Four-level parking garage downtown? Four-level parking garage downtown? (April 27, 2005)

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

A four-level parking garage with one of the levels below ground -- that's the vision Menlo Park city officials are focusing on as they move toward building a garage downtown.

After a consultant mapped out a flurry of possibilities, the Menlo Park City Council managed, for the most part, to agree on one on April 19. Their choice is estimated to cost about $10.7 million and have a total of 532 parking spaces. It would be built on Plaza 3, located on the north side of Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive.

Wider than the current parking stalls, the new stalls would be 8.5 feet by 18 feet and built at 90-degree angles.

The other garage options ranged from two to five levels. Some included commercial space, but the council rejected that idea. When you include businesses in a parking garage, Mayor Mickie Winkler said after the meeting, you simply have less room for cars.

"The numbers don't support commercial space," she said. "I'm very content that we're making a good choice here."

Ms. Winkler said she'd pondered an $11.8 million, 592-space plan with commercial space and five stories, but decided against it. Such a high structure, she said, might be "a little unpalatable" to suburban residents.

Redwood City consultant Watry Design Inc. conducted the study at a cost of $50,000.

At the meeting, Councilman Andy Cohen was the dissenting voice, questioning why Plaza 3 had been the one chosen for a garage. The council made that decision before he was elected last fall.

Mr. Cohen said he would have preferred to look at a plaza closer to the train station and El Camino Real. The other council members did not join him, and Councilwoman Lee Duboc pointed out that Plaza 3 has an added financial incentive.

The Church of Pioneers Foundation, which supports the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and other religious groups, has been in discussions with city officials about contributing some money toward building a garage on Plaza 3. That plaza neighbors the church, which has experienced tremendous growth and is seeking more parking.

"There's an opportunity for partnership," Ms. Duboc said.

Councilwoman Kelly Fergusson joined with her colleagues in favoring the four-level option, but voiced some trepidation about having a city partner with a religious institution.

Resident Lou Deziel, a planning commissioner, told the council he agreed with building the garage on Plaza 3, saying this more remote location would be an excellent place for employee parking. That would leave the more popular "hot zones," the central parking plazas, open for shoppers, he said.
What's next

The council may have focused on one model, but there is still much work to be done. Next steps include a traffic study and preliminary environmental work, public works director Kent Steffens wrote in a staff report.

And, of course, there's the question of how to pay for the garage.

A financial feasibility study will need to be done by an analyst specializing in municipal parking, Mr. Steffens wrote. Besides a partnership with the Church of Pioneers Foundation and other private groups, possible funding sources could include a parking assessment district in which businesses contribute.

Ms. Winkler said local merchants might be willing to take part because more parking could improve their business. In addition, some merchants may have wanted to expand their operations but could not because they didn't have adequate parking, she added.
INFORMATION

For a copy of the staff report, go to menlopark.org, click on "City Council" and go to the April 19 agenda.

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