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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/15/2009, B 5 - DOWNTOWN PARKING SPACE CONVERSION PROCESS Co Un Ci l MR°w December 15,2009 j ac En as Report B 6 CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO FROM: Jay D. Walter, Public Works Director Prepared By: Robert Horch, Parking Services Manager Peggy Mandeville, Principal Transportation Planner SUBJECT: DOWNTOWN PARIUNG SPACE CONVERSION PROCESS RECOMMENDATION Adopt a resolution establishing procedures for Downtown parking space conversions. DISCUSSION Background On September 1, 2009, the Council directed staff to draft a process for downtown parking space conversion to be considered at the same time as the revisions to the City's Sidewalk Cafe Ordinance. Requests for parking space conversion and.sidewalk widening are currently handled by staff on an individual basis and only receive a formal review if the project is subject to a larger discretionary review such as a conditional use permit, Architectural Review Commission (ARC) review or an environmental impact determination. Many parking space conversions fall in the category of public safety or operational needs, and as such, are reviewed and decided on by the Public Works Department. Some private requests for parking space conversion or sidewalk widening do not generally rise beyond this level of review or noticing under current City guidelines. However, as redevelopment occurs in the Downtown area, the requests for parking conversions as part of sidewalk dining or general infrastructure improvements have become more frequent and potentially controversial. Council Discussion and Concerns During the September 1, 2009 meeting, Council members heard concerns about the process used to approve the conversion of on street parking for sidewalk widening in front of the Wineman Hotel on Higuera Street. The primary concern expressed with this project was the lack of notice given to neighboring businesses potentially affected by the loss of parking. Currently, the City has no formal notification requirements for parking space conversions; however, when parking staff is aware of a proposed conversion, the Downtown Association is contacted. The Wineman Hotel restoration project was subject to the architectural review process, including notice to adjacent properties, but the parking space conversion and sidewalk widening was not part of the initial request. Rather, staff made individual contacts with business owners in the immediate area and asked for their feedback on the proposal. However, at the meeting concerns were expressed about the affect of conversions on the City's the Parking Fund. On-street parking is the highest demand parking in the Downtown because E315�_- I i i Downtown Parking Space Conversion Process Page 2 many people prefer to park in close proximity to their destination. This demand produces high annual net revenues because of the low operational and maintenance costs associated with street parking. That is in contrast to structure parking, which has substantially higher operating costs with lower revenues. Smaller projects that have converted parking spaces have not been asked to pay for the loss of parking. Council questioned whether the loss of on-street parking should trigger some form of compensation to the Parking Fund even in individual cases. There was also some support for consideration of a more formalized and objective process similar to an advisory body review. This would preclude staff from reviewing and approving individual applications and establish a more comprehensive analysis that considers all the ramifications like traffic, infrastructure needs, pedestrian access and the placement of street trees, lighting and other sidewalk fixtures. Alternatively, there is concern that too formal of a process may seem overly burdensome, time consuming and costly when valid reasons for parking space conversions are identified. As with many discretionary decisions, competing interests and beliefs can lead to a stalemate on how to determine the best decision and what priority should be given to the competing needs of the public right of way. Staff's key objective in the past for reviewing such requests has been to have enough of a process to provide adequate notice to those who may be affected, and to balance the goals and objectives of the City with the requested conversion of high-demand street parking in the Downtown. Council wanted more information to make a decision on whether a process was necessary, and if so, what the process should look like. Reasons for Downtown Parking Conversion As the Downtown has changed, space has become more limited and street parking has been converted for the following public uses: • Vehicle turn pockets • Red zones for fire hydrants • Vehicle turning movements and sight visibility • Bulb-outs at street comers and mid-block pedestrian crossings • Transit/trolley stops • Sidewalk widening • Bicycle parking • Limiting vehicle loads on Higuera Street over San Luis Obispo Creek • Disabled access requirements • Loading zones due to intensification of uses • Conversions to help accommodate private Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) building access requirements (Chorro Street sidewalk widening near Monterey Street). As discussed in the Council agenda report on proposed revisions to the Sidewalk Cafe Ordinance, there could be additional requests to convert parking spaces to achieve needed sidewalk widening to accommodate sidewalk dining areas. Downtown Parking Space Conversion Process Page 3 Criteria for Approving Parking Space Conversions To establish a more streamlined and predictable process, staff recommends that the following criteria be used to evaluate proposed street parking conversions: 1. The proposed use serves and enhances the public good. 2. The finished area provides adequate space for pedestrians (which is consistent with the General Plan) 3. The street parking conversion locations are limited to end of block locations (consistent with A Conceptual Physical Plan for the City's Center) or at a staff-supported mid-block crosswalk. Process for Street Parking Conversion Requests Considering the various scenarios, staff recommends that requests for street parking conversion be reviewed using a tiered process as outlined below based on the type (City vs. private) and scope (number of spaces) of the request. At a minimum, each request would include formal notification to the Downtown Association, Chamber of Commerce, City departments, businesses and property owners on each side of the street of the block of where the parking space conversion is requested. In all cases, the City Manager will be included in the notification to judge whether a Council "heads-up" will be warranted. Requests involving projects receiving architectural review would have additional noticing requirements following existing procedures. 1. City projects would be approved by the Public Works Director and implemented at a staff level (as is current practice), subject to appeal to the Council. Examples of City projects include the Warden Building bulbout (Higuera/Garden) and the Chorro Street on-street bike parking (near Black Sheep). While both of these projects were initiated as private projects, they were ultimately processed as City projects after it was determined that the projects implemented City plans and policies, did not result in a direct private benefit, and were in the best interest of the public. 2. Small scale private projects (I to 2 parking stalls) would be approved by the Public Works Director unless appealed to the ARC. An example of a small scale non-City project is the Wade Building sidewalk widening (Chorro/Monterey) that was recently approved by staff to facilitate ADA access upgrades required for new entries to the building. 3. Large scale private projects (3 or more parking stalls) would be reviewed by staff using the architectural review process. Projects would be approved by staff using the minor or incidental process (ARCMs or by the ARC as determined by the Community Development Director. Examples of large scale private projects include Chinatown, Garden Street Terraces and the Wineman Hotel sidewalk widening. The following summarized the proposed request process for each of these three circumstances: �s-3 Downtown Parking Space Conversion Process Page 4 Parking Space Conversion Request Process Project Type Notification Min.Notification Period Decision Maker Appeal Body City 1. Downtown Association 10 business days before City staff Council 2. City depts. any action 3. Both sides of block[ Small Scale 1.Downtown Association 10 business days before City staff ARC Private 2.City depts. any action 1-2 stalls 3.Both sides of the block' Less than 50 feet Large Scale 1.Downtown Association 10 business days before City staff via ARC Private 2.City depts. any action ARCNU or 3 or more stalls 3.Both sides of the blockl or Council (50 feet or more) I ARC 1. Notification boundary maybe expanded by City if it can be expected that area of potential impact goes beyond block Stakeholder Notification Since the purpose of the process is to provide notice and allow for input by interested parties, staff has identified the following list of stakeholders that would be notified of proposed parking conversions via email and/or letter: Internal Departments/Divisions Public Works: Traffic Engineering, Transportation, Parking Community Development Fire Utilities External Interested Parties Downtown Association Chamber of Commerce Businesses and property owners on both sides of the block FISCAL IMPACT One of the main concerns with the conversion of on-street parking is the financial impact to the City's Parking Fund. In 2008-09, the average income for a metered parking space was approximately $1,500 a year (including revenue and parking fines). Multiplying $1,500 by the five parking spaces eliminated for the Wineman project, it may appear that the Parking Fund will lose $7,500 per year. However, since the parking demand lost from these five on-street spaces will likely be captured in another location, be it on-street, parking lots, or in the parking structures, the revenues will be somewhat offset in the current parking supply. The "best case" scenario would be that the parking demand can be accommodated at other on- street parking spaces or parking lots. In that case, the loss of parking will be revenue neutral, although competition for spaces may increase a very small amount. Looking at a "worse-case" scenario from a revenue point of view, demand will move into a structure (a goal of the City's parking principles) that does not generate as much revenue as on-street metered parking. The C Downtown Parking Space Conversion Process Page 5 average annual revenue for a structure parking space in 2008-09 was $800. Therefore, as summarized below, the annual net loss could be$700 a year per space or$3,500 annually for five I paces. This is a small amount when compared to the substantial cost associated with the sidewalk improvements being undertaken by the developer. 2008-09 Average Potential Type of Parking Annual Revenue Loss Parking meter spaces $1,500 x 5 spaces $7,500 Structure spaces $800 x 5 spaces $4,000 $700 $3,500 If future sidewalk widening projects are successful through the redevelopment of buildings and their downtown residential and commercial uses, the improvements will increase parking demand and the loss of meter revenue will be offset by the added numbers of shoppers and diners parking downtown. Should the Parking Fund be compensated for the Loss of Revenue? Since the right-of-way used for metered parking is not owned or leased by the Parking Fund, reimbursement by the General Fund for any amount of on-street parking revenue losses would appear to be contrary to the City's policy against subsidizing the Enterprise Funds. If there was a market-based charge to the Parking Fund for the use or acquisition of this valuable land, then some form of market-based reimbursement by the General Fund might be appropriate when spaces are converted. Until such time as the General Fund charges the Parking Fund for the use or acquisition of this right-of-way, there should be no reimbursement for the loss of revenue. It should be noted that the City's General Fund supports Downtown activities, including many events and promotions (such as Farmer's Market) at a far higher level than any other shopping district in the City. More routine service levels are also much higher in the Downtown than elsewhere in the community (such as street sweeping and sidewalk scrubbing). The Downtown enjoys the benefit of significant General Fund commitment and investment, even during very difficult financial times. CONCURRENCES In May 13, 2009 the Planning Commission reviewed amendments to the City's Sidewalk Cafe Ordinance and criteria for downtown sidewalk widening. The Commission supported sidewalk widening, but did not support the payment of in-lieu fees for the removal of metered parking spaces. Staff provided the Downtown Association (DA) and the Chamber of Commerce with a summary of staffs recommended procedures for parking conversions. The DA Board met on December 8, 2009 and the Chamber's Evaluation Committee met on December 10 to discuss the recommended policy. Any position taken by the DA Board and the Chamber's Evaluation Committee will be forwarded to the Council via a RED file. 3S- 5 i Downtown Parking Space Conversion Process Page 6 ALTERNATIVES 1. Continue the status quo. The Council could decide to leave the current process for approving parking space conversion at the staff level. This would assume that staff will exercise good judgment in the conversion of street parking that does not conflict with the goals for the Downtown or create traffic hazards. 2. Develop a capital improvement plan (CIP) project. The Council could direct staff to create a CIP project to plan for and implement sidewalk widening at City identified locations in the Downtown, thereby preempting any request for parking space conversion in the future, making a policy for it moot. Although this may appear to be the ideal solution, staff does not recommend this alternative because it would require Council to reprioritize existing work efforts to provide staff resources and funding to pay for the project. 3. Consider conversion of a travel lane. Rather than remove on-street parking to widen sidewalks, the Council could direct staff to evaluate the cost and traffic.impacts associated with the removal of a travel lane on Higuera Street to provide wider sidewalks on both sides of the street. This alternative would be very costly to implement, therefore staff does not recommend that such an effort be pursued during the difficult financial times the City is experiencing. ATTACHMENT Resolution TACouncil Agenda Reports\Pu61ic Works CAR\2009\Parking\DT Pkg Removal\CAR Pkg Removal Process-Final.doc • ATTACHMENT RESOLUTION NO. (2009 SERIES) A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES FOR DOWNTOWN PARKING SPACE CONVERSION WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of San Luis Obispo conducted a public hearing in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San,Luis Obispo, California, on May 13, 2009 to consider a resolution that outlines the process for widening public sidewalks; and WHEREAS, the Council of the City of San Luis Obispo conducted a public hearing in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, on December 15, 2009 for the purpose of considering sidewalk dining which can include sidewalk widening; and WHEREAS, one of the primary goals of A Conceptual Physical Plan for the City's Center(Downtown Concept Plan) is to give pedestrians priority in the downtown; and WHEREAS, converting on-street parking downtown for such things as sidewalk widening at appropriate locations will provide a long-term benefit to the community by expanding opportunities for pedestrian circulation and amenities; and WHEREAS, the establishment of a policy relating to the conversion of downtown street parking spaces will facilitate evaluation of sidewalk dining proposals; and WHEREAS, the Council has duly considered all evidence, including the testimony of interested parties and the evaluation and recommendations by staff presented at said hearing. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Council of the City of San Luis Obispo as follows: SECTION 1. Downtown Street Parking Conversion Process.. A. City-Initiated: City-initiated proposals for parking space conversion in the Downtown Core as defined in the Downtown Parking and Business Improvement Area as set forth in Chapter 12.36 of the San Luis Obispo Municipal Code shall be subject to staff review and approval with appeals heard by the Council. The Downtown Association, City departments and both sides of the affected block shall receive notification of the proposed parking space conversion a minimum 10 business days before staff action on the request. B. Private Small Scale (1-2 Stalls/less than 50 feet): These proposals for parking space conversion shall be subject to staff review and approval with appeals heard by the Architectural Review Commission. The Downtown Association, City departments and both sides of the affected block shall receive notification of the proposed parking space conversion a minimum 10 business days before staff action on the request. C. Private Large Scale (3 or More Stalls/50 feet or more): These proposals for parking space conversion shall be subject to review and approval through the architectural review process ATTACHMENT Resolution No. (2009 Series) Page 2 via Architectural Review Commission (ARC) Minor and Incidental procedures or ARC with appeals hear by the ARC or Council. The Downtown Association, City departments and both sides of the affected block shall receive notification of the proposed parking space conversion a minimum 10 business days before action on the request. SECTION 2. Criteria. The following criteria should be used to evaluate parking conversions: A. The proposed use serves and enhances the public good. B. The finished area provides adequate space for pedestrians (which is consistent with the General Plan) C. The conversion is limited to end of block locations (which is consistent with the Downtown Concept Plan) or at a staff supported mid-block crosswalk. On motion of , seconded by and on the following roll call vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted on December 15, 2009. Mayor David F. Romero ATTEST: Elaina Cano, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO F . (:7onathan Lowell, City Attorney Page 1 of 1 Coundl,SloCity From: LHamill@aol.com Mamill@aol.com] Sent: Tue 12/15/2009 11:06 AM To: Council, SloCity Cc: Subject: December 15 Agenda Comments-Sales Tax and On-Street Parking Attachments: Greetings Mr. Mayor and Council, There's been a lot of talk about the 'cost' of a parking space, in-lieu fees,that kind of thing but I've never heard how much income a space is worth. My questions: 1. Has anyone ever figured out how much sales tax is generated per parking space? (Not the income from the meter--the revenue from sales tax...) 2. How much sales tax does the City lose for each lost on-street parking space and does the revenue generated by a sidewalk table make up for it? Eadier this month I emailed my comments on the last council meeting. Thank you to the three members who responded. Excerpted from that message is the following: "...I can't park in any of the structures because it's too far forme to walk. So I just drive around and around and around the block until I find a street space. Or give up and go home. Usually end up in a 15 or 30 minute spot.. Taking away more street spots will limit my access to downtown even more. ..." The other day I headed downtown to do some Christmas shopping. On my list I had three books, one calendar, an audio CD and some Clinique cosmetics. I expected to spend about$140-150. Not a huge amount but not pocket change either. Barnes & Noble would have been happy to order the books, etc., if they weren't in stock but I was unable to park anywhere nearby. So I decided to head on over to Sephora for the cosmetics. However, I remembered the last time I tried to go there the door to the elevator was locked. Knowing I couldn't manage the stairs to get to Sephora, I gave up and went home. I ordered my gifts on-line and expect them to arrive in a couple of days. There was no shipping charge and no sales tax. Thank you for reading. Lucy Hamilton lib Ce�P'y �'16}!L COUNCIL O CDD DIR =' RED FILE 2MASCM1r6,_, 2-FIN DIR 2 AeAe' ZTIRE CHIEF STING AGENDA i3 i4TTORNEY DPW DIR MCLERK/ORIG 2rPCLICE CHF DA / o ITEM #_,��. ' 0 DEPT HEADS ejC niR -' UTIL DIR mJ � R b[A NC�J nigh, ��NGL " 'Crrti 1)162 https://mail.slocity.org/exchange/slocitycouncit/Inbox/December%2015%2OAgenda%20... 12/15/2009 r council mEmoRanbum Date: December 15,2009 TO: City Council RED FILE VIA: Ken Hampian, City Manag N MEETING AGENDA FROM: Jay Walter, Public Works Director'VIA�"�"J� DATE4' ITEM # SUBJECT: Input on Council Agenda Item B 5 On December 8, 2009 the Downtown Association Board of Directors reviewed the City's proposed downtown parking space conversion process and voted unanimously to accept. the staff recommendation as modified to extend the notification period to 30 calendar days. On December 14, 2009 the Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee reviewed the City's proposed downtown parking space conversion process and voted to accept the staff recommendation as modified to extend the notification,.period to 30 days. Additionally, the Committee voted to support the staff recommendation regarding who should be notified. As proposed, the notification does not include the Chamber unless the request occurs on the block of the Chamber offices. _ �D ll>�PN �/riFFiL ' COUNCIL L CDD DIR MGAO Cl* 1&-P- p'FIN DIR 0 AGA 9 O'FIRE CHIEF 2-ATTORNEY Z Pw DIR 9-CLERK/ORIG.: _ [ 'POLICE CHF I ❑ DEPT HEADS r-r'REC DIR O'UTIL DIR ®'IiR DIR I 4/40+L 'rv : LAGIANA VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER. Thursday,December 10, 2009 Dave_ Romero,Mayor cc 1 g ZOOS Ken Hampian, City Manager City Council Members ` City,of San Luis Obispo 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Re: City Council Hearing Date for Traffic Light Issue Laguna Village Shopping Center, San Luis Obispo,`CA Mayor Romero, Mr. Hampian,and-City Council.Members: We have been directed-by Ken Hampian and Jay Walterto prepare and submit this letter to explain our request to take our item off of the January 5t1•, 2010 City Council agenda and reschedule to the next available City Council meeting which;as we understand_it, will be in February, 2010. We appreciate the efforts of the Public Works Transportation Staff'in working with us over the past few months- We have delivered our computer simulation program and traffic count information to Staff, and we have met with Staff to answer questions and exchange design ideas.-City Staff and Laguna Village_Shopping Center representatives have been working diligently and in good faith to address and resolve the traffic issues. As discussed at our previous.meeting'with Staff, Staff is now counting and summarizing additional traffic and pedestrian data..We understand that this raw data is expected to be complete by the end of this week. We feel that it is important to have time to analyze.these new traffic and pedestrian counts and Staffs conclusions and to meet with and discuss.these matters with Staff and have meaningful dialogue regarding the'same—as it may have an affect*on'our proposed design solutions. Because the endof year holidays are upon us,,we recognize that there is not sufficient time for us to synthesize this new traffic data and review,and discuss Staffs conclusions and recommendations prior to the . Tuesday,January 5,2010.Therefore, we request that our hearing date be moved back to the next available meeting. We plan to attend the City Council-meeting TuesdayDecember 15th and make this request in person during the public comment.period. Thank you, LAGUNA VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER RECEIVED. .C L` ,C CIBC V C Kristie.Molina, Owner DEC 111009 cc: Jay Walter, Director of Public Works SLO CITY CLERK, P.O. Sox 3415 , 5an Lu'i5 Obispo, California 95403 Telephone 805/781-9100 TeIcf4ix`805/781-9101 -�, anr41- m : 42i0� G LAGUNA VILLAGE S H O P P I N G C E N T E R Thursday, December 10, 2009 Dave Romero, Mayor UK 1 2009 Ken Hampian, City Manager City Council Members City of San Luis Obispo 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Re: City Council Hearing Date for Traffic Light Issue Laguna Village Shopping Center, San Luis Obispo, CA Mayor.Romero, Mr. Hampian, and City Council Members: We have been directed by Ken Hampian and Jay Walter to prepare and submit this letter to explain our request to take our item off of the January 5t', 2010 City Council agenda and reschedule to the next available City Council meeting which, as we understand it, will be in February, 2010. We appreciate the efforts of the Public Works Transportation Staff in working with us over the past few months. We have delivered our computer simulation program and traffic count information to Staff, and we have met with Staff to answer questions and exchange design ideas. City Staff and Laguna Village Shopping Center representatives have been working diligently and in good faith to address and resolve the traffic issues. As discussed at our previous meeting with Staff Staff is now counting and summarizing additional traffic and pedestrian data. We understand that this raw data is expected to be complete by the end of this week. We feel that it is important to have time to analyze these new traffic and pedestrian counts and Staff's conclusions and to meet with and discuss these matters with Staff and have meaningful dialogue regarding the same—as it may have an affect on our proposed design solutions. Because the end of year holidays are upon us, we recognize that there is not sufficient time for us to synthesize this new traffic data and review,and discuss Staff's conclusions and recommendations prior to the Tuesday,January 5, 2010. Therefore, we request that our hearing date be moved back to the next available meeting. We plan to attend the City Council meeting Tuesday December 15"'and make this request in person during the public comment period. Thank you, LAGUNA VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER RECEIVED CEIVE Kristie Molina, Owner DEC 112009 cc: Jay Walter, Director of Public Works SLO CITY CLERK P.O. Box 3415 5an Luis Obispo, California 93403 Telephone 505/751-9100 Telefax 5051751-9101