Purpose

To provide the City Council with a summary of the results of an updated downtown parking study and to request input for the development of a detailed downtown parking management plan.  The benefits of completing and implementing this plan include:

• Shifting employees out of desirable, prime parking spaces has the effect of building a 500-space parking structure in the core downtown area where employees currently park.

• Freeing up prime parking spaces closer to customers� destinations reduces frustration, vehicle queuing, air quality impacts, traffic congestion, and the potential for traffic accidents in the downtown area.

• Increasing the availability of prime parking spaces fosters continued economic growth by allowing additional customers to visit Downtown Burbank � the economic cap currently being imposed by customers� difficulty in finding parking would be lifted.

• Implementing a �customer friendly� parking system addresses the current negative enforcement program and encourages more efficient turnover of prime parking spaces through a system of paid parking and parking fee validation.

• Creating a revenue stream allows financial self sufficiency for the downtown parking area to provide improved infrastructure maintenance and enhanced public parking facilities, services, security, and amenities.

BACKGROUND

In April 1992, the City Council established an eight-block Central Business District Downtown Parking Area (District), bounded by Magnolia Boulevard, Angeleno Avenue, Third Street, and First Street, as part of the downtown revitalization effort.  The District was intended to ease parking requirements on individual developments by allowing shared parking and multiple-destination parking concepts[1]. 

As a result of a parking study conducted in the area, in 1999, the City Council authorized the creation of a Council-appointed Downtown Parking Management Committee (DPMC) to study and manage parking in the downtown area.  In 2002, the DPMC voted to support hiring a parking consultant to assist in developing the committee�s policy recommendations into a comprehensive parking management plan. 

In January 2003, the City contracted with JR Parking Consultants, LLC (JR Parking) whose original scope of work included completing an updated, detailed parking study in a 12-block area bounded by Magnolia Boulevard, Glenoaks Boulevard, Angeleno Avenue and Bonnywood Place (see Figure 1). The data from this study would be used to develop a comprehensive downtown parking management plan, including a financial pro forma, for both on-street and off-street parking inventories.

To date, the parking study has been completed, and the data discussed with the following organizations:

In addition, staff conducted more than 10 small-group meetings with representatives of the downtown community (merchants, tenants, property owners, and developers) to share the study findings and to solicit additional input regarding issues, concerns, and perceptions related to downtown parking.  These outreach efforts resulted in staff identifying and completing a number of action items, including:  expanding the original parking study beyond the original 12-block area to encompass the larger downtown Property Based Improvement District (PBID) area (see Figure 1); conducting facility inspections of selected parking structures to identify needed improvements; installing lighting improvements in Structure G (also known as the �MSB Structure�); improving signage in Structure M near the courthouse, expanding the taxi cab stand at the Holiday Inn on Angeleno Avenue, and increasing the advertisement to downtown employers and employees about the monthly permit parking program.

The input from these outreach efforts was also used to develop a conceptual strategy for addressing the critical issues identified by the parking study.  To fully develop this plan and move it toward implementation, a significant amount of staff time and resources will be needed. Therefore, before moving ahead with the final plan development, staff is bringing the concept before City Council for concurrence and policy direction.

DOWNTOWN PARKING STUDY

Background

The existing downtown parking management system is composed of two distinct, yet interrelated elements:  on-street parking and off-street parking.  A significant portion of the on-street parking is posted �No Parking at Any Time,� with the remaining spaces managed and enforced by posted time limits.  Off-street public parking facilities consist of parking structures (shown on Figure 2 as Structures A, G, H, M, N, P, and C), and parking lots (shown on Figure 2 as Lots B, D, E, F, J, L, O, and Q).  The off-street parking facilities are managed with time-limited enforcement regulations and issuance of monthly parking permits for long-term daily parkers such as employees or students.

Data Collection Methodology

To quantify and evaluate the current use of the available parking spaces in the downtown area, detailed parking counts were conducted in the original 12-block study area on a typical weekday (Thursday, August 9, 2003) and on a typical weekend (Saturday, August 9, 2003).  These dates were chosen because there were no special events such as grand openings or major film openings scheduled in the downtown area those days that could have had an impact on parking utilization.

For the on-street and parking lot counts, field staff walked the areas each hour and recorded the last three license-plate digits of each vehicle parked in each space. For the parking structure counts, field staff recorded the last three license-plate digits of each vehicle when it entered and when it left the structure.  Counts were made once per hour for each of the spaces on each side of the block and in each public lot and structure from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.

Data Analysis

The parking data collected in the field were entered into a computerized parking model that calculated parking occupancies, turnover, and duration for on-street blocks and parking lots, and percent occupancy for parking structures.  The analyses are presented in the following subsections.

On-Street Parking Data Analysis.  A total of 405 spaces were located in the original 12-block study area (the on-street parking inventory for the expanded PBID study area was 785 spaces).  The weekday data are presented first, followed by the weekend data.

Table 1 provides a summary of the weekday daytime and nighttime occupancy (vehicles parked per available spaces) of the spaces in the 12-block study area.  Overall, during the weekday count, 221 vehicles were parked in the study area, resulting in an average occupancy of 55% during the entire 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. study period.  The daytime period (7 a.m. � 5 p.m.) showed 219 vehicles in the available spaces, or 54% occupancy.  The evening hours from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m. indicated an average occupancy of 225.3 vehicles for 56% occupancy. 

While these data may initially imply that there is adequate on-street parking in the downtown area, a closer look at selected streets leads to a different conclusion.  For example, as illustrated on Figure 3, along San Fernando Boulevard between Olive Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard, occupancy rates often exceeded 84% in the daytime (occupancies greater than 85% are considered fully parked).  Furthermore, spaces along San Fernando Boulevard were occupied greater than 90% during the evening weekday hours.  These high occupancy rates reflect the desirability of on-street parking spaces along this core downtown street.

Table 2 provides the weekday turnover (the number of vehicles that use each space) and duration (the time a single vehicle remains parked) analyses for the on-street parking spaces in downtown area.  During the weekday count, 2,261 vehicles were recorded as parked in the available spaces.  The average vehicle turnover for these spaces was 5.58 times per space.  The total number of hours parked was 3,745 hours, which calculates to an average of 1.66 hours for all of the area counted. 

Looking at selected specific streets, along San Fernando Boulevard between Olive Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard, the spaces turned over more than 9.57 times per space, with an average parking duration ranging from 1.26 to 1.50 hours.  This duration was occurring even though these spaces are signed for 1-hour time limited parking, indicating that some people are ignoring the time limits knowing that the risk of enforcement is relatively low.  Also of note was along one block of Palm Avenue between 1^st Street and Bonnywood.  This block had no time limit restrictions, and vehicles were found parked there for an average duration of 5.42 hours.  These long parking durations, along with field observations that some vehicles were moved from one space to another throughout the day, indicate that long-term parkers such as employees are using these prime spaces.

Table 3 presents the weekend daytime and nighttime occupancy data for on-street parking spaces in the original 12-block study area.  The average occupancy over the 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. period was 218 vehicles, which is 54% occupancy.  The daytime (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) average occupancy was 185.2 vehicles, or 46%, and the weekend evening occupancy was 247.3 vehicles, or 61% occupancy.

Similar to the weekday situation, sections of San Fernando Boulevard between Olive Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard had the highest occupancy, with percentages greater than 84% during both daytime and evening weekend hours.  In addition, Palm Avenue and Angeleno Avenue from 1^st Street to San Fernando Boulevard also experienced significant occupancies during the evening hours.  Conversely, almost all cross streets between Glenoaks and 3^rd Street experienced low occupancies during the daytime and evening hours on weekends.

Table 4 provides the weekend duration and turnover analysis for on-street spaces in the original study area.  During the weekend, the total number of vehicles parked on the street was 2,010 vehicles, which was lower than the weekday count of 2,261 vehicles.  The turnover during the weekend was also lower, with 4.96 vehicles using each space, compared to the weekday turnover of 5.58 vehicles per space.  The total vehicle hours were also lower, with 3,451 hours on the weekend compared to 3,745 hours on a weekday. However, the average duration was higher on the weekend of 1.72 hours compared to 1.66 hours during weekdays.  The longer duration likely reflects the lack of (or limited) enforcement of parking time-restriction regulations on the weekends.

Off-Street Parking Data Analysis.  Seven parking structures (A, G, H, M, N, P, and C) with a combined total of 2,313 public parking spaces and nine parking lots (B, D, E, F, I, J, L, O, and Q) with 645 public parking spaces were included in the data collection effort.  The combined total of off-street public parking spaces is 2,958. 

Table 5 presents the weekday hourly occupancy data, respectively, for the downtown public parking structures.  Overall, the data indicate that most of these structures seldom reached an occupancy of greater than 65% during the weekday daytime period, and did not exceed 85% occupancy during the weekday evening hours.  The exception was Structure N, with occupancies topping 100% during the weekday evening.  This structure was serving an evening entertainment venue (now closed) when the field data were collected.  Occupancies exceeding 100% reflect vehicles entering a structure when it is full, and either searching in vain for a space then leaving, or waiting in the structure until a parked vehicle leaves and a space becomes available.

Figure 4 shows a graphical representation of the overall occupancy pattern in downtown parking structures on a typical weekday.  The structures experienced a midday increase in parking occupancy due to lunchtime business at restaurants in the downtown area.  In addition, most structures experienced increased occupancies just prior to the opening of retail, restaurant and entertainment businesses, indicating the time when employees are arriving to work.  A second rise in occupancies is seen in the early evening hours as the dinner hour and movie-going times approach. This pattern is even more pronounced in the structures near San Fernando Boulevard.  For example, Figure 5 shows the occupancy pattern of Structure A with distinct midday and evening peaks well over 100%.

The weekend parking structure data are presented in Table 6.  Similar to the weekday counts, parking occupancies were greater in the structures during the evening hours than the daytime hours.  Also, some structures (A and C) reached or exceeded a 100% parking occupancy beginning around 12 noon on weekends.  The 100% or greater occupancy level continued in these structures for the balance of the day.  This situation resulted from a lack of access control equipment (i.e. gate arms), which allowed drivers to enter the facilities when the structures were full.  This occurred even if signs were placed at the entries indicating that the facility was full.

Data collected from public parking lots during the count period indicated that the average weekday occupancy of the lots was 42%, with an average weekend occupancy of 31%.

Parking Lot L is used as a valet location for an adjacent restaurant, resulting in higher occupancies.  Lot D is heavily used for city employee and visitor parking during the weekday time periods and for the Farmers Market each Saturday morning.  At other time periods, Lot D remained significantly underutilized.

Parking Study Conclusions

Parking Supply and Demand.  The data from the parking study indicate that the overall downtown parking inventory appears to be adequate.  However, the absence of an effective parking management plan to effectively utilize the existing inventory results in specific problem areas within the downtown area.  The area most affected is bounded by 1^st Street, Magnolia Boulevard, Olive Avenue, and 3^rd Street (Figure 6).

Employee Parking Impacts.  Within this core area, vehicles remain parked in on-street and off-street structure parking spaces longer than posted time limits and prime parking spaces are being occupied by employees of local area businesses.  This situation results in few, if any, parking spaces in some structures being available for customers and visitors.  Furthermore, employees often park in the first available parking spaces in the structures, thus forcing customers to drive to the top or bottom of these facilities.  Extensive outreach and educational programs to encourage employees to use the monthly permit program and move to outlying structures have not been particularly effective since the program is voluntary.

Prime, Peak Parking Spaces.  Once prime parking spaces in the structures, lots, and on-street spaces fill with employees, the area is further affected by visitors� vehicles queuing along streets and within structures waiting for parking spaces to become available.  The proposed wayfinding signage system is designed to assist visitors in finding parking facilities, but without parking access control equipment at structure entrances and exits, driver patterns are unlikely to change, and drivers will continue to ignore �full� signs and enter facilities with hopes of finding a parking space.

The current parking situation results in air quality issues, traffic congestion, and driver frustration to the point that some visitors leave the downtown area with vows never to return.  The parking situation is causing the downtown area to become economically impacted due to the limited parking space availability in prime locations during peak times. Yet, on-street parking spaces, and off-street lots and structures just one or two blocks away from the core area maintain occupancies of less than 60% (most are less than 40% occupancy) during these same peak demand periods.

Enforcement.  The current time-limit regulations are ineffective given the occupancy levels in the core area and the laborious efforts needed to adequately enforce time-limit regulations.  The parking control officer who writes the citation for expired time must be the same officer who initially chalked the tires.  In addition, no time-limit regulations exist for on-street spaces after 6 p.m. during the weekdays or at any time on the weekends.  Therefore, there is no enforcement of parking time limits during these periods, so employees and others can park for extended periods in prime on-street spaces.

Summary.  While the current time-limit regulations of the existing downtown parking management system have served the City well in the past, the economic success of the recent redevelopment efforts have brought more visitors and shoppers into the downtown area, creating new parking challenges.  The downtown area has now reached a density and desirability that draws more people, and the City�s parking policies, operational strategies, and parking management resources need to be modified to respond to the changing patterns of visitors, customers, and employees.

A number of benefits will result from modifying the existing system and implementing a more effective downtown parking management plan.  These benefits include:

• Shifting employees out of desirable, prime parking spaces has the effect of building a 500-space parking structure in the core downtown area where employees currently park.

• Freeing up prime parking spaces closer to customers� destinations reduces frustration, vehicle queuing, air quality impacts, traffic congestion, and the potential for traffic accidents in the downtown area.

• Increasing the availability of prime parking spaces fosters continued economic growth by allowing additional customers to visit Downtown Burbank � the economic cap currently being imposed by customers� difficulty in finding parking would be lifted.

• Implementing a �customer friendly� parking system addresses the current negative enforcement program and encourages more efficient turnover of prime parking spaces through a system of paid parking and parking fee validation..

• Creating a revenue stream allows financial self sufficiency for the downtown parking area to provide improved infrastructure maintenance and enhanced public parking facilities, services, security, and amenities.

Recommended Parking Management Strategies

To effectively manage the existing parking resources and to position the City for future parking demands in the downtown area, it is recommended that the City fully develop and implement a comprehensive parking management plan that addresses three key elements: 1) on-street parking, 2) off-street parking, and 3) employee parking.  Given the current parking situation in Downtown Burbank, it is important that this plan move forward in a timely manner to remove the economic cap that has been imposed on the area due to a perceived lack of convenient parking.  Further delays in addressing the critical parking issues in Downtown Burbank will only continue to cause visitors to go elsewhere seeking alternate entertainment venues to avoid the parking issues and challenges experienced in Downtown Burbank.

It is also critical to the success of Downtown Burbank to address each of the three elements simultaneously.  Otherwise, parking issues and demands will shift from one area to another without any real resolution.  For example, if an on-street program is implemented without an off-street or employee parking program, then parking demands and problems will be shifted and intensified in parking structures.  Likewise, if a parking program is implemented for employees, but no program is implemented in on-street spaces, long-term parkers and employees will begin to park in the on-street spaces, thus not allowing visitors to have access to local businesses along the streets.

Listed below are the highlights of each of the modified parking management plan.  This list provides only a summary � detailed implementation plans will need to be developed for each element.

On-Street Parking Plan Highlights

• The on-street parking program should be designed to recognize on-street parking as the highest �real estate� asset in the downtown area, and should reflect that spaces for on-street spaces should be managed for high turnover, short-term use for visitors and customers, rather than employees.

• On-street passenger loading zones and opportunities for managed valet parking should be included in the on-street parking program.

• Parking regulation hours should be extended in the downtown area to match parking occupancy demands and area business operating hours � i.e., 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12 midnight, Friday through Sunday. 

• Parking regulation hours should be extended to 7 days per week except holidays to match operating hours of downtown businesses and parking demands.

• Given the utilization, occupancy, and turnover of spaces, parking meters are recommended as the parking management device for on-street spaces rather than current time-limit regulations and signage.

• Current parking time limits should be evaluated with the implementation of parking meters to balance the parking demands between on-street spaces and off-street spaces.

• Parking meter rates should be established based on surrounding municipalities and local commercial off-street rates.  On-street parking spaces are the highest real estate value in a parking program and thus should be the highest priced.  This will serve to discourage longer term parkers from using the spaces as well as employees.  Market-valued parking rates will also encourage high parking turnover, allowing more visitors to have access to local businesses.

• Parking enforcement fees for expired meters and exceeding parking time limits should be evaluated to ensure that they serve as an appropriate behavioral modification tool.  A parking enforcement rate study should be conducted to ensure that fines and penalties compare in a similar manner to surrounding municipalities.

Off-Street Parking Plan Highlights

• The off-street parking program should be designed to provide an inventory of spaces for longer term users. 

• The off-street parking program should allow downtown businesses to offer discounted or validated parking programs, if desired.  Such programs would allow businesses to �validate� parking for discounted parking or increased time for parking with a minimum purchase.  This system will continue to offer �free� or reduced parking to visitors to Downtown Burbank, which is consistent with the area�s marketing plan that promotes free parking.

• Parking access and revenue control system (PARCS) equipment should be installed in parking structures to manage and control parking.  Pre-paid and/or central cashiering options should be considered to expedite parking facility exiting.

• Parking lots should be equipped with �pay and display� equipment or �pay by space� equipment to provide a means for parking control in the lots.

• Parking rates should be set at market value for the area and may include lower rates during the first 60-90 minutes of customer parking.  Since parking demand is fully established and parking facilities experience high usage, free time should not be offered to parking patrons.

• A parking rate study should be undertaken to determine �market� parking rates in commercial parking facilities in Burbank as well as in surrounding municipalities for both public and private parking facilities.

• Parking rates should be established to balance parking demands.  On-street parking rates should be established to encourage and maintain short-term, high turnover use of spaces.  Parking structures rates should be established to encourage longer term parking use.  Pricing tiers may also be used to shift parking demand from prime locations to areas away from the congested areas such as parking structure A and C.

• Parking revenues generated from off-street parking lots and structures and on-street spaces may be used to cover capital expenditures for parking access and revenue control equipment, meters, multi-spaces machines in the lots, smart signage, etc.  The revenues also should cover operating and maintenance expenses of the facilities, lots, spaces and program services.  After the initial implementation of the program, parking revenues may be sufficient to support other improvements, programs in the downtown or additional parking facilities.

• Parking agreements and/or development agreements made with the Burbank Town Center mall owners and others should be modified to allow the Center�s management to manage their parking resources and charge parking fees, if desired, in a similar manner to the rest of Downtown Burbank.

• The proposed AMC Phase II garage should be constructed as soon as possible to relieve some of the parking demands in the core downtown area.  The new garage should contain adequate entrance and exit lanes for parking inventories planned.  The entry/exit lane configuration should be designed to accommodate parking access control equipment.  Additionally, channeling of entries and exits to allow entrances on one side of the garage and exits on another will assist in reducing on-street congestion and the dwell time for exiting the garage. 

• The Smart Signage program should be delayed and coordinated with the installation of parking access control equipment in the garages.  This will eliminate repetitive and redundant vehicle counting systems resulting in a more cost effective equipment purchase.

Employee Parking Plan Highlights

• The employee parking program should be designed to offer reasonably convenient long-term parking outside the most desirable, prime parking areas that should be reserved for customers

• The employee parking program should direct employees to the less utilized areas such as Structures M and P as well as lots F, B, D, and Q during peak demand periods.

• Employees should be issued parking access cards and/or debit cards that monitor and control parking assignments and parking locations.

• If employee parking is allowed in parking facilities located in the prime demand areas of the core downtown area, assignments should be limited in quantity and not allowed during the peak parking periods, which are weekday evening hours and weekend day and evening hours.

• Monthly parking fees should be revised to reflect market rates for area parking facilities and surrounding municipalities.

• To provide incentives to employees to relocate to underutilized parking areas, parking rate tiers may be used as an incentive.  For example, prime parking facilities will have limited availability and the highest prices for parking.  More distant locations may offer lower prices to employees for monthly parking, and may even be free for the most remote parking locations.

• Part-time employees should also be assigned parking in designated locations.  Parking access and parking pricing for part-time employees can be provided through debit cards, which charge only for frequency used and time parked.

POTENTIAL Parking Management Plan Implementation Schedule

Implementation of a parking program requires a number of tasks to be completed, including: development of parking policies and regulations; changes in the Burbank Municipal Code; development of a paid-parking financial pro forma; evaluation of staffing needs; and parking equipment design, bidding, and installation.  In addition, a comprehensive education and outreach program is needed to communicate the program goals and logistics with employers, employees and the general public.  Throughout this process, staff will be returning to City Council for approval of the various implementation steps.

It is projected, that given adequate resources to implement the program, that the initial implementation of the program could begin within nine to 12 months for most of the program.  A fully developed program with adjustments and modifications will require at least a year to implement.

FISCAL IMPACT

The cost to complete the detailed Downtown Parking Management Plan is estimated to be $65,000, which has been funded by the Redevelopment Agency.

RECOMMENDATION

Note and file.

Tables and Figures:

Table 1 � Weekday: On-Street Parking Occupancy

Table 2 � Weekday: On-Street Parking Turnover & Duration Analysis

Table 3 � Weekend: On-Street Parking Occupancy

Table 4 � Weekend: On-Street Parking Turnover & Duration Analysis

Table 5 � Weekday: Parking Structure Hourly Occupancy Analysis

Table 6 � Weekend: Parking Structure Hourly Occupancy Analysis

Figure 1 � Downtown Parking Management Area

Figure 2 � Parking Study Area

Figure 3 � San Fernando Blvd. Weekday On Street Parking Occupancy

Figure 4 � Weekday Overall Structure Occupancy

Figure 5 � Weekday Structure A vs. Overall Occupancy Pattern

Figure 6 � Downtown Parking Core Area

go to the top