JACK LONDON DISTRICT ON-STREET
PARKING IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Completed
September 15, 2003 by the
Ad-Hoc Jack London
District On-Street Parking Improvement Committee
248 Third Street #845, Oakland, CA 94607
feedback@jacklondondistrict.org or call Gary Knecht at 893-9829
www.jacklondondistrict.org
PART I: SUMMARY
The Jack London District On-Street Parking Improvement Plan contains four primary proposals, each described in Part III of this Plan, and illustrated on attached maps:
1) Adopt angle parking standards (figure #2) and add angle parking spaces on specific blocks (figure #3) to increase on-street parking supply (per Oakland Municipal Code [OMC] 10.28.050)
2) Install signs that limit time allowed for parking to no more than 4 hours (figure #4) to reduce all-day parking by commuters and others with business out of the district (per OMC 10.28.180, 10.28.190, and 10.28.210)
3) Create a Mixed-Use District Permit Parking Program and establish a permit parking district (figure #4) where permit holders are exempt from 4-hr parking zone regulations (compatible with OMC Chapter 10.44 [Residential Permit Parking Program])
4) Adopt procedures for installation (or removal) of parking meters in the Jack London District and relocate specific parking meters (figure #5) to improve retail parking (per OMC Chapter 10.36)
A map showing the existing on-street parking inventory as of August 2003 is attached in figure #1. A map showing both existing and proposed on-street parking is attached in figure #6.
City Council action will be required to implement most of
the plan: Resolutions, which require one hearing, must be adopted to (1) add
angle parking spaces and to (2) install signs that limit the duration of
parking; Ordinances, which require two hearings, must be drafted and adopted to
(3) create a Mixed-Use District parking permit program and to (4) to add or
relocate parking meters. Adopting (1) angle parking standards and (4)
procedures for installing parking meters can be accomplished either by
resolution or by ordinance.
PART II:
BACKGROUND
Parking has been a challenge in different parts of the Jack London District at different times for more than a decade. Various efforts have been made to address this challenge including installation of angle parking stalls beginning in 1997, adoption of the Estuary Policy Plan (EPP) in 1999, and completion in 2002 of the Jack London District Transportation Improvement Study (JLD/TIS), jointly commissioned by the Port and the City. The EPP and the JLD/TIS include several general recommendations related to on-street parking:
· Increase the supply of on-street parking
· Install time-limited parking zones to provide customer parking
· Implement a preferential permit parking program for both residences and businesses
This On-Street Parking Improvement Plan, prepared by a committee of volunteers with significant input from the community, City staff, and other interested parties, contains specific proposals that would implement all three recommendations listed above.
During 2002 City staff proposed an ordinance that would have allowed parking meters to be installed throughout the district at the discretion of City staff. Reasons for the proposed ordinance have never been made clear. The committee has two reasonable speculations: first, to increase City revenues to help offset budget shortfalls; and second, to avoid possible embarrassment (or worse) due to the City's apparent failure to comply with the Oakland Municipal Code (OMC) when installing parking meters in recent years. In the course of preparing this Plan, the committee discovered that approximately two-thirds of the parking meters in the Jack London District are not listed in OMC 10.36 and therefore, presumably, were installed without the required approval of City Council.
Whatever reasons City staff had for proposing the ordinance in 2002, District 3 Council Member Nancy Nadel organized a community/neighborhood meeting in November 2002 to get input on the proposed ordinance. Various concerns were voiced at that meeting, including strong opposition to a "parking meters everywhere" policy. The ordinance did not go forward as proposed, and City staff suggested the community develop a proposal and let the City know what it would like to see throughout the district. This Plan is a direct result of that suggestion.
STUDY AREA AND
EXISTING ON-STREET PARKING CONDITIONS
The geographic area studied for this plan is approximately 61 city blocks in the Jack London District, extending from the I-880 freeway on the north to the Union Pacific railroad tracks on the south and from Brush Street on the west to Oak Street on the east. There are approximately 508 parcels of land within the study area, which have about 356 different owners.
Figure #1 is a map of existing conditions that shows there are currently about 1,830 on-street parking spaces, including 362 angle parking stalls and 134 perpendicular stalls, within the Jack London District study area. Approximately 1,172 of those spaces (64%) currently have no limits on the time allowed for parking. They are used by businesses and residents located within the study area as well as by commuters who park all day and leave the city by Amtrak or ferry, by employees of businesses located outside of the Jack London District, and by government employees (including Alameda County and Port of Oakland) who are not provided with employee parking nor offered adequate incentives to use public transit. Of the remaining 658 parking spaces, most are controlled by parking meters or signs limiting parking to 1-, 2-, 4-, or 5-hour time periods. There are about 324 parking meters in the study area, which produced almost $290,000 in revenue during FY 2002-03, according to the City's Parking Division. Approximately 261 parking spaces are time-limited by signs to 1-, 2-, or 4-hours and the remaining 73 spaces are controlled by painted curbs (yellow, green, blue, and white).
PLANNING PROCESS
On January 28, 2003 neighborhood representatives Gary Knecht and Margaret Partlow met with Public Works Agency representatives Raul Godinez (Assistant Director) and Joe Wang (Transportation Engineer) to begin the planning process. The City agreed to provide a map of the area and a "toolkit" describing various City policies related to on-street parking. In April 2003 a self-selected volunteer committee representing diverse business, residential, and real estate interests in the Jack London District began meeting with the specific purpose of developing this Plan. The committee as a whole met at least seven times, and committee representatives held dozens of additional meetings with interested parties.
In June 2003 representatives of the committee reviewed progress with City staff (Traffic Engineering and Parking Enforcement) and District 3 Council Member Nancy Nadel. In late July the committee created a website (www.jacklondondistrict.org) where it posted a draft of the Plan, including maps and tables, and invited feedback by email or telephone. In August, the committee engaged the services of Dowling Associates, Inc., a transportation engineering and consulting firm, to assist in preparing the plan. During August, committee representatives again reviewed progress on the Plan with City staff (Traffic Engineering and Parking Enforcement). Throughout the planning process, committee representatives frequently discussed specific proposals with residents, neighbors, and businesses.
On August 14, 2003, the committee sponsored a neighborhood meeting to explain the plan and get additional feedback and suggestions for improving the plan from those most affected by it. About 1,200 brochures announcing the meeting and providing the website's URL were mailed during the first week of August to all property owners and all legal mailing addresses in the Jack London District. More than fifty people participated in the August 14 community meeting and four follow-up focus group meetings (August 25-28) that addressed each of the Plan's primary proposals. As a result of these meetings, the committee expanded the study area by nine blocks, refined a number of proposals, and generally improved the entire Plan.
On September 15, 2003 the Committee presented its final Plan to Councilmember Nancy Nadel, who scheduled another community and neighborhood meeting on September 24 to get feedback and additional recommendations prior to scheduling it for approval by City Council. The committee mailed about 1,250 postcards announcing the completion of the Plan, asking people to look at it online (www.jacklondondistrict.org), and encouraging them to attend Vice-Mayor Nadel's Community Meeting on September 24.
ASSUMPTIONS
Assumptions that underlie this on-street parking improvement plan:
PART III: PROPOSALS
The proposals below focus exclusively on improving on-street parking – not off-street parking; not sidewalk parking; not parking in areas that lack improved curbs, gutters, and/or sidewalks – just on-street parking. Although frequently discussed during committee meetings, specific recommendations for painted curbs (yellow, green, white, blue, and red) are not included in this Plan. City Council action is not required to install painted curbs: decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by the City's Traffic Engineer (see OMC 10.12.100 [Unauthorized painting of curbs] and Chapter 10.40 [Stopping for Loading and Unloading Only]). Other frequently discussed on-street parking issues that have not been addressed in this Plan include parking enforcement, parking and loading on sidewalks, loading and unloading of large trucks, street sweeping zones, and what, if anything, to propose for portions of nine blocks that do not have improved curbs, gutters, and/or sidewalks.
1) PLAN FOR ANGLE
PARKING
Angle parking, also called diagonal parking, is where a vehicle is parked on-street at an angle to the curb line rather than parallel to the curb. It usually results in more parking spaces per block than parallel parking because each vehicle requires less curb length; however, it requires greater street width. The angle can vary from 30° to 90° depending on street width and traffic. The greater the angle, the more parking spaces. California Vehicle Code Section 22503 and Oakland Municipal Code Section 10.28.050 authorize angle parking. Standards for installing angle parking are set by the local jurisdiction.
In 1997 and 1998 angle parking stalls were first installed on about 15 block faces in the Jack London District, increasing the on-street parking space inventory by approximately 100 stalls. They have been very popular and successful in reducing the parking problem in the areas they serve. The committee is not aware of any problems created by their installation. Currently there are about 362 angle parking stalls in the Jack London District study area. Now, more such stalls are needed throughout the district. OMC 10.28.050 requires a City Council resolution to designate a street "upon which angle parking shall be permitted."
Based on a review of parking stall standards provided by the City (see Figure #2), current standards for angle parking may not be consistent with those used when angle parking was first installed in 1997. Existing angle stalls on Alice, Clay, Harrison, Jackson, Madison, and 4th Streets do not meet the standards currently being used by the Public Works Agency because those streets are less than 53' wide from curb to curb, as are Brush and Castro Streets. The committee is proposing to add stalls on several of these streets and believes that the City should adopt new standards which recognize the success and safety record established by the existing angle parking on these streets. The committee has reviewed standards adopted in San Diego and believes the same standards should be adopted and used in the Jack London District. A comparison of angle parking standards and street widths in Oakland and San Diego is presented in Figure #2.
Proposal #1:
The Committee proposes that the Public Works Agency adopt criteria and policies
for angle parking in the Jack London District that are consistent with and
similar to those adopted in the City of San Diego.
Committee members have identified approximately 18 blocks where angle parking could be installed in accordance with the proposed standards, which could add as many as 100 spaces to the district's current on-street parking inventory. Attached in Figure #3 is a map that shows blocks where additional angle parking stalls could be installed.
Proposal #2:
The Committee proposes that the Public Works Agency prepare a resolution
pursuant to OMC 10.28.050 designating those streets in the Jack London District
(illustrated in Figure #3) which are eligible for angle parking in accordance
with criteria and policies adopted pursuant to Proposal #1 (above).
Committee members have reviewed block-specific proposals for angle parking with numerous business owners in order to fine tune this proposal and resolve potential conflicts. However the committee recommends that City staff reviews each specific proposal shown in Figure #3 with AC Transit as well as with businesses that ship and receive goods by large trucks (18-wheelers) to ensure that any remaining potential conflicts are resolved before angle parking spaces are installed. The committee also recommends that as City staff reviews each proposal on a site-specific, case-by-case basis (for traffic volumes and speeds, curb cut numbers and locations, etc.), staff gives primary consideration to maximizing the number of angle parking stalls at each location.
Proposal #3: The
Committee proposes that the Public Works Agency install angle parking spaces as
rapidly as possible in accordance with approved criteria and policies.
Additional angle parking may be possible on Madison Street, a recommended class II bicycle route, if the blocks between 4th and 2nd Streets are made one-way southbound. As a one-way street, the bicycle lane could be located on the west side of the street and angle parking installed on the east side. A City Council resolution is required to designate any one-way street (OMC 10.12.100). If a one-way street is not feasible, consideration should be given to changing the one-way block of Madison between 4th and 5th Streets to two-way to facilitate rush-hour traffic's access to the freeway on-ramp at Oak Street.
2) TIME LIMITED
PARKING PLAN
Approximately 1,172 of the 1,830 on-street parking spaces in the Jack London District currently have no limits on the time allowed for parking. The Committee would like most of these spaces to become 4-hr parking zones. These spaces are currently used by businesses and residents located within the study area as well as by commuters who park all day and leave the city by Amtrak, ferry, and BART, by employees of businesses located outside of the Jack London District, and by government employees (including Alameda County and Port of Oakland) who are not provided with employee parking nor offered adequate incentives to use public transit.
Committee members have observed a significant increase in the use of on-street parking by Amtrak commuters during the past few years. In order to reduce the use of on-street parking spaces by commuters, employees of businesses located outside the district, and government employees, the Committee recommends that the City install signs throughout the district limiting parking to no more than four hours. The attached map (Figure #4) shows the Committee's specific recommendations for where to install 1-hr, 2-hr, and 4-hr parking signs.
Proposal #4:
The Committee proposes that the Public Works Agency prepare one or more
resolutions pursuant to OMC 10.28.180, 10.28.190, and 10.28.210, to authorize
installation of signs limiting parking to no more than four hours throughout
the district, or fewer hours in accordance with the attached map (Figure #4). The
resolution should include criteria for adding, changing, or removing signs on a
block-by-block basis and notification procedures that include property owners,
business owners, and residents on both sides of the street.
The committee is aware that the wholesale produce market (along Franklin and nearby streets) has special needs related to on-street parking and that a special commercial vehicle parking zone has been in place for a number of years. The committee and wholesale produce merchants believe some changes may be appropriate to better accommodate daytime on-street parking for a dozen or more bobtail trucks and to address needs of retailers and restaurateurs in the immediate vicinity. Discussions are ongoing and may result in an additional proposal or in adjustments to the attached map (Figure #4).
Proposal #5:
The Committee proposes that the Public Works Agency install all approved
time-limited parking zone signs in conjunction with adoption and implementation
of the proposed Mixed-Use District Permit Parking Program (below).
The committee believes installing the signs shown on the attached map (Figure #4) and implementing the Mixed-Use District Permit Parking Program (described below) can and should occur at the same time. A single sign can be used in most locations to limit parking duration for all except permit holders.
3) MIXED-USE DISTRICT
PERMIT PARKING PROPOSAL
If the above proposals are adopted, there will be approximately 1,045 4-hr on-street parking spaces in the Jack London District. To reduce the use of these on-street parking spaces by commuters, employees of businesses located outside the district, and government employees, the Committee recommends that the City create a new permit parking program that would apply only in mixed-use districts.
Proposal #6:
The Committee proposes that the City Attorney and the Public Works Agency work
with the Ad-Hoc Committee to draft an ordinance that includes the points listed
below and present it to City Council for approval within three months.
Public Works Agency staff suggested the committee try to limit the total number of permits that can be issued. The committee considered staff's suggestion during several meetings without successfully identifying a fair and reasonable method. If staff still feels it is important to limit total numbers, the committee will revisit this issue if staff can suggest what the limits should be. The committee believes the laws of supply and demand will work to limit the number of permits issued. If on-street parking is not generally available, permits will probably not be renewed.
4) PARKING METER RECOMMENDATIONS
Most committee members would like to remove all 324 parking meters from the Jack London District and replace them with 1-hr and 2-hr parking zones that are regularly enforced. Because it would prefer to work towards the elimination of most, if not all, parking meters in the district, the committee decided not to recommend replacing parking meters with centralized "pay stations", even though such units might be more attractive. The committee felt investing in centralized "pay stations" would make it even more difficult for the City to remove meters in the future.
Economic reality tempered the committee's final recommendations. During the past fiscal year, each parking meter in the Jack London District generated an average of $900 in revenue for the City. Parking meter fees were increased as of July 1, 2003, so average revenue is expected to increase to around $1,125 per year. With current budget problems facing the City, the committee decided that this Plan should be "revenue neutral" or even "revenue enhancing" as a matter of principal (and politics).
During the past few years parking meters seem to have been installed without notice and without concurrence of property and business owners. Therefore the committee recommends that notification and procedures for installing and relocating meters in the Jack London District be adopted and followed. These procedures would include at a minimum the notification of property owners, business owners, and residents in the immediate two-block area at least 30 days in advance, with the opportunity to comment and be a part of the decision-making process.
Proposal #7: The Committee proposes that the Public Works Agency and the Financial Services Agency work with the Ad-Hoc Committee to draft criteria for adding, changing, or relocating parking meters in the Jack London District, including specific notification procedures.
The primary purpose of parking controls in retail areas should be to turn over parking spaces so that retailers can succeed. Jack London District’s retailers compete with Alameda, Emeryville, El Cerrito, Hayward, and Walnut Creek retailers, where shoppers can easily find free parking. To remain competitive, the Jack London District’s retailers and restaurants need support and understanding from the City on parking issues.
The committee feels that using 1-hr and 2-hr parking signs is much more visitor and customer friendly than using parking meters. A $35.00 fine for overstaying a parking meter is excessive, especially when several dollars have been fed to the meter for two-hours of parking. However, the same fine for a 2-hr zone is not perceived as so unfair. While parking meters produce revenue for the City, properly enforced timed parking zones can also produce revenue. And successful retailers will produce both sales and business tax revenues.
Proposal #8: To enhance retail activity, the Committee proposes that the Public Works Agency relocate several dozen parking meters and install a few new meters as shown on the attached map (Figure #5).
For the past five to ten years, during the holiday season, the City has promoted a "Shop Oakland" program which includes meter-free Saturdays. The committee believes this program should continue throughout the City and a similar "meter-free Saturday" program should be developed to support major events at Jack London Square, including PortFest, Independence Day, Dragon Boat Races, Lighted Boat Parade, etc. This is not presented as a formal proposal from the committee, but rather a recommendation to the City, the Port, and Ellis Partners that they get together as soon as possible to develop such a program.
PART IV: CONCLUSIONS
The eight formal proposals above, developed by the committee with the support of the community, will not "cure" parking problems in the Jack London District. They are stopgap measures that hopefully will alleviate current difficulties for a few years. However, with five approved, but not-yet-built projects slated to add approximately 462 residential units, 120,000 sq. ft. office space, 30,000 sq. ft. retail or "flex" space, and only 754 off-street parking spaces, there is no question that on-street parking demand will increase as these projects are built out and occupied. And with over 1,000,000 sq. ft. of development proposed over the next decade on Port property (Jack London Square Redevelopment Project), it is clear that significant work needs to be done over the next few years in the areas of off-street parking, transit improvements, alternative means of transportation, incentive programs, development standards, etc. to ensure that the entire Jack London District doesn't choke on its own successes.
To make any real difference, each proposal in this Plan needs to be fully implemented as rapidly as possible, within a month where feasible and within six months at the most. Committee members (listed below) and community members (listed separately) unanimously urge City Council members and City staff to approve and implement these proposals with the same sense of urgency we feel everyday as we look for parking in the Jack London District.
Joanna Adler, Jack London Mail
Dave Alley, Jack London Square Bath Gallery
Mike Bartlett, Horizon Partners
Albert del Masso, Bay Cities Produce Co., Inc.
Kevin Dawson, Phoenix Lofts
Dave Dunn, e-agency
Ken Hansen, 4th Street Concerned Citizens
Joshua Howes, Overload Studios
Gary Knecht, The Egghouse
Steve Lowe, West Oakland Commerce Association (WOCA)
Andrea Masotti, Horizon Partners
Margaret Partlow, Metrovation
Donald E Puccini, Puccini Properties, LLC
Steve Sacks, Prime Smoked Meats, Inc.
Mark Seiler, Metrovation
Merritt Sher, Metrovation
Gail Staba, Tower Lofts
Rachel Stubblefield, Phoenix Lofts
ATTACHMENTS
FIGURE #1: MAP OF EXISTING ON-STREET PARKING SPACE INVENTORY
FIGURE #2: TABLE OF ANGLE PARKING STANDARDS AND STREET WIDTHS IN OAKLAND AND SAN DIEGO
FIGURE #3: MAP OF PROPOSED ANGLE PARKING STALLS
FIGURE #4: MAP OF PROPOSED TIME-LIMITED PARKING ZONES AND PROPOSED MIXED-USE DISTRICT PERMIT PARKING
FIGURE #5: MAP OF PROPOSED PARKING METER RELOCATIONS
FIGURE #6: MAP OF EXISTING ON-STREET PARKING AND PROPOSED CHANGES
