SR-012709-11a~®
City of ®'~y ®®~~1®/'~ ®\Gp®9L
Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: January 27, 2009
Agenda Item: ~ ~ ~~ }~
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen Fogarty, Director, Planning and Community Development
Subject: Amendment of Preferential Parking Zone EE
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council:
1. Amend Zone EE to restrict parking to residents at all times on the streets listed
below. The current restrictions are: "No vehicle shall be parked adjacent to any curb
in Preferential Parking Zone EE between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily,
except. by permit." The four affected blocks are:
• Longfellow Street between Marine and Ozone Streets (two blocks),
• Navy Street between Longfellow Street and Lincoln Boulevard, and
• Ozone Street between Longfellow Street. and Lincoln Boulevard.
2. Approve the attached Resolution amending Preferential Parking Zone EE 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.
Executive Summary
Located at the southern city limits, the Borderline Neighborhood is bounded by Lincoln
Boulevard on the east, Ozone Street on the south, .7th Street on the west and Marine
Street on the north. The City Council. approved daytime parking restrictions in May
1996 for the Borderline Neighborhood. All of the pre-approved blocks have preferential
parking restrictions implemented. The first block of residents from this neighborhood
submitted a complete petition to extend the restrictions to 24 hours daily in October
2006. Currently four blocks have petitioned. Residents state that customers of
restaurants on Lincoln Boulevard park on their streets at night, even though metered
parking is available on Lincoln Boulevard. These meters are free of charge from 6 pm
until 9 am and all day Sunday (with no parking allowed from 3 am to 5 am). In addition
to parking incursions from the land uses along Lincoln Boulevard, there is a history of
illicit activity in the area. Residents specifically mentioned the use of their streets for
criminal activities, although the Santa Monica Police Department reports that the crime
rates are currently not greater than other areas. While there are some other preferential
parking areas that restrict parking 24 hours a day, staff is generally not supportive of
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supportive of such severe regulations and typically recommends the least restrictive
regulations that enable residents to park near their homes. This particular area of the
Borderline neighborhood is characterized as consisting of older residential units on
small parcels with residents reliant on limited street parking while competing with
parking associated with Lincoln Boulevard businesses. Given the uniqueness of this
neighborhood's parking challenges, staff supports the residents' request, restricting
parking to residents only at all times. No change in revenue is anticipated as residents
on affected blocks are already eligible to purchase permits.
Background
This is primarily asingle-family neighborhood comprised of older homes on small
parcels, many reliant on on-street parking, located at the southern boundary of the City
of Santa Monica, just west of Lincoln Bouelvard. Commercial businesses, including
auto-oriented services, line Lincoln Boulevard. There are also a few restaurants that
operate into the evening. The existing preferential parking regulations state "No
parking 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m, daily, except by permit," and were established by
Council in 1996. The surrounding blocks to the north, west, and east of this
neighborhood do not have preferential parking.
Discussion
Residents of four blocks in Zone EE have submitted completed qualifying petitions to
change their existing regulations to 24 hours daily:
• 3100 block of Longfellow between Marine and Navy (October 2007)
• 3200 block of Longfellow between Navy and Ozone (October 2007)
800 block of Navy between Longfellow and Lincoln (October 2006)
800 block of Ozone between Longfellow and Lincoln (October 2007)
At this time, no petitions have been submitted to change the restrictions on the 700
blocks of Navy or Ozone Streets.
Current Situation
The following graphic shows the current preferential parking restrictions in the
neighborhood.
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Current Preferential Parking in Neighborhood
Parking occupancy counts were conducted in Summer 2008. The counts were
conducted primarily on Thursdays in the evening, as this day and time of the week was
specifically identified by residents as being the worst for parking. The counts indicate
that on-street parking on the residential streets can be difficult to find. Average
occupancies range from 45 to 103 percent. Peak occupancies .from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
range from 50 percent to over 100 percent (more parked cars than there are parking
spaces). However, it is important to note that the two observed instances. of parking
occupancies greater than 100 percent were due to cars being parked in front of private
driveways on Ozone Street. Therefore, even though there were more cars parked on
this street than there are legal parking spaces, there were still a few spaces available.
Nevertheless, these figures are slightly misleading as there are so few parking spaces
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on the blocks in question; on most of these blocks, adding only one additional parked
car raises the occupancy almost 20 percent. Full study results are included as
Attachment B.
There are currently four zones that allow parking by permit only 24-hours a day.
Generally, staff seeks the least restrictive solutions, however in this case, like those
previously approved, 24-hour restrictions are warranted due to impacts of business
parking, illicit activities and neighborhood parcel characteristics. Staff is recommending
the 24 hour regulations for this zone, as compared to regstrictions that would end at 2
am daily, to simplify signage for motorists. Confusing parking regulation signage is a
frequent source of complaints from the public.
Public Outreach
Residents; businesses and others in the area were invited to a community meeting on
June 11, 2008. Three people attended and spoke about:
• the difficulties they have finding parking, especially on street-cleaning days,
• vehicles being parked for longer than 72 hours, and
restaurant patrons parking on these streets.
Complete comments are included as Attachment C.
Alternatives
The Council could choose not to modify this zone. They could also choose different
hours and types of restrictions than are recommended in this report.
Environmental Analvsis
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,
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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.
Financial Impact & Budget Actions
No change in revenue is anticipated as residents on affected blocks are already eligible
to purchase permits.
Prepared by:
Jason Kligier, Transportation Planning Assistant
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
~~-~--'
Eileen Fogarh a o'nt Ewell
Director, Cit anager
Planning and Commu " y Development
Attachments: A Resolution Establishing Preferential Parking, Exhibit A -
Preferential Parking Zones
B Parking Occupancy Study Results
C June 11, 2008 Neighborhood Meeting Comments
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Attachment B
Parking Occupancy Study Results
Thursday, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday,
Borderline Neighborhood Parking Counts
.6/26/08
7/24/08
8/17/08
8/27/08 Thursday, 9/11/08
Total Spaces Average
4:20 PM
9:00 PM
1:00 AM
6:00 PM
6:15 PM 8:00 PM 10:25 PM Occupancy
Longfellow b/w Marine and Navy
East 5 3 4 4 3 6 6 6 .~ ~~~~_~° "-_:
Percentage 83% 50% 67% 67% 50% 100% 100%
{,.
74%
West 5 4 7 1 5 5 7 8 ~~~ '~ Y
Percentage 63% 50% 88% 13% 63% 63% 88% `,` ~~"z_ 61%
Longfellow b/w Navy and Ozone
East
Percentage 3
50% 3
50% 4
67% 3
50% 1
17% 3
50% 5
83% 6 ~'_~_ ~ ".:
52%
West 3 3 3 1 2 3 4 6 x
s,,:`:° ~
Percentage 50% 50% 50% 17% 33% 50% 67% .z,~~ ~,,,r ~,~~ „
45%
Navy b/w Lincoln and Longfellow*
North 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ,'~~f ~ s't
Percentage 0% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% ;7h.'. '' 86%
Ozone b/w Lincoln and Longfellow
North 3 5 5 3 3 5 5 6 ,x>, „~;
Percentage 50% 83% 83% 50% 50% 83% 83% f `~°
t'~ 69%
South 3 5 7 4 5 5 7 5 ~""
~~~
Percentage 60% 100% 140% 80% 100% 100% 140% r i''' 103%
'There is no parking on the south side of Navy Street.
Attachment C
Comments from Longfellow Preferential Parking Community Meeting
• Where will employees of Lincoln businesses park?
• Residents of Navy (west of Longfellow) want overnight parking
restrictions
• Cars left on Longfellow for over 72 hours
• Mariscos restaurant customers impact Ozone Street
• Dance nights at Santino's make it difficult to park on Longfellow
• Consensus is that it is worse during street cleaning
• Possibility of pre-approving a larger area that might want night time
restrictions
• How far do residents want overnight restrictions?
• What regulations by Ozone Park?
• On site parking is not used
• There are more cars owned than there are parking spaces on the
street
• Existing parking garages in the neighborhood are old and small
In attendance: 3
Melidi Mohlashami
Dennis Woods
Robert Rotman
Reference Resolution No.
10379 (CCS).