Parking garages near top of city priority list Parking garages near top of city priority list (March 17, 2004)

** In the meantime, the council hopes to fix up Plaza 5, which seems to be in the worst shape.

By Rebecca Wallace
Almanac Staff Writer

Last week may have been sand castle weather, but in an air-conditioned meeting, members of the Menlo Park City Council were building virtual parking garages.

The concept, a perennial favorite among many downtown merchants craving more parking, is seeing new life with the business-friendly council. While approving a priority list of capital projects for fiscal year 2004-05, the council unanimously agreed March 9 to place a parking garage study near the top of the list.

Such a study would probably cost about $50,000 and be done by a consultant working with city staff, Public Works Director Kent Steffens said. It would give recommendations on the best size and location for one or more structures, as well as how they could be funded.

"It's appropriate to do this now in the economic downturn," Mayor Lee Duboc said. With a diminished need for parking, construction in the area wouldn't be as disruptive, she has said.

Downtown, the city owns and maintains eight parking plazas that collectively have about 1,100 parking spaces. At this point, Mr. Steffens said, the best cost estimate for a garage puts the project at $20,000 to $30,000 per space. The number of needed spaces hasn't yet been determined.

Fran Dehn, president and CEO of the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce, said there aren't yet enough details for the chamber to take a position on building garages, but added that she hoped the chamber could be involved in the study.

"We recognize that parking and traffic is a problem in downtown. Certainly we're going to be supportive of anything that relieves that," she said.

At this point, the study is just an item on a list, as the council wouldn't allocate any dollars for this purpose without approving the 2004-05 budget, which it is scheduled to do in June.

In the past, some residents have opposed parking garages, saying they could make the small downtown look more urban. Funding of this expensive project has also been an enduring concern, especially during the current economic slump.

Mr. Steffens said he doesn't yet know whether funding from Measure A, the county's half-cent sales tax for transportation projects, could be used.

The topic of repaving the existing downtown parking plazas also came before council members, who agreed to give high priority to fixing up Plaza Five, which seems to be in the worst shape. Any garage would likely be a few years away, so something should be done with this lot soon, Councilman Paul Collacchi said.

Plaza Five, bounded by Evelyn and Crane streets and Santa Cruz and Menlo avenues, is pockmarked by potholes and cracks in the asphalt, and tree roots push up the ground in places. Work on the plaza is estimated to cost $675,000.

In addition, the council agreed to look into charging a new fee to developers that would reimburse the city for road damage done by construction vehicles. Staff members will work to gauge public opinion on such a fee, which Mr. Steffens estimates could bring in $393,000 annually if charged at a rate of 0.66 percent of the building permit value.

Other cities that have similar road impact fees include Woodside, Atherton and Portola Valley.

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