Title
Review of Alameda Point Parking Plan
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Transportation Commission
From: Andrew Thomas
Planning, Building & Transportation Director
Date: February 18, 2020
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2014, the City Council adopted the Alameda Point Transportation Demand Management Plan (TDM Plan) that requires that the City of Alameda (City), in partnership with Alameda Point tenants and property owners, manage the supply and cost of parking at Alameda Point as a means to managing the traffic generated by development of Alameda Point. The TDM Plan calls for paid parking at the ferry terminals and public parking lots, and time limited parking on public streets (both free and paid, depending on location). In 2018, the City Council adopted the Transportation Choices Plan that requires the City to institute paid parking at all of the City’s ferry terminals, including the new Seaplane Lagoon Terminal, to manage parking demand.
On September 3, 2019, the City Council directed staff to proceed with the expansion of the parking enforcement program to include a mix of full-time and part-time City employees. On November 5, 2019, the City Council directed staff to prepare budget amendments for City Council consideration and to add two full-time, non-sworn, parking enforcement officers. Those amendments were included in the March 3, 2020, Mid-Year Budget Amendment recommendations from staff.
In support of the Alameda Point TDM Parking Plan, staff is recommending that the City Council:
1. Amend the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) to ensure effective implementation of the Plan, and
2. Approve a City policy for the use of automated license plate readers for the purpose of parking enforcement in support of the Plan.
Staff is requesting the Transportation Commission review and comment on the staff analysis and recommendations to the City Council described in this report and in the attached exhibit.
BACKGROUND
Parking management, including paid parking, parking time limits, and parking enforcement can be used to influence transportation mode choice, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reduce automobile congestion, and optimize the use of shared parking supply. The 2019 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, the 2018 Transportation Choices Plan, and the 2014 Alameda Point Transportation Demand Management Plan recommend parking management to reduce traffic and GHG emissions citywide. The plans envision:
1. Paid parking at the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal, Main Street Ferry Terminal, and new Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal.
2. Restricting the supply of free private parking at Alameda Point and providing City-owned shared public parking lots and on-street parking restrictions that can be managed through paid parking policies.
3. Establishing parking restrictions, parking charges, and other transportation demand management strategies on “Day One” of new developments, so that new residents, businesses, and visitors are not asked to adapt to and embrace new strategies at a later date.
DISCUSSION
Parking Management Plan for Alameda Point. To ensure the future success of Alameda Point as a transit oriented, mixed use development and growing employment center, it is imperative that the City manage parking demand and supply at Alameda Point. In August 2020, the first new residential buildings constructed on the former naval base in over 50 years will welcome new residents to Alameda Point; WETA will begin regular commute hour ferry services directly from the adjacent Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal to San Francisco; and AC Transit will initiate a new bus service from the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal and Site A to West Alameda and Downtown Oakland and BART, with a 15 minute headway.
With these major changes occurring at Alameda Point, the City must now begin to manage the public parking supply at Alameda Point, as follows:
• Ferry Terminal Paid Parking. Institute and enforce daily parking fees at the new 400-space Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal parking lot. Given that approximately 800 vehicles are currently parking at the Main Street Terminal every weekday, staff anticipates the need for overflow parking at the new Seaplane Lagoon Terminal.
• Overflow Paid Parking. Institute and enforce daily parking fees (for stays over three hours) on public lands and streets within a one-half mile radius of the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal, depicted in the figure below.
•
3-Hour Parking Limit. Institute and enforce a 3-hour parking time limit on public lands and streets adjacent to the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal parking lot and within at least a one-half mile radius of the Terminal. The 3-hour time limit on free parking will allow customers and visitors to businesses and the waterfront to park for free for three hours, but prohibit ferry riders from leaving their cars for more than 3 hours. Cars left for more than 3 hours will be ticketed. Staff does not recommend paid hourly parking in these areas, which would require installing a larger number of pay stations on streets that are subject to future redevelopment with new infrastructure, streets, parks, and businesses. With this approach, staff is attempting to limit City investments that will need to be demolished in the near future with redevelopment.
• Pay Stations. Install physical pay stations in the parking lot and at limited locations outside the parking lot within a half-mile radius of the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal. The recommended pay stations would be configured to “pay by plate”. With “pay by plate”, the person making the parking payment inputs their license plate number at the pay station. There is no need to input a parking space number or place a ticket on their dashboard. This approach eliminates the need for the person parking to walk back to their car to place a ticket on their dashboard, eliminates the need for the City to install parking meters throughout the area, and eliminates the need for the City to number individual parking spaces throughout the area.
• Mobile Payment Application. Provide a mobile payment platform as another option to allow people to pay for parking on their cell phone through an application. Use of the mobile application eliminates the need for individuals to find a pay station, and reduces the number of pay stations needed. Individuals can simply park their cars and pay for parking on their cell phone. Mobile payment also facilitates special permit programs that the City Council may wish to institute, such as a low income rate, or Alameda Point employee rate.
• Private Parking. Tenants, business owners, and property owners at Alameda Point will be able to park for free on their leased premises or on property that they own. If these individuals wish to leave their cars on public lands or public streets for more than three hours, they will be required to pay for parking.
• Pricing. Initiate an initial daily flat rate between $5.00 and $8.00 to park for more than 3 hours. With the proposed parking collection technology described above, the City will be able to easily adjust parking rates to maintain a specific occupancy rate if desired, reduce traffic volumes if desired, reduce costs for ferry riders if desired, or create special parking rates for lower income residents and ferry riders, if necessary. The City Council may also set parking rates to generate net revenue, which could be used to fund public right-of-way services and improvements to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, and improve facilities, public transportation, bicycling, and walking facilities and services.
• License plate recognition technology. Equip the parking enforcement officers at Alameda Point with vehicle mounted license plate reader equipment which automatically determines whether drivers have paid for parking, and if not, whether vehicles have been parked in the areas described above for more than three hours without paying.
Later Phases at Alameda Point and Citywide. Once the initial phase of the parking plan is operating efficiently, the City will be able to expand the program to the rest of Alameda Point and the Main Street Ferry Terminal. The expansion would use all of the same type of infrastructure (pay stations, mobile applications, license plate readers, etc.), so the expansion will be fairly straightforward. Staff is recommending the two-step approach for the following reasons:
• With the relocation of direct ferry services to San Francisco to the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal, staff anticipates a significant reduction in parking needs at the Main Street Terminal. This reduction in parking demand may allow the City to rethink how the large areas of waterfront lands adjacent to the Main Street Terminal should be used, if it is not all needed for parking. The City’s General Plan and Alameda Point zoning envisions these waterfront lands for public parks and open spaces.
• Even with two new parking enforcement officers authorized by the Council in November 2019, staff remains concerned about the overall staffing for the citywide parking program. Initiating the parking management plan in steps as recommended will allow the City to better estimate enforcement needs to expand the program to the northern half of Alameda Point and the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal.
Draft Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Amendments To effectively manage parking at Alameda Point, staff is recommending a number of revisions and updates to the AMC. The amendments shown in the draft Ordinance for City Council introduction address the following improvements to the AMC citywide parking regulations:
• Mobile payment and digital permits. Currently, the AMC does not include provisions allowing for these more modern forms of payment. As described above, mobile payment and digital permits provide opportunities for customer convenience and special rates for particular user groups.
• Multi-space meters and pay by plate. Currently the AMC does not include provisions to allow for pay by plate at multi-space meters. The AMC currently assumes every space is numbered or equipped with an individual meter. Pay by plate and multi-space meters will allow for more efficient operations, lower set up costs for the City as it expands its parking programs citywide, and lower enforcement costs.
• Flexibility. Currently the AMC assumes that parking rates are relatively rigid and rarely adjusted. A modern citywide parking program should allow for frequent adjustments in rates and hours to allow the City to dynamically manage parking supply and demand through parking fees, operating hours, and/or unique situations such as special events.
The draft amendments delegate the authority to modify rates and hours during which fees must be paid from the City Council to the Public Works Director. For example, parking fees have not been adjusted in over seven years in Alameda. To effectively and efficiently manage traffic and parking, the City should be able to quickly respond to changing conditions, changing City Council priorities, and special circumstances or events.
Staff is not attempting to remove the City Council from the decision making process. The Council should set parking policy, establish citywide parking priorities and goals, and then direct the Public Works Director, through the City Manager to set pricing and hours to meet those City Council established goals.
• Parking Revenues. Similar to setting parking policy regarding fees and hours, the City Council should also determine the uses of parking revenue. The current ordinance limits the use of revenue to parking maintenance and enforcement. The proposed text amendments expand the potential use of those funds for other City Council priorities. In addition to covering the costs of parking maintenance and enforcement, the amendments allow the City Council to use parking revenue for:
i. The installation and maintenance of programs that reduce the demand on public parking, such as shuttle or bus routes, bicycle safety improvements and bicycle parking, pedestrian safety improvements, sidewalk cleaning, street furniture, and street trees.
ii. Painting and marking of curbs required for the regulation of loading and parking of vehicles.
iii. Improvements to the public right of way to reduce traffic speeds and increase the safety of the roadway network for all modes of transportation.
License Plate Recognition
As describe above, License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology is a key component of the parking management plan. LPR technology allows for customer convenience, program flexibility, and cost effective enforcement. Traditional systems that rely upon visual verification, such as looking for the flashing green light on a single-space meter or looking for a physical receipt, are outdated and labor-intensive. Chalking tires is no longer a legal or viable means to enforcing parking limits.
San Francisco, Berkeley, San Leandro, Emeryville and most other Bay Area cities with modern parking management programs have already equipped their parking enforcement programs with LPR technology. LPR technology allows manual enforcement processes to be automated. For example, for time limit tracking, instead of asking the officer to manually enter each license plate number, tire valve stem position, and location into a handheld, or using chalk to mark tires, the LPR system can automate the process by logging the same information and notifying PEOs of violations as they drive down the street. For permit enforcement, instead of verifying that each vehicle has a physical permit displayed, that the permit number is tied to the correct license plate number, and that the date is valid, the LPR system can automate the process by using the license plate number as the permit number and verifying permit status using a database with real-time information - all while the PEO simply drives by. LPR systems are integrated with the citation issuance handheld devices to streamline enforcement. Once a violation is captured by the LPR system, the data can be transferred to the handheld device for ease of citation printing and issuance. (State law requires the PEO to print and provide a physical citation on the vehicle for a parking violation, unlike with moving violations that allow for mailed citations.)
Any California entity, including public agencies, that deploys automated LPR or accesses LPR data must post a privacy and usage policy online. Staff is preparing a draft Parking Management LPR Policy for City Council consideration that is also consistent with the City Council’s recent December 2019 Policy regarding privacy and data retention (Exhibit 2).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this project is Categorically Exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c) Existing Facilities and 15303 (new construction of small structures).
CLIMATE IMPACTS
Parking management plays an important role in reducing GHG emissions from private vehicles. With the recommended parking technologies and enforcement tools, the City will be better able to manage parking and traffic to meet GHG reduction goals. Achieving an 85% occupancy goal means that every block has a couple of open parking spaces, and drivers can park quickly rather than continuing to drive while looking for parking. Reducing double-parking also helps buses run efficiently on commercial corridors, making it that much more viable for people to choose buses over driving.
Consistently enforced paid parking programs can influence mode choice. Free parking provides a powerful incentive to drive; when parking is priced right and enforced for compliance, people are more likely to consider other modes of travel. Parking management also plays a key role in improving street sweeping effectiveness and litter control by providing the street sweepers better access to the curb line. Improved litter collection at the curb line ensures compliance with regulatory litter control programs and improves local flood control resiliency by keeping more litter out of the municipal storm drainage system.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and comment on the description of the Alameda Point Parking Program provided in the staff report, and the draft ordinance amendments to implement the program included in Exhibit 1
Exhibits:
1. Draft Ordinance Amendments
2. City Council 2019 Privacy Policy