Staff Report.Downtown Parking Update
PREPARED BY: Greg Borromeo and Jim Renelle
Sergeant Parking Program Manager
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, Police Chief, and Finance
Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 03/15/2022 ITEM NO: 14
DATE: March 9, 2022
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Approve a Wayfinding Design Concept and Discuss Progress on the
Downtown Parking Roadmap
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve a Wayfinding Design Concept and discuss progress on the Downtown Parking
Roadmap.
BACKGROUND:
On October 19, 2021, the Town Council discussed the progress of the pilot Employee Parking
Program. After surveying businesses and employees, additional outreach was conducted, and
employees were asked to register in advance for a parking permit. Sufficient information is
now available to determine the quantity and locations for the employee parking spaces.
On November 16, 2021, Town staff began work with Hunt Design on the Wayfinding and
Signage project. Hunt Design has evaluated the existing conditions, reported back to Town staff
with their findings, and created wayfinding design concepts.
This report provides the Council with the choice of wayfinding design concepts and an update
on the employee parking program and other Parking Study implementation measures (also
known as the Parking Roadmap).
DISCUSSION:
Wayfinding Signage Design Options
Through a series of collaborative meetings with Town staff, Hunt Design has developed scale
models of several different styles of wayfinding and destination signage for the Town Council to
PAGE 2 OF 6
SUBJECT: Approve Wayfinding Design Concept and Discuss Progress on the Downtown Parking
Roadmap.
DATE: March 9, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
consider. The designs seek to reflect a style that compliments the brand of Los Gatos while
providing visibility that captures the eye of the user. Attachment 1 provides illustrations of the
design concepts.
The signs will be designed and presented as “families” of like purpose signs. Once the design
concept is approved, Hunt Design would continue to work with Town staff to create a
standard for each family of signs. This would include gateway signage, destination arrival
signage, parking wayfinding, pedestrian wayfinding, and bicycle wayfinding. Using full-size
mockup signs, Hunt Design will work with Town staff to determine the best location available
for each wayfinding and parking sign.
Once the Council has selected a design concept, Hunt Design will complete the parking signage
which will not only direct drivers to parking spaces from the main streets (wayfinding), but also
identify parking lot entrances and uses (such as time zones and employee parking within the
parking lots). The fabrication and installation of the parking wayfinding signs will be done by a
specialized sign vendor through a separate procurement process. Once the design is complete,
Hunt Design will provide cost estimates for the project and staff will recommend a scope that
fits within the appropriated budget.
Employee Parking Pilot Update
Over 820 Downtown employees and businesses have been approved for an employee parking
permit. While this does not represent every employee, it does provide an adequate number to
reasonably estimate the quantity and locations needed for employee parking spaces. Employee
parking spaces will essentially replace the unlimited time spaces in many of the municipal lots.
Additionally, a small number of outlying on-street parking spaces will be used for employee
parking.
The number of employee spaces for each area is based on the total number of spaces in the lot
and the number of nearby employees registering for a parking permit. Also factored into this
calculation is the available number of parking spaces during peak parking times. Lots beyond
90% full at peak received a smaller percentage of employee parking spaces. Based on
comments received during in-person outreach, employees historically have been parking in
significant numbers in the high demand lots and moving their vehicle a few spaces over
throughout their shifts to avoid citations. See Attachment 2 for detailed employee space
allotments.
Beyond the initial allotment of nearly 500 employee parking spaces, additional employee
spaces may be necessary. These additional spaces will have to be carefully allocated and may
PAGE 3 OF 6
SUBJECT: Approve Wayfinding Design Concept and Discuss Progress on the Downtown Parking
Roadmap.
DATE: March 9, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
necessitate expanding employee parking in limited numbers into the adjacent residential
permit parking zones. There will be a fine balance between allocating employee spaces to meet
demand and allowing ample public spaces. As a result, the possession of an employee permit
will not guarantee a parking space and employees will always have the option to park without a
permit in the outlying parking lots such as the Northside Lot and the Miles Avenue Lot.
Employee permits will intentionally be oversold as not all employees will be utilizing a space at
the same time. Once the initial employee spaces are installed, periodic lot occupancy checks
will be conducted to ensure that all spaces are fully utilized. Timely adjustments will be made
to avoid creating underutilized spaces. A Re-Parking Prohibition may need to be adopted if
employees continue to park in spaces intended for visitors and move their vehicle to another
space every few hours to avoid citations. The chart below provides an overview of preliminary
space allocations.
Location Current
Timed
Parking
Current
All-Day
Parking
Proposed
Employee
Parking
Proposed
Timed
Parking
Proposed
All-Day
Parking
Other
Spaces
Total
Number
of Spaces
Off-Street 470 549 432 391 196 71 1090
On-Street 571 0 54 517 0 0 571
Total 1051 549 486 908 196 71 1661
Employee Parking Space Signage and Markings
Employee parking spaces need to be clearly identified. It is essential that both downtown
employees and visitors understand the parameters for using employee parking spaces. A
limited number of traditional pole mounted signs along with painted ground markings will be
used to identify employee parking spaces. Striping and lettering the parking lot surfaces behind
each employee parking stall allows for reducing the total number of poles and parking signs.
This will reduce both visual clutter and costs. This combination of signage and markings
increases the combined effectiveness of the signs and markings.
The employee parking ground markings, parking stall sign fabrication, and installation will be
completed by an outside contractor. A Request for a Quotations (RFQ) will be released later
this month, and work is expected to be underway shortly thereafter. The Town’s Capital
Improvement Program already has funds allocated for this purpose. The completion of the
employee parking space work is expected by July 2022. Once the spaces are marked, the
employee parking pilot will begin.
PAGE 4 OF 6
SUBJECT: Approve Wayfinding Design Concept and Discuss Progress on the Downtown Parking
Roadmap.
DATE: March 9, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
Paid Parking and Mobile Payment Application
The creation of employee parking spaces will result in the loss of all unlimited time spaces in all
downtown municipal parking lots except the Northside Lot and the Miles Avenue Lot, which will
remain unchanged. In some lots, unlimited time spaces not used for employee parking will be
converted to 3-hour spaces. With the loss of unlimited time spaces in the core downtown lots,
the Town will need to establish a Pay-to-Stay protocol so visitors have a means to stay beyond
the 3-hour time limit without moving their vehicle. Visitors wishing to stay beyond the free
three hours will pay a nominal fee that will allow them stay in their current parking space. The
Pay-to-Stay option requires the creation of a paid parking ordinance, the installation of pay
stations, and the implementation of a mobile payment application.
Pay stations allowing both electronic and cash forms of payment will be installed in easily
accessible locations between Lots 1 through 5 and in Lot 6. This will reduce the amount of pay
stations needed to serve the public. To further reduce the project costs and parking lot
disruption, pay stations will be specified with solar power and cellular connectivity. This will
eliminate the need to trench the area to install power and data service. A Request for
Proposals (RFP) will be issued for the procurement and installation of the pay stations by the
end of April 2022.
In addition to the pay stations, a mobile payment application will be procured so visitors can
conveniently make payments from their phones or similar mobile devices without having to use
a pay station. The mobile application would accept both credit and debit cards. It would also
provide notification to visitors that their time is about to expire and allow them to add
additional time without going back to their vehicle or a physical pay station. An RFP for the
mobile payment application will also be released in April 2022.
For the Town of Los Gatos to establish Pay-to-Stay (metered parking), the Town must adopt a
Town Ordinance establishing parking fees. The Town Council would consider a draft ordinance
prior to implementation of the program. The recommended rate for Pay-to-Stay parking is $1
per hour with a maximum daily rate of $8. This low rate along with the first three hours free
should encourage visitors to shop and dine in Downtown Los Gatos. The rate is high enough to
encourage employees to participate in the Employee Parking Program and discourage, but not
prevent them from using the timed spaces intended for visitors. On-street parking with a time
limit of two hours will remain unchanged and not be eligible for the Pay-to-Stay extension.
PAGE 5 OF 6
SUBJECT: Approve Wayfinding Design Concept and Discuss Progress on the Downtown Parking
Roadmap.
DATE: March 9, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
Digital Parking Occupancy Signage
Lot occupancy counting and digital parking space guidance systems are high impact products
that will significantly improve the visitor parking experience. These systems help visitors
quickly and efficiently find a parking space. Various types of occupancy counting and guidance
technologies are currently available, but all require a significant initial capital investment
between $750,000 to $2,000,000, including construction costs associated with installations.
Some newer technologies can identify individual space occupancy and the length of stay. Most
systems closely integrate with the major Pay-to-Stay payment systems currently on the market.
Some systems also increase the efficiency of enforcement by remotely alerting staff of specific
vehicles in violation.
The installation of these systems will cause a significant disruption in the downtown, including
removal and replacing of sidewalk to provide conduit and communications infrastructure.
There is an option to incorporate this portion of the program into a future streetscape project.
This has several advantages as it could allow for the parking changes already in play to settle
out and could allow for efficiencies during construction of a combined streetscape and digital
signage program. This also may allow for parking revenue to accumulate as a source of funds
for the project.
If the preference is to move forward sooner, staff could issue an Request for Proposal (RFP) for
design of this system later this calendar year. Design is anticipated to take six months. The
construction of the project is a public works project, subject to formal bidding requirements
and is anticipated to take six to nine months after completion of design and appropriation of
funds.
CONCLUSION:
As discussed in this report, a summary of the immediate implementation actions for the
Downtown Parking Roadmap are listed in the chart on the next page.
PAGE 6 OF 6
SUBJECT: Approve Wayfinding Design Concept and Discuss Progress on the Downtown Parking
Roadmap.
DATE: March 9, 2022
CONCLUSION (continued):
Following review of this report, Council should:
1. Select a design from Attachment 1 that will be used for the parking wayfinding and
other signage;
2. Discuss the progress of the employee pilot parking program and paid parking; and
3. Provide feedback on next steps for a digital parking occupancy count signage program,
including options for project funding.
COORDINATION:
This report was coordinated with the Parks and Public Works Department and the Office of
Economic Vitality.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project as defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attchments:
1. Design Concepts Illustrations (Design Concept A and Design Concept B)
2. Proposed Employee Parking Space Allocation
Task 4th Qtr. 2021 1st Qtr. 2022 2nd Qtr. 2022 3rd Qtr. 2022
Employee Wait List Completed
Parking Wayfinding In Progress
Other Wayfinding In Progress
Parking Lot Signage RFQ In Progress
Mobile Payment App RFP Target Time
Frame
Pay Station RFP Target Time
Frame
Digital Occupancy Count
Signage RFP
Pending
Council
Direction