AgdaPkt 2006-02-27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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SA Page S INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND DATA Get ready! Downtown Redwood City is on the verge of becoming the entertainment capital of the Peninsula. Already, the Fox Theatre brings nationally recognized musical acts to Downtown, such as Tony Bennett, Neil Young, and Itzhak Perlman. Next door, the Little Fox Theatre brings smaller but talented acts to a more intimate setting. Both venues draw people from all over the Bay Area. At the end of this year, Century Theaters will relocate from Bayshore Road to the heart of Downtown, bringing with it between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 people per year. Across from the Fox Theatre, Courthouse Square (debuting in 2006) will be the most incredible public space in the county, if not the entire region. Downtown is a place where people will want to be. This will bring many good things to Downtown Redwood City. The sheer number of people will enliven our sidewalks, making them much more interesting and much more comfortable. The whole district will take on a much more festive mood, and will be a wonderful destination for residents and visitors alike. There will be much more "to do" in Redwood City. Much of the added foot traffic will undoubtedly work its way into local shops and restaurants, adding to their prosperity while simultaneously enticing more shops and restaurants to locate here-both of which will cause sales tax revenue for the City to rise. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the rejuvenated area will act as a source of pride for all Redwood City residents-the heart of their city will once again be a place that is important, prosperous, and alive. Most of these new visitors to Downtown will arrive by automobile, and they will need a place to store that automobile while they are enjoying themselves. There are about as many approaches to downtown parking as there are downtowns. And while many downtown parking programs have positive features, most have very negative features, too-and it is very difficult to get it just right. If there is enough parking, then it is often too much, cluttering the landscape with lifeless asphalt expanses and bunker-like garages. Ifthere isn't enough parking, people get frustrated and it degrades their experience. Adopting effective new parking requirements will ensure that as Downtown develops it has enough parking, but that it remains compact, walkable, and beautiful. The Staff Team A committee of staff members from Redevelopment, Planning, and Engineering met weekly from June to December of 2004 to explore parking requirements. Parking requirements of neighboring cities were examined. In addition, parking requirements of very progressive cities in other parts of the country were examined, in order to uncover potential strategies. Standard texts, 'P~g,~ 1 ..-.. ".-..-. 0-' '.,...~_~,.. ,_ ...__, - .- .__...._~_..._,--..__._---,--._---~~_... -.--.-.---. -. _._-,....__._~-~,-_._--