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Glendale staff propose higher Brand Boulevard meter rates and outline parking‑tax option
Summary
Staff recommended raising Brand Boulevard meter rates to $3 per hour, bumping on‑street and surface lot rates to $2 per hour and raising monthly garage employee parking from $70 to $90; consultants also estimated a 10% private‑parking tax could yield roughly $2.2M–$3.4M annually but would require voter approval.
City staff proposed targeted parking rate increases and presented consultant estimates for a private‑parking gross‑receipts (parking) tax during the June 4 budget study session.
The proposal on rates: Tad Dombrowski, public works parking staff, said Brand Boulevard hourly rates would rise from $2 to $3, on‑street and city‑owned surface lot rates from $1.50 to $2, monthly employee garage passes from $70 to $90 and the daily maximum garage rate from $9 to $12. Dombrowski said the changes are intended to align price with convenience and demand while keeping garage rates competitive with private operators.
Why it matters: Brand Boulevard is the primary downtown corridor with the highest demand and the most limited on‑street supply. Staff said higher priced on‑street spaces should improve turnover and free parking for short‑term visitors while preserving lower garage prices to encourage use of more distant parking supply.
Parking tax analysis: staff engaged two consultants to model a potential private‑parking gross receipts tax. For a 10% tax on private parking operators, one analysis estimated about $2.2 million in annual revenue at current occupancy and up to about $3.0 million as occupancy rises. HDL, another consultant, ran a scenario model and produced a range that centered higher — about $2.7 million to $3.4 million annually — using randomized demand and rate scenarios. Staff emphasized that the proposals are at the concept stage and that adoption of a parking tax would require a ballot measure.
Council questions and next steps Councilmembers asked whether proposed short‑term free validations or 90‑minute validations at certain garages would interact with the rate changes and whether tenant validations reduce the effectiveness of turnover pricing. Staff noted lease and validation arrangements (for example, in marketplace garages) can complicate simple rate changes and suggested they would analyze impacts.
Dombrowski said the proposed rate changes are consistent with neighboring cities and that any revenue from rate increases would be folded into future budget projections if council approved the changes. The parking tax analysis was presented as an option that would require further legal, policy and public outreach work and a voter measure before the city could enact it.
