HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/14/2022 Item 4b, Rawson
December 6th, 2022
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From: Parking and Access Committee
Dear Board Members,
On December 6, 2022, the Parking and Access Committee met during a regularly-scheduled meeting of
the committee. During the meeting, we discussed the Parking and Access management plan and the
ongoing work currently proceeding in connection with the update to the plan.
We also received an update from city staff and understand the draft of this plan is going to be reviewed
by the Planning Commission on December 14, 2022, and we also learned that a Pricing Feasibility study
will be conducted in Spring 2023. We would like to provide the following recommendations to the board
for consideration.
Broadly, we are in support of the overarching goals inherent to this plan, including its connection to the
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construction on the new Cultural Arts District parking structure. However, it is important to recognize
that downtown will be most impacted by this plan, especially the rate increases that will affect
employees, customers, and visitors.
The Parking and Access Committee would like to advocate for the following:
1.Keep the first hour free in the structures.
a.We recognize this may require balancing revenue from other areas but feel the first hour
free acts as a powerful incentive to encourage the use of the structures and will
therefore also support visitors with short-time needs to shop downtown by keeping
on-street parking spaces in rotation.
b.Implement the gateless system as soon as possible. The amount of revenue lost from the
gate being lifted in the parking garage could be significant. If this problem is fixed, it
could help pay to keep the first hour free in parking garages.
2.Implement dynamic parking rates on street.
a.Dynamic parking rates will allow for better utilization of high-demand parking areas and
providing a more flexible rate will allow some areas within the parking district to have
lower pricing to support their use and provide more affordable parking options.
b.Explore providing options to extend parking times beyond 2 hours during non-peak
hours, if possible.
3.Offer downtown employees safe and reasonably priced options.
a.Continue to provide incentive pricing for downtown workers and promote these
opportunities (10-hour passes, Proxcards, etc). If existing demand for passes exceeds
supply, consider ways to expand supply or adjust pricing.
b.Recognize the need to support our downtown workers by providing affordable options
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otherdrivingalternatives,butdonotde-prioritizethosethatcommutedailybynecessity
withtheirvehicle.Weencouragetheexplorationofdevelopingaparkandridesite.
c.Recognizethatweneedsafeparkingareasforusebyemployeesthathavelate-night
parkingneeds.
4.InvolveDowntownSLOrepresentativesintheupcomingPricingFeasibilityStudy.
5.Parkingenterprisefund
a.Includeanoverallupdateonthefundhealth,futuredebtneeds,etc.intheplansothat
planprogresscanbeanalyzed/included
6.Considerfutureparkingneedswithnewdevelopments
a.Newdevelopmentswillbringaninfluxofresidentsdowntown.Incorporatetheirparking
demandsintothisplan.
7.Focusonmarketingandcommunicationeffortstoeducatepeopleaboutthisplan.
On behalf of the Downtown SLO Parking and Access Committee
Thankyouforyourconsideration,
Thank-you for your consideration,
ParkingandAccessCommittee
Mark Rawson, Board Member Downtown SLO
Chair, Parking and Access Committee