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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOB 1 2 HR PKG LIMIT 06-17-91OLD BUSINESS NO. 1 6-17-91 ATE: JUNE 10, 1991 ' TO: WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER FROM: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT/ENGINEERING DIVISION SUBJECT: EL CAMINO REAL - TWO HOUR PARKING LIMITATION RECOMMENDATION Pleasure of the City Council. BACKGROUND At their meeting of May 20, 1991, the City Council requested staff to review the possibilities to provide additional public parking in the vicinity of the 400 block of E1 Camino Real. In particular, the request originated from the concerns of the Assistance League regarding available parking in the vicinity of their recently relocated operation at 441-461 E1 Camino Real. Council requested staff to investigate the following: 1.' Modification to the time -zone parking along E1 Camino Real. 2. Use of the vacant parcel at 450 E1 Camino Real for public parking. 3. Installation of a stairway to the upper level of the parking structure located on "C" Street southerly of Main Street. This report will address above mentioned items number 1 and 2 in detail and number 3 in general terms. The Assistance League recently relocated their operation from the southwesterly corner of Prospect Avenue and Second Street to the office building located at 441-461 El Camino Real (easterly side of the street). During some of their operations and special meetings, they experience large groups resulting in insufficient vehicle parking on- site which overflows to the two-hour time zoned parking on El Camino Real. DISCUSSION The two-hour time zone parking on El Camino Real was most recently implemented in 1982-83 when the street improvements were constructed as a Redevelopment Agency improvement project. This two-hour time zone was requested by both the El Camino Real businesses/merchants and the City Council to ensure adequate parking for the downtown area. Many of the older buildings along El Camino Real and Main Street do not have adequate on-site parking for their business operations and they depend upon the public streets for their customer/employee parking needs. The - two-hour zone exists along the length of El Camino Real between First Street and Newport Avenue except where more restrictive green zones (20 minute) and red zones (no parking) in place. Staff does not suggest any changes to the existing parking time zones along El Camino Real at this time. -- The vacant parcel on the westerly side of the street at 450 E1 Camino Real was acquired by the Redevelopment Agency several years ago. This parcel has 46.50 feet of street frontage and a depth of 150 feet. It is bordered by a commercial development on the north, the "C" Street parking structure on the west and a residential dwelling on the south. The parcel has a driveway access which is approximately 9.5-10.0 feet wide adjacent the southerly parcel line and a shared driveway apron with the property located adjacent to and immediately southerly. At approximately mid -point of the parcel, there is a large 36"-40" diameter camphor tree located within the public parkway and a street light located about 10-15 feet northerly of the tree. Vehicular ingress/egress to and from this site would be extremely difficult to provide if the tree was to be maintained. A conceptual parking layout for this parcel provides for a maximum of 9-10 parking spaces. Ingress and egress to the lot would be dangerous and difficult from the southbound direction of El Camino due to the restricted half street widths in this area (24 feet) and the location of the large Camphor trees. The mid -block location of this lot is not desirable with respect to the Assistance League use due to the potential of mid -block pedestrian crossings. It is anticipated that pedestrians will jay -walk in lieu of crossing at the Main Street traffic signal which is located about 300- 400 feet northerly. The concept of a stairway to the parking structure would carry the same concerns regarding mid -block pedestrian crossings as mentioned above. Additionally, it is staff's understanding that the "C" Street parking structure construction is still under litigation of which the City is a party, and any consideration of a stairway option should be cleared through the City Attorney's office. The stairway concept should also include provision for handicapped access, such as ramps and/or an elevator. Following are suggested alternatives to the three above mentioned items that were investigated: 1. Use of parking structure with a shuttle vehicle to the Assistance League site or direct foot traffic via "C" Street, Main Street, El Camino Real. 2. Implementation of special parking agreement between the Assistance League and adjacent or nearby property owners for overflow parking. IZob Ledendecker Director of Public Works/City Engineer cc: Christine Shingleton, Assistant City Manager/ Community Development Director BL: k1b:2HR