Residential Parking Permits on Council's Agenda

San Rafael City Council members will discuss in their Monday meeting if the city needs a residential permit program to solve parking problems in neighborhoods like Montecito and Gerstle Park.

The program – the result of several requests from the community regarding parking availability in their neighborhoods – would be self-sustaining. The permit would allow for onstreet parking without time restriction within a specific neighborhood and would limit other cars to two or four hours during peak times. A start-up fee of $150 and then $85 per year would cover the cost of the program, according to the staff report.

Parking enforcement is currently focused on downtown San Rafael. During a study session in July 2012, councilmembers and the community questioned if a permit program would solve the problem for limited parking in the surrounding neighborhoods or just move the problem to another area.

“Getting a parking permit doesn’t guarantee you a parking space. It gives you a hunting license to find one,” City Manager Nancy Mackle said at the July meeting.

Other concerns raised during the study session were the amount of enforcement that would be required, as well as the time limit for other cars. Parking overflow in the Montecito neighborhood comes from the nearby shopping center, where many employees are encouraged to park in the surrounding area so they can leave spaces open to potential customers. The problem is expected to get worse when the Sonoma-Marin Area Transit Rail begins operating in 2015.

To start the program, neighbors within a parking district must distribute, collect and submit a city-created and approved petition that represents at least 67 percent of those within a parking permit district. A minimum of 1,500 residences must participate for the program to pay for itself, according to the staff report.

Other Agenda Items

The council will also interview applicants for the Board of Library Trustees, and Parks and Recreation Commission.

The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at City Hall at 1400 Fifth Ave.

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