This project is comprised of: 1) Installing four paid parking equipment at the City's Parking Plaza 1 and two paid parking equipment at Parking Plaza 5 to provide Downtown parkers option to park longer than 2 hours without receiving a citation; and 2) changing the 2-hour parking spaces on Santa Cruz Avenue to 1-hour parking spaces to provide short-term parking spaces to Downtown visitors and customers.
On July 26, 2011, the City Council approved awarding a contract to Parkeon, Inc. to furnish and install a total of six multi-space paid parking equipment at Parking Plazas 1 and 5 and approved the installation of way finding signs to these parking lots. This work was to be completed concurrently with the 2-hour to 1-hour parking space replacement and addition of new 15-minute parking spaces on Santa Cruz Avenue in the downtown for short-term parkers. Downtown Flyer
For the past couple of months, staff has worked with Parkeon, Inc. to ensure that the paid parking equipment are manufactured and programmed per City’s requirements for the free two-hour parking and current City’s parking enforcement procedures. According to Parkeon, Inc., the paid parking machines would be delivered to the City’s Corp Yard around the first week of October, 2011. Based on this estimated delivery date, staff anticipates the site preparation work for the equipment to start near the end of September, 2011 and the machine installation to be completed and operational around the end of October, 2011.
Regarding the sign replacement in the downtown streets, staff estimates the sign contractor to commence its work at the same time as the installation of the machines.
The community outreach flyer to notify the Downtown businesses, customers, and employees of these parking changes are currently being prepared and would go out to downtown 30 days prior to the operation of the machines. The flyer information would also be posted on the City’s website and local newspapers. A telephone hotline number specific to this project would also be established to monitor parking issues and concerns related to these parking changes for approximately six months. Staff would prepare a database documenting these parking issues and concerns and would address them appropriately.
There is currently a perception that parking assets in the Downtown are not efficiently timed to make parking available for visitors or customers when they need it. Community members indicated that parking time limits were too short to support the commercial and retail uses that exist on Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Avenue and Oak Grove Avenue.
Consequently, in order to address the above issues, the City developed the Downtown Menlo Parking Plan. This plan was developed to include a detailed analysis of current parking usage and to utilize extensive outreach to the downtown community via a survey and a series of three public workshops. The plan made recommendations to better manage the current parking supply which could be implemented quickly such as providing paid parking options at Parking Plazas 1 and 5 and converting 2-hour parking spaces on Santa Cruz Avenue to 1-hour parking spaces.
