Attachment 1
PREPARED BY: JR Langer
Lieutenant
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Town Attorney, Parks and Public Works, and Finance
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 03/07/2017
ITEM NO: 8
DATE: FEBRUARY 28, 2017
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: APPROVE THE COUNCIL POLICY COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS TO:
A. DISCONTINUE THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKING PLAN PROCESS,
B. MAINTAIN ALL EXISTING PARKING PERMIT AREAS,
C. EXPAND AND RENAME THE EASTSIDE PARKING PERMIT AREA TO THE
HIGH SCHOOL ZONE, AND
D. ABSORB THE CURRENT PREFERENTIAL PARKING PILOTS ALONG
ALPINE AND WHITNEY AVENUES INTO THE HIGH SCHOOL ZONE.
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the Council Policy Committee’s recommendations to:
1. Discontinue the Neighborhood Parking Plan process,
2. Maintain all existing parking permit areas,
3. Expand and rename the Eastside parking permit area to the High School Zone, and
4. Absorb the current preferential parking pilots along Alpine and Whitney Avenues into
the High School Zone.
BACKGROUND:
At its November 15, 2016 meeting, the Council approved a six month pilot preferential parking
program in the Whitney Avenue neighborhood and directed staff to:
Report the results of the Alpine Avenue pilot,
Provide information on the existing program’s cost recovery for both the upfront
analysis and permit implementation,
Examine options to increase permit costs either Town wide or area specific,
Obtain high school data regarding student driving in relation to the availability of
parking in residential areas, and
Bring the permit parking process to the Council Policy Committee for examination, and
return the policy portion to Council in time for review during the priority setting session
in January.
PAGE 2 OF 5
SUBJECT: APPROVE THE COUNCIL POLICY COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS
REGARDING PREFERENTIAL PARKING
DATE: FEBRUARY 28, 2017
S:\COUNCIL REPORTS\2017\03-07-17\Preferential Parking Program\Staff Report Final.docx 3/2/2017 2:27 PM SLL
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 406-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
On December 15, 2016 staff submitted a report to the Council Policy Committee describing the
current Neighborhood Parking Plan Process (NPPP) along with recommendations to modify the
process so that
Petitions would need to require specific criteria to be accepted,
Establishing a petition fee to offset the labor intensive costs incurred through
establishing new permit areas, and
Setting limitations on petitions processed each year.
As a result of the meeting, the Policy Committee then directed staff to:
Inform neighborhoods with current preferential parking pilots that those projects would
be extended
Remove the current NPPP from the Town website
Define safety and other metrics to evaluate parking compaction requests
Provide suggestions to move towards cost recovery with the parking program
Provide a new parking policy for consideration
Staff completed the first two items above. After researching the issue further, staff returned to
the Policy Committee on February 16, 2017 and recommended a modified approach:
Expand and rename the Eastside Area to the High School Zone;
Discontinue the Neighborhood Parking Plan Process, make any needed Town Code
changes, and no longer accept petitions for preferential parking;
Absorb the current preferential parking pilots into the High School Zone; and
Increase parking permit fees.
These items are discussed in more detail in the next section of this report, including the Policy
Committee recommendations that all of these items move forward for Council action.
DISCUSSION:
Preferential Parking Zones
Two distinct situations create a parking impact in the downtown. The first is the downtown
business district, which at times leads to parking spill over into residential neighborhoods. For
this reason, the Town implemented parking permit zones in and around the downtown,
including Almond Grove, Edelen, and Eastside (of the high school). Although the Town is
actively seeking additional solutions, the geography of the downtown adjacent to residential
areas makes continued competition for parking likely. Because of this, continued preferential
PAGE 3 OF 5
SUBJECT: APPROVE THE COUNCIL POLICY COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS
REGARDING PREFERENTIAL PARKING
DATE: FEBRUARY 28, 2017
S:\COUNCIL REPORTS\2017\03-07-17\Preferential Parking Program\Staff Report Final.docx 3/2/2017 2:27 PM SLL
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 406-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d) :
parking to mitigate downtown impacts makes sense. The Policy Committee recommends
continuing this established program with no changes in the boundaries.
The second impact is the area around Los Gatos High School. In this area the high school is
attempting to influence student behavior by providing less on campus parking. Over time, this
should lead to increased reliance on alternative modes of transportation and carpooling. In
turn this makes more space available for educational spaces on campus. This method of
transportation demand management is similar to those implemented in many jurisdictions to
manage congestion. Because the Town has no regulatory authority over the high school,
changing this direction through legislation, even if the Town wished to do so, is not possible.
More effectively, the Town can support these efforts through managing parking availability in
areas surrounding the campus. For this reason, the Policy Committee recommends expanding
and renaming the Eastside zone to the High School Zone.
The High School Zone expansion is based on an analysis of walking distances to the high school
(see Attachment 1). Several assumptions are made within this analysis. First, there exists some
distance from the high school where, if no closer parking is available, students will find
alternative transportation methods. Staff assumes this distance is a 10-minute walk or
approximately ½ mile. By limiting parking within that distance from the high school,
alternatives to parking in residential neighborhoods become more attractive. Second, the
parking on Miles Avenue near Balzer field is underutilized. The distance from that parking to
the high school is just within that ½-mile distance and, if no other closer parking is available,
students will utilize that parking. This provides the next easiest location for students to park if
the assumption on distance is wrong or takes time to become effective.
Streets, including Alpine and Whitney Avenues, which are impacted by high school parking are
recommended to be incorporated into the High School Zone as depicted by the map provided
as Attachment 1.
After its discussion, the Policy Committee recommends that the High School Zone would have
two hour limited parking on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days. No
enforcement would occur on school holidays, including summer months. The two hour limit
and the limited hours allows for normal residential parking, such as cleaning and gardening
services and daily visits, while effectively addressing student parking in the neighborhood.
Residents could purchase parking permits as outlined in the cost recovery section below.
The Policy Committee was interested in outreach and communication to the new High School
Zone. Staff intends to communicate the program to property owners and occupants via
PAGE 4 OF 5
SUBJECT: APPROVE THE COUNCIL POLICY COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS
REGARDING PREFERENTIAL PARKING
DATE: FEBRUARY 28, 2017
S:\COUNCIL REPORTS\2017\03-07-17\Preferential Parking Program\Staff Report Final.docx 3/2/2017 2:27 PM SLL
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 406-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d) :
Nextdoor and direct mailing. To ensure resident participation in establishing the proposed High
School Zone and to streamline the process for affected residents, staff is proposing to
implement an opt out voting process. Residents would be mailed a ballot explaining the
program and be provided an opportunity to vote to opt out of the program. If more than 25%
of households in any one block area vote to opt out, then a separate process would be
identified for consideration in those areas. All areas that do not opt out would be incorporated
in to the High School Zone. Final results would be brought to the Town Council for approval
and implementation. If approved, the purchase of parking permits would remain optional if a
resident does not need to park on the street during restricted times or does not wish to
purchase a permit.
By addressing downtown and high school parking impacts on adjacent neighborhoods, the
Policy Committee recommends that the Town Council discontinue consideration of additional
preferential parking areas to avoid privatization of streets elsewhere in Town. The current Los
Gatos Municipal Code Section 15.40.080 would remain in effect specific to the current
preferential parking zones only. The Committee also discussed the deletion of this Code section
entirely.
Town staff retains the authority to regulate parking in situations where concerns exist specific
to traffic or safety. Staff will retain this authority through alternative measures, such as red
curb, without utilizing a permit parking process. Recommended actions would also not modify
the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy, which serves to address speeds in neighborhoods and
would remain available to residents.
Cost Recovery
During the Council’s February 21, 2017 meeting, proposed fee and fine schedule increases were
considered and questions were posed regarding permit parking fees. Staff was advised to
return on March 7, 2017 to discuss the preferential parking program, and plans for outreach
regarding potential changes to the program including fee increases.
After further consideration, staff determined that a full cost recovery analysis would need to be
completed to determine all revenues and expenses accurately, including legal analysis
associated with considering citation revenues in a cost recovery analysis. Therefore, staff is not
ready to provide a recommendation on whether to increase parking permit fees at this time.
PAGE 5 OF 5
SUBJECT: APPROVE THE COUNCIL POLICY COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS
REGARDING PREFERENTIAL PARKING
DATE: FEBRUARY 28, 2017
S:\COUNCIL REPORTS\2017\03-07-17\Preferential Parking Program\Staff Report Final.docx 3/2/2017 2:27 PM SLL
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 406-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d) :
Outreach
Staff has informed both the Alpine Avenue and Whitney Avenue neighborhoods that their pilot
projects are indefinitely continued until a decision is reached on how to progress with
preferential parking. They have been informed that this agenda item is scheduled and that the
Policy Committee is recommending permit parking as part of the High School Zone. As
discussed above, if the Council approves the Policy Committee recommendation regarding the
High School Zone, outreach will occur regarding the new, larger zone. Outreach has also
occurred regarding the proposed permit fee increase as described above.
CONCLUSION:
The Council Policy Committee has evaluated the issues associated with preferential parking and
recommends:
1. Discontinue the Neighborhood Parking Plan process,
2. Maintain all existing parking permit areas,
3. Expand and rename the Eastside parking permit area to the High School Zone, and
4. Absorb the current preferential parking pilots along Alpine and Whitney Avenues into
the High School Zone.
COORDINATION:
This report has been coordinated with the Town Manager’s Office, Town Attorney’s Office, and
the Parks and Public Works Department.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The implementation of these recommendations can be absorbed with existing budget
resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachments:
1. Walking map of routes to Los Gatos High School
LEGEND:
TIME LIMITED
RESIDENTIAL PERMIT
HIGH SCHOOL PERMIT
0.5 MILE WALKING ROUTES
HIGH SCHOOL LOADING
ZONE FROM 7 AM TO 4 PM,
M-F
RED ZONE
PARKING AROUND
LOS GATOS HIGH SCHOOL
PREPARED BY: JR LANGER
Lieutenant
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Finance Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
S:\COUNCIL REPORTS\2017\03-07-17\Preferential Parking Program\Addendum FINAL.docx 3/6/2017 1:45 PM SLL
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 03/07/2017
ITEM NO: 8
ADDENDUM
DATE: MARCH 6, 2017
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: APPROVE THE COUNCIL POLICY COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS TO:
A. DISCONTINUE THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKING PLAN PROCESS,
B. MAINTAIN ALL EXISTING PARKING PERMIT AREAS,
C. EXPAND AND RENAME THE EASTSIDE PARKING PERMIT AREA TO THE
HIGH SCHOOL ZONE, AND
D. ABSORB THE CURRENT PREFERENTIAL PARKING PILOTS ALONG
ALPINE AND WHITNEY AVENUES INTO THE HIGH SCHOOL ZONE.
REMARKS:
Attachment 2 contains public comments received between 11:01 a.m. February 28, 2017 and 11:00 a.m.
March 6, 2017
Attachments (previously received with February 28, 2017 Staff Report):
1. Walking Map of routes to Los Gatos High School
Attachment received with this Addendum Report:
2. Public comments received between 11:01 a.m. February 28, 2017 and 11:00 a.m. March 6, 2017
Attachment 2
From: Jennifer E Liebthal [mailto:jliebthal@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2017 11:43 AM
To: Planning; Council
Subject: March 7th Council meeting - Concerns with HS zone expansion plans affect on Loma Alta
Avenue
Hello,
I have been a resident on Loma Alta Avenue for 19 years. I appreciate that the town is trying to
work with local residents to make sure they can park on their streets. With all the other streets
being permitted or limited use during school hours the parking situation on Loma Alta has gotten
very bad. Since it is one of the only streets around that the kids can park on the residents of
Loma Alta can not find parking for blocks.. sometimes more during school hours.
If other area streets are limited parking during school hours why has this not been implemented
on Loma Alta too? At the time that the requested the permits for Johnson were being requested
the residents on Loma Alta signed the petition as we were told that it would include Loma Alta
too yet it never did.
I am not in the favor of the limited parking on Loma Alta if the other permitted/limited parking
streets where opened back up but if they are not it seems very unfair for Loma Alta residents to
carry the load of where all the students are now parking. When we bought our house students
used to have 6 additional streets they could park on and now all those cars come to Loma Alta
Avenue. I was actually hoping all the area street permits were going to be revoked.
I would like to understand why Loma Alta is not being included in the time limited parking
proposal being presented in the March 7th Town Council meeting.
Thank you for your time,
Jennifer
Attachment 2
From: Pamela Nerney [mailto:p.nerney@verizon.net]
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2017 3:12 PM
To: Ann Atkinson; Tom Atkinson; Doug and Cheryl Rice; Len And Pat Viale; Cheryl Rice; Amy Perera; Jon
Perera; Steve Vidlock; Dorothy Vidlock; Lou Ryan; Bruce Mitchell; Connie Mitchell; Dorothy Vidlock
(dvidlock@me.com); Lisa Roberts; Janice Gali; Gwen Dawkins Franklin; Janet & Luis Gutierrez; Melanie
Branon; Phil Branon; jean ann morton; Kathryn Knudsen; Brent Knudsen; Betty Sullivan; Kathryn
Knudsen; John Thomsen; Don Cariani; Drombowski; Julie Gallinat; Greg Walker; Forouz Hojjat; Sheryl
Ahlblad; Gwen Dawkins Franklin; Steve Rice; Krista and Jon Gieselman; Henry and Jean Richards
Cc: Jackie Rose; JR Langer
Subject: Town Council Agenda / Staff Report March 7
For those neighbors who may have missed the Nextdoor posting, please see link below for the
Town Council Agenda/Staff Report for this coming March 7, Tuesday 7pm. If I read the report
correctly, Staff is recommending that both Alpine Ave and Whitney be absorbed into a new 2
hour parking zone called the "High School Zone” which would effectively rescind our current
Parking Permit status (90 minute Permit Parking 9am-4pm). All other streets in Los Gatos with
Permit Parking would be maintained as is (including Johnson Ave, Villa? etc)
My initial response is that Alpine Ave residents have operated in good faith and due diligence
throughout the long "existing process" in place. Our Pilot program has been effective, widely
supported and well documented as a success. (Also, 2 hour parking is not as effective and is
more difficult to enforce, as I understand it.)
My position is that Alpine Ave residents can make a good case for granting our Pilot Program
permanent status, leaving it as is. I think our presence and input at the March 7 meeting can help
the Town understand our position.
https://legistarweb-
production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/55778/Staff_Report_Final.pdf
Photos below January 2016 Prior to Permit Parking status looking down Alpine Ave and looking
up.
Attachment 2
Attachment 2
Sincerely,
Pamela Nerney
Attachment 2
From: George Rose [mailto:grose2003@verizon.net]
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2017 3:38 PM
To: Jackie Rose
Cc: megjofin@gmail.com; JR Langer
Subject: Re: Alpine and Whitney Neighborhood - Residential Parking Program Update
Hi Jackey,
I have been meaning to thank you and those who put through the limited parking on Whitney. I do
appreciate all of those in the Town of Los Gatos for there efforts. I and many others have enjoyed when
repairmen are called that they have a place to park. It is really a problem that has been over looked by
the Saratoga Los Gatos High School District.and where students are to park. It is to bad that school
officials waste so much tax payers money and due nothing about the parking issues that effect the town
and business.
Yours Truly,
George Rose
Attachment 2
From: Tom Atkinson [mailto:atkinso22000@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2017 8:21 AM
To: Pamela Nerney
Cc: Ann Atkinson; Doug Rice; Leonard Viale; captswife58@gmail.com; Amy Perera; Jon Perera; Steve
Vidlock; Dorothy Vidlock; Lou Ryan; Bruce Mitchell; Connie Mitchell; Dorothy Vidlock (dvidlock@me.com);
Lisa Roberts; Janice Gali; Dirk Franklin; Janet & Luis Gutierrez; Melanie Branon; Phil Branon; jean ann
morton; Kathryn Knudsen; Brent Knudsen; Betty Sullivan; Kathryn Knudsen; John Thomsen; Don Cariani;
Drombowski; Janice Gali; Greg Walker; Forouz Hojjat; Sheryl Ahlblad; Gwen Dawkins; Steve Rice; Krista
and Jon Gieselman; Henry and Jean Richards; Jackie Rose; JR Langer
Subject: Re: P.S. (Town Council Agenda / Staff Report March 7)
Hi Pamela - Sorry that we will be at Tahoe.
Tom Atkinson
atkinso22000@yahoo.com
On Mar 3, 2017, at 6:33 PM, Pamela Nerney <p.nerney@verizon.net> wrote:
P. S. As a footnote to email below, 2 hour parking restrictions are designed for issues (primarily
downtown) with employee parking issues on residential streets with due respect to resident’s
visitors. It is not a targeted or effective solution for the chronic, disruptive, unsafe parking and
traffic issues that we have experienced on Alpine Ave with LGHS.
On Mar 3, 2017, at 3:11 PM, Pamela Nerney <p.nerney@verizon.net> wrote:
For those neighbors who may have missed the Nextdoor posting, please see link below for the
Town Council Agenda/Staff Report for this coming March 7, Tuesday 7pm. If I read the report
correctly, Staff is recommending that both Alpine Ave and Whitney be absorbed into a new 2
hour parking zone called the "High School Zone” which would effectively rescind our current
Parking Permit status (90 minute Permit Parking 9am-4pm). All other streets in Los Gatos with
Permit Parking would be maintained as is (including Johnson Ave, Villa? etc)
My initial response is that Alpine Ave residents have operated in good faith and due diligence
throughout the long "existing process" in place. Our Pilot program has been effective, widely
supported and well documented as a success. (Also, 2 hour parking is not as effective and is
more difficult to enforce, as I understand it.)
My position is that Alpine Ave residents can make a good case for granting our Pilot Program
permanent status, leaving it as is. I think our presence and input at the March 7 meeting can help
the Town understand our position.
https://legistarweb-
production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/55778/Staff_Report_Final.pdf
<WebPage.pdf>
Attachment 2
Photos below January 2016 Prior to Permit Parking status looking down Alpine Ave and looking
up.
<IMG_1094.jpg>
<IMG_1093.jpg>
Sincerely,
Pamela Nerney