2020.05.26 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF Memorandum Ordinance 875: Large Vehicle Parking Restrictions To: City Council From: Ben Gozola, Assistant Director DCAD Meeting Date: 5-26-20 INTRODUCTION Rights-of-way are intended for many purposes including but not limited to transportation needs (i.e. roads, sidewalks, & trails), utilities, snow storage, boulevard plantings, etc. Not included amongst this comprehensive list of uses is overflow parking for large vehicle operators which should be confined to adjacent private property. A frequent complaint received by the City (which is shared by public safety and public works staff) is that many businesses utilizing large vehicles have become accustomed to expanding their operations into adjacent ROWs such that on- street parking is often dominated by semis, semi-trailers, or related large vehicles. This use of the public right-of- way for overflow parking creates several concerns:  Access issues for surrounding businesses. One area has received multiple complaints from a business whose workers must navigate tight driving lanes and difficult sightline conditions due to semis & semi- trailers from an adjacent business lining the street.  Narrows driving lanes unnecessarily. Roads are often designed to allow for both travel and parking lanes, but may not have been designed for the impact of significant on-street parking of large vehicles which can narrow driving lanes and make turning movements for emergency vehicles more difficult.  Eliminates on-street parking for standard vehicles (i.e. customers & workers).  Allows companies to conduct an amount of business in excess of their site size.  Creates a random/unsightly look in these corridors depending on the condition of the vehicles parked in the ROW. Currently, the only restrictions against this type of parking are a prohibition against on-street parking during the hours of 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., and the six-hour limitation for continuous parking during all other hours. Neither of these regulations is routinely enforced as the status of stationary vehicles in the City is rarely a top priority for the City’s limited public safety resources. Accordingly, staff identified two potential solutions to this long-standing problem: 1) sign the corridors with the greatest number of problems “no parking,” OR 2) Prohibit on-street parking specifically of large vehicles. After internal discussion on the available options, staff believes the best course of action is #2 as it will preserve on-street parking for the types of vehicles the streets were designed for, and ensures no employee or resident parking issues will be created as a result of the new ordinance.