[OldNorth] Memo to City Council prior to Public Hearing on Oct 17 re N Parking

[sheryl lynn gerety]

Sometime tomorrow, I should send the Council members a memo stating our 
position.  I am circulating the memo for comment before sending it on.  
I need board members to contact council members; I will need to speak 
to Don Saylor, Sue Greenwald will have to recuse herself (rental on C 
Street), and that leaves Stephen Souza, Lamar Heystek, Ruth Asmundson, 
important to swinging this in the direction of cautionary 
implementation of public policy.  We need to set up a meeting with each 
on Monday or Tuesday, so assess your availibility and let me know?


******
	As was mandated by Council a year ago, a review of the relative 
success of the Old North (N) Parking District was undertaken by Public  
Works.   Empty parking spaces in Old North were counted and a survey 
was sent to residents.   Summary information from the various parties 
will be in your packet.  Recommendations have come from  the Board of 
the Old North Davis Neighborhood Association  (ONDNA) and from the 
Safety Advisory Commission.  Public Works  apparently will submit a 
resolution to City Council asking that the city issue up to two permits 
per resident/business address in the N District.

	ON proposed to Public Works that the current system is effective but 
might be improved by one change.  We propose that the current permit 
system remain in effect for the first two months of the annual permit 
cycle.  After that an ON household/business residential address could 
purchase an additional permit subject to the following conditions: 

(a) no residence or business could purchase more than two permits total;

(b) extra permits would be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis up 
to a quota of 85% of the reserved spaces (that is, up to a total of 145 
of the 171 permitted spaces, reserving the balance as open space or for 
late purchase of an initial permit). 

This modification would, we believe, address the concerns of the 
several residential and the one business survey respondent(s) who 
wished for additional permits, while protecting the essential functions 
of the present district.  These are:

1.  Provide an available parking space to residents during the time of 
highest use -- weekdays 8 AM to 5PM.  Inevitably, some reserved spaces 
will be empty, and for good reason:  they are available for service 
calls, for visitors, for midday deliveries, trips to medical or school 
appointments, etc., etc. for residents who otherwise have no parking.

2.  Leave available approximately 280 spaces (more than 60% of the curb 
space) for residents additional vehicles, clients of business on G 
Street, students, staff and faculty of UC Davis, downtown employees and 
shoppers, and weekday worshippers at the three churches located in or 
bordering our neighborhood, weekday visitors to the Farmer’s Market.

3.  Gently encourage use of foot, bicycle and mass transit when 
possible.

ONDNA is concerned that permitting up to two vehicles per 
residence/business will send a signal that there are now two reserved 
parking places per residence/business, and that is not the case.  We 
believe neighborly relationships around the parking of cars would be 
tested when those possessing more than one vehicle begin to take 
advantage of spaces customarily used by other households.  We feel our 
suggestion, while a bit more complicated than the suggestion of giving 
everyone two or more permits, would better address the most critical 
parking needs of our neighborhood.


Should council decide to adopt any modification of the N District, we 
ask that it be construed as a continuing experiment  which could be 
reviewed again at the end of its second year.

Sheryl Gerety
For Old North Davis Neighborhood Association