[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6534447,"mediaKeyId","3585937-22f41b6b9a4ff0037f7ed083b24c3de8","parentId",3585937,"title","Palo Alto staff outlines parking data plan, new systems and pricing options for downtown","audioSeconds",5572,"startMs",1584000,"endMs",7156000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3585937-22f41b6b9a4ff0037f7ed083b24c3de8&start=1584&end=7156","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3585937-22f41b6b9a4ff0037f7ed083b24c3de8/thumbnail_1584000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6534447/Palo-Alto/Santa-Clara-County/California/Palo-Alto-staff-outlines-parking-data-plan-new-systems-and-pricing-options-for-downtown","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534447-6e828d5048f1cebe471fb213a5edca02/orig.mp4?Expires=1771180798&Signature=BTohns6H-f74x9rsTST38mZj4LgeKUCdaWsp14j2A6fuFa-hW8QgJciNlZ2i6djyOPnfKi8h4uUrJhc9hhNOyo1e0xNxEHhSrKsEv874pDIYWE9wOhu0JGZlCM1RZpCcns3KTpi~iTn0YEZSZ-hRhwgXWyw44eYHaphBFUV4Wm5KEMjBkKedlkgypmF7jjvkG5YYQAQSN5zU5IWKeChXpCtHfDVVyScdYOd0DhQ2xkzzMSX9ibZ~vI7NRZtUpf9PMQ5fN-gL-QVVwKiSv-ezIuIAc9pPLU4o-w04ujOSKs16SYRAcxZor8euVFTeK8jZEF1EKAE1ajPtSzvNE8w7Bw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Palo Alto","date","2025-05-29T05:09:26Z","article","The Planning and Transportation Commission heard a transportation data update on May 28 from Office of Transportation staff about parking patterns on University Avenue and downtown garages, planned technology upgrades and potential pricing changes.

Transportation staff said the city will publish more regular parking data and has contracts and equipment coming online that staff expect will improve monitoring and wayfinding. \"The real takeaways I wanted to point out from the data in front of you, is that there really has been a change, but some of the basic trends in the in the University Avenue garages and lots are still the same,\" said Mister Baird, Office of Transportation staff. He told the commission the city will deploy automated parking guidance systems (APGS) in its four largest garages soon and is consolidating permit and citation management under a single vendor to enable better reporting.

Why it matters: commissioners said better timely data and clearer signage would reduce circling and congestion downtown and help preserve residential streets. Staff framed the technical work as preparatory to policy decisions — including possible curb pricing or mobile payment — that should be based on ongoing automated counts rather than one-off surveys.

What staff presented and planned
- Point-in-time counts: Staff shared contracted midday occupancy counts (spring/fall) and said those are expensive to run and that some historical count rows need quality checks before publishing. Baird said counts have been done at several times of day in prior years but the city now relies more on targeted midday counts to balance cost and comparability.
- Permit/citation vendor consolidation: The city has combined several permit- and citation-related contracts (police, Administrative Services, Office of Transportation) into a single contract to support permit sales, enforcement and data flows.
- APGS rollout: Public Works will bring APGS signage/screens to the four largest garages (including Copper Webster and Bryant garages) to advertise available spaces at each level. Staff said APGS should help direct drivers to underused upper levels and advertise abundant parking away from the most desirable curbfront lots.
- LPR enforcement and limits: The city has used license-plate-reader (LPR) enforcement in some resident districts since 2021; staff said LPRs saved enforcement costs but have not produced the consistent occupancy data the city had hoped to get from patrols. Staff are discussing integration options with the new vendor, the police department, Administrative Services and the City Clerk.

Policy options under consideration
- Curb pricing and differentiated hourly rates: Staff discussed curb pricing (paid parking on streets) and said its view is that the city should first consider basic paid curb pricing before exploring dynamic (time-of-day) pricing. Staff noted curb pricing and duration changes could nudge drivers to use garages and lots more reliably.
- Employee-permit policy levers: Commissioners pressed staff to use pricing and permit design to encourage employees to use garages instead of on-street RPP (residential permit) locations. Baird said garage/lot permits have been set lower relative to adjacent RPP permits to encourage garage use (garage/lot permits are currently priced at roughly 75% of the nearby RPP permit price, staff said).
- Wayfinding and user experience: Commissioners and a public commenter urged clearer, larger, more visible signage from gateways and along approach routes, and suggested simple web/phone tools or gateway signs showing nearby garage availability to reduce circling.

Public comment and commissioner concerns
- A longtime downtown parking advocate (audience comment) thanked staff for progress but urged stronger policy work: integrate private building parking into the city inventory, clarify parking assessment district powers and treat \"promote commerce, but not at the expense of residential neighborhoods\" as a clear policy anchor for decisions.
- Commissioners repeated requests for more regular, comparable occupancy series (weekday vs. weekend), clearer breakdowns of permit vs. non‑permit stalls (including ADA/EV stalls), and better signage pointing to underused garages such as Ramona/University and Webster.

Costs and pricing details noted in the meeting
- Daily permit history: staff said the daily permit has varied (previously $25, briefly $0 and $8 after 2020, later $15). Staff proposed a July increase to $20 and told the commission the fee range is now in the municipal fee schedule so the city can adjust annually.
- Annual permit example: staff said University Avenue annual permits are about $900 a year; garage and lot permits have been priced relative to downtown RPPs so the relationship is preserved as fees adjust.

Data quality and next steps
Staff said some count rows need correction before posting (one 2019 count row appeared artificially low, possibly due to construction) and the APGS rollout plus the new permit/vendor contract should deliver much more regular occupancy and transaction data next fiscal year. Baird offered to return more regularly with updated reporting and to work with commissioners to define the priority datasets needed to support policy choices.

Ending: Staff and commissioners agreed on priorities: publish consistent comparisonable occupancy data, pursue improved wayfinding/signage as a near-term, cost-effective action, accelerate APGS activation in the four large garages, and explore permit and pricing levers (including incentives for employees to use garages) once regular automated data are available. Baird closed: \"No. I just wanted to thank you for your engagement in this topic. It is really, meaningful to me.\"","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning & Transportation Commission Meeting - May 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Planning and Transportation Commission heard a transportation data update on May 28 about downtown parking, upcoming automated parking guidance signs, consolidated permit/citation contracts and potential pricing changes to encourage garage use.","taxTitle","Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California","taxId",3867,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6534438,"Staff: June PTC meetings canceled; Coverley Community Center concept may come to July 9; council remands 4075 El Camino Way to PTC",269,1080000,1349000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3585937-22f41b6b9a4ff0037f7ed083b24c3de8&start=1080&end=1349","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3585937-22f41b6b9a4ff0037f7ed083b24c3de8/thumbnail_1080000.jpg","/articles/6534438/Palo-Alto/Santa-Clara-County/California/Staff-June-PTC-meetings-canceled-Coverley-Community-Center-concept-may-come-to-July-9-council-remands-4075-El-Camino-Way-to-PTC","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534438-865cbaf1d124550ac7882af70155f315/orig.mp4?Expires=1771180798&Signature=MH3NxvnxSugDmbw7dJsHQ4VuURXad9xuD7QEQqKtl2qwcMyjhGoCQqQsRn1WCKQPBghxXjuMsQ2oWibXxi8qjFJHLS4Kp0In6kfgbXrUckf8G8BI-j~Csfn3OTm090jMxv0L994QC3cGo4aEnwtziUVNbxP3J9vPmzHlke-aQFtB~YPHb8szW~KuVUdkgm2vwoinv8tKTiGGscUxsDGa2o7Z7fv5ybBlGpknfFRodO2y010VIJqr2SYkPLKoAXfqZ7VWhwXdbXfreL3BojnN4ra0fGRULNe13dg5vgz2aZvRvpH1VXczVvhGBjN-f0PvsJvGZi3W3cXoWwKAVdJ4ig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City planning staff reported several scheduling and agenda updates at the May 28 Planning and Transportation Commission meeting, including the likely July 9 appearance of Coverley Community Center conceptual plans and a council remand of a large El Camino project.

Key announcements
- June meetings canceled: Planning staff said both June PTC meetings would be canceled because no agenda items were yet scheduled for those dates.
- Coverley Community Center: Staff said the Coverley project team plans to bring three conceptual plans for PTC discussion at the July 9 meeting. \"They'd like to bring, their 3 conceptual plans for discussion, by PTC on that July 9 meeting,\" staff said.
- 4075 El Camino Way remand: Staff reported that City Council considered planned-community modification applications for 4075 El Camino Way and remanded the matter back to PTC with direction to review a revised design that would remove some third-floor units (the applicant suggested removing the third-floor units to reduce height and bulk).
- El Camino Real focus area: Staff said council added three parcels to the El Camino Real focus area and directed staff to work further on that area.
- Staff changes: Staff announced that Veronica (last name not specified in public remarks) will leave the City of Palo Alto after nine years and will become the town clerk of Portola Valley.

Why it matters: the Coverley community-center conceptual plans and the remand on 4075 El Camino Way will return to PTC for design review and recommendations to council. The scheduling change means commissioners should expect a fuller July 9 agenda, including the Coverley discussion.

Ending: Staff asked commissioners whether they wanted printed zoning maps; several commissioners requested copies. Staff also said they had provided written responses to commission questions about the transportation/parking item earlier in the day.","Planning staff announced cancellation of June Planning & Transportation Commission meetings for lack of items, said the Coverley Community Center team plans to present three conceptual plans at the July 9 meeting, and reported City Council remanded the 4075 El Camino Way planned community modifications back to the commission for redesign review.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6534443,"Planning commission refines El Camino Real retail nodes, sends map and follow-up study request to council",7103,7857000,14960000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3585937-22f41b6b9a4ff0037f7ed083b24c3de8&start=7857&end=14960","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3585937-22f41b6b9a4ff0037f7ed083b24c3de8/thumbnail_7857000.jpg","/articles/6534443/Palo-Alto/Santa-Clara-County/California/Planning-commission-refines-El-Camino-Real-retail-nodes-sends-map-and-follow-up-study-request-to-council","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534443-0bbe9c59526cc92a459bb2e7ab1319be/orig.mp4?Expires=1771180798&Signature=LsQETrgyrW3wUxdiviXj9HWyATINpQtG1uAQHb7YddEg1MNriJYpeGN-bO4sX3vgW0nT9XvBGpBb1j7d5rdUZtUvD2ZVtmRcsbrhHRK0ssdKGD8TYFG~E7voCHux2yyGj3RVpqcZ939C-9rGTerGz3U1MORiHQvzkuJ1wmP6VVDeYPC~tGTzpHnZEkhTJ6K3ZILZ0R3LwwQCOqKov8M3wcgNowKcwu9aESviNZYVqBUSFB~knDr12apfEDEjXLXtPqSSOV0ZZEwETZDugOwoD34JT4el4iNnjhd9LJjY2fL8O5zYtAQOmz4OJgnTZXb0Zsth2Poz3Vff1cXwkdSMOw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning and Transportation Commission recommended a revised retail-node map for South El Camino Real on May 28 and forwarded its decisions to the City Council with one additional study request.

Staff presentation and commission direction
Miss Armer (City planning staff) told the commission the item implements a housing-element program (Program 3.4.c) and the South El Camino Real design guidelines. Staff recommended a single revised map with a set of specific adjustments and asked the commission to work through each suggested node and provide direction to council. \"Staff's recommendation tonight is that PTC recommend to council, that council adopt a resolution to modify the existing retail node map,\" Armer said.

Commission action and votes
The commission addressed individual nodes and, by a series of motions, recommended the map changes to the council. Key motions recorded and outcomes were:
- Adopt the \"bike-to-school\" node as shown (motion carried, 7–0).
- Adopt the \"triangle\" node as shown (motion carried, 7–0).
- Remove the North Ventura coordinated area plan node from the retail-node map (motion carried, 7–0).
- Consolidate the three-part central node (labels a, b, c) into a single central node and include the revised central area as drawn (motion carried, 7–0).

Study request to council
Following discussion about how the retail preservation ordinance interacts with the city's housing-element site designations, the commission voted unanimously (7–0) to recommend that the City Council consider directing staff to study whether the retail preservation ordinance should also apply to housing-element opportunity sites that are located inside retail nodes but not designated for lower-income housing in the housing element. Commissioners said the idea is to prompt council review of the trade-off between small infill housing sites and preserving ground-floor retail in key retail nodes.

Why it matters: housing element and retail protection
Commissioners and staff discussed state law direction that sites projected for lower-income housing in a jurisdiction's housing-element inventory are entitled to residential capacity and that the city's prior decision to treat all inventory sites uniformly meant many El Camino parcels were exempt from retail-preservation rules. The study request asks council to consider whether smaller opportunity sites inside nodes (those not allocated for lower-income units) could be treated differently to preserve retail frontage in key locations while still accommodating larger affordable-housing sites elsewhere.

Other points
- Staff provided additional mapping showing existing land uses and zoning behind the node areas and said the recommended edits were intended to preserve corners and cohesive retail stretches while removing other interim areas from the retail-preservation overlay.
- The commission discussed the existing administrative \"escape\" in the retail preservation ordinance that allows property owners to apply for exemptions if retail is not viable or there is economic hardship; commissioners requested that the staff report to council summarize that process.

Outcome and next steps
The commission voted on the recommended map edits and approved the set of node changes as described above; staff will prepare a resolution and map for City Council consideration. The commission also asked council to consider directing staff to study the narrower question about applying retail preservation to certain housing-element sites within nodes.

Quotes
- Miss Armer (staff): \"Staff's recommendation tonight is that PTC recommend to council, that council adopt a resolution to modify the existing retail node map.\"
- Vice chair Chang (commission): \"If we're really thinking about where would retail most likely succeed, that's probably a spot [corner].\"

Ending: The commission sent the refined map and a request for a staff study to council; staff will prepare the resolution and maps for council consideration.","The commission recommended edits to the draft El Camino Real retail node map, consolidating central nodes and approving several node additions, removed the North Ventura CAP node and asked council to direct staff to study whether retail-protection rules should also apply to smaller housing-element sites within nodes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Palo Alto staff outlines parking data plan, new systems and pricing options for downtown

Staff: June PTC meetings canceled; Coverley Community Center concept may come to July 9; council remands 4075 El Camino Way to PTC

Planning commission refines El Camino Real retail nodes, sends map and follow-up study request to council