TO: Chair and Members of the City Traffic Commission
THRU: Larry Tay, City Traffic Engineer
FROM: Maria Flores, Assistant Engineer
1. Subject
title
Request for permit parking on the east side of S. Swidler Place from E. Chapman Avenue to E. Almond Avenue, and both sides of E. Almond Avenue from S. Swidler Place to S. Olympia Way.
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2. Summary
The request is to implement permit parking on the east side of S. Swidler Place and both sides of E. Almond Avenue, which is adjacent to Permit Parking Area I. The request meets the implementation criteria contained in the city’s Neighborhood Permit Parking Program.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Approve the implementation of permit parking along the east side of S. Swidler Place from E. Chapman Avenue to E. Almond Avenue.
2. Approve the implementation of permit parking on both sides of E. Almond Avenue from S. Swidler Place to S. Olympia Way.
3. Forward to the City Council for final action.
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4. Fiscal Impact
None. Implementation involves minimal staff time and minimal expenditures that have already been approved in the City’s operating budget.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 5: Improve Infrastructure, Mobility, and Technology
6. Discussion and Background
Background
In January 1999, the City Council approved the establishment of Permit Parking Area I for the streets surrounding McPherson Magnet School as depicted on the Area Map attached. S. Swidler Place and E. Almond Avenue were given the opportunity to implement permit parking at the time, but they did not receive enough support from residents. In recent years, residents have noticed an increase in demand for on-street parking along their frontage, explaining that the demand for on-street parking originates from outside the neighborhood.
A property owner on S. Swidler Place submitted a request to initiate the process for permit parking on Swidler Place. Due to its proximity to existing Permit Parking Area I and Swidler Place, Almond Avenue was included in the evaluation for permit parking. The limits for evaluation are shown on the attached Area Map. In accordance with the Neighborhood Permit Parking Program (NPPP), staff performed an initial screening of the study area to determine the following:
1. Whether each street is eligible to be considered for permit parking; and
2. If so, does said street lie within a City-defined permit parking opportunity area with streamlined procedures.
Because each of the above streets are eligible for permit parking and outside of a City-defined permit parking opportunity area, minimum levels of parking occupancy and property owner support must be met to recommend permit parking. Both are discussed below.
Parking Occupancy Study
Staff mapped and counted the number of legal parking spaces for each of the streets in the study area. The proponent provided staff with the days and times when parking demand in the neighborhood was believed to be at its highest. Staff then conducted the parking observations during those reported hours. Per the City’s NPPP, a street parking occupancy rate of 75% is required to qualify for permit parking. Both Swidler Place and Almond Avenue exceeded the 75% threshold, with an average parking occupancy of 93% for Swidler Place and 87% for Almond Avenue.
Petition Results
Because the parking occupancy exceeded the minimum 75% threshold on both Swidler Place and Almond Avenue, a petition was circulated to the property owners along those streets. The petition letter and a list of permit parking advantages and disadvantages were provided to each owner on the candidate streets. The table below shows the results of the neighborhood polling.
|
Affected Streets |
Households in Favor |
Households Opposed |
Unreturned |
|
Swidler Place |
6 |
85% |
0 |
0% |
1 |
15% |
|
Almond Avenue |
9 |
75% |
0 |
0% |
3 |
25% |
The final results of the petition process indicate that both Swidler Place and Almond Avenue meet the required minimum 75% of property owners in favor of the permit parking program.
Findings:
Through the parking occupancy studies, staff have documented a consistently high demand for on-street parking on Swidler Place and Almond Avenue. Since the level of demand for parking exceeds the minimum requirements for occupancy and petition support under the City’s NPPP, permit parking is recommended for Swidler Place and Almond Avenue as shown on the Site Sketch & Petition Area Map.
The following should be kept in mind:
1. Under the NPPP, property owners on any adjacent street experiencing spillover may request to initiate permit parking within a year without having to pay the application fee. Parking occupancy, petition thresholds, and other requirements in effect at the time would still apply.
2. Any vehicle parked in a designated parking-by-permit area without a permit is subject to citation. Parking permits do not supersede the street sweeping restrictions in the neighborhood.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Letter of Request
• Area Map
• Site Sketch & Petition Area Map
• Notification Letters (2)