SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

Following are the final recommendations from the Parking/Traffic/Circulation Committee’s subcommittee regarding midtown preferential parking:

1. Preferential parking for the residential areas of midtown should not be implemented as the lead change to the parking circumstances for several reasons:

2. The midtown area should remain as a trial area to enable implementation of measures that will provide a positive and lasting improvement to the neighborhoods. Some of the actions that should be implemented are:

A. All new conditional-use permit and temporary-use permit agreements for businesses, landlords or property owners require, and existing agreements should be modified as follows:

B. Compliance with the parking management and neighborhood noise-abatement plans and all CUP/TUP requirements now existing should be vigorously enforced.

C. The practice of relaxing parking requirements for new construction for historical preservation considerations should be abandoned for one that provides incentives for provision of “overparking” while maintaining the character and appropriateness of the designs.

D. The city should provide a strategic plan for the midtown area that acknowledges the funding and construction of this needed resource. It should also provide expanded public transportation actions to lessen the need for auto traffic in the area during peak-use times. Incentive programs should be included to reward using off-site parking and public transportation.

E. The city should designate or hire a permanent parking and circulation manager to oversee all parking, traffic and circulation issues.

F. Extend parking meters on major streets in the area, e.g. Glenneyre, Oak, etc. These meters should use newer technologies that provide for credit card payment and escalated rates for long-term parking.

G. Traffic circulation in neighborhoods should be altered to minimize cruising the side streets seeking parking. This could include more use of one-way streets and “traffic calming” measures commonly used to slow or stop drivers from speeding.

H. If after all these measures and other positive alterations to change human behavior and practices prove insufficient to recover the quality of life in the neighborhoods, preferential parking should be adopted on a permanent, not trial, basis upon approval of the residents within the restricted area, with the costs of implementation, maintenance and enforcement to be shared by residents, businesses and the city.