The Atherton City Council approved a residential permit‑parking program on July 16 that covers Maple Avenue between Station Lane and El Camino Real and Ashfield Road between the Town Center and El Camino Real.

The council adopted a staff resolution setting permit hours Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with holidays excepted. The program will issue six permits per residence; the town will also provide temporary permits for visitors through dispatch. Town staff said the program responds to growing daytime parking demand from the Town Center and library.

Chief (presenting officer) summarized the proposal and staff recommended adoption of the resolution. He said the town will post signage and allow a two‑week education period after signs are installed before routine enforcement begins. “Each resident is going to be receiving a letter, with six permits each and also instructed how to get temporary permits if they need from dispatch 24 hours a day,” staff said.

Exemptions and enforcement: the council confirmed delivery and service vehicles (for example, marked pool‑service, landscaping and maintenance vehicles) will be exempt if parked solely in front of the premises they serve; construction vehicles will be exempt only when parked pursuant to an approved construction operations plan. The council clarified childcare/nanny vehicles will not be a general exemption because the town cannot reliably verify such status in the field. Tickets will be processed through the court system; the standard parking citation amount cited by staff is $41 per violations per vehicle code schedule. Staff said enforcement will be complaint‑driven initially with some proactive enforcement to achieve compliance.

Council action: the motion to adopt the permit‑parking resolution was moved and seconded and passed unanimously. Council members asked staff to ensure clear resident notification, the sign order and the enforcement grace period are implemented and to work with residents on practical exemptions for obvious on‑site service vehicles.

Implementation: public‑works staff will order and install signage after the council’s decision; there will be a two‑week education period after sign installation before routine ticketing. Staff will mail the permits and instructions to affected residences and will provide temporary permits through dispatch to accommodate visitor needs.

Attribution: technical descriptions and program details here are derived from the July 16 meeting presentation and staff comments.