Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of July 28, 2020
Title
REVIEW OF CITY’S PARKING ASSET RESTRICTIONS
IN LIGHT OF ONGOING CHANGES TO THE
LOS ANGELES COUNTY HEALTH ORDER
(City Manager Suja Lowenthal)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council evaluate the current restrictions of the City’s downtown parking lots, and consider temporarily permitting individuals that have purchased annual business owner/employee permits the opportunity to park in the City’s downtown ‘Lot C’ parking structure.
Body
Executive Summary
With recent changes to the County of Los Angeles’ COVID-19 restrictions on business operations and access to public assets, this agenda item is an opportunity for members of the City Council to reassess the City’s existing parking restrictions for downtown parking lots and surrounding areas. Staff recommends Council discuss and provide direction to staff for the implementation of any modifications to enforcement and/or operations of the City’s downtown parking assets.
Background:
At City Council’s meeting on July 14, 2020, City Council directed staff to reopen parking Lot C (the parking structure) for use by those that display a valid monthly parking permit. As of July 18, the City’s downtown parking assets are operating with the following restrictions:
• Parking Lot A is open for use by the general public for no more than 3-hours per day, and for use by those with monthly parking permits;
• Parking Lot B is open for use by the general public and for use by those with monthly parking permits; and
• Parking Lot C is reopened for use by those with monthly parking permits, but remains closed for use by the general public.
Analysis:
Per Council direction, the City’s ‘Lot C’ parking structure was reopened for use by those with monthly permits and remains closed to the general public. The structure provides 300 public parking stalls and is equipped with multi-space meters. The structure is one of the three downtown lots that provides parking for employees of local businesses that have purchased monthly parking permits. To date, the City has sold 174 monthly parking permits for the month of July, and a total of 151 annual business owner/employee parking permits. Following the reopening of Lot C, City staff received an inquiry regarding the use of the annual business owner/employee parking permits in Lot C, and some anecdotal comments from those permit holders that they continue to find it difficult to find parking and are using on-street stalls that could be used by customers or residents.
The monthly parking permits currently permitted in Lot C may only be used in Lots A, B, and C. There are two types of monthly permits available and they are priced based upon the hours of access:
• A 24-hour permit for $62 per month that allows the permit holder to park day and night, for up to 72-hours in one location.
• A day use permit for $31 per month that allows the permit holder to park during the hours of 5 a.m. - 7 p.m., daily.
The annual business owner/employee parking permits are $143 per year and allow the permit holder to park in any location that an individual holding a residential parking permit may park on-street, namely yellow-posted meters and one-hour zones in residential areas, but not in any City lot. The annual business owner/employee parking permits are residential parking permits and, as such, Community Services Officer are unable to differentiate between the permit types. During the normal course of business, the inability to distinguish the two permit types is irrelevant during enforcement and helps the City streamline operations.
Following Los Angeles County’s temporary closures over the July 4th weekend, activities on local beaches have been allowed to resume in a limited capacity, excluding large gatherings and organized sports. On July 1, 2020, Appendix ‘I’ of the County Health Order was updated to align with the Governor’s Order to prohibit indoor dining at all restaurants and food facilities. On July 3, 2020, the County’s Order was further updated and included restrictions regarding all brewpubs, bars, breweries and wine-tasting facilities, and craft distilleries to remain closed for on-site beverage or food consumption until allowed by the County.
On July 14, 2020, the County Health Officer Order and corresponding appendices E, H, L, P and R were once again amended to align with the July 13, 2020 Governor’s announcement to close the indoor operations of shopping centers, hair salons and barbershops, gyms and fitness establishments, and personal care establishments. The County order was amended along with Appendix T1 and T2 on July 18, 2020 to ensure the order is in compliance with the Statewide Public Health Officer Order regarding schools which was release on July 17, 2020. Additionally the July 18, 2020 order updated Appendix J, N, and P.
Considering the available capacity of Lot C, the number of monthly parking permits issued, the number of annual business owner/employee permits issued, and the concerns within the community regarding on-street parking availability, City Council may wish to consider expanding access to Lot C to those with annual business owner/employee permits. As a local comparison for Council’s consideration, the parking structure in the downtown core of the City of Manhattan Beach is currently open, and the parking structure at the City of Redondo Beach pier is open. Additionally, multiple beach lots throughout Los Angeles County have reopened with limited capacity.
Any phased changes to downtown parking restrictions would directly impact businesses and patrons to the downtown; therefore, consideration must also be given to the City’s strategy for communicating these changes to the public.
Previous Staff Reports:
• May 12, 2020 Council Report <https://hermosabeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4523310&GUID=D59692CA-E6FB-4B8D-A83A-80C67D2D2C80> [Review of Downtown Asset Closures - Various]
• June 9, 2020 Council Report <https://hermosabeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4555107&GUID=5185C6EC-F8DA-4846-A334-1922A21DB926> [Review of Downtown Parking Asset Restrictions]
• June 23, 2020 Council Report <https://hermosabeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4577295&GUID=0C192C1C-9568-4E40-96B8-370CAE8C15BB> [Review of Parking Structure ‘Lot C’ Closure]
• July 1, 2020 Council Special Meeting Report <https://hermosabeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4582328&GUID=5242BC37-B36C-4695-AF46-28509E5F349E> [Review of Downtown Assets and other Emergency Measures]
• July 14, 2020 Council Report <https://hermosabeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4591294&GUID=FBC09242-DC78-4603-ABF4-7B5639DBF5FE> [Review of Lot C Closure and Downtown Parking Asset Restrictions]
General Plan Consistency:
This report and associated recommendations have been evaluated for their consistency with the City’s General Plan. Relevant Policies are listed below:
Governance
1.6 Long-term considerations. Prioritize decisions that provide long-term community benefit and discourage decisions that provide short-term community benefit but reduce long-term opportunities.
2.6 Responsive to community needs. Continue to be responsive to community inquiries, providing public information and recording feedback from community interactions.
4.3 Collaboration with adjacent jurisdictions. Maintain strong collaborative relationships with adjacent jurisdictions and work together on projects of mutual interest and concern.
Land Use
1.5 Balance resident and visitor needs. Ensure land uses and businesses provide for the needs of residents as well as visitors.
Mobility
2.2 Encourage traffic calming. Encourage traffic calming policies and techniques to improve the safety and efficient movement of people and vehicles along residential areas and highly trafficked corridors.
7.1 Safe public right-of-ways. Encourage that all public right-of-ways are safe for all users at all times of day where users of all ages and ability feel comfortable participating in both motorized and non-motorized travel.
Parks and Open Space
4.2 Enhanced access points. Increase and enhance access to parks and open space, particularly across major thoroughfares, as well as access points that promote physical activity such as pedestrian- and bike-oriented access points.
6.5 Wayfinding and coastal access. Maximize all forms of access and safety getting to and around the Coastal Zone through infrastructure and wayfinding improvements.
Public Safety
4.7 Communicate risks. Regularly evaluate, identify, and communicate new hazard risks and incorporate into planning and programs.
Fiscal Impact:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommendation at this time.
Respectfully Submitted by: Assistant to the City Manager, Nico De Anda-Scaia
Concur: Peter Ahlstrom, Community Services Division Manager
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager