a discretionary decision by the Planning Commission and/or City Council will require compliance with CEQA.

Agenda Item #9.1:

321788.2
Section 3. The Downtown Parking Management Plan is hereby accepted and shall take effect immediately.

Section 4. The City Manager is authorized to implement Phase 1 of the Downtown Parking Management Plan.

RESOLVED AND ADOPTED this ___________________, 2023 by the following vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

ABSTAIN:
_________________________________
Sandra Lowe, Mayor
ATTEST:
_________________________________
Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk

Agenda Item #9.1:

City Council
September 18, 2023
Downtown Parking Study Update
Presentation
Agenda Item #9.1:

Introduction
• Staff:
• W-Trans - Brian Canepa, TDM-CP, Principal
• 2 x W-Trans studies
• “Draft”, dated May 3, 2017, prepared for Public
Works Dept.
• “Draft”, dated August 30, 2023, prepared for
Planning and Community Services Dept.

Agenda Item #9.1:

Table of Contents – both studies
2017 2023
• Introduction - Introduction
• Existing Conditions - Parking Management Plan
• Future Parking Demand - Conclusions and Recommendations • Parking Demand Strategies - Study Participants and References • Conclusions and Recommendations
• Study Participants and References
Agenda Item #9.1:

Purpose:

Determine current parking needs and
deficiencies, assess future parking
demands, and provide recommendations
for potential parking strategies to address
parking deficiencies.

Agenda Item #9.1:

Survey Area
• Includes public on-street and offstreet parking in Downtown Sonoma • Sonoma Bike Path to the North
• Patten Street to the South
• 2nd Street West, and
• 2nd Street East
• Two public parking lots and segments
of West Spain Street, 1st Street West,
1st Street East, East Napa Street, and
Broadway
Agenda Item #9.1:

Agenda Item #9.1:

Table 1 – Existing Parking Supply
Parking
Location
Street Name Parking spaces Description
Off-Street
Parking
Casa Grande
Lot Lot B
1st Street East
East Napa Street
142
37 Free parking, no time
limit
Total Off-Street
Spaces
179
On-street
Parking
West Spain Street
1st Street West
1st Street East
East Napa Street
Broadway
659 3-hour time limit
9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon -
Sat
Total Parking
Spaces
838
Agenda Item #9.1:

Key Findings:
• Key Finding #1: Use of on-street parking by employees may contribute to the lack of availability around Sonoma Plaza. • Key Finding #2: Peak demand occurs on the weekends when the parking supply is almost fully occupied.
• Key Finding #3: Spillover parking occurs during special events and on weekends.
• Key Finding #4: Passenger drop-off and pick-up space is a need.
• Key Finding #5: Current on-street time limits are not respected.
• Key Finding #6: Some on-street spaces currently designated as “no parking” may be able to be better utilized.

Agenda Item #9.1:

Parking Management
Planning:
• Historically, a city wishing to "solve its parking problem" in a high-demand area has generally focused on increasing the supply of off-street parking.
• However, simply increasing supply does not fully address the core problem of concentrated demand, in which popular onstreet spaces are consistently oversubscribed while nearby offstreet spaces often remain underutilized. • Goal of parking demand management is to manage demand for curb spaces to ensure availability, while also optimizing utilization of the existing off-street supply to meet a variety of parking needs.

Agenda Item #9.1:

Goals and Objectives
• Establish a “park once” philosophy by managing Downtown parking as a single, integrated system that is convenient for motorists to park and easily access all destinations. • Make the most efficient use of all existing parking resources including on-street, off-street, public, and private spaces.
• Ensure parking facilities adequately accommodate consistent peak period demand. • Establish parking regulations that encourage motorists to stay and enjoy Downtown. • Support the ability of local employees to find parking, but discourage them from parking in “prime” on-street spaces.
• Ensure proper protection to help prevent “spillover” parking into adjacent residential neighborhoods. • Endorse parking management practices that support Downtown economic development. • Provide strategies that recognize and properly incentivize the differing needs of long-term and short-term parkers. • Embrace new parking technologies where appropriate to maximize customer satisfaction as well as foster enhanced parking data management and analysis.
• Provide flexibility to decision makers and City staff to adapt to seasonal and long-term changes in parking demand. Agenda Item #9.1: Page 306 of 325 A Toolbox
of
Measures
Strategy Effectiveness Ease of Implementation
Parking Enforcement 4 3
Parking Wayfinding 1 5
Passenger Loading Zones 1 5
Shared Parking Agreements 4 2
On-Street Time Restrictions 3 5
Bicycle Parking 2 4
Special Event Bicycle Valet Parking 2 4
Enhanced Mobility Information 1 5
Downtown Circulator 4 1
Note: sliding scale where 1 is “Least” and 5 is “Most”
Agenda Item #9.1:

Parking Enforcement
• Identify long-term parkers (including
“shufflers”)
• Avoid punitive approach
• Issue warnings initially
• Limited enforcement frequency
• Consider automated license plate
recognition (ALPR)
• Cost-effective
Agenda Item #9.1:

Wayfinding
• Static signage
• Real-time availability
• Pedestrian guidance
Agenda Item #9.1:

Passenger Loading Zones
• Passenger loading/unloading
• Private vehicles
• Uber, Lyft, etc.
• Very short time limit
• High turnover
• Centrally located
• Discourage double-parking
Agenda Item #9.1:

Shared Parking
• Identify public-private partnerships
• Better utilize private parking
• Make it a “win-win” situation for willing lot
owners
• Casa Grande - work with the State of
California
• Incorporate new wayfinding signage for
shared lots
Agenda Item #9.1:

Business Location Number of
Spaces

1. Sonoma Court Shops 27 E Napa St 50

2. First Baptist Church 542 First St E 22

3. Sonoma Community Center 276 E Napa St 75

4. Wine Communications Group 584 First St E 12

5. Arnold Field – County of
Sonoma
180 First St W 117

6. Trinity Episcopal Church 275 E Spain St 50

7. Sonoma Marketplace Shopping
Center
201 W Napa St 403

8. First Congregational Church of
Sonoma
252 W Spain St 75

9. Sonoma United Methodist
Church
109 Patten St 29

10. Mechanics Bank 10 Maple St 52

11. Orchard Place 579 First St W 47

12. Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall 126 First St W 135

13. Bank of America 35 W Napa St 53

14. Westamerica Bank 202 W Napa St 28

15. Casa Grande 335 First St E 142
Total 1,290
Agenda Item #9.1:

On-Street Time
Restrictions
• Hours of operation
• Currently 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Recommend 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Length of stay
• Currently 3 hours
• Recommend maintaining 3 hours
Agenda Item #9.1:

Bicycle Parking & Special Event Valet
• Offer more public bicycle parking in
convenient locations Downtown
• Reevaluate the bicycle parking provisions of
the Municipal Code
• Expand the use of bicycle valet parking
during special events
Agenda Item #9.1:

Enhanced Mobility
Information
• Upgraded mobility website
• Highlight existing resources - GoSonoma
• Partner and disseminate information
• Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau
• Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce
Agenda Item #9.1:

Downtown Circulator
• Currently under consideration with local
hotels
• Fixed route service
• App-based service (e.g. Circuit)
Agenda Item #9.1:

Phase 2 Strategies
• To be considered only if deemed necessary
• Would require additional Council approval
• Strategies
• Create a parking benefit district
• Implement on-street metered parking and regulate
based on demand
• Create a Resident Parking Meter permit program
• Allow for Residential Parking Permit programs
• Create an Employee Parking Permit program
Agenda Item #9.1:

Questions?
Brian Canepa
W-Trans
[email protected]
Agenda Item #9.1:

City of Sonoma
Agenda Item Summary
Meeting: City Council - 18 Sep 2023
Department
Planning and Community Services
Staff Contact
Jennifer Gates, AICP, Community Development
Director
Agenda Item Title
Creation of a General Plan Update Task Force
Summary
On May 17, the City Council approved a contract with De Novo Planning Group to help prepare the General Plan Update. Since contract execution, the consultant has been preparing the existing conditions report and the project website, as well as preparing for the joint City Council and Planning Commission kick-off meeting planned for October 11.

As part of the process, the City Council requested the City create a General Plan Update Task Force to provide diverse perspectives (demographic, geographic, social, economic, lived experience, etc.) while developing the General Plan Update. The Task Force will ensure our diverse community needs and vision for the future are being heard and incorporated to the extent possible. The Task Force will act in an advisory capacity with input and suggestions documented and presented to decision-making bodies such as the Planning Commission and the City Council.

Staff recommends that the Task Force be comprised of seven members, five (5) residents of Sonoma City and two (2) residents of Sonoma Valley outside the City limits, with professional background, expertise, or education in: transportation, parks and recreation, land use, housing, business, economic development, cultural or historical resources, and/or environmental justice.

Staff requests the Council appoint two Councilmembers to work with staff to create final Task Force based on availability and diversity of the candidates, subject to final approval by the City Council. Each City Council member shall provide staff with two potential candidates to represent the City and one potential candidate from Sonoma Valley.

The meetings of the Task Force will be open to the public and held under the Brown Act.

Environmental Review:

This action is exempt from the environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), which exempts organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment, and Section 15306, which exempts data collection and research. The action before the City Council is to provide input of further direction, as appropriate, which may inform how future work will be conducted.

Environmental review for the General Plan will be considered separately and for any resulting future projects.

Recommended Council Action

1. Adopt the Resolution approving the creation of the General Plan Update Task Force.

Agenda Item #9.2:

2. Appoint two members of the City Council to work with staff to finalize the Task Force membership.

Alternative Actions
Council discretion.

Financial Impact
There is no financial impact from this action.

Environmental Review Status
Environmental Impact Report
Negative Declaration
Exempt
Not Applicable
Approved/Certified
No Action Required
Action Requested
Attachments
Resolution General Plan Update Task Force
Agenda Item #9.2:

1 City of Sonoma
RESOLUTION # _______ - 2023

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SONOMA
ESTABLISHING THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE TASK FORCE.

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Sonoma (“City”) desires to establish an advisory task force for the General Plan Update.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Sonoma resolves as follows:

SECTION 1. That the above recitations are true and correct.

SECTION 2. This action is exempt from the environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), which exempts organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment, and Section 15306, which exempts data collection and research. The action before the City Council is to provide input of further direction, as appropriate, which may inform how future work will be conducted.

Environmental review for the General Plan will be considered separately and for any resulting future projects.

SECTION 3. Purpose
The General Plan Update Task Force is intended to provide a diverse perspective (demographic, geographic, social, economic, lived experience, etc.) throughout the development of the General Plan Update and to ensure our diverse community needs and vision for the future are heard and incorporated to the extent possible. The Task Force will act in an advisory capacity with input and suggestions documented and presented to decision-making bodies such as the Planning Commission and the City Council.

SECTION 4. The General Plan Update Task Force is established as follows:

1. Membership
a. The Task Force shall consist of seven (7) members and shall include:

Five (5) residents of Sonoma City and two (2) residents of the Sonoma Valley outside the City limits, with professional background, expertise, or education in: transportation, parks and recreation, land use, housing, business, economic development, cultural or historical resources, and/or environmental justice.
b. Each City Council member shall provide staff with two potential candidates to represent the City and one potential candidate from Sonoma Valley. Council will appoint two Councilmembers to work with staff to create a final Task Force based on availability and diversity of the candidates, subject to approval by the City Council.

2. Procedures
a. The Task Force shall appoint a Chair and Vice-Chair at its first meeting. b. The Task Force shall hold meetings in compliance with the Brown Act.

Agenda Item #9.2:

2 c. All Task Force meetings shall be open to the public.

3. Duties
a. The General Plan Update Task Force will be an advisory committee to the City Council for the preparation of the Draft General Plan Update, a two-year process. The Task Force shall review and respond to the development of the General Plan which includes the various tasks identified below:
i. Attend Task Force Meetings throughout the multi-year process (schedule to be determined).
ii. Review the existing conditions information.
iii. Participate and assist in promoting community engagement activities, including but not limited to public workshops and public meetings. iv. Review and comment on the goals, objectives and policies for each Element of the plan.

4. Financial Interests
a. The General Plan Update Plan Task Force shall perform a solely advisory function.

Their conclusions and recommendations may, but are not required to, be considered by the Planning Commission and/or the City Council before action is taken. b. The members of the Task Force do not have decision-making authority within the meaning of FPPC Regulation 18700(c)(2).

SECTION 5. That this Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption.

RESOLVED AND ADOPTED this ___________________, 2023 by the following vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

ABSTAIN:
_________________________________
Sandra Lowe, Mayor
ATTEST:
_________________________________
Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk
Agenda Item #9.2:

(titty of énnnma
RESOLUTION # - 2023

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITYCOUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SONOMA
ESTABLISHING THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE TASK FORCE.

WHEREAS, the City Councilof the City of Sonoma (“Clty")desires to establish an advisory task force for the General Plan Update.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Sonoma resolves as follows:

SECTION 1. That the above recitations are true and correct.

SECTION 2. This action is exempt from the environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), which exempts organizational or administrative activities of governments that willnot result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment, and Section 15306, which exempts data collectionand research. The action before the City Council is to provide input of further direction, as appropriate, which may inform how future work willbe conducted.

Environmental review for the General Plan willbe considered separately and for any resulting future projects.

SECTION 3. Purpose
The General Plan Update Task Force is intended to provide a diverse perspective (demographic, geographic, social, economic, lived experience, etc.) throughout the development of the General Plan Update and to ensure our diverse community needs and vision for the future are heard and incorporated to the extent possible. The Task Force willact in an advisory capacity with input and suggestions documented and presented to decision-making bodies such as the Planning Commission and the City Council.

SECTION 4. The General Plan Update Task Force is established as follows:

1. Membership
a. The Task Force shall consist of seven (7) members and shall include:

Five (5) residents of Sonoma City and two (2) residents of the Sonoma Valley outside the City limits(as "Sonoma Valley” is defined in the Council Commission and Committee Appointment Policy). with professional background, expertise, or education in:
transportation, parks and recreation, land use, housing, business, economic development, cultural or historical resources, and/or environmental justice. b. Each City Council member shall provide staff with two potential candidates to represent the City and one potential candidate from Sonoma Valley. Council willappoint two Councilmembers to work with staff to create a final Task Force based on availability and diversity of the candidates, subject to approval by the City Council. c. Task Force vacancies shall be filled in compliance with the Council Commission and Committee Appointment Policy then in effect for at—l_a_;geGroup B Commissions. 3218543 1
Agenda Item #9.2:

2. Procedures
a. The Task Force shall appoint a Chair and Vice—Chairat its first meeting. b. The Task Force shall hold meetings in compliance with the Brown Act. c. AllTask Force meetings shall be open to the public.

3. Duties
a. The General Plan Update Task Force willbe an advisory committee to the City Council for the preparation of the Draft General Plan Update, a two-year process. The Task Force shall review and respond to the development of the General Plan which includes the various tasks identified below:
i.Attend Task Force Meetings throughout the multi-year process (schedule to be determined).
ii.Review the existing conditions information.
iii.Participate and assist in promoting community engagement activities, including but not limitedto public workshops and public meetings. iv. Review and comment on the goals, objectives and policies for each Element of the plan.

4. Financial interests
a. The General Plan Update Task Force shall perform a solely advisory function. Their conclusions and recommendations may, but are not required to, be considered by the Planning Commission and/or the City Council before action is taken. b. The members of the Task Force do not have decision-making authority within the meaning of FPPC Regulation 18700(c)(2).

SECTION 5. Upon adoption by the City Council ofthe General Ptan Update. the Generat Plan Update Task Force shall automatically be disestablished.

SECTION 6. That.th.i,s,.Rs=1soIuti.on, shaI|.taKe,eff9¢t .imme.di.ate.|y. upon its,a.d.option...

RESOLVED AND ADOPTED this , 2023 by the following vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

ABSTAIN:

Sandra Lowe, Mayor
ATTEST:
3213543 2
,,, , ~ ‘Ll-'?‘matted: Font: Bold
Agenda Item #9.2:

Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk
3218543 3
Agenda Item #9.2: