sr-042611-11aCity Council Meeting: April 26, 2011
Agenda Item: lIA
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen Fogarty, Planning and Community Development Director
Subject: Amendment of Preferential Parking Zone W and Creation of Preferential
Parking Zone Y
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council:
1. Amend Zone VV to extend the hours of preferential parking restrictions from 7 a.m.
to 12 a.m. to 24 hours a day on the following six blocks:
• Franklin Street between Santa Monica Boulevard and Colorado Avenue (two
blocks), and
• Broadway and Colorado Avenue between Berkeley Street and Centinela
Avenue (four blocks).
2: Create Zone Y in the area bounded by Ashland Avenue, 23~d Street,- Dewey Street
and 16th Street (excluding Ashland Avenue) with parking limited to two hours from 8
a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, except by permit.
3. Approve the attached Resolution amending Preferential Parking Zone W, creating
Preferential Parking Zone Y 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
Residents of two neighborhoods have petitioned to amend or establish preferential
parking regulations because unregulated non-resident parking is impacting their ability
to find parking near their homes. In Zone W, the established regulations end at
midnight and non-residents utilize these streets when patronizing a nearby sports bar.
In addition to hindering residents' ability to find parking near their homes, residents
contend that the behavior of the patrons as they return to their vehicles results in unsafe
and disruptive conditions. Similarly, residents of several blocks in the proposed Zone Y
are unable to find parking near their homes because spaces are occupied by Santa
Monica College students who park on their streets Monday through Friday during the
school year. Staff recommends the above actions to reduce the impact on non-resident
parking in both neighborhoods.
1
Should Council approve the recommended action, it is estimated that new permit sales
would generate $750, which would -offset the cost to the City of issuing permits to
residents. Additionally, new signage would be required at an initial cost of $6000 for the
first ten blocks. .
Background
Preferential parking is a taol the City uses to manage non-resident parking on
residential streets, as authorized by Santa Monica Municipal Code Chapter 3.08 and the
California Vehicle Code. Preferential parking regulations manage the use of on-street
parking to assist residents in finding parking near their home. Only residents who live on
a block with preferential parking restrictions are eligible to purchase a permit.
Residents may petition to initiate a preferential parking zone at any time. Upon receipt
of a petition representing two-thirds of the residential units on a block, a parking
occupancy study of the neighborhood is conducted and a community meeting is held.
When petitions are submitted, staff evaluates the larger neighborhood, rather than an
individual block. As a result, staff typically recommends pre-approving regulations for a
neighborhood to streamline and expedite the process for adjacent blocks should some
displacement occur. Ultimately, the Council considers the request and can approve
creating or modifying the preferential parking zone. Changes to established regulations
are achieved by the same process.
Zone W was established by Council on Julv 20, 1999. The proposed Zone Y is
immediately south of Zone L, which was established by Council on June 14, 1988 and
amended several times since. The most recent amendment was on June 11, 2002.
Discussion
Zone W
Zone W is located on the eastern end of the Mid-City neighborhood and is zoned R2
(Low Density Multiple Family Residential). The zone is bounded by Santa Monica
Boulevard on the north, Centinela Avenue on the east, Colorado Avenue on the south
and Yale. Street on the west (Figure 1). Commercial uses line Santa Monica Boulevard,
2
including auto dealerships, offices, shops and a sports bar. A large synagogue and
school campus is located in the neighborhood on the 1500 block of Franklin Street
between Broadway and Colorado Avenue.
fi~
Figure 1
}k,
Legend
~a Petitioning Block
~ Zone W East: No parking 7A-12A
Zone W West: 2HR 8A-SP M-F,
No parkingaii other times
'.:,Zonex: 2HR 9A-6P, No parking 6P-9A
~Zonell: No parking SA-12A
`'"._ Zone S: No parking7A-6P M-F
QSynagoguef5chool
Sports Bar
Preferential parking regulations were originally approved for this zone in 1999 and
included two sets of regulations. The blocks to the west were approved for:
• Two hour parking 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and no parking all
other times, except by permit.
The blocks to the east were approved for:
• No parking 7 a.m. to 12 a.m., except by permit.
The blocks directly to the north of this zone have the following regulations: Two hour
parking 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and no parking 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., except by permit.
In October 2009, 71 % of the households on the 1400 -block of Franklin Street between
Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway petitioned for increased overnight restrictions,
3
to match the blocks to the north and west. As one of the only blocks in the area to allow
overnight parking without a permit, the 1400 block of Franklin Street experiences
parking by patrons of the sports bar who park at or before midnight, when the
restrictions expire. This results in late-night noise and disturbances noted by residents
in the petition.
As a result of the petition, a parking occupancy study was conducted. The parking
occupancy of each block was recorded every hour between 9 a.m. and 2 a.m. on
Saturday, October 9 and Tuesday, October 12; 2010: The counts indicate that on-street
parking in Zone W is difficult to find in the evening, with peak occupancies ranging
between 70 and 100 percent. Meanwhile, the four block commercial stretch of Santa
Monica Boulevard between Yale Street and Centinela Avenue had an average of 16
parking spaces available every hour between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m., indicating that patrons
of the sports bar should continue to be able to find on-street parking in the area, even if
the regulations are amended. Maps of the peak parking occupancies have been
included as Attachment B. Full study results are included as Attachment C.
A community meeting was noticed to residents, businesses and property owners in the
neighborhood and held on February 10, 2011. Ten people attended and spoke about
the difficulties they have finding parking at night and the behavior of bar patrons.
Residents also raised concerns about potential abuse of disabled parking placards
which exempt users from preferential parking regulations. The issue has been referred
to the Police Department for follow up.
Discussion at the meeting included the potential to standardize the regulations so that
all streets in Zone W would have: Two hour parking 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday, and no parking all other times, except by permit. However, those in attendance
were unanimous in their opposition to this proposal, citing concerns that the streets
would be overrun again by non-resident vehicles and noting past experience with the
synagogue and a nearby auto repair shop. Complete comments are included as
Attachment D. Additionally, five emailed comments were received, with three residents
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opposed to allowing non-residents to park for two hours without a permit, one business
in favor, and one resident in favor of maintaining the current regulations.
Staff recommends amending the regulations on the eastern blocks of Zone W to no
parking, except by permit. While stringent, they are fundamentally no different than the
existing regulations which only allow non-resident parking from midnight to 7 a.m. In
fact, the only group that would be impacted by this change is the sports bar patrons.
They are not without options however, as the bar offers valet in addition to the spaces
typically available on Santa Monica Boulevard. These changes would not affect the
valet operation.
Zone Y
Zone Y is proposed for the southern portion of the Sunset Park neighborhood and is
zoned R1 (Single Family Residential). The zone would be bounded by Ashland Avenue
on the north, 23~d Street on the east, Dewey Street on the south and 16th Street on the
west (Figure 2). Ashland. Avenue is excluded from the zone as it is already approved for
the Zone L parking restrictions of: no parking 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday
and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, except by permit. Preferential parking regulations were
originally approved for Zone L in 1988 and the zone has been augmented several times
since.
In May 2010, 67% of the households on the -1600 -block of Weilesley Drive between
Ashland Avenue and 17th Street petitioned for preferential parking restrictions. Over the
years, as pre-approved blocks in Zone L became preferential parking zones, Santa
Monica College student parking pressure spread south toward the 1600 block of
Wellesley Drive and adjacent streets. Parking is already limited by the fact that
Wellesley Drive and Bryn Mawr and Sunset Avenues are narrow and parking is only
allowed on one side of each block. Residents of these blocks cannot purchase permits
to park around the corner in Zone L which compounds the problem.
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Legend
1. Woodlawn Cemetery
2. Santa Monica College
3. Will Rogers Elementary
4. John Adarns Middle
5. Marine Park
~a Pre-approved
"~ Implemented
'•• Petitioning Block
C~ Existing Zone L
~ Proposed Zone Y
As a result of the petition, a parking occupancy study was conducted of the blocks
bounded by Ashland Avenue, 18th Street, Dewey Street and 16th Street. The study
recorded the parking occupancy every hour between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Monday,
October 25, 2010. The counts indicate that on-street parking in the area can be difficult
to find on the blocks immediately south of Ashland Avenue, with peak. occupancies
ranging between 73 and 110 percent. High peak occupancies were also recorded on
the 1700 blocks of Bryn Mawr and Sunset Avenues. A map of the peak parking
occupancies is included as Attachment E. Full study results are included as
Attachment F. While not included in the study area, staff recommends including the
area between 18th and 23~d Streets in Zone Y as high occupancies have been observed
in this area as well, especially on Pier Avenue.
6
Twenty-three people attended a community meeting held January 20, 2011. Those in
attendance expressed split opinions, with some in favor of preferential parking and
others opposed. Complete comments are included as Attachment G. Additionally, 22
emailed comments were received, 17 of which were residents opposed to preferential
parking, with the majority of emails coming from the 1700 block of Wellesley, one block
away from the petitioning block.
In an effort to balance these viewpoints, staff recommends the following restrictions:
Two hour parking 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, except by permit. The center
of the SMC campus is a 15-20 minute walk from the blocks in the proposed Zone Y.
The longer walk and limited parking time will make this area ineffective for most
students' parking needs. At the same time, these regulations would allow vehicles to
park from 4 p.m. overnight to 10 a.m. the next day without a permit and. would not be in
effect on weekends. This would minimize the perceived inconvenience of permit parking
and many residents could likely forgo purchasing permits altogether.
Alternatives
The Council could maintain the existing conditions or adopt different hours and types of
restrictions than recommended. Additionally, Council could direct staff to reevaluate
who is eligible to purchase permits. Currently, only residents who live on the block with
preferential parking regulations are eligible to purchase a permit. Residents may be
frustrated when an adjacent block petitions for preferential parking because they can no
longer park on those blocks. If all residents within one or two blocks of a zone were
eligible to purchase a permit, it would address the issue and may reduce the number of
blocks applying for parking permits. For example, some residents of the petitioning
block in the proposed Zone Y mentioned at the community meeting that this would be
preferable to implementing preferential parking on their block.
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Finally, Council could direct staff to further explore citywide implementation of Land Use
and Circulation Element (LUCE) policy T22.2: "Expand management options for
residential parking permit districts in order to increase parking availability for residents"
(LUCE page 4.0-71). Options include:
• Limiting the number of residential permits issued, so that permits are "more than
just a `hunting license"' (p. 4.0-68). Currently, residents are issued one permit for
every vehicle they own and up to two visitor permits per household. In many
neighborhoods, this results in a stark imbalance between the number of permits
issued and the amount of on-street parking spaces. One way to achieve this
would be to have an escalating fee schedule, where second or third permits cost
more than the first permit.
® Excluding new residential projects from participation in preferential parking to
various degrees (p. 4.0-69).
Incentivizing residents to use garages for parking rather than storage (p. 4.0-69)
or preventing residents with available off-street parking from purchasing permits.
Environmental 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 defines 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 negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing
at the time of the lead agency's determination." This exemption includes: "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.
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
An estimated 50 new permits would be sold in Zone Y upon Council approval, with
further permits sold as additional blocks petition. This will generate $750 in account
01225.400290, which would offset the cost to the City of issuing permits to residents in
the zone. In Zone W, the change in regulations would not change the number of
permits sold. New signage will need to be ordered and installed for both zones at an
initial cost of $6000 for the first ten blocks. Funds are available in account
01486.544010.
Prepared by: Jason Kligier, Transportation Planning Associate
Forwarded to Council:
Approved:
~e'""\ / a
Ro Gould ~T~
City Manager
Attachments:
A. Resolution Establishing Preferential Parking, Exhibit A -Preferential Parking
Zones
B. Zone W peak parking occupancy maps (2)
C. Zone W parking occupancy study results
D. Zone W community meeting comments
E. Zone Y peak parking occupancy map
F. Zone Y parking occupancy study results
G. Zone Y community meeting comments
9
vevew~mem
Attachment B (1 of 2)
Peak Parking Occupancy: Tuesday, October 12, 2010
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LEGEND
0 76% - 100
,, 51% - 75%
®°® Petitioning Block
Peak Percentage,
Time(s) of observation
Attachment B (2 of 2)
Peak Parking Occupancy: Saturday, October 9, 2010
ATTACHMENT C
Peak Parking Occupancy
Tuesday Saturday
Block
Time % Time
Santa Monica - Yale to Stanford 7S% 2P, 8P 100% 8P
Santa Monica -Stanford to Berkeley 100% 7P 106% 2P, 11P
Broadway - Yale to Stanford 110S% 9P, 10P 1100% 9A, 7P, 10P-2A
Broadway- Stanford to Berkeley 100% 9P-2A 113% 6P
!, Colorado - Yale to Stanford 1100% 11A, 1P 194% 7P-9P
! Colorado -Stanford to Berkeley 81% 11P 81% 9A
Yale - Colorado to Broadway 198% 9P, 11P-2A 193% 1A
Yale - Broadway to Santa Monica 90% 9P 93% 1A
Berkeley- Colorado to Broadway 197% 10P-1A 95% 11P
Berkeley-Broadwavto Santa Monica 88% 8P, 10P-12A, 1A 9S% 1P
Centinela - Colorado to Broadway 93% 11P-2A 93% 9P
Centinela - Broadway to Santa Monica 93% SP, 10P 98% 1A
ATTACHMENT D
Preferential Parking Community Meeting Comments
Zone W
Feb. 10, 2011
10 people in attendance
• Busby's is the problem
o Lots of noise, especially Thursday-Saturday nights
o This is a behavioral problem, notjust a parking problem
o Safety issue
o .Empty bottles on street
o A motorcycle was tipped over
o Can Busby's increase parking capacity?
• 7:30PM is especially a difficult time for parking
• There are many non-permitted cars in the neighborhood in violation of regulations
• I can usually find parking on Franklin
• We were granted the current regulations because the Nessah Center and the auto businesses
would flood the street with cars
• New tenants are better neighbors than the Nessah Center was
• Regulations should be uniform citywide
• There are many handicap parking zones in this neighborhood
o There are three on the 1400 block of Franklin
o There needs to be a limit per block
• In favor of 24 hour restrictions
® Car dealerships on Santa Monica Blvd park their cars on the street
o Cars are abandoned on the street
0 72 hour rule violations
• Can we install meters on the commercial frontage of Franklin Street?
• Many patrons of the Senior Center and the Temple have blue placards
o Abuse is Sam-6pm
o Also Friday nights and all day Saturday at the temple
• Opposed to two hour option
0 2 hours can become 3 or 4
o Auto dealers will abuse it
o I like the idea, just not in this area
• Can we install speed bumps?
• Auto unloading is happening on Franklin
LEGEND
' 0 Implemented
~ ~ Pre-Approved
~ ~.v 51%
75
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/ ®, 76% - 100%
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Attachment E -- Weekday Peak Parking Occupancy ~~~0,5~1~~1o~~a~~~-
Pcln[ed: Oee 22, 2x710 14.3721 AM
ATTACHMENT F
Peak Parking Occupancy
Block
Time
16`n -Ashland to Sunset 81% 10A, 12-2P
16`n-Sunset to Marine 32% 12-2P
17`h-Bryn Mawr to Sunset I33% 12-4P
17`h-Sunset to Robson 27% 8-10P
18`n- Pier to Marine 63% 10-11A, 1-3P
18`n-Marine to Navy 30% 9-10A
Wellesley-17`"to 18"' (78% 3-4P
Bryn Mawr-16`nto17`n 91% 6-8P
Sunset-17`nto Dewey I86% 7-9P
Marine-16`nto17`n 64% 9-11A
Dewey-Robson to Sunset 26% 11A-12P
Dewey-Sunset tol8`n 67% 12-SP
ATTACHMENT G
Preferential Parking Community Meeting Comments
Zone Y
January 20, 2011
23 people in attendance
• There are lots of retired people in the neighborhood, which is why there are so many cars here
during the day.
• Parking on the 1700 block of Pier is full from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon-Fri.
o Trash, noise
• The parking problem will be resolved when construction at SMC is complete.
0 1700 Wellesley has no problem. There are only a few student parkers.
Residents have baby-sitters, gardeners, many family cars. Two families take most of the
spots on the block.
• 1700 Sunset has no SMC parking
• 1600 Wellesley: the problem was pushed here after Ashland became a permit zone
o Students park here all day
o Opposed to PP, but it is necessary
o Driveways are blocked
o I would be okay with just a permit for Ashland, but that is not possible
• 17th btw Ashland and Pier is impacted
• SMC should shuttle from the beach lots
• 3000 16th St mostly no problem
o Some college parking
o Wed and Thu are difficult because of street cleaning
o Marine Park patrons park here
• Parking enforcement is very effective
• SMC should address this issue
• The problem is simply being pushed
• 1600 Ashland: Preferential Parking has been great. It's 70-80% better than before and there is
less trash and crime.
o Current regulations are not overkill
• Some neighbors have many cars
• 2 houroption is difficult to enforce
• .There is no parking problem during the evening
• Preferential Parking should only be during regular school hours: 8-4 or 9-4
• 1700 Pier: I would like 2 hour parking, Mon-Fri 9-5
• Two hour option is better for blocks that don't have pref park
• 1600 Bryn Mawr wants overnight restrictions
• 17th Street: lots of resident cars south of Bryn Mawr
Reference Resolution No.
10574 (CCS).