Garage could mean parking relief -- and church growth Garage could mean parking relief -- and church growth (March 09, 2005)

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

Lorie Sinnott knows not to throw dinner parties on Saturdays. Sunday brunches are out, too.

That's life on Rose Avenue, which neighbors the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and the city's downtown.

About 15 years ago, Ms. Sinnott recalls, the parking crunch got really bad on her narrow avenue after the city started charging for permits in downtown plazas.

"We were filled up during the week, and then overwhelmed by the church on the weekend," she says. "You couldn't get two cars down the street (side by side), or a fire engine."

That's how Ms. Sinnott, who ran for the City Council last fall and currently sits on the Planning Commission, got into local politics. She and other neighbors worked with the church and city to get relief.

The result? Signs on Rose and Millie avenues and on Johnson Street prohibiting all parking from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday. That eases things for the church's immediate neighbors -- even though they can't park on their own streets during these times.

Ms. Sinnott, who was a church member growing up, says the church is a mixed bag for neighbors. There's the parking issue, but many folks are happy they can walk to services.

"People feel good about the church, but there's fairly constant activity there all week," Ms. Sinnott says, then adds matter-of-factly, "It's just the price we pay for living downtown."

Church officials are well aware that parking is one of their thorniest issues. With a city consultant looking into building a parking garage downtown, a solution may be at hand.

Last year, it became known that a foundation supporting the church and other religious groups was in talks with the city about donating money toward constructing a garage. The City Council then chose to focus on the garage site favored by the church, neighboring Plaza 3 on the north side of Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive.

Talks are continuing, and the Church of Pioneers Foundation is still open to kicking in an undisclosed amount of money, says Bill Frimel, church business manager and a foundation board member.

Besides housing overflow crowds from the Menlo Pres sanctuary, a garage could pave the way for more expansion, Mr. Frimel says.

Outside the Menlo Pres campus at 950 Santa Cruz Ave., the church also uses foundation-owned buildings at 1111 and 1177 University Drive, for offices and meetings. Church officials would like to rebuild them, but the buildings can't be enlarged now because of the limited parking, Mr. Frimel says.

Everything's in the early phases now, Mr. Frimel says. But down the road, church officials hope to create a plan laying out their goals for the University Drive properties, and present it to the city with the garage contribution.

"The plan would be publicly disclosed," Mr. Frimel says. "We'd want to make it attractive to the public."

Church officials think a garage near them would be a puzzle-piece fit with downtown. "The church would use it on evenings and at nighttime, when the business community would not need it," Mr. Frimel says.

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