AgdaPkt 2005-06-20 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Hilary Paulson, Planning Commission Chair and Downtown Advisory Group member, Commended staff and stated two concerns. The first concern was spill over parking into the Mezes and Stambaugh-Heller. The second concern is the desire to not penalize the families using the library; ..- Adrian Brandt suggested the option of a. parking cash out program for employees that could provide for an incentive to split the value of a permit so that the employee receives a portion of the value and agrees to utilize public transit. This would equate to the City buying a spot that can then be sold at market rates for even more people coming into town. He encouraged the use of a grace period and offered the example of Caltrain's recent method. He supported the Plan. Don Wilson stated that he has tried to obtain a clear understanding of the agreement with Mr. Irmer and whether parking really means free parking. He stated that the parking plan is good and the concept to adopt market rate parking is good. His concern is that there would be two classes served by the Plan with retail/cinema patrons entitled to free parking and everyone else paying market rate. Pat Taviss, a member of the Downtown Advisory Group commended staff's team and commented on the library and employee parking lot stating that when the restaurants went in across the street, as early as 11 :00 a.m., people would pay the meter and the lot and jaywalk across. With the smartcard system, she expressed hope that a library card might be read and provide for validation. She stated the disadvantage that the employee parking at the library is visible and the parking behind City Hall is invisible and asked if the fleeted vehicles could be parked elsewhere to allow for metered or validated parking for library patrons. She stated that the traffic flow must be considered pointing to the intersection of Jefferson and Middlefield that does not encourage people to easily maneuver across the four corners. She summarized that while individual pieces of the Plan are good; putting them together makes sense and provides a good plan. Kim Wilkins stated that her family owns the building at 702 Marshall Street, adjacent to the Marshall Street parking garage and in 1994 a settlement agreement was reached with the City after eminent domain proceedings. She stated that the agreement provided for parking spaces for the building and she estimated that 170 spaces are needed during business hours. She further stated that the building is occupied up to 90% by attorneys who often work until 7:00 p.m. Council comments included acknowledging staff's extensive research and benchmarking. The need for more information before July 11 in order to react before consideration of the ordinance was expressed; general support for the 5 recommendations; the need for more information on the permit options; exploration of the smart card; meter system must be easy and simple for the patron; working with the neighborhood associations on a plan for possible REGULAR MEETING MINUTES CITY COUNCIL JUNE 6, 2005 PAGE 6