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Council approves downtown parking study; delays decision on Canon–Grand View four‑way stop
Summary
The council awarded a $49,995 contract to Transpo Group USA for a downtown parking study to analyze occupancy, turnover, EV charger placement and demand‑management options. Council continued the question of installing a four‑way stop at Canon & Grand View for more legal review and removed a proposed peak‑hour south‑side parking restriction from staff recommendations.
The Sierra Madre City Council approved a professional services agreement with Transpo Group USA (not to exceed $49,995) for a downtown parking study at the March 24 meeting. The study, funded from the Downtown Assessment District, will gather on‑the‑ground occupancy and turnover data, recommend time‑limit and employee‑parking strategies, identify potential EV charger locations and include stakeholder outreach with businesses and residents.
Consultant Dan McKini said Transpo will perform occupancy counts, business and resident outreach, and produce a phased toolbox of options — ranging from low‑cost signage and striping changes to technology‑assisted permit programs — so council can select feasible steps with local budget constraints in mind. "We typically recommend a suite of management strategies rather than a single solution," McKini said.
Separately, council debated a revised West Grand View traffic study. A Willdan traffic analysis found low volumes and insufficient engineering warrant to install an all‑way stop at Canon & Grand View; staff recommended using the council’s administrative authority to override engineering findings for safety reasons. Several council members and residents pushed for a stop sign at that intersection to improve school crossing safety; others worried that overriding engineering findings could increase liability and that evidence did not support a four‑way stop.
The council extracted the Canon & Grand View four‑way stop decision for further legal review and continued that portion of the item; it also removed a staff‑recommended peak‑hour south‑side parking restriction from the package and approved the remaining traffic recommendations. Council instructed staff to return with additional legal analysis and to provide more outreach data used in the Willdan study.
The parking study contract was approved and staff will coordinate stakeholder engagement and a data collection schedule with the consultant.
