Staff Report with attachments
PREPARED BY: Jim Renelle
Parking Program Manager
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, Finance Director, and Parks and
Public Works Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 12/06/2022 ITEM NO: 12
DATE: November 21, 2022
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Receive an Update on the Downtown Parking Program and Provide Feedback
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive an update on the Downtown Parking Program and provide feedback.
BACKGROUND:
On December 17, 2019, Town Council received the Dixon Resources Downtown Parking Master
Plan and approved the Downtown Parking Roadmap. Due to limited staff and funding
resources, the Town Council directed staff to move forward with individual pieces of the
Roadmap. Specifically, implementing the Downtown Employee Parking Program, updating the
Downtown Wayfinding signage starting with parking wayfinding, and moving forward with the
“park once” philosophy and the “Pay to Stay” program. In June 2020, a Parking Program
Manager [0.25 Full Time Equivalent (FTE)] was hired to begin the roadmap implementation.
In November 2021, work began with Hunt Design on the Downtown Wayfinding Master Plan.
Hunt Design conducted an analysis of the existing conditions and started the design process
with Employee Parking Signage and ground markings. On March 15, 2022, Town Council
received an update on progress toward the Downtown Parking Roadmap. Council directed staff
to continue moving forward with the Downtown Employee Parking Program, and the
components needed for the Pay to Stay Program. These include implementation of a mobile
application to allow users to pay by phone and installation of parking stations in select
locations. Council also approved moving forward with Design Style B so Hunt Design could
continue to move forward with the Wayfinding Master Plan development.
PAGE 2 OF 5 SUBJECT: Receive Update on Downtown Parking Program and Provide Feedback DATE: November 21, 2022
DISCUSSION:
Downtown Employee Parking Program
In July 2022, employee parking signs and ground markings were installed in the Downtown
municipal parking lots (Lots 1-6, and the Park Avenue, Montebello Street, and Southside Lots)
creating 423 employee parking stalls. The remaining spaces are three-hour parking for a total
of 838 parking spaces. The Northside Lot and the Miles Avenue Lots remain unchanged and
offer free all-day parking. Including the Northside and Miles Avenue Lots, there are a total of
1,095 off-street spaces available in Downtown.
On July 14, 2022, Downtown employees with a permit started using the new employee
designated spaces. For several weeks, persons parking in the employee section without a
permit were issued warnings and provided information on how to obtain permit. After that
grace period, Parking Officers began to issue citations. As of November 2022, over 1,500
Downtown employees have registered for a Downtown employee parking permit. Overall, the
designated employee spaces are heavily used during busy periods throughout the week.
Regular occupancy surveys of the municipal parking lots have revealed a small excess of
employee parking spaces in the southern Downtown Lots. Staff are currently in the process of
reallocating 24 employee spaces in Lot 6 and 3 employee spaces in the Park Avenue Lot back to
3-hour public parking spaces to increase available visitor parking throughout the week.
Employees who may be impacted by this reallocation will find adequate space in Lot 4. The
municipal lots will continue to be monitored and adjustments made to space allocation and
signage. See Attachment 1 for an overview of the parking lot occupancy.
A Downtown Employee Satisfaction Survey was emailed out to all registered permit holders.
Survey responses are still being analyzed at the time of the writing of this report. The survey
results will be used as tool along with space occupancy reports to make periodic space
allocation adjustments.
Wayfinding Master Plan
The Wayfinding Project is still in progress. Town staff are working with Hunt Design to review
messaging and locations for each sign type. At the conclusion of the staff review, Hunt Design
will come to Los Gatos with several full-size Design Style B mockup signs to identify exact
locations, sign sizes and mounting requirements. Hunt Design will then prepare a Wayfinding
Master Plan report, bid documents, and cost estimates.
PAGE 3 OF 5 SUBJECT: Receive Update on Downtown Parking Program and Provide Feedback DATE: November 21, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
Mobile Parking Payment Application
The Mobile Parking Payment Application Request for Proposal (RFPs) was released November 4,
2022. Proposals were due December 1, 2022. Staff is currently reviewing these RFPs, and
anticipate a signed contract will be in place by the middle of the first quarter 2023. The Mobile
Parking Application will allow Downtown visitors to “Pay to Stay” after the initial free parking
period. It will also allow visitors who have paid to extend their time without returning to their
vehicle. Per California Vehicle Code 22508(e) the Town may accept but shall not require
payment of a parking meter fee by a mobile device.
Pay Stations
The Parking Pay Station Request for Proposal has been prepared for release pending the
finalization of pay station quantity and locations. See Attachment 2 for an overview of the
proposed pay station locations. The factors used for the initial selection of pay station locations
was distance between pay stations, availability of direct sunlight (solar powered) and avoidance
of parking stall placement when possible. A combination of credit and cash/credit pay stations
are planned to reduce capital and operational costs and to be inclusive of those who are unable
to pay by credit card. Town Council may wish to comment on the proposed locations.
Parking Fee Resolution
Prior to fully implementing the Mobile Parking Payment Application and the Pay Stations, the
Town is required to establish a parking fee schedule through a resolution. The resolution
should contain a parking fee structure that is flexible enough to adjust to changes in parking
demand. The resolution should also contain the duration of the initial free parking period.
Previous discussions indicated there is interest in maintaining the free three-hours of parking
and a starting rate of $2.00 to $2.50 per hour after the initial three free hours. Staff will return
to the Council with a proposed resolution in 2023, and invites feedback from Council at this
time with regard to the length of free parking and parking rates.
Parking Program Staffing
With the adoption of the Downtown Employee Parking Program and the Pay to Stay Program,
Downtown Parking is developing into a new Town operation, as predicted in the Downtown
Parking Roadmap. The work completed to date has been led by the 0.25 FTE Parking Manager
position. This level of staffing will not be adequate for sustained operation of the current and
planned programs.
PAGE 4 OF 5 SUBJECT: Receive Update on Downtown Parking Program and Provide Feedback DATE: November 21, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
The use of an online permit sales application significantly reduces staff time; however, with the
number of employee permits and the high volume of turnover among Downtown retail
businesses and restaurants, the function requires constant oversight and customer-staff
interaction. The future adoption of a Mobile Parking Payment App and onsite Pay Stations will
require additional staff time to maintain vendor accounts, maintain/repair the pay stations,
collect and reconcile cash/credit card activity, and provide the high level of customer service
the Los Gatos community expects. The adoption of any further programs or technologies, such
as parking guidance/occupancy counting, will also require regular staff oversight. Additionally,
staff should routinely inspect the parking facilities for space utilization, cleanliness, and safety.
Deficiencies can then be reported to appropriate Town Departments for timely remediation.
If such a position were added, the Current Residential and Employee Permit Programs would
transfer to the Parking Manager position and allow the Police Department’s Community
Outreach Coordinator position to increase focus on community policing activities.
See the chart below for an implementation timeline.
CONCLUSION:
Following review of this report, staff is seeking Town Council feedback and direction on:
1. Employee Parking Program,
2. Pay Station Locations,
3. Parking Fee and the free parking period,
4. Staffing for the Parking Program, and
5. Progress and direction of the Parking Roadmap implementation
COORDINATION:
This report was coordinated in collaboration with the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police
Department, Parks and Public Works Department, , Finance Department, Town Manager’s
Office, Economic Vitality, and Town Attorney.
Task 4th Qtr. 2022 1st Qtr. 2023 2nd Qtr. 2023 3rd Qtr. 2023
Employee Parking Signage Completed
Wayfinding Master Plan In-progress In-progress In-progress Completed
Mobile Payment App RFP In-progress Completed
Pay Station RFP In-progress In-progress Completed
Occupancy Count RFP Pending
PAGE 5 OF 5 SUBJECT: Receive Update on Downtown Parking Program and Provide Feedback DATE: November 21, 2022
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this discussion.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachments:
1. Overview of Employee Parking Space Occupancy
2. Overview of Pay Station Locations
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Town of Los Gatos Downtown Municipal Parking Parking Spaces Available by Type and LocationAttachment 1 12/06/2022 Lot 1 Lot 2 Lot 3 Lot 4U Lot 4L Lot 5 Lot 6 Park Ave Montebello Southside Total TotalEMP 3HR EMP 3HR EMP 3HR EMP 3HR EMP EMP 3HR EMP 3HR EMP 3HR EMP 3HR EMP 3HRAvail.EMP 3HRDate Day Time 51 64 32 47 24 21 32 119 152 14 82 64 56 27 14 20 4 10 5 838 426 4127/27/2022 WED 1330‐1400 22 24 10 26 9 10 19 23 13022151 0 0 0116880888/4/2022 THU 1230‐1300 1 1 9 13 14 5 8 17 13004100 0 0 108750378/11/2022 THU 1205‐1230 5 3 13 5 12 4 20 26 27000000 0 0 00115773810/20/2022 THU 1255‐1320707710711201110220 0 0 7083622111/2/2022 WED 1130‐1205 18 24 12 28 16 14 8 36 45 0 0 19 0 5 1 3 0 3 2 234 129 10511/10/2022 THU 1145‐1215 16 25 9 25970435005040 8 0 70154936111/17/2022 THU 1215‐1245 5 0 6 15 16 2 5 10 16001010 4 0 60876027 EMP = Designated Employee Spaces 3HR = Timed Parking Spaces
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Town of Los Gatos
Downtown Municipal Lots
Proposed Pay Station Locations
LOT 1
LOT 6
LOT 5
LOT 4
LOT 3
LOT 2
= Pay Station Location Attachment 2
12/06/2022