City
Council Meeting: May 8, 2007
Agenda
Item: 7-C
To: Mayor
and City Council
From:
Subject: Extend On-street Permit Parking Program
for Employees
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1.
introduce for first
reading an Ordinance to maintain the current limited and targeted on-street
employee permit parking program which issues 20 permits spread across six
residential blocks near Pico Boulevard and 10th Street, and remove the sunset clause
(SMMC 3.10.060) of the current ordinance to make this program permanent, and
2.
direct staff to continue to review other areas where an
permit parking program for employees of businesses might be feasible, and if
the program criteria are met, follow up with the residential and commercial
neighbors prior to bringing a new area to the City Council.
Executive Summary
Staff proposes to
continue the very specific limited and targeted permit parking program for
employees of businesses which currently exists as a one-year pilot program, as
described in SMMC 3.10 Preferential Parking for Employees of Businesses. This
program was approved by Council on March 14, 2006, went into effect on June 1,
2006, and is set to expire on May 31, 2007.
Twenty permits were issued by lottery to businesses in the 10th Street
and Pico Boulevard area. To date, there
have been no complaints by any residents. The businesses which currently have permits would
continue to receive them; no changes are proposed herein. Revenue and expenditures of $2,400 per year
are anticipated.
Discussion
On March 14, 2006 meeting, Council
approved an Ordinance to create a pilot on-street employee parking permit
program. The Ordinance provides for
permit fees set by resolution. A fee of
$30 per permit for a three month period was set by resolution on April 11,
2006.
The sunset clause
in the current ordinance states that staff will provide a report to Council
reviewing the performace of this program, including observations of occupancies
on each block with on-street permits, information on program revenue and cost,
and a summary of complaints and comments received from residents, employees and
businesses. Staff noted the following average occupancies on non street-sweeping
weekdays:
|
|
#
spaces |
#
permits |
#
cars w/ permit pgm active |
%
occupancy |
%
occupancy before program |
Change |
|
10th St. b/w Pico and |
97 |
8 |
52 |
53% |
56% |
-3% |
|
10th St. b/w Pico and Bay |
12 |
2 |
9 |
71% |
42% |
29% |
|
11th St. b/w Pico and Bay |
10 |
2 |
2 |
15% |
20% |
-5% |
|
11th St. b/w Bay and Grant |
14 |
2 |
5 |
36% |
32% |
4% |
|
|
38 |
3 |
27 |
70% |
45% |
25% |
|
|
43 |
3 |
23 |
52% |
48% |
4% |
|
|
214 |
20 |
*116 |
54% |
48% |
6% |
*Numbers may not add exactly due to rounding.
The data show that overall,
occupancies have increased by six percent since the program was initiated. Individual block results have varied, with
some occupancies increasing and some decreasing. These varied results probably have more to do
with general parking fluctuations than they have to do with the limited number
of employee permits on the blocks.
Fee revenues are expected to continue to
offset expenditures. Staff will continue
to monitor the program and ensure that fees continue to cover expenditures. If this program is ever expanded, the fee
structure should be re-examined.
There may be ways
to extend this program to additional businesses in the 10th Street and Pico
Boulevard area whose addresses are not directly adjacent to the zone in which
the permits are valid. In that case, a
new lottery would need to be held to re-issue permits. However, this report
recommends making no changes to the current provisions at this time.
There have been no
complaints from any residents, employees or businesses. Some businesses have communicated that they wanted
additional permits, but understand that is not currently possible.
Notice of this public hearing was
published in the Santa Monica Daily Press at least ten calendar days prior to
the hearing, and sent to all residents on the blocks where permits would be
issued, as well as businesses in the area.
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.
Budget/Financial
Impact
Revenues and expenditures in the
amount of $2,400 from the on-street permit parking program for employees of businesses
will be included in the proposed City budget.
Prepared
by:
Ruth Harper, Transportation Planning
Associate
Attachments: A)
Ordinance
|
Approved:
|
|
Forwarded
to Council: |
|
|
|
|
|
Director, Planning and
Community Development |
|
P. City Manager |