Attachment 1 - Los Gatos Parking Roadmap
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Town of Los Gatos, CA
Parking
Roadmap
December 2019
Prepared by Dixon Resources Unlimited
ATTACHMENT 1
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 3
1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 6
1.1. Project Overview .................................................................................................................. 6
1.2. Goals ...................................................................................................................................... 9
2. Roadmap Structure ..................................................................................................................... 10
3. Background Information ............................................................................................................ 11
3.1. Parking Assessment District ............................................................................................... 11
3.2. 1996 Parking Improvement Plan ....................................................................................... 11
3.3. 2001 Parking Management Study ..................................................................................... 11
3.4. 2004-2005 Parking Management Plan Update ................................................................ 12
3.5. 2017 Time Limit Assessment ............................................................................................. 12
3.6. Parking Garage.................................................................................................................... 12
3.7. 2020 General Plan .............................................................................................................. 13
3.8. One-Way Street Pilot .......................................................................................................... 15
4. Parking Demand Management .................................................................................................. 17
4.1. Phase 1 ................................................................................................................................ 17
4.2. Phase 2 ................................................................................................................................ 27
4.3. Phase 3 ................................................................................................................................ 36
4.4. Ongoing ............................................................................................................................... 38
4.5. Cost and Impact .................................................................................................................. 44
4.6. Implementation Guide ....................................................................................................... 45
5. Residential Area Parking ............................................................................................................. 48
5.1. Phase 1 ................................................................................................................................ 48
5.2. Phase 2 ................................................................................................................................ 53
5.3. Phase 3 ................................................................................................................................ 54
5.4. Ongoing ............................................................................................................................... 55
5.5. Cost and Impact .................................................................................................................. 57
5.6. Implementation Guide ....................................................................................................... 58
6. Enforcement ............................................................................................................................... 60
6.1. Phase 1 ................................................................................................................................ 60
6.2. Phase 2 ................................................................................................................................ 61
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6.3. Phase 3 ................................................................................................................................ 62
6.4. Ongoing ............................................................................................................................... 63
6.5. Cost and Impact .................................................................................................................. 64
6.6. Implementation Guide ....................................................................................................... 65
7. Wayfinding and Parking Guidance ............................................................................................. 66
7.1. Phase 1 ................................................................................................................................ 66
7.2. Phase 2 ................................................................................................................................ 68
7.3. Phase 3 ................................................................................................................................ 69
7.4. Ongoing ............................................................................................................................... 69
7.5. Cost and Impact .................................................................................................................. 71
7.6. Implementation Guide ....................................................................................................... 72
8. Transportation Demand Management ...................................................................................... 73
8.1. Phase 1 ................................................................................................................................ 73
8.2. Phase 2 ................................................................................................................................ 74
8.3. Phase 3 ................................................................................................................................ 74
8.4. Ongoing ............................................................................................................................... 76
8.5. Cost and Impact .................................................................................................................. 77
8.6. Implementation Guide ....................................................................................................... 78
9. Comprehensive Implementation Guide .................................................................................... 79
Appendix A: Employee Survey Results ............................................................................................... 80
Appendix B: Online Survey Results ..................................................................................................... 82
Appendix C: Parking Data Analysis ..................................................................................................... 91
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Executive Summary
Dixon Resources Unlimited (DIXON) has prepared this Parking Roadmap (Roadmap) on behalf of
the Town of Los Gatos (Town) to outline the recommended implementation steps and strategies
to optimize the parking operation. This Roadmap was developed based upon a collaborate effort
between various Town Departments, extensive stakeholder outreach, a six month parking data
collection effort, and the following set of overarching program goals:
1. Develop a parking program that can grow and adapt over time while maintaining the
small-town charm;
2. Achieve a balance between parking and loading options to support diverse needs of
business owners, employees, customers, residents, and visitors;
3. Develop a sustainable parking solution for employees that supports downtown
businesses while providing a customer-friendly parking experience;
4. Support downtown vitality through parking policies that improve access and safety; and
5. Provide ongoing management and oversight to track performance and optimize the
operation.
The table below outlines the five Roadmap sections with a summary of recommendations based
upon high-level projects and policies.
Section Recommendations Parking Demand Management Phase 1
• Adopt a “Park Once” motto and establish a no reparking rule
• Establish a Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program
• Increase short-term parking options
• Create an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Permit Program
• Hire a Parking Program Manager
Phase 2
• Implement a Pay-to-Stay rate model
• Utilize Pay by Plate pay stations, mobile payment, and merchant validation
• Establish equipment maintenance and collections processes
• Expand the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program
• Optimize loading zone use
Phase 3
• Establish a Commercial Loading Zone Permit Program
• Expand valet parking if needed
• Utilize remote parking if needed
• Construct a parking garage if needed
Ongoing
• Parking data analysis and data-driven decisions
• Parking equipment maintenance and collections
• Incrementally add Parklets and expand sidewalks
• Actively pursue shared parking agreements.
4 Residential Area Parking Phase 1
• Transition to digital permits
• Adjust the Residential Permit Parking District permit rates and policies
• Establish a new petitioning process for expanding or forming Residential Permit
Parking Districts
• Establish a High School Permit Program for students
• Limit student permit eligibility based upon proximity
Phase 2
• Expand High School student permit parking areas if needed
• Introduce a commute gamification platform
• Adjust residential special event permit program policies and application process
Phase 3
• Evaluate car sharing program opportunities
Ongoing
• Permit parking program adjustments as needed Enforcement Phase 1
• Prioritize enforcement coverage in Downtown time limit areas and optimize the
staffing schedule based upon operating hours
• Issue warning notices to first-time violators as new rules are introduced
• Utilize license plate recognition cameras as a data collection tool to evaluate the
Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program
Phase 2
• Integrate enforcement technology with new parking technology systems
• Hire additional Parking Control Officers to improve enforcement coverage and
consistency
Phase 3
• Consider contracting enforcement services if needed
Ongoing
• Adjust enforcement staffing and schedules as needed
• Utilize Gap Management methods to monitor officer productivity Wayfinding and Parking Guidance Phase 1
• Develop an easily recognizable public parking brand
• Install occupancy counting technology
• Implement an automated parking guidance system with digital signage
• Install walkability signage
Phase 2
• Broadcast real-time occupancy data through a web application
Phase 3
• If a garage is developed, install interior wayfinding directional signage
Ongoing
• Monitor occupancy equipment and make adjustments to parking guidance
system as needed
5 Transportation Demand Management Phase 1
• Establish a Shared Mobility Device Permit Program
Phase 2
• Install secure bike parking options
Phase 3
• Implement a circulating shuttle system
Ongoing
• Offer public transportation incentive programs
The Roadmap further explains the phasing of each recommendation based upon a realistic and
actionable approach. For every strategy, the Town should take a proactive approach to parking
management that includes ongoing consideration for data-driven decisions, stakeholder feedback,
technology, and transportation demand management.
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1. Introduction
1.1. Project Overview
Dixon Resources Unlimited (DIXON) has prepared this Parking Roadmap (Roadmap) on behalf of
the Town of Los Gatos (Town) to outline the recommended implementation steps and strategies
to optimize the parking operation. The following provided the foundation for the development of
this Roadmap:
• A review of background documentation,
• Three onsite assessments,
• Six rounds of parking data collection,
• Staff and stakeholder input, and
• Industry best practices.
1.1.1. Staff Collaboration
DIXON met with Town staff initially in May, 2019 to understand key objectives and again in August,
2019 for feedback on initial recommendations. The development of this Roadmap relied on a
collaborate effort between various departments including:
• Parks and Public Works,
• Police Services,
• Community Development, and the
• Town Manager
1.1.2. Stakeholder Outreach
DIXON facilitated a series of stakeholder meetings between May through November 2019. Initial
stakeholder meetings were meant to understand community needs and priorities. DIXON returned
to provide updates about study findings and draft recommendations for feedback. A list of
meetings is provided below in Table 1.
Table 1: Stakeholder Meetings
Dates Meetings
May 1, 2019 Town Hall (Primarily Residents)
May 2, 2019 Chamber of Commerce
June 5, 2019 Los Gatos High School
August 20, 2019 Transportation and Parking Commission
Town Council
August 21, 2019 Chamber of Commerce
November 6, 2019 Chamber of Commerce
Transportation and Parking Commission
DIXON also conducted stakeholder surveys for additional feedback, as described below.
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1.1.2.1. Employee Surveys
DIXON visited a variety of downtown businesses and conducted employee surveys in-person on
June 5, 27, and 28, 2019. A total of 77 employees were surveyed from 61 businesses. Appendix A
includes a detailed overview of survey results. A summary of key findings is below:
• 93% drove a car to get to work;
• 10% parked on-street and 56% in a public parking lot;
• 92% parked within 1 block of their work;
• 72% of employees surveyed in-person said they would be willing to buy an employee
parking permit if it meant they could more easily find a space to park;
• For those employees that stated they were willing to buy a permit, a range of reasonable
monthly permit rates of $1 to $50 was provided;
• 81% think there is not enough parking downtown for customers; and
• 50% think customers would not be willing to pay for parking, 36% think they would, and
14% are not sure.
Participants were also asked what they would do if they could “change, fix, or improve anything
about parking” in Los Gatos. A variety of responses were given, with some of the most frequent
answers included below:
• Add more long-term parking options or increase time limits;
• Build a parking garage; and
• Create more employee permit parking locations.
1.1.2.2. Online Survey
DIXON also developed a detailed online survey to reach a broader audience. The Town promoted
the online survey through social media platforms beginning in mid-June and 477 responses were
collected. The majority of participants live within the Town, and the majority typically visit
downtown at least multiple times per week, including 20% of participants who work downtown.
Appendix B includes a detailed overview of survey results. A summary of key findings is outlined
below:
Regarding their most recent visit to Downtown Los Gatos:
• Dining and shopping were the most common reasons for visiting downtown;
• Very few visits lasted more than 4 hours;
• The majority of participants took a personal vehicle to reach downtown;
• Zero participants took public transit to reach downtown;
• The amount of time it took to find parking was evenly varied, with a slim majority finding
a parking space in less than 5 minutes;
• The majority found parking within 1 block of their destination;
• The majority would not have been willing to pay for parking for a more convenient space;
• Ease of finding of parking space was on average the most important factor when deciding
where to park; and
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• The majority agreed that they would visit downtown more often for leisure activities if
parking were easier to find.
The majority of participants believe that:
• The 2-hour time limit is not long enough for most visitors/customers, but a 3-hour time
limit is;
• There is not enough long-term parking downtown; and
• The Town should build more parking.
The majority of downtown employees surveyed in the online survey would:
• Walk 2-3 blocks for a guaranteed parking space;
• Not be willing to pay for a parking permit.
1.1.3. Parking Data Collection
Six rounds of parking occupancy and turnover data were collected as outlined below in Table 2.
These dates were selected to understand trends on:
• Weekdays versus weekends;
• While high school is in session versus on summer break; and
• Before versus during the One-Way Street Pilot.
Additionally, the dates were selected to understand normal conditions and avoid interference with
major holidays or events. Collecting data during normal or average conditions allows the Town to
develop policies and programs that address the majority of the year. Peak periods should be
managed by exception.
Table 2: Parking Data Collection Dates
Round* Dates 9AM 12PM 3PM 6PM 7PM
1
Wednesday, May 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Friday, May 3 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Saturday, May 11 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
2 Wednesday, May 22 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Friday, May 24 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
3
Wednesday, June 26 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Friday, June 28 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Saturday, June 29 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
4
Wednesday, July 31 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Friday, August 2 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Saturday, June 29 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
5 Wednesday, August 21 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Friday, August 23 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
6 Wednesday, September 11 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
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Friday, September 13 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
*Rounds 1 and 2 of data collection consist of a reduced study area. The remaining data collection rounds
are an expanded study area that also include private parking supply.
Appendix C includes a detailed overview of data collection locations and findings.
1.2. Goals
Below are the overarching program goals that guided the development of the Roadmap
recommendations:
6. Develop a parking program that can grow and adapt over time while maintaining the
small-town charm;
7. Achieve a balance between parking and loading options to support diverse needs of
business owners, employees, customers, residents, and visitors;
8. Develop a sustainable parking solution for employees that supports downtown
businesses while providing a customer-friendly parking experience;
9. Support downtown vitality through parking policies that improve access and safety; and
10. Provide ongoing management and oversight to track performance and optimize the
operation.
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2. Roadmap Structure
The Roadmap starts with an overview of background information, which includes a review of
historical policy decisions, programs, and recent planning documents as they relate to parking
management.
Next, the Roadmap includes the following five sections:
• Parking Demand Management,
• Residential Area Parking,
• Enforcement,
• Wayfinding and Parking Guidance, and
• Transportation Demand Management.
Recommendations in each section are organized into three phases followed by ongoing
recommendations. Phase 1 describes the initial parking management steps that are recommended
to address immediate challenges and prepare for future recommendations. The timing of Phases
2 and 3 is flexible and dependent on the impact of initial recommendations on parking behavior
and trends. The Roadmap describes the progression between phases based upon ongoing data
collection, monitoring, and oversight.
Near the end of each section there is a table that outlines the estimated cost and impact levels for
each recommendation. Certain strategies are interconnected and bundled together as such. The
estimated cost and impact levels are based upon the following descriptions in Table 3:
Table 3: Estimated Cost and Impact*
Level Cost Impact
High Upfront investment > $300,000 Large and immediate influence on parking
behavior or program efficiency.
Medium Upfront Investment > $100,000 Either small and immediate or large and gradual
influence on parking behavior or program
efficiency
Low Upfront investment < $100,000 Small and gradual influence on parking behavior
or program efficiency.
*Cost and impact values within this report are assigned by DIXON based upon ex perience in recent
solicitation and implementation projects. Actual costs and impacts are subject to Town review and may
change depending on factors such as vendor selections, implementation scale, and timeline.
Each section concludes with an implementation guide that summarizes the implementation steps
amongst all recommendations by phase. The following symbols are used for ease of review:
• $ : May require a budget allocation, investment, or purchase.
• TC : May require a Town Code update.
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3. Background Information
3.1. Parking Assessment District
The Parking Assessment District (PAD) was created in 1982, shortly after the adoption of the
Downtown Specific Plan (DTSP). PAD assessments were based on gross floor area; however, these
floor areas were based upon estimates, so business owners and property owners were
encouraged to report actual square footage. To fund improvement projects, the PAD issued 25 -
year bonds in 1988. As mentioned in a September 1995 Town Council report, the PAD created
parking credits for each parcel within the district.
The creation of the PAD relieved all non-conforming property owners in relation to providing on-
site parking, paying additional funds to the district for the existing floor area, or reconfiguring
buildings to remove excess square footage. Additional parking was necessary only if additional
square footage was added or if uses were intensified. Certain buildings that were below the
maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 0.6 had the opportunity for future intensification. The PAD was
allowed to sunset in 2013.
3.2. 1996 Parking Improvement Plan
The 1996 Parking Improvement Plan of Los Gatos recommended that the Town develop 180 new
parking spaces over the following five years by constructing another structure and improving
efficiency of existing structures. Private development of spaces and computerized pay-on-foot pay
station technology was recommended in order to fund the ongoing maintenance. Additionally,
parking credits or incentives for residents with valid California license could be included. The 1996
Plan also recommended that certain areas within the downtown core should be designated for
employee parking with monthly or annual fees.
3.3. 2001 Parking Management Study
The 2001 Parking Management Study surveyed parking occupancy to evaluate utilization in
Downtown Los Gatos. Findings from the 2001 Study revealed that public parking spaces were
heavily occupied (93%) at mid-day during the week and on Saturday. The Study also found that
more than 850 employees typically parked in prime parking spaces in the downtown core. The
Study recommended that an additional 70-100 parking spaces be added to the downtown parking
supply to meet an 85% parking occupancy threshold. Ten parking lot/garage configuration
alternatives were proposed to accommodate current and future parking demand including
restriping or expanding existing lots and the construction of a subterranean lot.
The Study also recommended expanding the holiday valet program, allowing the leasing of private
parking spaces to downtown employees, a residential permit parking program, 90-minute parking
zones, hiring of additional enforcement staff.
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3.4. 2004-2005 Parking Management Plan Update
The 2004-2005 Parking Management Plan Update discussed placing the Parking Division under the
supervision of the Traffic Sergeant due to the elimination of the Parking Coordinator position and
one Parking Control Officer position. The Update also discussed establishing a downtown
employee parking permit program, beginning in January 2006. The benefits of the employee
permit program were discussed, including that it would be a business retention tool because it
would reduce the number of times employees would need to move their vehicles out of time
limited parking areas, as well as reduce the number of employees occupying on-street parking
spaces. Recommendations included issuing a maximum of 200 permits at a cost of $35 per month
or $300 annually, issuing the permit on an annual basis, allowing permit-holders to park in any
Downtown municipal lot (Lots 1-7), and allowing permit-holders to park all-day. Recommended
next steps included continuing outreach and education with business owners and employees, as
well as ongoing monitoring of the program after implementation to determine if adjustments are
needed.
3.5. 2017 Time Limit Assessment
In September and November of 2017, the Transportation and Parking Commission began an
analysis of Main Street from College Avenue to Lyndon Avenue, Santa Cruz Avenue from Highway
9 to Wood Road, University Avenue between Highway 9 and Main Street, streets between
University and Santa Cruz, including Elm, Grays, Royce, and Bachman, and each of the Town-
owned downtown parking lots totaling 1,253 parking spaces. These studies looked at utilization
levels with respect to time limits to determine whether spaces should be shifted from one time
limit to another. Main findings were that there should to be a shift in Lots 1 and 2, which are
currently a combination of three hour and unlimited parking, to allow for longer four hour stays.
3.6. Parking Garage
The Town Council special Ad Hoc Committee (Committee) held a meeting in February, 2015 to
consider the development of a Downtown parking garage. In September the Town requested
information from qualified private sector firms about potential public-private partnership
opportunities. The Council provided direction to staff which included a partnership with Presidio
Development for the construction of a mixed-use parking garage and housing project. Later in
January, 2017 the Town entered into an agreement with Keyser Marston Associates to provide
consulting services during negotiations with Presidio Development Partners. In April, 2017, the
Committee reviewed a draft Exclusive Negotiating Rights Agreement and provided input into the
agreement and the schedule. Next the Committee reviewed preliminary massing diagrams for the
project and heard public input on height, mass, viewing angles to adjacent property, and traffic
flow.
In the Following year in January, 2018 the Committee authorized Presidio Development Partners
to assist with the construction of a mixed-use parking structure that includes both market rate and
below market price (BMP) units. The preliminary design was concluded to be compatible in scale
with other downtown buildings and included at least 300 parking spaces, 6 BMP units and up to
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18 market rate residential units. Staff reviewed cost reduction efforts through review of equity
financing and Town permitting costs, as well as potential variations of the design.
There were no Town funds immediately available to support the proposed designs, so additional
funding options were considered. This included using bonds, a construction loan, sales tax,
Downtown Assessment Districts (property tax), paid parking, or a year end fund balance as a
source of funds.
3.7. 2020 General Plan
On September 20, 2010 the Town adopted the 2020 General Plan. A comparison of the General
Plan vision statements and their relation to parking management is outlined below in Table 4:
Table 4: 2020 General Plan Vision Statements and Parking Considerations
Vision Statement Related Parking Considerations
Foster a pedestrian-oriented community with
a small-town character.
• Parking supply density
• Access to/from parking options
• Discouraging re-parking
• Facility and signage aesthetics
Maintain a balanced, well-designed mix of
residential, commercial, service
and open space uses through integrated land
use planning.
• Parking policies and programs should
accommodate a variety of needs
• Shared parking opportunities
• Operating hours
• Permit parking programs
Be a full-service community that is also
environmentally sensitive.
• Congestion mitigation
• Transportation demand management
• Encouraging carpooling and mode
alternatives
Support an active business community that
provides a wide variety of goods and services
and a broad range of employment
opportunities, minimizing the need to travel
to other communities.
• Employee parking options
• Commercial loading zones
• Merchant validation
Provide a well-run, efficient municipal
government that is fiscally healthy, with high
levels of public safety, recreational, art and
cultural amenities and that is supportive of
high quality education.
• Paid parking and a sustainable parking
operation
• Parking Benefit District
• Improving safety through parking policies
The Transportation Element of the General Plan specifically addresses various aspects of
transportation including parking. Below is a list of the adopted transportation goals:
1. To develop transportation systems that meet current and future needs of residents and
businesses;
2. To create and maintain a safe, efficient and well-designed roadway network;
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3. To prevent and mitigate traffic impacts from new development;
4. To ensure that future changes to Highway 17 do not negatively impact the quality of life
or small-town character of Los Gatos;
5. To ensure that Los Gatos’s streets are safe for all users, including drivers, cyclists, and
pedestrians;
6. To improve traffic flow in the downtown and reduce the effect of downtown traffic on
nearby commercial and residential areas;
7. To ensure that hillside streets maintain the rural atmosphere, minimize disruption of
ecological integrity, and provide safe and continuous access consistent with development
allowed by the Hillside Specific Plan and Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines;
8. To improve mass transit within Los Gatos;
9. To reduce reliance on the automobile by promoting alternative modes of transportation
in the transportation system;
10. To encourage increased levels of bicycling and walking;
11. To provide a safe and efficient system of bicycle and multiple use trails throughout the
Town, creating a non-motorized connection to recreational and commuting destinations;
12. To ensure a well-designed and well-maintained system of trails that connects the Town
and open space areas;
13. To provide adequate parking for existing and proposed uses, and to minimize impacts on
surrounding residential neighborhoods; and
14. To ensure that there is adequate parking in Downtown to meet the needs of Los Gatos
residents and visitors.
Policies and action items related to parking are outlined below in Table 5:
Table 5: 2020 General Plan Parking Policies and Actions
Policy / Action Description
Policy TRA-13.1 The Town’s parking standards shall be adequate to meet demand.
Policy TRA-13.2 Provide an adequate number of parking spaces in all new development.
Policy TRA-13.3 Require adequate parking in commercial areas so as not to impact or affect
adjacent residential properties.
Policy TRA-13.4 Consider permit parking on a case-by-case basis if requested by
neighborhoods affected by non-residential development.
Policy TRA-13.5 Provide for safe pedestrian circulation in parking lots without unnecessarily
eliminating parking spaces.
Policy TRA-13.6 Provide staff support for administrating the parking program.
Action TRA-13.1
Develop and adopt a parking management plan to include incentives and
disincentives for appropriate employee parking, including parking credits
for the use of public transit and/or ridesharing.
Action TRA-13.2
Develop and adopt appropriate parking controls to protect downtown
residential neighborhoods from the encroachment of downtown shoppers
and employees.
Action TRA-13.3 Periodically review Town Code parking requirements and standards to
ensure that they are adequate to meet demand.
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Policy TRA-14.1
Promote the formation of an assessment district and/or consider the use of
the various parking and business improvement programs authorized by
State law to help finance the construction of parking facilities and/or
alternatives to parking.
Policy TRA-14.2
Revenues collected (from fines, fees, meters, and permits) shall accrue to
the district to help pay for maintenance, enforcement, capital replacement,
later phases of the parking district, and parking alternatives or programs to
maximize use of facilities for parking and alternatives to parking, such as
shuttle buses, more employee lots, bicycles, bus passes, etc.
Policy TRA-14.3
Stand-alone parking facilities in Downtown Los Gatos should be at or below
grade. All parking facilities shall exhibit excellence in design, minimize
impacts on adjacent property, and be consistent with the Town’s character.
Policy TRA-14.4
To the extent possible, locate parking facilities in relation to the primary
approach direction of users in order to minimize internal circulation within
the Central Business District/East Main Street area.
Action TRA-14.1 Develop a revenue collection plan.
Action TRA-14.2
Develop a plan for implementing improvements on one or more of the
parking facilities listed below to increase available parking:
a. Bachman Avenue/Highway 9 Parking Lot
b. Royce Street/Bachman Avenue Parking Lot
c. Grays Lane/Royce Street Parking Lot
d. Station Way Parking Lot
e. Farwell Parking Lot
Action TRA-14.3
Develop and adopt adequate design criteria to ensure parking facilities that
are aesthetically pleasing, well designed for parking maneuverability,
properly signed for ease of use, properly located to attract traffic as it
approaches the Downtown, and made as inconspicuous as possible through
the use of landscaping, berms, screening, and the like.
Action TRA-14.4 Maximize the utilization of existing parking lots and spaces to meet
Downtown business and residential demands.
Action TRA-14.5 Implement programs for pedestrian, bicycle, and transit-oriented systems
to supplement parking in the Central Business District.
3.8. One-Way Street Pilot
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The Town recently experimented with a
new Downtown streetscape during a
One-Way Street Pilot beginning July 8
through October 31, 2019. This pilot did
impact existing parking supply, but
ultimately the project provided a net gain
of seven spaces due to nearby angled
parking restriping along North Santa Cruz
Avenue.
This pilot was part of a broader
“Experience Los Gatos” effort to
reinvigorate the Downtown core and
provide new ways to experience the
Town. North Santa Cruz Avenue was
temporarily converted to a one-way
street heading southbound from
Bachman Avenue to Elm Street. By doing
so, the Town was able to make space for a southbound bike lane and seven parklets. This pilot was
an opportunity for the Town to assess potential permanent changes to the Downtown that could
would be more bike and pedestrian-friendly.
In order to assess parking impacts before versus during the pilot, data from Santa Cruz Avenue
and nearby University Avenue was compared. There was very little change in parking occupancy
at any time of day when comparing before and during the pilot. Overall, there was a minor
decrease in occupancy during the pilot. Traffic congestion was not evaluated as part of this parking
assessment.
Figure 1: Los Gatos Parklet
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4. Parking Demand Management
Parking demand management strategies are meant to encourage drivers to park in underutilized
locations and use of alternative modes of transportation when available. The goal of parking
demand management strategies is to influence behavior and maximize the efficiency of parking
assets. Parking demand management tools include:
• time limits,
• paid parking,
• permit parking,
• incentive programs,
• transit options, and
• parking supply adjustments.
There is a common perception in Los Gatos that there is usually not enough available parking.
Based on recent data collection, this appears to be the result of a parking management challenge
rather than a parking supply shortage. Many stakeholders suggested building a parking garage, but
this approach should be carefully evaluated since it would be a significant long-term financial
investment. As a starting point, it is important to maximize the efficiency and utilization of exiting
supply using parking demand management strategies. Parking best practices focus on addressing
core parking management challenges first and providing additional supply only as existing demand
is strained.
Recommendations in this section provide a realistic phased approach based upon incremental
steps, ongoing considerations, and data-driven decisions.
4.1. Phase 1
4.1.1. “Park Once”
The Town should adopt a “Park Once” motto that encourages drivers to park just once and rely
upon other modes of transportation such as walking, biking, and transit to move around if there
are multiple destination points per visit. This requires that drivers park in a parking space with an
appropriate time limit rather than re-parking their vehicle. Based upon stakeholder input and the
employee surveys, many downtown employees currently park in 2-hour or 3-hour time limit
spaces and re-park (to avoid citations) by midday when traffic congestion typically peaks.
The Town should develop an education and outreach campaign that focuses on the importance of
the “Park Once” method with suggestions for where to park for long-term versus short-term visits.
The benefit of encouraging drivers to park once is that congestion resulting from re-parking and
searching for a space is mitigated, therefore reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The
Town’s continued advancement of its Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan towards improving
walking and bicycling infrastructure, will also contribute to the “Park Once” ethos. The Town can
also include information about the No Reparking rule, as described below in Section 4.1.2.
4.1.2. No Reparking
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In conjunction with the “Park Once” approach, a no reparking ordinance is recommended to
improve the effectiveness of time limits. A no reparking rule works by requiring drivers to move
their cars a defined distance away to be allotted a new time limit period. This is important to
minimize congestion and encourage drivers to park in long-term off-street spaces rather than
attempting to utilize convenient on-street time limit spaces throughout the day. It is an industry
best practice to utilize on-street parking for shorter visits and loading since it is the most
convenient and minimizes the impact of walk time between the space and a destination. For longer
visits, walking for extra time between destinations has less of an overall impact on the total trip
time.
In order to introduce a no reparking rule, the Town should also offer a Downtown Employee
Parking Permit Program in order to ensure that employees have sufficient long-term parking
options, as described in Section 4.1.3.
The posted signs within the Olive Zone already indicate that after the time limit expires, re-parking
is prohibited within the zone before 4:00 p.m. However the Town has yet to expand this type of
restriction to the Downtown area or off-street parking lots and there has been no enforcement
within the Olive Zone. While a zone-based re-parking policy can be effective with consistent
enforcement, it is also the most restrictive. Implementing a similar policy in the Downtown could
discourage visitors and customers from staying Downtown for longer periods of time if they are
unable to find sufficient parking. Additionally, there may be situations where a customer visits
Downtown in the morning and then again in the afternoon.
It is recommended that the Town remove the current Olive Zone signs and adopt a Town-wide
policy that prohibits re-parking in time limit stalls within 500 feet until after a 2-hour “timeout”
period. The timeout period will allow for multiple visits per day while still encouraging long-term
parking sessions to occur in long-term parking spaces. A length of 500 feet will provide enough
distance to cover most surface parking lots which will make the rule more effective. The rule can
be enforced using recently purchased enforcement equipment as described in Section 6.
Nearby, the City of San Leandro introduced a no
reparking rule within the Washington Plaza
parking lot in order to prevent employees from
utilizing the time limited spaces intended for
customers. This rule effectively encourages
employees to participate in the City’s employee
permit parking program and park in a nearby
parking garage instead.
4.1.3. Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program (Phase 1)
Figure 2: San Leandro Sign
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The Town of Los Gatos initially began an Employee/Employer Permit Parking Program in 2001. The
program provides parking permits for businesses and employees within the Olive Zone which
includes the southside of East Main Street from Pageant Way to Alpine Avenue, Pageant Way,
Church Street, sections of Villa Avenue and Jackson Street. Employee permits allow unlimited
parking. In addition to the Olive Zone permit option, it is recommended that the Town develop a
program for the downtown area.
The “Park Once” approach and no reparking rule should be implemented alongside a Downtown
Employee Parking Permit Program to discourage employees from utilizing time limit parking
options. Based on stakeholder input, there are a significant number of employees that currently
park in 3-hour and 2-hour time limited spaces, sometimes directly in front of businesses, and
repark their vehicles as needed. During the employee survey, 92% of participants said that they
parked within one block from work. There are multiple reasons why employees may park outside
of businesses and in time limit areas including:
• Convenience and location,
• Inability to find other available parking,
• Unknown alternative options, or
• Insufficient long-term parking options.
It is important to provide sufficient long-term permit parking options for employees prior to
implementing the no reparking ordinance. Currently, driving is the most common way that
employees are accessing work. 93% of participants in the employee survey reported that they
drove a car to work, but only 35% of them had a private parking option.
It is recommended that the Town take a phased approach to implementing a Downtown Employee
Parking Permit Program. It is important that the program be closely monitored so policies,
locations, and prices can be adapted as needed to optimize the program. Ultimately, the goal of
the program should be to create more convenient parking availability for customers and visitors
while ensuring that employees have affordable and accessible locations to park long-term. Ideally,
time limit parking should be available for customers and visitors, which will encourage turnover
and improve access to downtown businesses.
Initially, the Town should establish two daytime Downtown employee permit parking locations
with a total of 275 permit spaces:
• Parking Lot 4 (Underground) – 152 spaces: Many employees are already accustomed to
parking on the bottom floor of Lot 4 because it is conveniently located in the
Downtown core and does not have a time limit. Ideally this prime parking location
would be made available for customer parking, however, it is also important to provide
convenient parking options for employees. Due to its prime location, this should be the
most expensive permit parking location.
• North Side Lot – 123 spaces: The North Side Lot does not have a time limit currently,
and according to the 2019 data collection it was frequently underutilized. This is an
ideal employee permit parking location because it is situated somewhat on the
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perimeter of the Downtown core but is still within a reasonable walking distance of
many Downtown businesses.
An important part of the education and outreach process will be communicating the upcoming
introduction of the no reparking regulation. Additionally, employee outreach should focus on the
importance of improving parking availability and access for customers.
In order to estimate the number of parking spaces needed to accommodate Downtown
employees, the Town could release a wait list ahead of the program launch. This will allow the
Town to gauge the level of demand and make adjustments to the permit parking supply
accordingly. Ideally, employees should be asked to rank their location preferences, and at a
minimum they should be required to provide their name, license plate number, and email address.
It is also recommended that the Town start with a 10% oversell, meaning that 10% more permits
should be sold than what the Downtown permit parking supply can accommodate. This is because
it is very unlikely that all permit holders will be parked at the same time. In fact, the Town may
need to increase the level of oversell depending on the occupancy rates observed in the permit
parking locations upon implementation. Knowing that during the first phase there will still be other
free unlimited parking locations nearby, participation could be low and permit parking locations
may be underutilized. It is important to monitor this carefully because the permit parking locations
will be displacing public parking supply. If permit spaces are underutilized this could temporarily
exacerbate public parking occupancy rates. To improve participation, the Town may want to offer
incentives to employees that purchase a permit for the initial phase such as two months of free
permit parking.
Another recommendation is to initially provide only a monthly purchase option with no
opportunity to purchase multiple months or one year at a time. This will allow the Town to
expedite any necessary adjustments to policies, price, and locations without having to refund
permit holders or wait until existing permits expire to phase in new policies.
The Town should include a reasonable monthly rate that is similar to what other nearby agencies
are charging to ensure that the permit is priced at market rate. Since the majority of Downtown
employees surveyed shared that they are not willing to pay for a permit, it is important to choose
a reasonable rate. While most people will choose free instead of paid when they have the option,
the reality is that there is a value to parking Downtown and there will be ongoing operating costs
associated with the permit parking program. At a minimum, a nominal value should be assigned
to the permit to help sustain the program and provide opportunities for influencing driver
behavior. If paid public parking is introduced at a later point, the employee permits would also be
a more affordable option for employees to further incentivize participation.
Other nearby agencies already have employee parking permit programs with varying rate
structures and policies as outlined in Table 6:
Table 6: Nearby Agencies with Employee Parking Permit Programs
Agency Employee Parking Permit Program Summary
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Danville
Employees are encouraged to purchase permits which allow for all-day
downtown parking. Zone 1 is free, whereas Zones 2 and 3 cost $50
annually.
Los Altos
The Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program allows for the purchase
of $37 annual permits or $12 quarterly permits that can be purchased
online, and permit holders are able to park in parking stalls marked with a
white dot.
Palo Alto
Employees of businesses in the downtown parking assessment district may
purchase annual permits for long-term parking in any of the off-street
parking lots and garages. Parking permits are available for $750.00 per
year.
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara offers a Monthly Parking Permit for employees in the
Downtown Parking lots which ranges from $110-$160 per month. They also
offer Commuter Lot permits for $40-$70 monthly.
Santa Cruz Monthly permits for Downtown lots are selling for $45. These are sold at
the Parking Office downtown.
San Jose
Businesses in neighborhoods that have residential parking permit programs
are eligible for parking permits for employees, depending on the availability
of off-site parking. The maximum number of permits issued is the lesser
number of employees listed on the Business Tax Certificate/employee
directory. Depending on location, each permit could be $35 or $0.
Based upon the comparable agencies, and the fact that parking is free in Los Gatos currently, a
reasonable starting point for the Downtown employee permits would be in the range of $20-30
per month. This is also similar to the existing Olive Zone permit rate which costs $248 annually or
$20.67 per month. Once paid parking is introduced, and if the demand for permit parking
continues to increase, the Town could consider incremental adjustments to the price.
While the first phase will be a helpful starting point, it will likely not solve the employee parking
challenge alone. However, it is important to start small to avoid a significant impact to the
Downtown while the program is further evaluated and monitored.
4.1.3.1. Low-Income Permit
It is critical for the success of Los Gatos businesses that low-income employees have an affordable
option for parking. The Town should establish an income threshold for qualification, and with
proof, employees could qualify for a reduced permit rate. For example, the City of Sacramento
offers a Discounted Employee Parking Program (DEPP). The DEPP is designed to provide an
affordable alternative to those who make an hourly wage of $16 or less and who work within a
designated area of Downtown Sacramento. An initial low-income permit parking rate in Los Gatos
should be somewhere in the range of $10-15 per month.
4.1.4. Permit Management
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The existing Employee/Employer Permit Program within the Olive Zone is facilitated by a
Community Outreach Coordinator within the Police Department. The Town utilizes the Turbo Data
Systems automated permit management system to support permit orders, purchases, and online
account management. Applicants are required to provide a valid Los Gatos business license and
businesses must be located within the Downtown Parking District. Documentation can either be
provided directly to the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department or uploaded through the
online portal.
Employees can purchase one nontransferable annual permit but must have the required form
signed by their employer. The permit is void once the employee no longer works at the business
where the permit was registered. Employers can also purchase employee permits and are required
to verify the number of employees that work at the business and have a valid business license.
Employers cannot purchase more permits than they have employees working for the business.
Standard permits cost $248 per vehicle annually, $37 replacement fee for lost permits, and $18
replacement fee for damaged permits. Existing employee parking permits are physical hangtags
that must be hung on the rear-view mirror with the printed side towards the windshield. If the
permit hangtag cannot be hung on the rear-view mirror the permit must be placed on the
dashboard with the printed side visible.
Many agencies are beginning to transition to digital license plate-based permits instead of physical
hangtags or stickers. With digital permits, the license plate number becomes the permit identifier
for verification purposes. Knowing that the Town has recently upgraded license plate recognition
cameras for enforcement, as described in Section 6, digital permits could be efficiently enforced
through an integration between the Town’s permit management vendor and the license plate
recognition camera vendor. Digital permits also eliminate the need for physical permit fulfillment
and can easily be updated online in instances where a permit holder switches vehicles.
The Town should also expand the existing system to include the recommended Downtown
Employee Parking Permit Program option. This would provide one online portal for employees to
select either the Olive Zone or Downtown permit option depending on their place of employment.
Employees applying for the low-income permit should be required to upload proof of income
through the permit management portal.
4.1.5. Short-Term Parking
The Town should ensure that there is at least one short-term 30-minute parking stall per block in
commercial and mixed-use areas. Additionally, the off-street parking bordering the backside of
Downtown businesses should also include 30-minute parking stalls for ease of access. It is
important to provide convenient short-term parking availability for quick visits to businesses. With
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the rising popularity of food delivery services around
the country, short-term parking is becoming
constrained.
It is an industry best practice to maintain the most
convenient spaces for short-term parking, loading,
and ADA access, while longer-term parking should be
encouraged in off-street or fringe locations. This is
because the walk time between an off-street or fringe
location and a destination is a smaller fraction of the
overall trip time. Additionally, creating more on-street
curb space availability for shorter visits and loading will
reduce congestion and improve access.
4.1.6. Electric Vehicle Charging
Los Gatos currently has nine ChargePoint Electric
Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations located in the
Downtown area. There is $1 access fee along with a
usage fee of $1 per hour for first 4 hours and $5 per
hour thereafter. Revenue from the charging stations
does not cover the cost of electricity plus
maintenance. EV charging locations include:
• Downtown Parking Lot 3 (between Grays Ln.
and Royce St.)
• Downtown Parking Lot 4 (between Grays Ln.
& Elm St.)
• Downtown Parking Lot 5 (between Elm St.
and W. Main St.)
• South Municipal Lot (behind the Post Office)
• Library Parking Lot (off of Villa Ave.)
• Civic Center Parking Lot (off of Pageant Wy.)
• Creekside Sports Park Lot (930 University
Ave.)
• Balzer Field Parking Lot (41 Miles Ave.)
• Northside Parking Lot (Located between N.
Santa Cruz Ave. & University Ave., North of
Hwy 9)Establish lease value equal to value of
constructing new parking space
The EV charging spaces sometimes reach 100%
capacity and are typically in highest demand at 12
p.m. and 6 p.m. on average.
Figure 3: EV Charging Station
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Tesla also installed SuperCharger stations in the Northside Lot with 12 total charging docks, along
with the infrastructure to add eight more. In addition, Tesla installed six Level 2 chargers and are
paying for the power and maintenance for those stations which work for any type of electric
vehicle and are not limited to Teslas. These Level 2 stations are free to use. The Tesla charging
stations also sometimes reached 100% capacity and Tesla is interested in expanding the number
of stations in this location.
Recently, construction began on additional fast charging stations at the Bank of America parking
lot. This trend of public private partnerships or of privately provided charging stations may take
the place of municipal charging stations in the future.
Offering EV charging stations can be an incentive
for drivers to stop in Los Gatos and patronize
nearby businesses while waiting for their vehicle
to charge. Additionally, as EVs become more
common, demand for EV charging stalls will
increase. Based upon the high demand for EV
charging stations, the Town could consider
allowing Tesla to install the additional
SuperCharger stations they desire. However, this
decision should be carefully weighed since EV
charging spaces displace public parking that would
otherwise be available for any type of vehicle.
Additionally, it is challenging to measure the
benefit of EV charging stations to Los Gatos. While
in some cases it may attract more potential
customers, it is unclear how many EV drivers visit
the Town for that purpose and how many visit
nearby businesses as a result.
In order to safeguard the Town’s public parking
supply, the Town should establish an Electric
Vehicle Infrastructure Permit (EVIP) Program. In
order to establish the program, the Town should define the following regulations:
• Locations: Where EV charging infrastructure may be located and any exceptions,
• Coverage: The Town should establish a maximum threshold of percentage of spaces that
can have EV charging infrastructure in a given location. EV infrastructure in spaces that
are not dedicated to EV parking may be an option to maximize flexibility in the future.
• Siting: Where and how EV charging infrastructure can be installed in order to minimize
impacts on bike lanes, landscaping, lighting, and American with Disabilities Act (ADA)
compliance, etc.;
• Metering: Must be in accordance with established electrical service connection
requirements;
• Availability: EV charging stations on public property or in the right of way should be
available to the public and not restricted to private use;
Figure 4: EV Charging Sign
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• Permit Types: Define the required Town permits for installing the infrastructure and the
review process;
• Insurance and Security: Define insurance, bond, and payment security standards
• Installation: EV charging station owners should be required to pay for all construction costs
including signs, striping, or other public infrastructure costs and maintenance costs;
• Integrations: Require that EV charging station transactions be integrated with any future
paid parking equipment to allow the user to complete a single transaction for both
charging and paid parking; EV charging station providers should also be required to
provide their application programming interface (API) to the Town. The API should indicate
EVSE location, number of parking spaces, and usage data;
• Data Sharing: EV charging station providers should be required to provide a defined list of
datapoints about charging events such as location, date, start and end time, time plugged
in but not charging, user cost, zip code (if available), etc.;
• Fees: EV charging station owners should be required to pay all applicable permit fees in
addition to a parking space lease per day fee that is greater than or equal to the value of
the parking space. The value of the parking space can be determined based upon paid
parking rates. Before the Town implements paid parking, this rate should be consistent
with daily parking meter rates in nearby agencies. If paid parking is implemented, the rate
can be adjusted over time. For example, if it costs $9.00 per day to park off-street, the EV
charging station owner should be required to pay a minimum of $9.00 per day per leased
space.
• Parking Policies: The Town should have the authority to set and adjust time limits, paid
parking rates, and operating hours for all EV charging spaces. For reference, other nearby
and similar agencies also offer EV charging stations with various time limits and rate
models, as outlined in Table 7.
Table 7: Nearby Agencies with EV Charging Stations
Agency EV Charging Stations
Campbell
As of 2015, Campbell had 15 charging stations in public lots, and these were
provided at no cost to the city, as a part of the “Bay Area Charge Ahead
Project” grant program. Now, Google advertises over 70 ChargePoint
charging locations throughout downtown. Additionally, private locations
such as Kohl's parking lot has 4 charging ports that are free for the first
hour.
Danville Danville has 7 ChargePoint Charging Stations with 3-hour time limits from
7AM-6PM. They charge 30 cents per kwH.
Los Altos
Los Altos has over 24 charging stations scattered throughout the
downtown area, including EVgo, SemaConnect, Tesla, and ChargePoint
stations. These spots typically charge $1 per hour.
Santa Barbara
City Lot 6 has 4 stations, City Lot 7 has 2 stations, Helena Lot has 3 stations
and the Harbor Main lot has 2 stations. In addition to parking fees, drivers
are charged $0.25 per kwH.
Santa Cruz 13 Level 2 charging stations are located throughout public parking lots:
• Eastside lot: 1
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• River Front Garage: 3
• Soquel Front Garage: 3
• Pearl Alley Lot: 2
• South Pacific Lot: 2
• Beach Hill Lot: 1
• Wharf: 1
Typically drivers are charged around $1 per kwH in addition to the cost of
paid parking.
San Jose
The City has 50 Level 1 and Level 2 charging stations in operation, primarily
in downtown public parking garages:
• Downtown garages: City Hall, Convention Center, Fourth & San
Fernando, Fourth & St. John, Market & San Pedro Square, Second
& San Carlos, and Third Street
• Surface Lot: Woz & Almaden Blvd.
• On the street: Santa Clara Street between 4th and 5th streets
Cost to use the station is $1.25 per session and $0.25 per kWh during the
day, and $0.20 per kWh overnight.
4.1.7. Parking Program Management
The Town does not currently have a designated staff position to oversee and centralize the parking
operation. Currently, parking program management primarily falls under the Police Services
Department with assistance from the Parks and Public Works Department. The Police Services
Department operates the permit parking programs, manages special event parking applications,
and provides parking enforcement services among many other duties. The Parks and Public Works
Department is also involved with parking related programs and policies including the One-Way
Street Pilot, Downtown parking, as well as streets and traffic programs. The Transportation and
Parking Commission (TPC) also serves in an advisory capacity to the Town Council regarding Town
policies on matters related to transportation and parking.
As the parking operation changes over time and as new technologies and policies are introduced,
the Town should create a new Parking Manager or Parking Coordinator position. Because parking
management impacts a variety of Town departments it will be helpful to have a dedicated position
to oversee and coordinate the implementation and ongoing management of the operation. For
synergy, this position should be housed in the Police Department to align with current parking
operations already in place.
The Parking Manager or Coordinator could be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the parking
operation including:
• Policy development,
• Equipment and technology procurement and implementation,
• Vendor contracts,
• Parking enforcement and gap management/citation data analysis,
• Ongoing parking occupancy and turnover data analysis,
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• Permit parking program oversight and analysis,
• Special event parking planning,
• Shared parking agreement negotiations,
• Regular meetings with the TPC Commission, and
• Other parking program roles and responsibilities as appropriate.
4.2. Phase 2
4.2.1. Pay-to-Stay Model
The next recommended parking demand management strategy is the implementation of paid
parking. While the majority of survey respondents indicated that they are unwilling to pay for
parking, advancements in parking technology will allow the Town to offer a unique customer-
centric rate model that increases flexibility. Instead of using two and three-hour time limits in the
Downtown and Civic Center areas, it is recommended that the Town replace those time limits with
a “Customer Value” Pay-to-Stay rate model with an initial two hours of free parking as shown in
Table 8. This is called a Customer Value model because it still provides an option for free parking,
similar to what is provided in the form of time limits currently, but it also gives customers the
flexibility to park for longer if they desire.
While nearby in the City of Campbell there is free public parking with a two hour time limit, the
proposed Customer Value approach in Los Gatos would still provide two hours of free parking.
However, unlike with the time limit-only approach, the introduction of paid parking would provide
additional flexibility for customers while still encouraging employees to participate in permit
parking program programs. The Town should be considerate of the cost of a parking permit in
comparison to metered parking to ensure that employees have an incentive to purchase a permit
rather than pay for hourly parking.
Table 8: Recommended Paid Parking Rate Model
Rate Model Location Hourly Rate Operating Days and Hours
Customer
Value
On-Street
Hour 1: Free
Monday – Friday,
9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Hour 2: Free
Hours 3+: $2.00
Daily Maximum: $18
Off-Street
Hour 1: Free
Hour 2: Free
Hours 3+: $1.00
Daily Maximum: $9.00
The goal of paid parking should never be about revenue generation. Instead paid parking should
be used as a parking management tool, combined with customer-centric tools such as mobile
payment, promotional codes, and merchant validation, that will improve the overall parking
experience in Los Gatos.
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The Town should start with paid parking hours of operation between 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. to be
consistent with most existing time limit operating hours. Downtown on-street parking spaces are
primarily time restricted to 2-hours between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.. On-street parking in the
Civic Center includes 90-minute time limits between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, some
2-hour parking from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., as well as some 30-minute parking spaces from 9:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m.. Ending the paid parking at 6:00 p.m. will allow a driver to park for free starting
at 4:00 p.m. since the two hours of free parking would apply through the end of the operating
hours. This means that it does not address the evening parking challenges. Until the Town
understands the impact of paid parking, offers evening employee permit parking locations, and
expands parking enforcement coverage, the operating hours should not be expanded.
Within the paid parking areas, the Town should maintain options for short-term time limited
parking (30-min) and loading. In general, there should be at least one short-term space and one
loading zone on every block face to accommodate quick visits, passenger loading, and commercial
loading as described in Section 4.2.7. The recommended 500 foot rule with a no reparking
ordinance is optimized for this approach because it requires less signage than a zone-based
approach.
For reference, other nearby and similar agencies have already established paid parking operations:
Table 9: Nearby Agencies with Paid Parking (On-Street Rate Models)
Agency Rate Model Hourly
Rates Time Limits On-Street
Equipment
Off-Street
Equipment
Capitola Flat Hourly $1.00-
$1.50
3-hour
4-hour
12-hour
Single space meters Pay stations
Monterey Flat Hourly $0.50-
$1.50
90-min
2-hour Single space meters Pay stations and
PARCS*
San Jose Flat Hourly $2.00 1-hour
4-hour
Single space meters
and pay stations PARCS
Santa Cruz Zone-Based /
Tiered
$0.75-
$1.25 3-hour Single space meters Pay stations and
PARCS
*PARCS stands for Parking Access Revenue Control Systems. This typically includes gate arms, entry/exit
terminals, and pay-on-foot pay stations.
Based upon the hourly rates in nearby agencies, the recommended rate structure in Table 8 is a
reasonable market rate. While other nearby agencies primarily utilize single space meters on-
street, pay stations are recommended for Los Gatos, as described in Section 4.2.3.
Rather than piloting paid parking in a small area, it is recommended that the Town implement paid
parking across all proposed locations at once to:
• streamline the outreach process,
• improve consistency,
• minimize high parking occupancy clusters, and
• provide the greatest level of flexibility with rate structures.
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While the Town could take an incremental approach
by starting with only a portion of the Downtown, this
would likely result in spillover parking to nearby free
parking locations and could increase congestion from
drivers searching for free parking opportunities as an
alternative.
The broader implementation across the Downtown
and Civic Center areas will still not prevent spillover
parking into nearby residential neighborhoods,
however the Town already has some Residential
Permit Parking Districts and there is an opportunity
to expand this type of permit parking restriction to
other impacted locations as needed. See Section 5 for
more information about residential parking.
4.2.2. Parking Revenue
Revenue from paid parking can support a sustainable
and effective parking operation, including the ability
to fund the required management, enforcement, and
staffing resources. A paid parking operation should
be self-sustaining, and a successful program would
allow the Town to invest in the development of
parking and transportation resources that directly
benefit the community. If the Town implements paid
parking, monies should be reallocated according to
predefined standards to ensure that there is enough
set-aside to sustain the operation and ongoing
maintenance needs.
As suggested in the 2020 General Plan, parking
monies could be reinvested into an assessment
district to help pay for maintenance, enforcement,
capital replacement, capacity increases, and parking alternatives or programs to maximize use of
facilities for parking and alternatives to parking, such as shuttle buses, more employee lots,
bicycles, bus passes (Policy TRA-14.2).
The Town should also identify a plan and budget for ongoing parking facility maintenance and
upkeep of facilities. Parking facility maintenance including periodic restriping, resurfacing,
sweeping, trash pick-up, and replacing burnt out lighting should be budgeted for and scheduled
to ensure that parking assets are properly maintained. A benefit of implementing paid parking is
that the Town may have additional revenue to support parking asset maintenance and upkeep
needs that are currently underfunded.
Figure 5: Parking Lot 4
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4.2.3. Pay Stations
Multi-space parking meters (pay stations) are recommended for all parking lots and on-street paid
parking areas within Los Gatos. Compared to single-space meters, pay stations have a number of
advantages. Pay stations:
• minimize the amount of infrastructure required for ongoing maintenance and
collections,
• improve the community aesthetic by minimizing the amount of street furniture,
• have larger screens which can promote additional customized information and
features, and
• offer the ability for license plate-based enforcement.
Pay station vendors typically offer robust backend systems with reporting features with usage and
maintenance data. Pay stations should wirelessly communicate usage, payment status, meter
access and maintenance alert data in real-time and should be managed through a web-based
meter maintenance system that provides robust monitoring and reporting features.
Pay stations normally support 7 to 12 on-street parking spaces. A typical off-street surface lot
requires 1 to 4 pay stations, depending upon the configuration and number of access points. The
Town should ensure that signage is easily visible throughout paid parking areas to ensure that
drivers are aware to pay at the pay station.
For all pay stations, the Pay by Plate configuration is recommended. With Pay by Plate, the users
must enter their license plate number into the machine to initiate a parking session. The license
plate number becomes the payment identifier, rather than a space number or receipt. Pay by Plate
is convenient to users because upon completion of payment, they are not required to return to
their vehicle with a receipt. The Pay by Plate configuration is the most efficient configuration to
enforce because the data can be integrated with the recommended mobile payment system
described in Section 4.2.5 and the existing parking enforcement technology as described in Section
6.
Additionally, the Pay by Plate approach will allow the Town to implement the recommended
Customer Value Pay-to Stay rate model, without the need for individual space sensors, because
the length of stay can be tracked via license plate number. Without the ability to track length of
stay, drivers would be able to continually feed the meter to maintain the free hourly rate intended
for the initial two hours of a parking session.
It is also recommended that the Town primarily utilize credit-card only machines. California state
law does require an element of physical cash, either coin or bills, but it is not required at each
machine. Limiting the amount of cash payments will be beneficial in order to minimize
maintenance and collections requirements. For example, the bill note acceptor (BNA) is typically
the part that most frequently jams or breaks on a pay station. Encouraging credit card payments
will also reduce the amount of coins that need to be collected and extend the amount of time
between collections. It is also more secure to have pay stations that do not have physical monies
stored inside because there is less opportunity for theft.
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For the machines that do have cash, it is recommended that this be limited to quarters only so
that machines do not have to be collected as frequently as if pennies, nickels, and dimes were
allowed. One coin accepting machine per parking lot is recommended in addition to two coin
accepting on-street pay stations in the Downtown and Civic Center areas. The Town should clearly
communicate which pay stations accept coins so that visitors who prefer to pay with coin can
locate them. The pay stations should be configured to allow payment at any machine for any
parking space within that zone because everything will be tracked and verifiable by license plate.
The Town could consider single-space meters as an alternative, however these will decrease the
efficiency of enforcement and take up more sidewalk space. Additionally, with more hardware on
the street, there would be increased revenue collection and maintenance requirements.
4.2.4. Maintenance and Coin Collection
With the implementation of pay stations, it will be important to ensure that the pay stations are
properly maintained and that revenue is consistently collected. Ongoing preventive maintenance
will optimize equipment lifespan and maximize system uptime. Ongoing coin collections are
needed in order to prevent pay stations from reaching capacity.
The Town should budget for staff that can assist with part-time maintenance, collections, and coin
counting.. The recommended pay station configuration will minimize maintenance and collections
needs, so it is anticipated that all duties can be handled by a part-time position or a full time
position that also has parking enforcement responsibilities. However, for added security and safety
it is recommended that coin collections be conducted in pairs.
Establishing a paid parking program will require many policies and procedures, including ensuring
audit trails on cash collections, identifying staff roles and responsibilities, accounting for
equipment maintenance, and many others.
4.2.5. Mobile Payment
In addition to pay stations, it is recommended that the Town offer a mobile payment option for
additional user convenience. A mobile payment solution will allow drivers to pay for parking
sessions using their cellphone. Users can also add extra time to their parking session remotely
which is an added customer convenience. Similar to the Pay by Plate configuration recommended
for pay stations, the mobile payments would also be tracked and verifiable by license plate
number.
A mobile payment solution can be provided to the Town by a vendor at no cost upfront. Instead,
the vendor is typically fully funded by the convenience fees charged to the users and transaction
fees. Utilization of mobile payment typically falls between 3% and 10% in most agencies, and users
pay a small transaction fee, usually between $0.10 and $0.35. Mobile payment vendors often also
provide free decals and outreach materials in order to encourage utilization of the application.
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Mobile payment users should be able to either call a number or create an account on a mobile
application to pay. Users should also be able to complete one-time uses or establish accounts with
the mobile payment provider that allow them to pay for parking and extend their stays without
returning to their vehicles. Mobile payment users can also be provided with the option to be
notified via text, email, or app prior to the expiration of their parking session.
Mobile payment vendors also typically offer robust merchant validation and incentive programs
including resident discount programs and discount codes. Discount and validation programs are
all tracked and verified by license plate number. Most vendors can create one-time or multi-use
codes that can be applied through the mobile application to a parking session to receive free
parking time. Many mobile payment vendors can also provide vendors the ability to validate
parking for their customers within their store using a web application on a tablet or computer. The
Town should also evaluate whether parking validation codes can be shared across vendor systems
in order for users to choose whether they enter the code at the pay station or in the mobile
application. Upon launching the paid parking program, the Town can establish a discounted rate
for merchants for the first six months that allow merchants to purchase parking time in bulk with
a 25% or 50% discount. This can encourage participation in the program which will provide visitors
and customers with more opportunities to validate parking.
The Town should work with the vendor to determine a zone numbering system that can be
expanded throughout the Town and to new paid parking zones as needed. Zone numbers should
be assigned to each paid parking area for enforcement purposes so that active paid parking
sessions can be tracked and verified appropriately. Different zone numbers are required because
rate structures, operating hours, and policies can vary by location. Signage should be designed to
clearly state the mobile payment zone number. Most mobile payment applications will also
indicate the current zone for the user based upon the GPS location, however the zone number
should be posted for verification purposes. As the program is expanded into new locations, new
zone numbers can be added.
During the vendor selection process, it is important to thoroughly evaluate the mobile payment
features and their capability to integrate with the selected pay station vendor. With the
recommended Customer Value model, it is important that the payment systems communicate to
ensure that drivers cannot receive two free hours at the pay station and another two free hours
using the mobile application. Each license plate number should be eligible for up to two free hours
of parking per day.
4.2.6. Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program (Phase 2)
The recommendation to implement paid parking for both on and off-street public parking will likely
increase demand for the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program. This is an opportunity for
the Town to reshape parking dynamics and influence where employees are parking to encourage
more convenient customer parking availability. Part of the implementation process of paid parking
should be expanding employee permit parking supply to accommodate the additional demand.
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During the second phase of the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program, the Town should
prioritize the most convenient parking supply for public parking and designate perimeter parking
options for permit parking. A summary of permit parking program adjustments is provided below.
These recommendations are based upon current parking conditions and assumptions about
potential parking impacts, but should ultimately be reevaluated prior to implementation and on
an ongoing basis. A total of at least 385 spaces is included in the second phase of the program.
• Parking Lot 4 (Underground) – 152 spaces: Continue to offer permit parking at this
location.
• North Side Lot – 123 spaces: Continue to offer permit parking at this location.
• Portion of Lots 1, 2, 3, 5 – Estimated 95 spaces: Allocate a portion of parking in each of
the four parking lots for permit parking.
• Southside Parking Lot – 15 spaces: Convert the Southside Parking Lot into permit
parking.
• Other locations as needed.
It will be important for the Town to closely monitor permit parking occupancy to determine
whether adjustments to permit parking supply are needed. The Town should also be aware of
potential spillover parking impacts into nearby non-regulated areas. The permit parking program
must be dynamic and adaptable to permit parking needs. Examples of potential permit parking
program adjustments are described below:
• If one permit parking area is underutilized compared with the others, the rate structure
should be adjusted to price the highest demand locations as more expensive and the
lowest demand locations as less expensive.
• Implement additional permit parking locations if the demand for permit parking
exceeds what is available, or eliminate permit parking locations if demand is low.
• Increase the oversell rate as needed to optimize permit parking supply utilization.
If additional parking supply is needed to accommodate Downtown employees, in order to prevent
the displacement of customer and visitor parking, the Town should leverage residential area
parking and/or private parking capacity as well.
The initial two phases of the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program are based upon
daytime operating hours since the recommended hours of operation for paid parking are 9:00
a.m.-6:00 p.m.. However, if paid parking is eventually expanded into the evening the Town must
be prepared to provide an evening permit option to employees as well. It is important to ensure
that evening parking locations are safe and accessible.
It is challenging to utilize the same daytime permit parking locations for evening permit parking
because the start and end times of evening and daytime shifts could overlap, creating a period of
peak demand roughly between 5:00-7:00 p.m.. Additionally, if daytime permit holders were to be
required to move their vehicle by 6:00 p.m., this could impact employees working late or staying
downtown after their shift. Ideally the daytime permit parking locations would become open for
unrestricted public parking after-hours so that daytime permit holders can remain parked if
needed. There can be some overlap in daytime and evening permit parking locations, but the Town
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should closely monitor utilization to ensure that both sets of permit holders can find available
parking.
4.2.6.1. Private Parking Capacity
There are private parking lots throughout the Town that are underutilized at certain points during
the daytime and evening. There may be an opportunity for the Town to negotiate agreements
with private lot owners to utilize excess parking capacity for employee permit parking. This could
be particularly effective to accommodate an evening parking permit option if it becomes
necessary. Refer to Section 4.4.4 for more information about shared parking.
4.2.6.2. Residential Parking Capacity
The Town should also consider allowing a certain number of employees to park on nearby
residential streets during the daytime. The number of valid permits per residential street should
be tightly controlled to avoid impacting residential parking availability. According to the 2019 data
collection, residential streets surrounding the Downtown typically maintained an occupancy rate
between 40-50%, indicating that there is likely excess parking supply that could be leveraged for
employee permit parking if needed.
The Town should take an incremental and adaptable approach if implementing this strategy. To
start, the Town should establish a separate employee permit parking zone for eac h residential
block (or small group of blocks). This will allow the Town to control the number of employee
permits that may be sold per location, and it will provide a granular level of flexibility that will allow
the Town to adjust the quantities sold depending on occupancy rates. Certain residential streets
may have higher parking occupancy rates compared to others based upon factors such as car
ownership rates, whether residents have driveways, housing density, and the typical number of
service workers and guests. The employee permit zones can be named using a simple lettering
system such as A, B, C, etc.
The Town can utilize the same automated permit management system discussed in Section 4.1.4
to allow employees to apply and purchase permits for each zone. A separate cap on the number
of permits allowed per zone should be configured within the permit management system to
prevent overselling. Unlike with Downtown permits, the Town should not allow an oversell
percentage in residential areas in order to prevent potential impacts to resident access. The
Town’s enforcement technology described in Section 6 can also be configured to automatically
verify the permits by license plate number depending on the GPS location of each plate read and
the corresponding zone boundaries. Permits should only be valid for up to one year at a time to
allow the Town to make adjustments to the permit caps as needed over time. As a starting point,
around four employee parking permits per block could be allocated.
Each employee permit parking zone in the residential areas can be designated using either decals
or simple signage. Since employee permit parking rules will be communicated to permit holders
at the time of purchase, there is no need to include excess information or instructions on signage.
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There could be a low-cost way to modify existing signage within Residential Permit Parking Districts
with decals. Decals could be color coordinated by zone with a corresponding letter in the center
to display the zone letter. The top or bottom of the decal could simply state “Employee Permits
Allowed”. An alternative is to hang smaller signs underneath existing signage, mounted to the
same poles.
Residential areas should be used for employee permit parking during the daytime only between
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for consistency with the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program.
Evening hours are not recommended in residential areas because there is typically higher
residential parking demand in the evening once residents return home from work. Any expansion
into the evening hours should be evaluated on a case by case basis based upon occupancy data in
order to avoid impacting residential access.
The rate structure can also be consistent with the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program.
It is important to assign a value to parking permits in order to help sustain the ongoing
management and enforcement costs.
4.2.6.3. Carpool Permit
The Town should incentivize employees working in Los Gatos to carpool to work in order to reduce
the overall parking demand and level of congestion. The Town should offer a reduced permit rate
to carpools. In order to qualify, those within a proposed carpool should be required to submit
proof of employment within Los Gatos and provide a license plate number for each vehicle that
may be driven as part of the carpool via the permit management portal. The Town’s license plate
recognition camera system, as described in Section 6, can be configured to notify the officer if
more than one of the license plates is observed within permit parking areas on the same day. The
Town should have a strict policy against abuse that will remove permit parking eligibility if caught
utilizing the carpool permit rate on a day when not carpooling.
4.2.7. Loading Zones
The Town uses a combination of signs and curb paint to identify parking and loading restrictions.
There are five different curb colors to indicate parking restrictions as outlined in Table 10.
Table 10: Loading Zones
Loading Zone Color Restriction
Red No parking at any time.
Yellow Commercial loading zone. Restricted to the offloading of commercial
freight with a time restriction of 30 minutes.
Green Time limited. A sign will be a sign posted indicating the duration,
usually 30 minutes.
White Passenger loading zone. Pick up and drop off passengers only. Time
restriction of 10-minute.
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Blue
Handicap parking. Will be accompanied by the blue and white
disabled person sign A properly displayed permit is required. These
parking stalls are restricted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Town should allow both commercial and
passenger loading in all loading zones so long as the
user is “actively” loading. Dual-purposing the loading
zones will optimize the use of space. This will
accommodate ridesharing vehicle use as well. Many
communities have noticed congestion impacts from
ridesharing vehicles stopping in the middle of travel
lanes to do passenger pick-ups and drop-offs when
there is not another convenient option.
Based upon the 2019 data collection, loading zone
spaces did not reach 85% occupancy or above on
average. The Town should consider the convenience
and accessibility of loading zones for both
commercial and passenger loading use. Ideally there
should be at least two loading zones per block in core
commercial areas.
It is important to provide sufficient loading zone
capacity in congested core destinations. The main
goal should be to provide adequate space for safe drop-offs and pick-ups in convenient locations
that may actually be used. The Town should also work with ridesharing companies like Uber and
Lyft to geo-fence the loading zones as passenger loading areas. This means that a geographic area
is defined within the mobile application, and the application will direct users to the closest
designated pick-up location. Drivers will be designated to the closest drop-off location. This can
improve safety and traffic flow.
4.3. Phase 3
4.3.1. Commercial Loading Permit
In order to minimize the impact of commercial vehicles on congestion and access, it is
recommended that the Town encourage commercial loading during designated hours per day.
This will help reduce congestion during peak periods and free up loading zone space for passenger
loading. To do so, it is recommended that the Town establish a commercial vehicle loading permit
program with a tiered rate structure such as:
• Low impact: Reduced permit rate for commercial loading, valid before 10 a.m. only.
• High impact: Escalated permit rate for commercial loading, valid any time.
Figure 6: Red Curb Violation
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In order to implement a commercial loading zone permit program, the Town will need to consider
the outreach and enforcement impacts.
The City of Seattle has a similar program that can be used a model. Seattle offers Annual Truck
Permits for Commercial Vehicle Load Zones. Commercial vehicles are defined by Seattle Municipal
Code Section 11.14.115 as follows:
For purposes of this Code, the term “commercial vehicle” means: (1) a “motor truck” or “truck”
except a passenger car; or (2) a station wagon or van that has been permanently modified to carry
no more than three (3) seated passengers. Such vehicles shall be properly licensed as a truck and
shall have the name of the business to which the vehicle is registered permanently displayed on
both the left and right sides in letters no less than two inches (2”) in height.1
4.3.2. Valet Parking
Valet parking is an opportunity to maximize the capacity of parking resources while providing a
convenient parking option that minimizes congestion.
The Town currently funds and coordinates a free holiday valet program in the Downtown core.
The program operates from Thanksgiving to Christmas between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and is
located at Lot 4 between Grays Lane and Elm Street. The valet parking program operates as a
blended stack valet format in which the operator becomes familiar with employees and adjusts
how far back in the stack each car is parked based on shift times.
The Town could expand the valet program to a year-round service depending on the level of
parking demand observed over time. This is an opportunity to temporarily increase capacity and
understand the impact before considering a major investment in a parking garage that may
become obsolete or underutilized over time. Additionally, the Town could work with automated
valet parking technologies that allow users to request their vehicle or schedule a pick-up via a
mobile or kiosk application.
4.3.3. Remote Parking
Depending on the level of parking demand over time, the Town may also choose to consider
remote parking opportunities. For example, there are a number of private parking lots surrounding
businesses along University Avenue north of Blossom Hill Road that may be underutilized at certain
points during the day. These could be shared parking opportunities depending on availability. It is
recommended that remote parking be priced at a reduced rate in order to encourage utilization.
Remote parking locations are typically optimized for employee permit parking use because it is
simpler to communicate the program to employees compared to visitors and customers.
Encouraging employees to park in perimeter and remote locations can also improve parking
availability in the downtown core for customer parking.
1 http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/permits-and-services/permits/atp-commercial-vehicle-load-zone
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Any remote parking location(s) should be supported by a circulating shuttle route. The Town
should evaluate the cost of a shuttle program compared to the anticipated level of demand to
determine whether a shuttle program is a cost effective option. In order to minimize the cost of
the shuttle program, the Town should consider operating at higher frequencies during peak
periods with longer headways during non-peak periods. The Town should also consider offering
an on-demand service option to fill in shuttle service gaps as a way to save money on the program.
Some agencies collaborate with ridesharing companies to provide free rides to employees to
access remote parking lots during hours when a shuttle is not running.
4.3.4. Parking Garage
As discussed in Section 3.6, the Town Council reviewed potential parking garage construction
projects with a preliminary design goal of at least 300 parking spaces. Several design options were
explored with total project costs of approximately $25M and Town associated costs in the $14M
to $17M range, depending on design.
Contrary to common perception, building a parking garage will not alone solve the parking
challenges in Los Gatos. Before making a significant long-term financial investment in a parking
garage, it is strongly recommended that Town optimize the efficiency and improve the
management of existing parking supply first. If a parking garage is constructed without the other
behavioral shifts and management tactics recommended in this report, a number of challenges
may remain:
• Parking demand could continue to cluster in certain areas, maintaining the perception of
low parking availability;
• Employees may continue to park in convenient on-street spaces; and
• Roadway congestion could increase from increased parking capacity.
If after implementing the recommended operational and policy adjustments the Town continues
to see consistently high occupancy rates throughout the Downtown and/or Civic Center areas, the
Town could benefit from constructing additional parking supply. However, the Town should be
cognizant of the size and scale of any parking structure to ensure that it fits the character of the
Town and does not significantly impact roadway congestion from vehicle ingress/egress.
4.4. Ongoing
4.4.1. Data Analysis
The parking industry standard for the target occupancy rate is 85 percent. At this rate, there are
enough vacant parking spaces to: 1) minimize congestion from drivers searching for spaces; and
2) reduce oversupply, which is an inefficient and costly use of valuable land. Parking management
and policy decisions should be made with the 85 percent occupancy target in mind.
Data collection is a helpful tool to make data-driven decisions and address inconsistencies
between perception and reality. While there is often a perception in Los Gatos that there is
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nowhere to park, the 2019 data collection identified that parking was typically available
surrounding the highest demand locations within one or two blocks.
There are a number of ways that the Town should collect parking data, as outlined in Table 11.
Recommendations for occupancy counting technology are in Section 7.1.2.
Table 11: Parking Data Collection Methods
Method Description Recommendations
Physical
Counts
Physical counts are the
simplest approach to
collecting data by hiring a
data collection contractor or
assigning internal staff to
walk or drive the study area
at various points of a day to
record the number of
vehicles per block and
parking facility.
• Utilize physical counts in order to sample
data and validate the results of other
automated parking occupancy counting
technologies.
• Certain systems such as loop counters will
need to be reset at a certain point each day
or week in order to prevent compounding
minor inaccuracies over time. Physical
counts can be used to help reset these
systems to a realistic level.
License
Plate
Recognition
Cameras
The same License Plate
Recognition cameras utilized
for enforcement, as
described in Section 6, can
also be utilized as a data
collection tool. Each license
plate read is recorded along
with a GPS location and
time/date stamp.
• By assigning staff to drive specific routes at
specific times of the day, data can be
downloaded for those timeframes and
exported to Excel for analysis using the
vendor backend management system.
Loop
Sensors
Loop sensors can be in-
ground or above ground
systems that detect vehicle
movement and direction in
order to collect facility-wide
occupancy counts.
• Utilize loop sensors in all parking lots to
collect facility-wide counts.
• In facilities with partitioned areas for
different types of parking (i.e. public vs.
permit) additional loop sensors can be used
to divide occupancy counts by zone within
the facility.
Predictive
Analytics
With access to pay station
payment data, occupancy
rates can be predicted.
Payment data isn’t accurate
on its own because of
variable compliance rates
and because ADA placard
holders are not required to
pay for parking.
• Utilize parking payment data to predict
parking occupancy in on-street locations.
The Town should collect manual physical
occupancy counts in comparison to the
parking meter payment data to identify
trends and correlations in results. This
information can be utilized to predict
occupancy and utilization over time.
• Some companies specialize in predictive
analytics to utilize various data sources
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including the payment data to estimate
occupancy trends. The Town could work
with a company or data analyst to extract
realistic occupancy trends from the data.
The Town should make data-driven decisions about rate and policy adjustments over time with
the goal of maintaining an 85 percent occupancy rate. A summary of potential findings and
adjustments is provided below in Table 12.
Table 12. Example Data-Driven Decisions
Data Finding Potential Adjustments
Public parking occupancy is
consistently near or above 85%
• Increase the hourly rate and/or daily maximum
• Decrease the time limit
Public parking occupancy is
consistently well below 85%
• Decrease the hourly rate and/or daily maximum
• Increase the time limit
Public parking occupancy has a
distinct peak period
• Increase the hourly rate during the peak period
only
Public parking occupancy reaches
near or above 85% outside of paid
parking hours of operation
• Expand paid parking hours of operation
Public parking occupancy is well
below 85% at the beginning or end of
the paid parking hours of operation
• Reduce paid parking hours of operation
Permit parking occupancy is
consistently near or above 85%
• Increase permit parking supply
• Increase permit cost
• Decrease oversell percentage
Permit parking occupancy is
consistently well below 85%
• Decrease permit parking supply
• Decrease permit cost
• Increase the oversell percentage
Permit parking occupancy has a
distinct peak period
• Allow public parking in permit parking areas during
non-peak periods
4.4.2. Parking Space Conversions
A parklet is the conversion of a parking space into public space such as outdoor seating and leisure
activities. Business and commercial property owners located in Downtown can apply to construct
and operate a long-term parklet through the Town's recently adopted Parklet Pilot Program. This
program is a public/private partnership that promotes outdoor dining and active community
spaces. Currently there are six applications affecting twelve parking spaces along Santa Cruz
Avenue and Main Street.
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While parklets do impact public parking supply, they can be valuable in other ways through
placemaking and changing the dynamic of the Downtown. As the community weighs these
priorities, the parking program should be designed to adapt over time.
The Town is also in the process of evaluating opportunities for sidewalk expansions along Main
Street and North Santa Cruz Avenue. This includes a total of 66 public parking spaces that could
be impacted that would need to be accommodated elsewhere.
It is important to carefully assess the impact that these types of adjustments can have on parking
supply and accessibility to nearby businesses in order to develop a solution that best fits the
community. Based upon peak 12:00 p.m. occupancy rates during the 2019 data collection, the
Town could accommodate the average number of displaced vehicles in surrounding locations
within a two block radius.
Each nearby location was evaluated based upon the average occupancy at 12:00 p.m. on weekdays
because this was typically the time with the highest demand. The number of additional vehicles
that could be accommodated by each surrounding location was determined based upon the total
number of vehicles that could be parked without exceeding the 85 percent occupancy target. As
discussed in Section 4.4.1, 85 percent is the industry standard target occupancy rate. Any locations
that already had an average occupancy of 85 percent or above were not included as designated
locations for extra vehicles for the purposes of this model. In reality, there could be locations that
exceed 85 percent occupancy following a sidewalk expansion project, but overall there is typically
enough capacity within a 2 block radius to reasonably accommodate the displaced vehicles.
The locations that could accommodate the bulk of the displaced parking demand without
exceeding 85 percent occupancy at 12:00 p.m. on average are:
• Top level of Lot 4 (26 vehicles),
• Lot 1 (13 vehicles),
• University Avenue between Royce and Bachman Avenue (8 vehicles), and
• Bachman Avenue between Santa Cruz Avenue and University Avenue (5 vehicles).
The Town should utilize digital wayfinding and parking guidance signage, as described in Section
7, to encourage drivers to park in off-street locations like Lot 4 and Lot 1 that may usually have
additional capacity. Real-time occupancy counts can assist drivers in finding available parking
options.
While two blocks is a reasonable walking distance for most people, the Town should consider ADA
accessibility, short-term, and loading zone needs in core locations. Additionally, it is important to
provide space for loading along University Avenue and Santa Cruz Avenue to allow for commercial
and passenger loading. Otherwise, drop-offs and pick-ups could be attempted in the travel lanes
which would create more traffic congestion. The Town should consider a blended approach where
sidewalks are expanded throughout the area, while still leaving space for convenient ADA parking
and loading zones.
4.4.3. Shared Parking
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Sharing parking is more cost effective than building additional supply, and it reduces instances of
wasted land space that could otherwise be optimized for higher and better uses.
The Town currently has limited shared parking agreements. However, there are still a significant
number of private parking spaces that are unused at any given time in the Town. The Town should
actively pursue additional shared parking agreements with businesses and landowners that may
have underutilized parking capacity. It is important to maximize existing parking resources in the
area around downtown and consider all potential solutions.
There are 15 private parking lots with a total of 480 spaces located near the Civic Center and
Downtown areas. On average, the private parking lots reached a maximum occupancy of 71% on
Fridays at noon, and there was typically excess capacity throughout the day. See Appendix C for
an overview of all data collection findings.
Shared parking agreements should be designed to safeguard the property owner while providing
an opportunity for additional revenue through a negotiated revenue share between the Town and
the property owner. For example, if the shared parking location is utilized for permit parking, there
should be a negotiated parking permit revenue share. Additionally, if the Town implements paid
parking then shared parking opportunities will then have the potential for revenue generation
through paid public parking.
A portion of the revenue from shared parking should be set aside for the Town to support the
enforcement, maintenance and upkeep of shared parking locations. Additionally, funds could be
used to guarantee certain parking lot enhancements as an additional value add from the shared
parking program. The Town would install the necessary meters or pay stations, help establish the
appropriate parking rates, designate any necessary time limits, and provide enforcement and basic
maintenance.
At a minimum, a shared parking agreement typically considers the following:
• Term and extension: Evaluates the return on investment and ensures that the contract
terms allow for potential redevelopment in the future if needed;
• Use of Facilities: Establishes available hours, number of spaces, time limitations and
ensures that the base user will retain use at the end of the sharing period;
• Maintenance: Evaluates and incorporates the added maintenance and operation costs;
• Lease costs: Cost of the lease and any negotiated revenue shares;
• Operations: Considers revenue collection operations as applicable and needed signage;
• Utilities and Taxes: Determines the responsible parties and any cost sharing agreements;
• Signage: Considers opportunities for consistency with signage and branding;
• Enforcement and Security: Determines who will handle enforcement and towing;
• Insurance and Indemnification: Considers litigation with any cost sharing; and
• Termination: Identifies the grounds for termination or cancellation.
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4.5. Cost and Impact
Table 13: Parking Demand Management Estimated Cost and Impact Levels
Section Description Cost Impact
4.1.1 “Park Once” Low Low
4.1.2 No Reparking Medium High
4.1.3 Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program (Phase 1) Medium High
4.1.4 Permit Management Low High
4.1.5 Short-Term Parking Low Low
4.1.6 Electric Vehicle Charging Low Low
4.1.7 Parking Program Management Medium High
The following strategies are interdependent and should be jointly implemented:
4.2.1 Pay-to-Stay Model Low High
4.2.2 Parking Revenue Low Medium
4.2.3 Pay Stations High High
4.2.4 Maintenance and Coin Collection Low Medium
4.2.5 Mobile Payment Low High
4.2.6 Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program (Phase 2) Low High
4.2.7 Loading Zones Low Low
4.3.1 Commercial Loading Permit Low Low
4.3.2 Valet Parking High Low
4.3.3 Remote Parking High Low
4.3.4 Parking Garage High High
4.4.1 Data Analysis Low High
4.4.2 Parking Space Conversions High Medium
4.4.3 Shared Parking Low Medium
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4.6. Implementation Guide
Table 14: Parking Demand Management Implementation Guide
Phase 1
1. Create a Parking Manager or Parking Coordinator position. $
a. Budget for the position.
b. Develop a job description and consolidate parking management duties.
2. Update parking municipal codes to establish a no reparking rule. TC
a. Design and order signage and outreach materials. $
b. Install signage at key locations throughout the Town.
3. Update parking municipal codes to allow for digital permits. TC
4. Develop an education and outreach campaign to support a “Park Once” approach.
a. Include information about the no reparking rule and where to park long-term.
b. Launch a Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program wait list with incentives to
enroll early.
5. Transition to the use of digital license plate-based permits using the Town’s existing
automated permit management system.
6. Establish a Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program. TC $
a. Define program eligibility requirements, policies, and rates.
b. Establish an oversell rate and a cap on the number of permits sold for each
location to optimize parking lot utilization.
c. Design and order signage.
d. Configure within the Town’s existing automated permit management system.
e. Review permit applications and supporting documentation to approve permits.
f. Provide permits to those on the wait list first.
g. Install signage at Parking Lot 4 (underground) and the North Side Lot.
h. Ongoing education and outreach to employees to encourage participation.
7. Create additional short-term parking spaces nearby businesses.
8. Establish an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Permit (EVIP) Program. TC
Phase 2
1. Update parking municipal codes to allow for the introduction of paid parking. TC
a. Define paid parking zones that include the Downtown and Civic Center areas.
b. Ensure that different rates can be applied for different zones and for on- and off-
street parking.
c. Include an 85% occupancy target and framework for making data-driven
adjustments to rates and operating hours.
d. Allow for paid parking equipment that is license plate-based and include the ability
to pay via mobile device.
e. Remove two and three-hour time limits, effective once the Pay-to-Stay model is
introduced.
2. Update parking municipal codes to optimize loading zones. TC
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a. Require “active” loading.
b. Allow for both passenger and commercial loading uses.
3. Paid parking and permit revenue allocations should be defined within the Town’s
municipal code in preparation for the implementation of paid parking. TC
4. Procure pay station technology by evaluating pay station equipment options and either
releasing an Request for Proposal (RFP) or piggybacking off a recent solicitation. $
5. Evaluate mobile payment vendor options and select a vendor. $
a. Establish a zone numbering system and work with the vendor on outreach
materials.
b. Consider merchant validation program options.
6. Identify staff to support paid parking equipment maintenance and collections.
7. Design and order paid parking signage. $
8. Establish an initial Customer Value Pay-to-Stay rate model and initial operating hours.
9. Extensive education and outreach campaign about upcoming paid parking model.
a. Include information, instructions, technology workshops, and demonstrations.
b. Provide merchants with information about a merchant validation options.
c. Encourage participation in permit parking programs.
10. Expand the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program. $ TC
a. Leverage private parking and residential parking capacity if needed.
b. Include a carpool permit option.
11. Install pay stations.
a. Pay stations should be configured for Pay by Plate.
b. Only one machine per parking lot should accept coins (quarters only) and all other
machines should be credit card only.
c. A small number of on-street machines in each zone should accept quarters.
12. Plan for parking technology system integration testing and troubleshooting with the
selected vendors.
13. Remove time limit signage and replace with paid parking signage.
a. Signage should clearly indicate paid parking zones, pay station locations, and
mobile payment option.
b. Add signage to short-term and loading zone spaces that indicate the no reparking
rule.
14. Begin the paid parking operation.
Phase 3
15. Establish a Commercial Loading Permit Program with low and high impact rates. TC
16. Expand the valet parking program if additional capacity is needed. $
17. Consider remote parking opportunities that could be supported by a circulating shuttle
route. $
18. Consider developing a parking garage if parking demand exceeds capacity. $
Ongoing
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- Parking data collection and analysis through a combination of methods including physical
counts, LPR cameras, loop-based sensors, and predictive analytics. $
- Adjust parking rates and policies as needed using data-driven decisions.
- Incrementally convert parking spaces into Parklets and expanded sidewalks. $
- Actively pursue shared parking agreements to increase public and/or permit parking
capacity.
- Ongoing maintenance, secure revenue collections, and reconciliation. $
- The Town should ensure sufficient staffing is in place to handle revenue
collections.
- The pay station backend system can report on coin capacity in real-time.
- Trend analysis over time can refine the collections schedule for efficiency.
- The use of credit card and mobile payments should be promoted and prioritized
to reduce the amount of revenue collections required.
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5. Residential Area Parking
Downtown Los Gatos is surrounded by residential neighborhoods, and the Los Gatos High School
(High School) is nearby within the Civic Center area. It is important to mitigate spillover parking
impacts to safeguard residential areas so that residents and their guests can access their homes.
Spillover parking occurs when vehicles are parked outside of a designated area or location for the
purpose of avoiding parking policies like time limits, rates, or permit parking restrictions.
The existing time limits and proposed paid parking program may result in spillover parking in
instances where employees, customers, and high school students are searching for unregulated
parking options. This section includes recommendations for addressing residential area parking in
both the Downtown and Civic Center areas.
The Town currently issues Residential Parking Permits for four parking districts as shown in Table
15. The permit parking hours vary between districts.
Table 15: Residential Permit Parking Districts
Parking District Streets Operating Hours
Almond Grove
Streets include a section of West
Main Street ending at Bay View,
Wilder Avenue, sections of
Nicholson, Tait, Bachman and
Almendra Avenue
6 p.m.-9 a.m. daily and all day
Sunday
Broadway Broadway Avenue 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday
Edelen/University
Streets include University Avenue
from Mullen to Bachman Avenue,
Mullen, Bentley, Miles and Edelen
Avenue
6 p.m.-9 a.m. daily,
100 block Edelen valid 24 hours
daily
Villa/East Main
Street
Streets include a section of Bella
Vista Avenue, Jackson Street, Villa,
Johnson Avenue, Alpine, Whitney,
and designated spaces in front of
258 East Main Street
7 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, all day Sunday
5.1. Phase 1
5.1.1. Digital Permits
The Town’s residential parking permits are currently managed by a Community Outreach
Coordinator in the Police Department, and the Town has been using the Turbo Data Systems
automated permit management system for the program since 2017. Residential parking permits
are physical permits that must be placed on the lower left corner of the rear window.
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It is recommended that the Town transition to a fully digital system where all permits, including
guest permits, are managed by license plate through an automated permit management system.
Instead of tracking permits by permit number, the license plate number would be used as the
permit identifier. In order to change vehicles or sign up for a guest permit, everything can be
managed online by the residents themselves. The Town’s existing permit management vendor can
accommodate digital permits and they can be efficiently enforced using license plate recognition
cameras, as described in Section 6. The same permit management system should be utilized for
all Town permits including the recommended Downtown employee and High School student
permits as described in Sections 4.1.3 and 5.1.4.
5.1.2. Rate Model
The current program in Los Gatos allows residents to register up to four vehicles per address for
$42 per year per vehicle and are nontransferable. If a vehicle is replaced, the permit on the vehicle
that is sold becomes void. Permit holders are required to return the invalid permit, and a new
permit can be issued for the replacement vehicle for $18. For lost permits a $37 replacement fee
is charged and damaged permits accrue a $18 replacement fee. If a resident moves to another
parking district they must re-apply and purchase a new permit for $42. The replacement and fee
will no longer be necessary once the Town transitions to a digital plate-based system.
Other nearby agencies also offer residential permit parking programs. Below, Table 16 provides
an outline of programs in other agencies for reference.
Table 16: Nearby Agencies with Residential Parking Permit Programs
Agency Residential Parking Permit Program Summary
Campbell Residential Permits cost $30 each. They allow up to three primary vehicles
and up to two guest passes.
Palo Alto
Residents are eligible for one permit free of charge and up to three
additional for $50 each. Residents may also purchase up to two
transferable visitor hangtags for $50 each and up to 50 daily visitor permits
for $5 each.
Santa Barbara Within permitted areas, residents can purchase up to 3 annual permits and
1 visitor permit for $30 each.
Santa Cruz
Residents living on these restricted streets can purchase three annual
residential permits ($30 Each), two annual guest permits ($30 Each), and
up to 30 daily permits ($3 Each) per household.
San Jose
Each neighborhood has different regulations for number of permits,
ranging from restricting to only 1 residential permit, to 1 residential permit
and up to 2 guest passes, or 2 residential stickers. Each permit is $35
regardless of neighborhood.
Based upon the residential permit parking programs in nearby agencies, the Town of Los Gatos
charges a reasonable rate for permit. However, in order to disincentivize excess car ownership and
improve cost sustainability, the Town should establish a tiered rate structure where the price
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escalates for each additional vehicle. In order to take a balanced approach, it is recommended that
the Town decrease the cost of the first vehicle and increase the cost of the additional vehicles as
shown in Table 17.
Table 17: Recommended Residential Permit Price Structure
Vehicle Annual Cost
1st $20
2nd $80
3rd $100
4th $120
Parking occupancy data was collected for residential streets surrounding the Downtown. On
average, there were no residential streets near Downtown that reached the 85% occupancy
threshold. Average daily occupancies typically reached between 30-50% for most streets. Based
upon these findings, the Residential Permit Parking Districts appear to be successful at addressing
spillover parking impacts during the daytime. Additionally, this means that the existing cap of four
vehicles per address at this time is sufficient. If Residential Permit Parking District occupancy rates
increase over time, the Town should reevaluate the permit cap and consider reducing it to three
vehicles per address.
The Town should also adjust guest permit policies and pricing. Currently, residents are entitled to
two complimentary guest passes per residence with the initial purchase of the primary permit. It
is recommended that the Town charge a nominal rate to help support the enforcement and
management costs associated with the program. The current policy of providing complementary
guest permits also opens up the program for abuse. The Town should also only offer guest permits
on a short-term basis. This means that guests should have the option of purchasing a short-term
permit for between one and thirty days at a time. This can minimize opportunity for program abuse
and will help ensure that guest permits are only utilized by guests rather than residents
themselves. Anything beyond thirty days should be treated as a resident and therefore be subject
to the same requirements and rate structure as other residents. It is recommended that guest
permits be priced at $2 per day.
5.1.3. Petitioning Process
It is an industry best practice to offer residents the ability to apply for a permit parking program
through a petitioning process. This is because while it is important to safeguard residents from
spillover parking impacts, a permit parking program can also be a burden for residents based on
the program policies, costs, and management of guest permits. A petitioning process ensures that
the majority of residents in the proposed area are in favor of the permit program.
The Town has had a petitioning process for residents in the past, but discontinued the program
for further evaluation and consideration. A primary concern that contributed to this decision was
fear of exacerbating spillover parking impacts, particularly in the Downtown area. For example,
many stakeholders shared that high school students park on residential streets surrounding the
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High School due to constrained onsite parking capacity and traffic congestion. If additional permit
parking restrictions are introduced, there is concern that additional students will park in the
Downtown, which is within a reasonable walking distance.
Based upon stakeholder feedback and site assessment observations there are residential streets,
particularly around the High School, that are impacted during the daytime. This includes streets
such as Pleasant Street that do not have permit parking restrictions, and streets like Bella Vista
Avenue or Jackson Street that have 90-minute time limits and permit parking exemptions. Streets
surrounding the High School that do not have permit parking restrictions were observed to be
heavily impacted during the school day, however those streets with permit parking restrictions
were also impacted. Stakeholders reported that High School students still utilize the time limit
parking in residential areas and repark throughout the day.
The recommended adjustments to Downtown and Civic Center policies are designed to prevent
High School student spillover parking. Initially, the no reparking ordinance recommended in
Section 4.1.2, will discourage students from parking in time limit parking areas and reparking their
cars during lunchtime. This approach requires consistent enforcement, which will be improved
through the use of license plate recognition cameras, as described in Section 6. The
recommendation to ultimately move to a paid parking Pay-to-Stay model in the Downtown and
Civic Center areas will further address high school student spillover parking. Since the High School
student permits cost $35 per year, the proposed $18 daily rate for on-street parking will
disincentivize students from parking on-street. More information on how to address High School
student parking is in Section 5.1.4.
Based upon site observations, stakeholder input, industry best practices, and recommended
parking policy adjustments, it is recommended that the Town reinitiate a petitioning process that
is combined with structured policies and guidelines. For locations that are contiguous to an
existing Residential Permit Parking District, it is recommended that the Town require at least 50%
of residents to sign a petition to expand the Residential Permit Parking District. Contiguous areas
are easier to manage from an enforcement and signage standpoint, and they are likely to have
similar impacts due to proximity. For any locations that are not bordered by an existing Residential
Permit Parking District, there should be stricter requirements for the petitioning process. In these
cases, it is recommended that 70% of residents in a proposed area, not smaller than one block,
should be required to sign a petition.
Once a valid petition has been received, Town staff should evaluate whether the proposed area is
heavily occupied during the daytime (at or above 80%) and whether there is a likely external
contributor to the on-street occupancy rate other than other residents. For example, if multi-
family housing units are developed in a residential area and parking becomes constrained from
the increase in residents, this should not alone justify the introduction of residential permit parking
rules. However, if spillover parking is likely occurring from the High School or another external
source this would be adequate justification.
As along Johnson Avenue, Stacia Street, and Whitney Avenue, for example, it is recommended
that any Residential Permit Parking Districts include time limit parking for non-permit holders. This
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will allow for most residential guests, visitors, contractors, yard workers, and other service workers
to continue to park on residential streets without requiring a guest permit. The Town-wide no
reparking rule would mitigate abuse of these time limits. This makes a residential permit parking
program less restrictive and easier for residents to manage.
Currently residential permit parking has variable enforcement times. This can create inefficiencies
in managing the program and confusion among users that may experience different times in
different neighborhoods. The program should align the times on all streets.
5.1.4. High School Permit Program
In conjunction with the no reparking rule and updated Residential Permit Parking District policies,
the Town should also ensure that High School student parking is addressed. High School
enrollment has expanded over the years with around 2,160 students currently enrolled.
Enrollment is expected to continue to expand based upon the defined district boundaries and the
public school must accommodate all incoming students. There are approximately 250 existing
parking spaces onsite for students, and since there are almost 550 seniors enrolled this year, staff
limits parking permit eligibility to seniors only, with any exceptions determined on a case by case
basis. Last year the school gave out a total of 275 parking permits at a cost of $35 per calendar
year. The school also has approximately 150 staff members that park onsite.
The High School shared information on their parking challenges in a focused meeting. In general,
the High School feels constrained in their ability to self-address the parking challenge and looks to
the Town for solutions on parking and traffic at and around the High School. There is very limited
capacity on the High School campus for additional parking and the school has communicated that
they are not looking to add parking. Ongoing construction has added to both short term and
permanent reductions in onsite parking. Additionally, the school is planning to improve and
restripe the existing parking lot, which will result in a further slight reduction in parking spaces.
Some stakeholders have proposed that the school consider constructing a multi-level parking
garage onsite, however the configuration of the campus poses a significant traffic congestion
issue. During peak ingress and egress periods before and after school, the roadways and existing
parking lot experience gridlock and congestion. In some cases it can reportedly take up to 45
minutes to exit the lot at the end of the day. Staff suspect that some students that are permit
holders choose not to park onsite simply to avoid the congestion. Onsite observations revealed
that many students run to their vehicles at the end of the school day in hopes of exiting the parking
lot before it becomes congested with a long line of cars. Increasing capacity onsite would not
address the roadway capacity limitations and would ultimately not solve the problem without a
major roadway reconfiguration project to access the campus.
A result of limited parking capacity is spillover parking. Students are not allowed to leave campus
without permission except during lunchtime, but staff reported often seeing students leave to
repark their vehicles between classes when they park in nearby 90-minute parking areas. Nearby
residents have also reported impacts from student parking during the daytime. It is unclear how
many students park in the Downtown now, but spillover to the Downtown is possible due to its
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close proximity. For this reason, changes to High School area parking should be coordinated with
changes to time limits in the Downtown.
As the Town begins to consider expansions and additions to existing Residential Permit Parking
Districts, as described in Section 5.1.3, it is also important to address High School student parking.
A balanced approach is recommended in order to evenly distribute student parking impacts
throughout surrounding areas rather than consolidating student parking to one or two new
locations. This will mitigate parking congestion before and after school is in session and ensure
that certain areas are not disproportionality burdened with student parking impacts.
There is an opportunity to leverage nearby streets surrounding the High School with a tightly
controlled High School Parking Permit Program. The Town can utilize its automated permit
management system to establish High School permit parking zones with a limited capacity of
permits per zone. The Town should allow a minimal number of students to park within Residential
Permit Parking Districts surrounding the High School. All permits can be tracked and verified by
license plate number which prevents program abuse with consistent enforcement. Additionally,
since each license plate number would be tied to a High School student account, if there are
instances where students are parking illegally or observed by Town staff engaging in inappropriate
behavior in Residential Permit Parking Districts, their permit eligibility can be revoked.
The Town should establish a High School permit rate that is higher than the on campus rate in
order to encourage students to park within the High School lot if possible. A reasonable starting
rate could be $40-50 per year.
Once the Town implements and enforces the no reparking rule and establishes the High School
permit program, it will become clearer whether additional parking capacity is needed for High
School students. Until consistent enforcement is applied, the true demand and impact of High
School student parking is challenging to measure. Section 5.2.1 discusses potential options for
expanding student parking capacity elsewhere within the Town.
5.1.5. Student Permit Eligibility
The Town should encourage the High School to limit student permit eligibility based upon
proximity to school. Additionally, if the Town allows students to purchase a High School permit for
off campus parking, proof of residency should be required as part of the application process.
Ideally, students that live within a reasonable distance and safe walking route from school should
not be eligible for a parking permit, and any exceptions should be determined on a case by case
basis. The Town should partner with the Los Gatos – Monte Sereno Safe Routes to School (SR2S)
to define permit eligibility boundaries.
Based upon findings from the SR2S evaluation, the Town could eventually work to improve safety
and walkability of routes in order to further encourage walking and biking and improve access.
5.2. Phase 2
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5.2.1. Additional Student Parking Areas
If additional student parking capacity is needed after implementing the Phase 1 recommendations,
the Town should establish additional High School permit parking locations in perimeter locations
such as the following:
• Any newly defined Residential Permit Parking Districts;
• On-street parking along Miles Avenue between Edelen Avenue and the Maintenance
Service Office;
• On-street parking along High School Court between Main Street and the High School;
• Portion of spaces within the Southside Parking Lot; and
• Private parking lots via shared parking agreements.
Any new locations added should be set up as individual zones with the Town’s permit management
system in order to tightly control how many permits can be purchased for each location.
5.2.2. Commute Gamification
The High School could consider utilizing an online web and/or mobile application service to
“gamify” student commutes to campus. Students could log their daily mode of transportation and
earn extra points for walking, biking, and riding public transit. Some platforms offer leaderboards
where students can see how their commute patterns rank against their classmates. Prizes and
incentives can be incorporated into the system such as monthly giveaways for students that take
alternative modes of transportation at least five times per month. The school could increase
permit parking rates to fund the gamification program and prizes.
5.2.3. Special Events
The Town offers a special event parking permit for residential parking areas that can be obtained
by calling the Community Outreach Coordinator or in-person at the Police Department. These
permits are only available for resident permit holders or their guests, and only valid in residential
permit districts. Special event permits can be purchased for $10 for the first permit and $2 for
each additional permit and are only valid for the date and district they are registered to. There is
no limit on the number of vehicles per event and there is no requirement for advanced notice.
It is recommended that the Town manage special events permits through the same automated
permit management system used for other parking permits. The Town should have an online form
for residents to fill out that indicate special event details and information for approval. The Town
should require advanced notice of at least 72 hours in order to allow for parking enforcement
coverage adjustments as needed. This will improve the Town’s ability to enforce and manage
space reservation impacts.
5.3. Phase 3
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5.3.1. Car Sharing
In the long-term, the Town should evaluate car sharing providers and develop a program that will
incentivize residents to rely upon car sharing platforms to reduce the rate of car ownership. Car
sharing programs can help reduce car ownership and parking demand in the Town by providing
residents with access to a vehicle on as as-needed basis for instances when a vehicle may be
required. This can reduce the need for households to own one or multiple vehicles by providing
the peace of mind that a car is available nearby. Car sharing can be more cost-affordable than
owning a car when supplemented with other modes of transportation.
There are also carsharing services such as Getaround that will allow residents to rent out their
personal vehicles when not in use. The Town should work with property owners to encourage
these types of services in order to reduce the overall car ownership rate in Los Gatos.
Any new apartment and condo complexes could be offered an incentive such as a parking
reduction by providing car sharing vehicle(s) onsite for their residents. Additionally, the Town
could provide free or reduced parking permits in Residential Permit Parking Districts to car share
vehicles.
5.4. Ongoing
5.4.1. Permit Program Adjustments
The Town should continue to evaluate parking impacts in residential areas in order to make
periodic adjustment to program policies, time limits, operating hours, and enforcement coverage
as needed.
A summary of potential findings and adjustments is provided below in Table 18.
Table 18. Example Data-Driven Decisions
Data Finding Potential Adjustments
Proposed residential permit parking area
occupancy is consistently near or above 85%
• Expand permit parking restrictions
Proposed residential permit parking area
occupancy is consistently well below 85%
• Do not expand permit parking restrictions
High School student parking demand exceeds
permit parking capacity
• Establish additional permit parking areas
as needed
• Increase High School permit rate
Existing Residential Permit Parking District
parking occupancy is consistently near or
above 85%
• Reduce the number of permits allowed
per address
• Increase permit cost
• Reduce the number of High School
student permits allowed
56
Existing Residential Permit Parking District
parking occupancy is consistently below 85%
• Increase the number of High School
student permits allowed
57
5.5. Cost and Impact
Table 19: Residential Area Parking Estimated Cost and Impact Levels
Section Description Cost Impact
5.1.1 Digital Permits Low High
5.1.2 Rate Model Low Low
5.1.3 Petitioning Process Low Medium
5.1.4 High School Permit Program Low High
5.1.5 Student Permit Eligibility Low Low
5.2.1 Additional Student Parking Areas Low Medium
5.2.2 Commute Gamification Low Low
5.3.1 Car Sharing Low Low
5.4.1 Program Adjustments Low Medium
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5.6. Implementation Guide
Table 20: Residential Area Parking Implementation Guide
Phase 1
1. Utilize the Town’s existing automated permit management system to transition to the use
of digital license plate-based parking permits.
2. Adjust the Residential Permit Parking District rate model. TC
a. Lower the cost of the first permit, but raise the cost of additional permits.
3. Adjust guest permit policies to provide permits for between 1-30 days only. TC
a. Require a nominal daily fee.
4. Reinitiate a petitioning process to establish or expand Residential Permit Parking Districts.
TC
a. Require a larger percentage of signatures for areas that are non-contiguous to
existing Districts.
b. Require a data collection evaluation to determine eligibility.
c. Require an external contributor to spillover parking besides other residents.
d. Maintain time limit parking for non-permit holders in Residential Permit Parking
Districts but improve their effectiveness using the no reparking rule.
5. Establish a High School Permit Program. $ TC
a. Incorporate into the automated permit management system.
b. Establish strict guidelines and grounds for permit revocation.
c. Set the amount of students that may park in each Residential Permit Parking
District.
d. Establish a rate model.
e. Determine student eligibility based upon proximity and require proof of residency
in the application process.
f. Order and install signage or decals for each zone.
6. Work with Los Gatos – Monte Sereno Safe Routes to School (SR2S) to define student
permit eligibility.
a. Encourage the High School to limit permit eligibility based upon proximity.
Phase 2
7. Establish additional High School Permit Program zones if needed. TC
8. Encourage the High School to utilize a commute gamification platform that will encourage
students to utilize alternative modes of transportation.
9. Adjust residential special event permit advanced notification requirements and automate
the application process. TC
Phase 3
10. Evaluate car sharing providers and develop a program to incentivize car sharing in
residential areas. $ TC
a. Encourage residents to enroll their own vehicles in car sharing services.
b. Allow onsite parking reductions for apartment and condo complexes that provide
car sharing options.
59
c. Allow free Residential Permit Parking District parking for car sharing vehicles. TC
Ongoing
- Ongoing permit program adjustments as needed based upon data-driven decisions.
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6. Enforcement
This section includes recommendations for parking enforcement staffing, technology, and
management. The parking enforcement operation should:
• Optimize the effectiveness of parking management strategies to improve access and
safety;
• Utilize parking enforcement technology to maximize enforcement efficiency; and
• Adapt the enforcement operation over time to provide effective coverage.
Parking enforcement should be one of the Town’s highest parking management priorities.
Consistent enforcement coverage will result in higher rates of compliance with parking policies
which is critical for the success of the Town’s parking operation. Without proper enforcement, the
Town will not be able to reach its overall parking, transportation, congestion, safety, and
environmental goals, and investments in parking assets and technology are unlikely to be effective.
Parking enforcement is currently operated within the Police Department. Parking Control Officers
(PCOs) are responsible for patrolling assigned areas and responding to complaints of illegally
parked vehicles. In addition, the PCOs support school safety, vehicle abatement programs and
provide tow support for sworn personnel during street closures for special events.
The Town is already on the right track to developing an effective parking enforcement operation.
The Town recently filled the second full-time employee (FTE) PCO and purchased a new license
plate recognition (LPR) system. LPR technology is an important parking management tool that
improves enforcement efficiency and coverage. Using LPR as a parking management tool means
that manual enforcement processes will be automated. Examples include:
• Time limit tracking: Instead of manually entering 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 PCOs of violations.
• Verifying permits: 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.
6.1. Phase 1
6.1.1. Enforcement Coverage
Until recently, the Town has had one FTE PCO and one part-time employee (PTE) PCO. The FTE
PCO works Monday through Friday, and the PTE PCO works Wednesday through Friday only. Patrol
officers handle weekend complaints and safety violations. The Town is currently in the process of
training the recently hired second FTE PCO. During training the PTE PCO will continue to provide
coverage, but will be replaced by the second FTE PCO once training is complete.
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Since time limits apply Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., it is recommended that
the two FTEs work on weekdays only. Additionally, peak parking demand typically occurs in the
midday, so it is important that the PCOs do not take their lunch break at the same time in order
to maximize midday coverage.
Due to high parking occupancy rates, PCOs should prioritize time limit enforcement in the
Downtown time limit areas. The LPR equipped vehicles should be driven through time limit areas
at least once every two to three hours. Permit parking areas should also be verified using the LPR
system once the Town transitions to the use of digital permits.
6.1.2. Warning Notices
As the Town implements new parking policies and programs, such as the no reparking rule and
the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program, PCOs should issue warning notices to first-time
violators. The citation management system can track warning notices to ensure that the same
violator does not receive a warning notice the second time. Warning notices are an opportunity
to further educate the community about new parking rules.
6.1.3. Data Collection
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program, the
Town should utilize LPR to collect parking occupancy and utilization data within and around permit
parking areas. One of the PCOs can be assigned a specific data collection route periodically that
will later allow staff to download the data collected by the LPR system. In order to minimize the
impact on enforcement resources, the Town could collect a sampling of data on just two or three
weekdays. The LPR collects license plate numbers, GPS location, and the time of day of each read.
Staff can use the data to estimate the on- and off-street occupancy by dividing the number of plate
reads by the number of parking spaces. Additionally, since permits are each tied to a license plate
number, the Town will be able to determine whether permit holders are parking outside of permit
parking areas. Findings from the LPR data collection can be used to make data-driven decisions
about the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program or other policy decisions.
6.2. Phase 2
6.2.1. Technology Integrations
As pay stations and mobile payment are introduced, both systems should be integrated with the
Town’s citation management and LPR systems. This will allow the LPR system to verify payment
status via license plate number in real-time. Additionally, the LPR system should be configured to
verify all digital parking permits.
6.2.2. Enforcement Staffing and Coverage
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While the recent hire of a second FTE PCO is an improvement, the Department should ideally hire
a third FTE PCO and a PTE PCO in preparation to support upcoming program and policy changes.
Consistent enforcement coverage is critical to the success of the parking operation. It will allow
the Town to understand and measure the actual impact of parking policies for effective decision-
making. It is also important to make sure that staffing levels can accommodate instances where
an officer may be on vacation or on sick leave.
Ideally, three FTE PCOs should work Monday through Friday with two focusing on the Downtown
and Civic Center areas, and the third focusing on residential areas, complaints, and other support
as needed. New PCOs should each be equipped with handheld citation issuance devices and an
LPR equipped vehicle. The PTE PCO could provide additional coverage on Wednesday through
Friday, and if the Town ever expands paid parking into the weekends, the PTE schedule could be
shifted to provide weekend support.
6.3. Phase 3
6.3.1. Consider Contracting Enforcement
Health and safety are the priorities of the Police Department, and as a result PCOs are sometimes
pulled away for other support needs. In order to provide consistent parking enforcement
coverage, it is important that there are dedicated resources. If the Department has challenges
hiring and retaining staff, or if PCOs are often being pulled away for other support, the Town could
consider a new approach to parking enforcement. The Town could contract with a third-party
vendor which could improve the overall level of service, enforcement consistency, and provide
ongoing cost savings. Contracting a vendor for parking enforcement would require the Town to
establish the number of labor hours, uniforms, equipment, vehicles, and any office space needed
to support the Town along with the specified services. Most vendors offer an existing employee
transition program, subject to minimum qualifications, background checks, and specified hiring
criteria. The Town could specify this transition requirement in any solicitation. Third-party vendors
offer both union and non-union labor options based upon the Town’s specification.
Numerous California cities have successfully contracted parking enforcement service agreements.
These communities include Alhambra (General Law), Antioch (Charter), Chula Vista (Charter),
Glendale (Charter), Newport Beach (Charter), Palo Alto (Charter), Pasadena (General Law),
Placerville (General Law), Salinas (Charter), San Gabriel (General Law), San Leandro (Charter),
Santa Clarita (General Law), Vallejo (Charter), and West Hollywood (General Law). Of those
communities, Antioch, Newport Beach, Pasadena, San Gabriel, San Leandro, Santa Clarita, and
West Hollywood have extended their current contract in the past few years. Prior to considering
outsourcing parking enforcement services, it is recommended that the Town solicit the Town
Attorney to confirm legal viability.
These contracted services have continually demonstrated annual cost savings and an increased
level of service and consistent application of the parking regulations. Each agency provides
oversight and audit control of the parking enforcement operation including frequent meetings
63
with program managers and regularly scheduled audits to ensure the productivity, efficiency and
service levels of the vendor.
The level of transparency in the relationship is critical to the success of the overall program. The
program should be closely monitored by designated Town staff. Contract performance
requirements should strictly regulate how to address customer complaints and the notification
protocols for any community issues that may arise. Polices and operational procedures must be
approved by the Town, and vendors must closely monitor their field staff to ensure compliance
and customer satisfaction.
6.4. Ongoing
6.4.1. Staffing and Schedule Adjustments
As the Town considers adjustments to parking policies and programs, it is important to ensure that
there is sufficient enforcement staffing. Any expansion in operating days and/or hours should be
supported by a shift in enforcement schedules, and there should ideally be at least two PCOs on
duty during all operating hours to support paid parking, time limit, and permit parking policies.
6.4.2. Gap Management
PCO productivity is not, and should never be, based upon a quota or the number of citations
issued. Consistent enforcement in some cases will reduce the frequency of citations issued over
time due to an increase in compliance. Instead, PCO productivity should be measured and
monitored using Gap Management strategies. Gap Management is the process of analyzing
citation issuance trends, identifying gaps in issuance, and accounting for all time spent in the field.
LPR and citation issuance handheld devices also provide GPS location data which should be
monitored to confirm that PCOs are covering their assigned routes and zones.
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6.5. Cost and Impact
Table 21: Enforcement Estimated Cost and Impact Levels
Section Description Cost Impact
6.1.1 Enforcement Coverage Low Medium
6.1.2 Warning Notices Low Medium
6.1.3 Data Collection Low High
6.2.1 Technology Integrations Low High
6.2.2 Enforcement Staffing and Coverage High High
6.3.1 Consider Contracting Enforcement High Medium
6.4.1 Staffing and Schedule Adjustments Medium Medium
6.4.2 Gap Management Low Medium
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6.6. Implementation Guide
Table 22: Enforcement Implementation Guide
Phase 1
1. Adjust enforcement coverage to prioritize Downtown time limit areas.
2. Regularly utilize LPR for enforcement.
3. Issue warning notices for first-time violators as new policies are introduced.
4. Utilize LPR for data collection sampling to support the evaluation of the Downtown
Employee Parking Permit Program.
a. Assign a PCO to drive a specific route and certain times of the day.
b. Sample two or three weekdays per month.
c. Analyze parking occupancy and utilization data.
Phase 2
5. Ensure that the LPR and citation management systems are integrated with new parking
technology including pay stations and mobile payment.
6. Budget for and hire another FTE PCO and a PTE PCO.
a. Equip new PCOs with handhelds, LPR, and other equipment.
7. Adjust enforcement staffing schedule and coverage.
Phase 3
8. Consider contracting enforcement services through a third-party vendor.
a. Evaluate program staffing levels and effectiveness.
b. Evaluate potential cost savings.
Ongoing
- Ongoing adjustments to enforcement staffing and schedules as needed.
- Ideally there should be at least two PCOs on duty during all operating hours.
- Utilize Gap Management techniques to measure officer productivity in the field.
- Do not base productivity off of number of citations issued.
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7. Wayfinding and Parking Guidance
The Town has existing static parking wayfinding signage throughout
the Downtown and Civic Center areas that assist drivers in finding
various destinations and parking lots. Most parking lots within the
Town are tucked away behind Downtown businesses which
contributes to the aesthetic and charm that many appreciate.
However, in some cases it may be challenging for drivers to identify
available parking options and access points.
7.1. Phase 1
7.1.1. Parking Brand
The Town should consider developing an easily recognizable public
parking brand. While existing signage, as shown in Figure 7, do have
a recognizable color theme, there are no other distinguishable
features about the “P” that could be incorporated into other parking outreach materials.
Consistent with the Town name, the parking brand could be “PARKLG”, similar to the “PARKSJ”
and “PARKSL” branding in San Jose and San Leandro. Or, creative branding could incorporate a cat
theme into the branding, similar to the Town’s logo. Examples include using a font for the letter
“P” that is formed by a cat or cat tail, and incorporating a cat with the name “Parker” on its tag on
outreach materials. Regardless, if the Town is creative the parking program will be more eye-
catching and memorable.
The signage and parking brand should be
consistent including sign format, symbols
and colors. A unified parking brand
improves the overall parking experience
by clearly designating public parking
locations. The direction of the signage
needs to be clear, easy to understand, and
simple to follow. The branding can also be
utilized on all public parking outreach
materials for consistency.
The Town should also expand the public
parking branding to any future shared
parking agreement locations. For shared
parking agreements, the parking
brand/signage should be required in
conjunction with the terms and conditions
of the agreement. Expanding the public
parking brand to shared parking locations will provide consistency to the drivers, making it easier
to identify public parking locations, regardless of ownership.
Figure 7: Static
Wayfinding Sign
Figure 8: PARKSL Branding
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7.1.2. Occupancy Counting
The Town should collect ongoing parking occupancy data at public parking lots in order to provide
real-time parking guidance information to drivers for both directional and trip planning purposes.
Additionally, this data can be leveraged to make data-driven management and policy decisions.
The Town should install loop-based sensors that will detect vehicles as they drive in and out of
parking lots to calculate total facility occupancy in real-time. Loop sensors can be in-ground or
above ground systems that detect vehicle movement and direction.
A facility-wide count, versus a per-space count, is recommended because it is a more affordable
way to communicate overall parking availability to drivers without requiring a sensor in every
parking space. The main priority should be to direct drivers to a parking facility with sufficient
available parking. Once a driver reaches the surface parking lot, it is not challenging to visually
locate available parking spaces.
The selected vendor should have the ability to push real-time parking occupancy information
through an application program interface (API) so it can be leveraged for other purposes such as
signage and online applications.
7.1.3. Parking Guidance System
In addition to static wayfinding signage, the Town should deliver
real-time parking availability information through digital signage
or vehicle messaging systems. Figure 9 is an example of a digital
sign that fits in with the surrounding aesthetics by incorporating
materials seen in nearby buildings and structures. It is important
to carefully design the signage to fit in with the Town’s overall
small town charm and aesthetic, and it should incorporate the
Town’s parking brand.
Vehicle counting systems coupled with automated wayfinding
systems are helping to revolutionize how the public utilizes
parking resources. Automated Parking Guidance System (APGS)
signs can promote parking availability and mitigate congestion in
the vicinity of parking facilities. Parking availability information
can also inform drivers about parking availability before they
enter into a parking lot. Some stakeholders reported that due to
the narrow travel lanes within Town parking lots, sometimes
Figure 9: Digital Parking Sign
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driving in and out of them can take a frustrating amount
of time if other drivers are waiting for parking spaces or
backing out of stalls.
The APGS signage should indicate parking lot space
availability (Full/Available or the number of spaces
available), event parking details, alternative parking
areas, and targeted messaging. This methodology allows
drivers to prepare their direction of travel upon
approach, thereby reducing traffic flow impact,
discouraging backups, and addressing maximum
capacity concerns.
7.1.4. Walkability Signage
It is also recommended that the Town design and install
signage to encourage walking. Figure 10 is an image of
walkability signage used in Wailuku Town within the
County of Maui. These temporary signs were a low-cost
way to encourage walking by promoting short walking
times.
Signage in Los Gatos could also include the estimated
number steps for those that use devices to track walking.
Remote or perimeter parking options may look more
reasonable or accessible if the walking times and
number of steps is promoted. This also encourages a
healthy lifestyle and promotes the “Park Once” approach
as described in Section 4.1.1.
7.2. Phase 2
7.2.1. Web Application
The Town should also post a list and/or a map of public parking locations to the Town website with
real-time parking information. The purpose of providing this information online is to allow for trip
planning. This will allow commuters and visitors to gauge how likely it is to find a parking space
and whether they should consider utilizing alternative parking locations, visiting at a different time
of day, or taking other modes of transportation.
Real-time parking information and parking availability can also be linked to a variety of publicly
available, free parking applications such as Google Maps and Waze. The Town should authorize
data sharing with phone and mapping applications to provide drivers with additional opportunities
to make informed decisions. A growing number of parking vendors are delving into the mobile
application space, many utilizing web applications that can feed from open source data platforms.
Figure 10: Maui Walkability Signage
69
Real-time data can be integrated with several existing parking applications. To stay competitive in
today’s market, most parking technology vendors recognize that an open platform is necessary.
There may also be local software development firms with existing applications or services that
could promote parking data via an open API.
The City of Santa Barbara has effective real-time parking availability information online that can
be utilized for trip planning purposes, as shown in Figure 11. The Town could use the above data
collection tools to offer similar information on the Town website and/or via a mobile application.
7.3. Phase 3
7.3.1. Garage Signage
If the Town constructs a parking garage, additional wayfinding signage for the interior of the
garage should be incorporated into the budget and plan. Interior garage wayfinding signage will
improve the ability of a driver to enter, leave and return to a garage facility. Inside the garage
directional arrows, parking restrictions and exit signs for both the driver and pedestrian should be
installed. A common practice is to color coordinate vehicle versus pedestrian-oriented signage
with different colors and sizing in order to provide clear visual cues that are easy to follow along
with.
7.4. Ongoing
Figure 11: Santa Barbara Real-Time Parking Availability Map
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7.4.1. Monitoring and Adjustments
As new parking assets are developed or adjusted, the Town’s parking wayfinding and parking
guidance system should be expanded and adapted as needed. Signage should direct drivers to
primary off-street public parking options near designation points. Additionally, all public parking
lots should be clearly identifiable with the public parking brand.
Signage should be installed along major roadways and at decision points along the route to public
parking facilities so that drivers can identify where parking is available. The parking guidance
system should be configured to redirect drivers to available parking options once facilities reach
or near capacity. Signage should incorporate digital LED inserts to display real-time occupancy
information whenever possible.
Signage can also be leveraged for additional information as needed for purposes such as event
parking and targeted messaging.
The Town should also continue to monitor the accuracy of parking occupancy technology and reset
the counting systems as recommended by the selected vendors. Any discrepancies noticed
between the level of accuracy advertised by the vendor and the actual accuracy level should be
immediately addressed with the technology vendor.
Parking facility capacity values should be updated as needed to account of instances of parking
space reservations, construction, or other impacts to the overall parking supply. This will prevent
parking guidance from incorrectly directing drivers to parking spaces that are not actually
available.
71
7.5. Cost and Impact
Table 23: Wayfinding and Parking Guidance Cost and Impact Levels
Section Description Cost Impact
7.1.1 Parking Brand Medium Medium
The following strategies are interdependent and should be jointly implemented:
7.1.2 Occupancy Counting High High
7.1.3 Parking Guidance System High High
7.1.4 Walkability Signage Low Low
7.2.1 Web Application Low Low
7.3.1 Garage Signage Medium Medium
7.4.1 Monitoring and Adjustments Medium Medium
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7.6. Implementation Guide
Table 24: Wayfinding and Parking Guidance Implementation Guide
Phase 1
1. Design a public parking brand. $
a. Consider hiring a branding firm or develop the parking brand in house.
b. Utilize the public parking brand on all outreach materials and signage related to
public parking.
2. Install occupancy counting technology in public parking lots. $
a. Utilize loop-based sensors to collect facility-wide parking occupancy data.
b. Transmit parking data via to parking guidance signage via an API.
3. Procure APGS signage through an RFP process. $
a. Install APGS signage along main roads to direct drivers to available parking options.
b. Designate responsible party for maintenance and upkeep.
c. Define performance standards and performance penalties for system support
failures.
d. The system should redirect drivers to underutilized locations and display “FULL”
once a facility is near capacity.
Phase 2
4. Broadcast real-time parking availability information through an open API to publicly
available parking application and an online mapping tool.
Phase 3
5. Install directional signage for vehicles and pedestrians within garage interiors. $
Ongoing
- Adjust APGS signage over time as needed. $
- Expand the public parking brand to shared parking locations if providing public
parking.
- Monitor parking occupancy sensor accuracy and address inaccuracies with the parking
technology vendor as needed.
- Update facility capacity values as needed to account for exceptional situations.
- Utilize parking occupancy data to make data-driven policy decisions over time.
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8. Transportation Demand Management
While vehicle parking is the primary focus of this Roadmap, it is also important to consider how
transportation demand management strategies can influence parking demand. This section
includes recommendations for utilizing alternative modes of transportation to support the overall
parking program.
8.1. Phase 1
8.1.1. Shared Mobility Devices
Shared mobility devices are devices like bikes
and scooters that are available for a rental fee.
Many recent shared mobility device programs
are “dockless” meaning that they are not
required to be docked to a particular charging
station. They relate to parking management
because they can reduce parking demand,
increase access to remote parking locations, and
can impact parking enforcement duties.
Bikeshare and scooter programs have yet to be
established within the Town. However, the
Town is anticipating their arrival in the near
future, especially since Lime Bike already has a
geofenced zone that reaches the Town. Other
nearby agencies have already experienced the
impact of shared mobility device programs and there are some policy decisions the Town can make
that can mitigate some of the potential impacts of these programs.
Bike and scooter sharing could provide the Town with additional resources to mitigate the first
mile/last mile problems and provide increased accessibility throughout downtown. Bike and
scooter sharing can also help support remote parking locations. While Lime, Bird and other
dockless mobility device share companies offer improved convenience and flexibility for users
(because they are not required to leave the bike at a designated location). Dockless programs can
be challenging to manage and regulate. Many agencies experience a significant amount of
complaints due to dockless bikes, especially regarding blocked sidewalks and ramps, which limits
ADA accessibility.
The Town should consider adopting ordinance language that allows the Town to hold vendors
accountable when bikes are left in locations where they cause a public nuisance. Adding a fee to
the collection of devices that have been impounded by the Town encourages the companies to
inform their users on the correct locations to leave bicycles when they are done.
Figure 12: Shared Bike
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While a docked bike share program could mitigate most of the problems associated with dockless
program, docked bike programs are expensive to implement and manage, and may not be heavily
utilized unless implemented on an expansive scale. Dockless bike and scooter programs offered
by private companies are a tremendous opportunity for improving mobility at no upfront cost to
the Town. The main financial impact results from the additional monitoring and enforcement
required to manage the impacts.
The City of Santa Monica recently adopted an ordinance addressing the permitting and use of
shared mobility devices. The ordinance gives Santa Monica additional control and oversight
through a permitting process. The Town should take a similar approach and ensure that a permit
program is implemented with tight controls.
8.2. Phase 2
8.2.1. Secure Bike Parking
The Los Gatos Creek Trail is a walking and bicycling trail located adjacent to Downtown Los Gatos
and there are many residents that commute and travel about the Town by bicycle. The Town could
consider opportunities for bicycle storage and valet in order to encourage additional trips by
bicycle.
Three of the adopted goals in the 2020 General Plan Transportation Element are related to
encouraging bike ridership and improving access to bike infrastructure:
• To encourage increased levels of bicycling and walking.
• To provide a safe and efficient system of bicycle and multiple use trails throughout the
Town, creating a non-motorized connection to recreational and commuting destinations.
• To ensure a well-designed and well-maintained system of trails that connects the Town
and open space areas.
The Town should offer secure bike storage areas in order to encourage more biking. There are
certain locations in the Downtown that bikers frequent, so these would be ideal locations to focus
on providing bike parking. Town staff should observe where the most biking activity occurs, and
survey bike riders about key bike parking locations.
Secure bike parking lots or cages should be installed where space allows in order to provide bike
riders with a convenient and secure location. Bike parking areas should cost a small fee, which can
be managed through low cost monthly or annual memberships.
8.3. Phase 3
8.3.1. Circulating Shuttle
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A shuttle program could be an
effective way to incorporate remote
parking locations by giving drivers the
ability to park and ride into the
downtown core. Additionally, if the
Town wants to promote the “Park
Once” approach, then a shuttle
program could be an effective way for
drivers to rely upon the shuttle for
shorter trips, rather than re-parking
their vehicle.
For example, The Free Ride
Everywhere Downtown (“FRED”) is a free shuttle program in San Diego that has been successfully
implemented and expanded. The shuttle program is free to the users because the staffing and
operating costs are completely funded by advertisements. Additional funding is required to
support the cost of the vehicles, insurance, and ongoing management. The estimated cost per
vehicle per hour is between $20.00-$30.00 and can vary depending on factors such as the program
size, area, and frequency. There are moving billboards, videos for passengers and even sample
products that are given out during the rides. The vehicles are all electric and each fit up to five
passengers. The benefit of utilizing smaller vehicles is that the insurance costs are significantly
reduced. Additionally, a mobile application allows users to request a ride within certain
boundaries; users are prompted to select their pick-up and drop-off locations, and the application
provides real time driver ETAs.
The City of Santa Barbara is another
example of a location with a successful
downtown shuttle system. The City’s
shuttle operates year-round with
regular and summer schedules from
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.. Regular service
operates from Labor Day weekend
through the day before Memorial Day
weekend with headways every 15 to 30
minutes. The summer schedule
operates between Memorial Day
weekend and Labor Day weekend with
10 to 15-minute headways. The shuttle
costs $0.50 for a one-way trip ($0.25 for
Seniors and people with disabilities),
and children ride free. Multiple trip
passes can also be purchased ranging from $1-$20. The waterfront shuttle has six stops between
downtown and the waterfront which includes the Harbor, Wharf and the Zoo.
Figure 14: Santa Barbara Waterfront Shuttle
Figure 13: On-Demand Shuttles
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The Town should consider a blended approach with a circulating shuttle and on-demand service
during off-peak periods, as described in Section 4.3.3. Typically, a program like FRED is structured
as an on-demand service, however the Town could solicit a shuttle service company about the
potential for a fixed route program if desired. A fixed-route option could be designed to serve a
remote employee permit parking location, for example.
8.4. Ongoing
8.4.1. Public Transit Incentives
As public transportation service continue to expand and evolve in the Los Gatos region, the Town
should continually promote public transportation options and provide incentives when possible to
encourage their use. Examples of incentive programs include providing a free annual parking
permit raffled off to any employee that rides public transportation instead of driving at least three
times in a month, and providing free bus rides to students at Los Gatos High School.
The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors has adopted a new transit service
plan that is set to be implemented when BART service to Santa Clara County begins at the end of
2019. The new service plan will discontinue both route 48 and 49 and will be replaced by route
27. The new route will replace route 48 in its entirety and parts of route 49. Currently, route 27
connects Good Samaritan Hospital to Kaiser Permanente San Jose and the new route will be
extended westward to connect Downtown Los Gatos and the Winchester Transit Center. Route
frequency would improve to 30-minute headways midday weekdays and to 40-45 minute
headways on Saturday. The improved weekday headway will improve alignment with the school
bell time. which could increase ridership amongst high school students.
Figure 15: Proposed Route 27
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8.5. Cost and Impact
Table 25: Wayfinding and Parking Guidance Cost and Impact Levels
Section Description Cost Impact
8.1.1 Shared Mobility Devices Low Medium
8.2.1 Secure Bike Parking Medium Low
8.3.1 Circulating Shuttle High Medium
8.4.1 Public Transit Incentives Low Low
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8.6. Implementation Guide
Table 26: Transportation Demand Management Implementation Guide
Phase 1
1. Develop a Shared Mobility Device Permit Program. TC
a. Regulate shared mobility device companies, supply, data sharing, and other
policies.
b. Establish an impound fee.
Phase 2
2. Assess potential locations for secure bike parking.
a. Survey bike riders and visually observe areas in Downtown frequented by bikers.
3. Purchase and install secure bike parking lockers or cages. $
Phase 3
4. In order to leverage remote parking opportunities, the Town could develop a shuttle
program. $
Ongoing
- Provide ongoing public transit incentives. $
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9. Comprehensive Implementation Guide
Figure 16 is a diagram that summarizes the high-level implementation steps across all Roadmap
sections. The orange colored boxes represent strategies that are categorized as high-impact. Key
implementation tracks are color-coordinated to represent important prerequisite and phasing
requirements. Ongoing recommendations are listed at the bottom.
Figure 16: Comprehensive Implementation Diagram
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Appendix A: Employee Survey Results
DIXON visited a variety of downtown businesses and conducted employee surveys in-person on
June 5, 27, and 28, 2019. A total of 77 employees were surveyed from 61 businesses. The results
for each question are included below.
1. What mode of transportation did you use to get to work?
Mode Responses
Car 93%
Bike 0%
Walk 3%
Rideshare 3%
Other 1%
2. Where did you park?
Location Responses
On-street 10%
Public parking lot 56%
Private parking lot 35%
Used valet 0%
3. How many blocks away from work is your parking space?
Distance Responses
One block 92%
Two blocks 4%
Three blocks 3%
Four or more blocks 1%
4. A. Would you be willing to buy a parking permit if it meant you could easily find a space to
park?
Answer Responses
Yes 72%
No 28%
4. B. If yes, what is a reasonable monthly rate?
Monthly Rate Responses
$0 1
81
$5 7
$10 8
$15 1
$20 4
$25 3
$30 1
$40 2
Average $15
5. Do you think there is enough parking downtown for customers?
Answer Responses
Yes 16%
No 81%
Not sure 3%
6. Do you think customers would be willing to pay for parking if it meant they could easily find
a parking space or park for longer?
Answer Responses
Yes 36%
No 50%
Not sure 14%
7. If you could change, fix, or improve anything about parking in Los Gatos what would you do?
Suggestion Responses
Build more parking 23
More long term parking 17
Designated employee parking or permit parking 9
Expand valet 5
Paid parking 3
Eliminate or reduce parking enforcement 3
More loading zones 2
Make Santa Cruz Ave. pedestrian-only 2
Increase Parking Enforcement or Security 2
More covered or shaded parking 1
More accessible parking 1
Maintenance at Lot 4 1
Utilize remote parking lots 1
Improve public transit 1
Employee carpool or shuttle programs 1
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Appendix B: Online Survey Results
• Question: Where do you live?
Over half of the individuals who responded to the survey live in the Town of Los Gatos, while 18%
live in Downtown Los Gatos. 13% of the individuals who responded live in other locations such as
Monte Sereno, Campbell, Los Gatos Mountains, and in unincorporated Los Gatos
Table 1: Question Responses
Answer Choices Responses
Downtown Los Gatos 18.03% 86
Town of Los Gatos 57.44% 274
Bay Area 11.11% 53
California 0.42% 2
Other state 0.00% 0
Other (please specify) 13.00% 62
• Question: Does your neighborhood have a residential parking permit program?
The majority of individuals live in neighborhoods that do not participate in the Town’s residential
parking permit program. A majority of these individuals don’t believe that they need a residential
parking permit. A small percentage of the respondents live in neighborhoods that do not
participate in the residential parking permit program and would like to participate.
Table 2: Question Responses
Answer Choices Responses
Yes 12.64% 45
No, but I would like one 9.55% 34
No, I don’t need one 75.84% 270
Not sure 1.97% 7
• Question: Do you work in downtown Los Gatos?
Almost 80% of the survey respondents do not work in downtown Los Gatos.
Table 3: Question Responses
Answer Choices Responses
Yes (full time) 10.90% 51
Yes (part time) 9.83% 46
No 79.27% 371
83
• Question: How often do you typically visit downtown Los Gatos?
Only individuals who do not work downtown answered this question.
Almost half of individuals who are not downtown workers frequently visit downtown Los Gatos
multiple times per week. A very small percentage visit downtown less than once per month.
Table 4: Question Responses
Answer Choices Responses
Everyday 15.57% 57
Multiple times per week 47.51% 172
Multiple times per month 27.90% 101
Less than once per month 8.84% 32
• Question: What was the primary purpose of your most recent visit to downtown?
Only individuals who do not work downtown answered this question.
Most non-downtown workers are either dining or shopping downtown during their most recent
visit. Approximately 47% of all respondents visited downtown to dine, while approximately 31%
were shopping. Approximately 18% of respondents specified that they were doing other activities
during the most recent visit to downtown. Examples of other responses include going to church,
taking kids to school or after school activities, hiking, running errands, going to the gym, walking
around downtown and going to the movies.
Table 5: Question Responses
Answer Choices Responses
Working/business 4.10% 15
Shopping 31.15% 114
Dinning 46.99% 172
Other (please specific) 17.76% 366
• Question: How long was your most recent visit?
Only individuals who do not work downtown answered this question.
Most respondents spent less than 2 hours in downtown Los Gatos during their most recent visit.
Table 6: Question Responses
Answer Choices Responses
Less than 30 minutes 5.98% 22
Less than a 1 hour 16.58% 61
Less than 2 hours 39.95% 147
Less than 3 hours 25.00% 92
Less than 4 hours 7.88% 29
84
More than 4 hours 4.62% 17
• Question: What mode of transportation did you use to get downtown for your most recent visit?
The majority of all respondents who do not work downtown took their personal vehicle during
their most recent visit. None of the respondents took public transportation and only one individual
utilized rideshare company. The majority of downtown workers took their personal vehicles during
their most recent trip downtown. Downtown workers walked or biked at higher rates than non-
downtown workers during their most recent visit.
Table 7: Question Responses Non-downtown workers
Answer Choices Responses
Walking 9.78% 36
Biking 2.17% 8
Public Transportation 0.00% 0
Rideshare .27% 1
Personal Vehicle 87.77% 323
Table 8: Question Responses Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
Walking 15.63% 15
Biking 3.13 3
Public Transportation 0.00% 0
Rideshare 0.00% 0
Personal Vehicle 81.25% 78
• Question: How long did it take you to find parking for the most recent visit?
In their most recent trip, most individuals who do not work downtown found that it took less than
5 minutes to find a parking space. However, the range of answers was limited to 21.5%-30%,
showing that each of the 298 respondents are having very different parking experiences when
they looked for a parking space during their last visit to downtown. The 71 downtown workers
who responded are also are having very different parking experiences when they looked for
parking spaces the last time they drove to downtown. 27% of the respondents found parking
spaces in less than 10 minutes and an additional 27% spent over 10 minutes looking for parking
spaces
Table 9: Question Responses Non-Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
Right away 21.48% 64
Less than 5 minutes 30.20% 90
85
Less than 10 minutes 24.83% 74
More 10 minutes 23.49% 70
Table 10: Question Responses Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
Right away 25.35% 18
Less than 5 minutes 21.13% 15
Less than 10 minutes 26.76% 19
More 10 minutes 26.76% 19
• Question: Where did you park for your most recent visit?
Over half of non-downtown workers utilized public parking lots during their most recent visit to
downtown. No respondents utilized the valet parking service available in Los Gatos. Over half of
downtown workers also utilized public parking lots during their last trip to downtown. Downtown
workers did not utilize the valet parking service.
Table 11: Question Responses non downtown workers
Answer Choices Responses
On the street 31.10% 93
Public parking lot 58.53% 175
Private parking lot 10.37% 31
Used valet 0.00% 0
Table 12: Question Responses Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
On the street 21.13% 15
Public parking lot 63.38% 45
Private parking lot 15.49% 11
Used valet 0.00% 0
• Question: How far from your destination did you park for your most recent visit?
Most downtown visitors and downtown workers parked within 1 block of their destination during
their recent visit.
Table 13: Question Responses Non-Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
Within 1 block 34.45% 103
Less than 2 blocks 29.10% 87
Less than 3 blocks 27.09% 81
86
4 or more blocks 9.36% 28
Table 14: Question Responses Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
Within 1 block 39.44% 28
Less than 2 blocks 29.58% 21
Less than 3 blocks 16.90% 12
4 or more blocks 14.08% 10
• Question: Based on your most recent visit, would you have been willing to pay for parking it
meant you could park in a more convenient space?
The majority of both non-downtown workers and downtown workers who visit downtown are not
willing to pay for parking even if it meant that they could find a more convenient parking space in
downtown Los Gatos. However, more downtown workers would be more willing to pay than
downtown visitors.
Table 15: Question Responses Non- Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
Yes, I would be willing to pay for parking 15.10% 45
No, I am not willing to pay for parking 84.90% 253
Table 16: Question Responses Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
Yes, I would be willing to pay for parking 23.61% 17
No, I am not willing to pay for parking 76.39% 72
• Question: Typically, when you drive (or if you were to drive) to a destination, how would you
rank the following factors when deciding where to park? (Rank from 1= Most Important to 5=
Least Important)
The majority of non-downtown workers ranked ease of finding a space as the most important
factor when determining where to park in downtown. Location and price are also important
factors when looking for parking. Downtown workers ranked length of time limits as the most
important factor when determining where to park. Ease of finding a parking space and safety are
other important factors for downtown workers.
87
Table 17: Question Responses: Non Downtown Workers
Table 18: Question Responses: Downtown Workers
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%
Location
Ease of finding a space
Price
Safety/Security
Length of time limit
Percentage of RespondentsParking Factors5 4 3 2 1
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%
Location
Ease of finding a space
Price
Safety/Security
Length of time limit
Percentge of RespondentsParking Factors5 4 3 2 1
88
• Question: For the following, select Agree, Disagree, or Not Sure:
The majority of non-downtown workers felt that the 3-hour time limit is enough time for most
visitors or commuters and that the Town should build more parking. A majority of non-downtown
workers disagreed that the 2-hour time limits were enough time for most visitors or commuters
and that there is enough long term/all day parking in downtown.
The majority of downtown workers also agreed that the 3-hour time limit is enough time for most
visitors or commuters and that the Town should build more parking. A majority of downtown
workers also disagreed that the 2-hour time limits were enough time for most visitors or
commuters. Downtown workers also disagreed that there is enough long term/all day parking
downtown.
Table 19: Question Responses Non-Downtown Workers
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%
A 2-hour time limit is enough time for most
visitors/ customers.
A 3-hour time limit is enough time for most
visitors/ customers.
There is enough long-term/all day parking
downtown.
I would be willing to pay for parking if it meant I
could park for a longer amount of time.
The Town should build more parking.
The Town needs more electric vehicle charging
stations.
I generally have little or no difficulty finding a
parking space in downtown Los Gatos.
Percentage of Respondents
Not Sure Disagree Agree
89
Table 20: Question Responses Downtown Workers
• Question: Would you come to downtown Los Gatos more often for leisure activities (dining,
recreation, shopping) if paring was easier to find?
Both non-downtown workers and downtown workers said that they would come to downtown
Los Gatos more often for leisure activities if parking was easier to find.
Table 21: Question Responses Non-Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
Yes 76.04% 257
No 23.96% 81
Table 22: Question Responses Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
Yes 77.91% 67
No 22.09% 86
• Question: What would you change about parking in Los Gatos?
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%
A 2-hour time limit is enough time for most
visitors/ customers.
A 3-hour time limit is enough time for most
visitors/ customers.
There is enough long-term/all day parking
downtown.
I would be willing to pay for parking if it meant I
could park for a longer amount of time.
The Town should build more parking.
The Town needs more electric vehicle charging
stations.
I generally have little or no difficulty finding a
parking space in downtown Los Gatos.
Percentage of Respondents
Not Sure Disagree Agree
90
282 individuals responded to this open ended question which hoped to gather additional parking
needs of those who visit downtown Los Gatos. These answers were collected from non-downtown
workers. A majority of all respondents complained that there is not enough parking in downtown
and that additional on and off-street parking needs to be added, many of whom welcome a new
parking structure. Many individuals also believe that time limits need to be increased or removed
all together; they believe that there is not enough time to do all of their actives with the current
time limits. Many individuals were frustrated by the one-way pilot program, as well as the parklets
downtown. A number of individuals suggested signage should be added to direct drivers to the
closest parking spaces and being able to use private parking lots after businesses are closed.
77 downtown workers also responded to this question. Many downtown workers also find that
the time limits are to short and they worry about having to move their vehicles or get a ticket
during their shift. Many workers also welcome the addition of a new parking structure that be
open for long term parkers.
• Question: How far are you willing to walk for a guaranteed parking space?
A majority of downtown workers would be willing to walk up to three blocks if they would be
guaranteed a parking space. Several respondents needed a space at their work or within one block
of their work.
Table 23: Question Responses
Answer Choices Responses
I need a space at my work 10.34% 9
One block 10.34% 9
Two blocks 31.03% 27
Three blocks 48.28% 87
• Question 18: How much would you be willing to pay for a downtown parking permit per month
if it meant you could easily find parking?
Only individuals who work downtown answered this question.
A majority of downtown workers would not be willing to pay for a merchant parking permit. Of
those who would be willing to pay for parking permits a majority would pay under $50 a month.
One individual mentioned that they would want to pay the same as the residential parking permit
that has an annual fee of $42. Several individuals would pay $100 or more per month for a parking
permit.
Table 23: Question Responses Downtown Workers
Answer Choices Responses
I would not be willing to pay for a permit 70.11% 61
I would be willing to pay for a permit- enter amount
per month 29.89% 26
91
Appendix C: Parking Data Analysis