By Jonathan Friedman
Associate Editor
April 4, 2016 -- The Planning
Commission this week will discuss the first parking rate increase for
Downtown Santa Monica since 2012.
The proposed hikes come as officials prepare for next month’s arrival
of the Expo Light Rail and seek to retain available spaces while deterring
people from using structures for what’s called “park and ride”
service.
Officials have proposed what City Parking Administrator Jason Kligier
called “minor modifications” to parking prices in a report
to the Planning Commission.
The proposed changes include a cost increase by 25 percent for hourly
parking and 10 percent for monthly parking in Structures 1-10, the lots
on 5th Street and the Ken Edwards Center.
Also proposed is bringing the Civic Center structure cost in line with
the other downtown facilities. There is no proposal for a change to street
meter rates.
Staff calls for the parking rate to rise from $1 to $1.25 for the first
hour after a free 90 minutes and from $1.50 to $1.88 for each additional
30 minutes. The maximum daily amount would increase from $14 to $17.50.
The change for the monthly rate would go up from $160 to $176 for “all
access,” $120 to $132 for weekdays only, $75 to $82.75 for weeknights/weekends
only and $65 to $71.50 for “affordable housing.”
Parking in the Civic Center structure is currently much cheaper with
a maximum daily amount of $5 and $3 if a person uses a debit card.
This is because it was “perceived by many as disconnected from the
rest of Downtown,” according to Kligier’s report.
The situation has changed with a “more diverse set of land uses
including Tongva Park, restaurants, and multifamily housing."
Kligier wrote, “As a result, and combined with inexpensive parking
rates, weekday occupancies in the lot and structure are much higher than
in the past.”
The parking situation is expected to further be impacted by the opening
of the Expo station on 4th Street and Colorado Avenue on May 20.
“While prices in the downtown, once adjusted, should discourage
park-and-ride activity, $3 to $5 weekday daily maximums in the Civic Center
might actively encourage this behavior,” Kligier wrote.
Under this plan the maximum rate for the Civic Center Structure would
go up to $14 (the current rate in other downtown structures) only during
the daytime.
This would not be the case during evenings and weekends, a time when,
officials say, parking in the structure is underused.
“To further the peripheral parking strategy outlined in the Draft
Downtown Community Plan, staff is considering a $3 evening flat rate (from
5:30 p.m. to 3 a.m.) and maintaining the $5 daily maximum on weekends,”
Kligier wrote.
Monthly prices are proposed for increases from $65 to $160 for “all
access” and from $50 to $75 for weeknights/weekends only access.
The monthly prices for all the structures is a significant deal for users.
This could raise further “park and ride” issues. Staff are
considering different possibilities to prevent that from happening.
These considerations include limiting monthly keycard sales to Downtown
Santa Monica employers, employees and residents of Downtown buildings
without on-site parking.
Also keycard users could be restricted to a couple of structures.
The Planning Commission will discuss these recommendations at its meeting
on Wednesday. It will provide a recommendation to the City Council.
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