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Glendale commission backs staff report on Montrose parking, signals support for paid off‑street option
Summary
Commissioners heard an updated Montrose parking analysis recommending either paid off‑street parking with digital employee permits or a stricter time‑limit approach. The Montrose Shopping Park Association favored paid parking; the commission voted to note and file the report and conveyed a consensus preference for Option 1, subject to any new staff information before council review.
The Glendale Transportation and Parking Commission received an updated Montrose parking analysis on Feb. 23 that presents two options to address high evening occupancies and employee parking in the Montrose Shopping Park area.
Consultant Dan McKinney of Transpo Group summarized the study, saying Montrose contains roughly 900 spaces (660 off‑street, 221 on‑street) and identified peak “hot spots” in Lots 2, 4 and 7 and along Honolulu Avenue. McKinney said the study found many vehicles parked longer than the existing three‑hour limits — a pattern the study attributes largely to employee parking — and recommended strategies to boost turnover and balance demand across lots.
“Parking is usually your first and last impression when you’re coming into a city,” McKinney said, arguing that better management can support local businesses and livability.
Staff and the consultant described two core alternatives: Option 1 would convert off‑street lots to paid parking with pay stations, add tiered pricing, and issue digital employee permits tied to license plates; time limits could be removed because employees or long‑stay users would pay to park longer. Option 2 would keep off‑street parking free, reduce the maximum stay from three to two hours, and rely on higher employee permit fees and enforcement to ensure turnover. Both approaches would include targeted enforcement and public education.
Tad Dembroski, Glendale's parking manager, said the city’s mobile payment platform also supports pay‑by‑phone features such as multilingual support and reminders, but that users may still pay with coins at meters: “If you want to use the app, you can. If you want to continue using coins, you can still put coins in the meter,” he said, adding the app is generally the most secure method for long‑term monitoring and enforcement.
The Montrose Shopping Park Association told staff it unanimously supports Option 1 (paid off‑street parking with employee permit controls) as a way to preserve customer parking for local businesses. A member of the public representing small businesses urged the commission to favor the MSPA-backed option, saying parking is “a core dependency” for Montrose shops.
Commissioners discussed equity concerns, the convenience fee on mobile payments, the continuing availability of coin payment, and fraud risks associated with QR codes; staff said the city has avoided QR codes in favor of app and phone‑based payments and will continue outreach through social media and the public information office if fraud attempts are identified.
Action and next steps: the commission voted to note and file the Montrose parking analysis and directed staff to incorporate the commission’s feedback into the report for City Council. Commissioners recorded a consensus preference for Option 1 based on the materials presented at the meeting, while acknowledging that Public Works may develop additional information before the matter goes to council for a final decision.
