Santa Rosa mulls higher rates for high-demand downtown parking areas

Santa Rosa is once again considering charging more for parking in high-demand areas downtown, a move that officials say is meant to drive quicker turnover in spaces, ensuring visitors can easily find parking close to their destination.

The step, advanced seven years ago but not implemented amid significant opposition from retailers and residents, is spurred in part by the impending arrival of commuter rail service later this year, which is expected to draw additional visitors and commuters to the busy Railroad Square area.

“The real goal of this is to make parking as easy and convenient for people as possible,” said Kim Nadeau, the city’s parking coordinator.

The city has hired a San Francisco-based traffic consulting firm to study so-called “progressive” or “demand responsive” parking policies in downtown.

A similar effort in 2009 encountered stiff opposition to rate hikes for high-traffic areas or for the busiest times of day, like the lunch rush.

But since then, many cities have implemented such policies and people are generally more accepting of the idea, especially when it results in parking spaces being freed up, Nadeau said.

There’s a lot of work yet to be done, including a public meeting in the works for later this month, the analysis of recent interviews with downtown merchants, residents and the crunching of data from an ongoing online survey.

But the most likely outcome of the work would be the establishment of different downtown parking zones, with premium rates for high-demand areas and lower rates in less utilized ones, Nadeau said.

How much the rates would go up or down would depend on multiple factors, and wouldn’t likely be proposed until a report goes to the City Council in the fall, she said. On-street parking in downtown is currently $1 per hour between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., with lower rates in garages.

The zone concept seems the most likely scenario because it is simpler than changing rates based on the time of day, which some cities like San Francisco do, Nadeau said.

“That just seems overly complicated for a city like ours at this point,” Nadeau said.

The goal of establishing premium zones would not be to increase overall parking revenue, but to encourage faster turnover of parking spaces, making it more convenient for people to find parking near their downtown destinations, she said.

Similarly, a reduction in rates in economy areas could serve those drivers interesting in paying less and increase parking in underutilized areas, she said.

Lauren Mattern, a traffic analyst with Nelson/Nygaard, the San Francisco firm hired to study the measure, said initial indications are that Santa Rosa drivers place a high value on convenience.

“People want convenient parking close to their destination. That seems to be trumping other concerns,” she said.

Cities like Berkeley have implemented demand-based parking zones and have found them successful precisely because they open up parking spaces in high-demand areas, she said.

The company has been tasked with analyzing the prospects for demand-based parking throughout the downtown, and also with drafting a separate Railroad Square parking management plan, she said.

That plan will take a close look at the likely demand for parking around the future SMART station. A key challenge for the study is that rail service isn’t set to begin until the end of the year, Mattern noted.

“Railroad Square certainly has some of biggest changes coming to it,” she said.

Another way the city is considering dealing with the parking demand around the station is to provide a shuttle bus to run between the station and a parking garage on Seventh Street, but those details have yet to be ironed out.

In addition to the station, three significant housing developments are proposed near Railroad Square, which could put further pressure on existing parking in the area, Nadeau noted.

Bernie Schwartz, owner of California Luggage on Fourth Street, said downtown merchants have historically been divided over the city’s parking policies. Some advocate free parking to spur downtown visitors and others, like him, believe customers are willing to pay for convenient parking.

He declined, however, to say how he would feel about his business being located in a premium parking zone.

Schwartz called the issue of downtown parking a “landmine-strewn field.”

“It’s going to be really tricky however they proceed,” Schwartz said.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.