Title
Recommendation to Approve Parking Improvements for Park Street and Webster Street Shopping Districts (Public Works 310, 221)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: John A. Russo, City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Approve Parking Improvements for Park Street and Webster Street Shopping Districts
BACKGROUND
In the FY13-14 Capital Improvement Program, the City Council approved a study of metered parking on Park Street and Webster Street. In this interim report, staff proposes a new goal and plan for the parking program, and makes recommendations in four areas:
1. Signage;
2. Equipment;
3. Rates; and
4. Enforcement.
To inform these recommendations, staff collected data and solicited public input, including:
* survey responses from 800+ shoppers, owners, and employees on Park and Webster Streets;
* block-by-block parking occupancy data collected on both Park and Webster Streets three times per day over four days; and
* thirteen meetings over four months with the public, boards of Alameda's business associations, an inter-departmental working group, and the Transportation Commission (TC).
DISCUSSION
Staff proposes to make parking more readily available on Webster Street and Park Street. By better using the existing parking supply, the City will achieve a new goal of freeing up two available parking spaces per block for more shoppers to use. This goal is adapted from renowned parking expert, Dr. Donald Shoup, who recommends a parking occupancy rate of 85% or lower. Occupancy rates above this threshold result in insufficient parking turnover. Insufficient turnover inconveniences shoppers, decreases the number of shoppers who make it to local businesses, and increases greenhouse gas emissions from drivers cruising for parking. In fact, studies show that insufficient parking turnover can cause up to 30% of the traffic in busy shopping districts.
The City is far from achieving occupancies...
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