Council Lays Over Proposal to Add 30-Minute Parking Stalls on East Grand

City staff presented an ordinance to establish two 30-minute parking spaces on East Grand Avenue between State Street and Pleasant Street after businesses requested short-term turnover for customers. The City Council voted to lay the ordinance over so staff could return with alternatives, including a time window limiting short-term parking to daytime hours.

Staff said the request came from businesses Walnut Creek Apparel and Gifts and Pizzazz, who argued that 2-hour parking on the block limited turnover and customer access. The traffic review committee recommended the change and set guidelines that allow up to two short-term stalls per block downtown. Staff also noted inconsistencies in the city’s index of special locations and would use the ordinance to correct those entries.

Council discussion focused on whether the short-term spaces should be time-limited in the evening to avoid reducing availability for restaurant patrons. Councilor Furbank said she often shops downtown in the evening and worried that a 30-minute limit “would be detrimental” to restaurants, and suggested a sign that would suspend the short-term limit after 6 p.m. Another councilor said the city could bring two options back: one that limits the short-term restriction to daytime hours and one without a time limit.

Staff agreed to return with both options and additional context from Traffic Review so the council can consider consistency across downtown. The council voted to lay the item over; no ordinance was adopted at the meeting.