SR-417-003-01 (93)
F:\PCD\Share\CouncilReports2001\prefparkT.doc Santa Monica, California
Council Meeting: December 18, 2001
To: Mayor and City Council
From: City Staff
Subject: Resolution 1) Amending Preferential Parking Zone T (Dorchester Avenue
between Exposition Boulevard and Delaware Avenue) and enlarging it to
be bounded by Exposition Boulevard, Stewart Street, Virginia Avenue, and
Centinela Avenue, 2) Eliminating Zone UU (Yorkshire Avenue between
Exposition Boulevard and Delaware Avenue) as it would be surrounded by
the larger Zone T, and 3) Amending City Council Resolution 9344 CCS
Introduction
This report recommends the expansion of Preferential Parking Zone T to include the
area bordered by Exposition Boulevard, Stewart Street, Virginia Avenue, and Centinela
Avenue, except Centinela Avenue itself. The expanded zone would incorporate two
blocks that currently have preferential parking regulations and a larger area that would
be pre-approved for preferential parking. The larger area includes three blocks on
which regulations would be implemented immediately because residents have
submitted qualifying petitions.
Background
This neighborhood has long experienced problems with long-term non-resident parking.
Previously, the City has addressed these problems by enacting various parking
regulations. The neighborhood currently has two preferential parking zones, as well as
two-hour parking restrictions (without an exception for residents with permits) on several
blocks. Preferential Parking Zone T, on Dorchester Avenue between Exposition
Boulevard and Delaware Avenue, was created in 1990, with two-hour parking
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regulations between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except by
permit. Preferential Parking Zone UU, on Yorkshire Avenue, between Exposition
Boulevard and Delaware Avenue, was created in 1999, with two-hour parking between
9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except by permit. Both of these
blocks are short and include only a very few residents. Other residential blocks that
have two-hour parking regulations, with no permit exceptions, 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.,
include:
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2800-3400 Exposition Boulevard (between Stewart Street and Centinela
Avenue), south side only, Monday through Saturday
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3300 block of Delaware Avenue/1800 block of 34 Street (between Exposition
Boulevard and Centinela Avenue, Monday through Saturday
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3300 block of Virginia Avenue (between Warwick Avenue and Centinela
Avenue), Monday through Friday.
In August 2000, residents of the 2800 block of Delaware submitted a qualifying petition
that initiated the study process in this neighborhood. Residents of the following three
blocks have now completed petitions for preferential parking on file with the
Transportation Management Division:
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2800 block of Delaware Avenue (between Stewart Street and Yorkshire Avenue)
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2900 block of Delaware Avenue (between Yorkshire and Dorchester Avenue)
th
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3300 block of Delaware Avenue/1800 block of 34 Street (between Exposition
Boulevard and Centinela Avenue.
Neighborhood Parking Issues
This area is primarily a single-family neighborhood, with the significant exception of
Exposition Boulevard, which has multi-family units along the southern length only. The
north side of Exposition (and the adjacent area further north) is a Light Manufacturing
and Studio District. Residents in this area are affected by employee parking from
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businesses both on and north of Exposition Boulevard, including Verizon employees
and studio visitors, especially during filming and casting. Residents report employee
parking from businesses as far north as Nebraska Avenue, and student parking from a
college campus on Nebraska. Residents at the eastern end of the neighborhood are
protected by the simple two-hour regulations from the commercial area along Centinela
Avenue, but their own ability to park for longer periods is restricted. Parking is especially
limited in the western end of this area because of parking prohibitions along Stewart
Avenue, which must also accommodate spillover park patrons and visitors to
Mountainview Trailer Park.
Study Findings
During the spring of 2001, the area bounded by Exposition Boulevard, Stewart Street,
Virginia Avenue, and Centinela Avenue was studied to determine parking occupancies
and usage. A summary of peak parking occupancies is included as Attachment C. The
study demonstrates that parking occupancies are moderate (greater than 50 percent but
less than 85 percent) to high (greater than 85 percent). Both the data and field
observations suggest that the western end of the area has the highest occupancies.
The original petitioning block (Delaware between Stewart and Yorkshire) has a peak
occupancy of 64 percent on a weekday, while three other blocks in the western end of
this area have weekday peak occupancies of 90 to 100 percent. Peak occupancies in
the rest of the area (Yorkshire Avenue and points east) have mostly moderate and
lower parking occupancies. Here, parking occupancies are highest along Exposition
Boulevard where there are multi-family units. Saturday occupancies across the area
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are mostly low. Some of the blocks in this area have two-hour Saturday restrictions, but
the blocks without regulations show low Saturday occupancies too.
Community Input
City staff initially recommended to respond to petitions by standardizing the regulations
throughout the neighborhood as follows: two-hour parking between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00
p.m., Monday through Friday, except by permit, and circulated this recommendation
within the community to generate comments from those who would be most affected.
Businesses and residents in the study area were invited to attend a meeting to discuss
preferential parking in their neighborhood. In addition, a survey was sent to all residents
asking them about their preferences on Saturday restrictions, as well as whether they
preferred the simple two-hour restrictions (without permits) to a preferential parking
program. Results from this survey are included as Attachment D.
Residents at the meeting (especially from the original petitioning block, the 2800 block
of Delaware) wanted more restrictive regulations than those proposed by staff.
Comments from this meeting are summarized in Attachment E. Some felt the parking
occupancy study had not captured the true parking problems because it did not reflect
conditions during a casting call or soccer Saturday. Some residents also wanted longer
hours to parallel film studio hours, and suggested 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Some felt that
a two-hour restriction would not be effective because of enforcement inconsistency and
the typically short parking duration of park patrons and people auditioning. The survey
did not include an option for choosing ?no parking, except by permit?, and was criticized
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for that reason. Nevertheless, survey respondents were almost evenly split about
whether or not to include Saturdays, while 30 percent of respondents wanted no
restrictions at all. Eight respondents, mostly on the petitioning blocks, added ?no
parking? restrictions to their surveys. Overall, the survey yielded a 16 percent return.
Recommendations for Expanded Zone T
The objective of these regulations is to alleviate the parking pressure on residential
streets and still allow flexibility for visitors to the residential and commercial neighbors
and the Stewart Street Park. The western end of the neighborhood, characterized by
higher parking occupancies and limited resources is recommended for ?No parking? and
the eastern end is recommended for ?Two-hour parking?, except by permit. No
Saturday restrictions are recommended. The entire area is to be pre-approved for
preferential parking so that any block-to-block spillover associated with the regulations
will be incorporated within the proposed zone.
1) No parking between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except by
permit on:
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Delaware Ave./Exposition Blvd./Virginia Ave. between Stewart and Yorkshire
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Stewart Street between Exposition and Virginia.
2) Two-hour parking between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday,
except by permit on:
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Delaware Ave./Exposition Blvd./Virginia Ave. between Yorkshire and Centinela
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Yorkshire Ave/Dorchester Ave/Warwick Ave. between Exposition and Virginia
th
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34 Street between Exposition and Delaware
(This would include both of the blocks which currently have preferential parking.)
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Budget/Fiscal Impact
Initially, it is estimated that area residents in the proposed zone will purchase
approximately 100 new permits. This will generate approximately $750 in additional
revenue in FY 01/02, and $1,500 in subsequent budget years at account 01415.400290.
The budget should be amended to reflect this additional revenue.
CEQA Analysis
The proposed project has been determined to be categorically exempt from the
provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Article 19,
Section 15301 ( c ) which was recently amended to define Class 1 exempt projects in
the following way: "Class 1 consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting,
leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities,
mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving little or no expansion of use
beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency?s determination. . ." This exemption
lists as an example of "existing facilities:" "( c ) Existing highways and streets,
sidewalks, gutters, bicycle and pedestrian trails, and similar facilities." Preferential
parking zones involve only the issuance of permits for the use of an existing public
street and include negligible or no expansion of this existing use.
Recommendations
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Approve the attached Resolution amending and enlarging Preferential Parking
Zone T so that it is bounded by Exposition Boulevard, Stewart Street, Virginia
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Avenue, and Centinela Avenue, eliminate Zone UU (which would now be
included in Zone T), and amending Resolution 9344 CCS (Resolution of the City
Council of the City of Santa Monica Re-Establishing Various Preferential Parking
Zones) by replacing Exhibit A.
2. Approve the revenue budget adjustment outlined in this report.
Attachments: A Resolution Establishing Preferential Parking, Exhibit A ?
Preferential Parking Zones
B Vicinity Map
C Parking Occupancy Summary
D Survey Results
E Summary of Comments from Neighborhood Meeting
Prepared By: Suzanne Frick, Director of Planning and Community Development
Lucy Dyke, Transportation Planning Manager
Beth Rolandson, Senior Transportation Planner
Ruth Harper, Transportation Planning Associate
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