TITLE:
title
SECOND READING AND ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE TO APPROVE CODE AMENDMENT CO-2022-XX, AMENDING PORTIONS OF TITLE 10 OF THE COSTA MESA MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO PARKING BY PERMIT ONLY AND TO AUTHORIZE RELATED FEES
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DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT/ TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DIVISION
PRESENTED BY: RAJA SETHURAMAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
CONTACT INFORMATION: JENNIFER ROSALES, TRANSPORTATION SERVICES MANAGER, (714) 754-5343
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Give second reading to and adopt Ordinance No. 2022-04, to approve Code Amendment CO-2022-xx, amending portions of Title 10 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code (CMMC) pertaining to parking by permit only and to authorize related fees.
2. Approve revisions to Residential Permit Parking Program Guidelines and Policies.
3. Approve proposed Resolution No. 2022-xx to establish annual residential permit parking fees.
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BACKGROUND:
The Residential Permit Parking (RPP) program guidelines and policies were approved by the City Council on May 3, 2022 at its regular meeting. The guiding principles employed in the development of the City’s revised RPP program include:
• Equitable access: Develop equitable programs that appropriately balance the parking needs of all residents, businesses, and visitors, while enabling the on-street parking supply to serve the community fairly, and enhance access for all.
• Sustainable solutions: Implement financially sustainable strategies that modernize and streamline parking program management.
• Efficient program management: Create an efficient and adaptable parking system that is optimized for the City’s current needs, but can be incrementally updated and adjusted over time.
Key features of the new program include the following:
• RPP will be limited to areas experiencing external parking impacts from commercial areas, neighboring cities, Fairgrounds and recreational areas;
• There is no change in petition and staff review processes for RPP;
• All housing types within impacted areas are eligible for permits;
• One permit per eligible driver based on verification of residence and vehicle registration; and
• There will be an annual permit parking fee with an escalating rate structure.
At the May 3, 2022 regular meeting, City Council authorized staff and the City Attorney to initiate amendments to the Costa Mesa Municipal Code (CMMC) incorporating proposed changes to the Residential Permit Parking program and return to City Council for approval through a Public Hearing process. In addition, the City Council approved in concept the implementation of an annual residential parking permit fee with an escalating rate structure and discount for qualifying low-income residents.
The proposed Ordinance to amend portions of Title 10 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code (CMMC) pertaining to parking by permit only and to authorize related fees was introduced by first reading to the City Council on June 21, 2022 at its regular meeting.
ANALYSIS:
The Proposed amendments to Title 10 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code (CMMC) were developed to incorporate proposed changes to the Residential Permit Parking program. Based upon the motion made when the item was introduced at the City Council meeting on June 21, 2022, the proposed amendment has been revised to incorporate those changes for adoption.
The specific changes made during the June 21, 2022 City Council meeting, and incorporated into the Residential Permit Parking program guidelines and policies have been revised for review and consideration by the City Council. The guidelines and ordinance changes include the following:
• Define “Eligible Driver” and vehicle registration to address of dwelling.
• Add flexibility for special cases such as recent move-ins and borrowed vehicles.
• Work vehicles registered to a business address not matching the dwelling address do not qualify for a permit.
• Recommend a maximum number of permits per dwelling.
• Provide equitable access and permit fees.
The proposed changes to the CMMC pertain to Parking by Permit Only and to require the payment of related fees to be adopted by the City Council. A resolution with the proposed annual fees for the residential permit parking program has been prepared for consideration of establishing and adopting residential permit parking fees. The Citywide Residential Parking Permit Study recommending these fees was presented to the City Council at its regular meeting on May 3, 2022. Currently, the City of Costa Mesa does not recover any of the costs associated with parking permits. In order for the program to become financially sustainable and for the City to make investments in modernizing the program, an annual fee for residential parking permits is recommended. An escalating permit rate structure is recommended starting at $25 annually for the first permit. For households with multiple drivers, additional permits are recommended at a higher premium rate. A discounted rate option is recommended to qualifying low-income residents. The rate structure is similar to the rates in neighboring Southern California cities.
Staff recommends that residential parking permit fees be reviewed biannually to determine whether the City’s costs are being recovered and whether the cost structure is effective at discouraging excessive permits. In addition, the cost of providing ongoing enforcement to provide enough consistency and coverage to encourage compliance is recommended to be reviewed annually. These permit fees are aimed to make the RPP program cost-neutral, covering only the administrative costs necessary for the City to efficiently manage and enforce the program.
ALTERNATIVES:
One alternative would be to not approve the ordinance. However, this would result in the Council-approved residential permit parking program guidelines to be out of compliance with the CMMC.
Another alternative would be to not approve the proposed resolution to establish residential permit parking fees. However, this would result the program to not be financially sustainable and require additional City funds allocated to administer the program annually.
FISCAL REVIEW:
If the fee resolution is approved, the annual operating costs of administering the program are anticipated to be cost-neutral. Future operating costs will be funded by fees collected through the new RPP program.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed this report, prepared the proposed ordinance and the proposed resolution and approves them both as to form.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES:
This item supports the following City Council Goals:
• Achieve long-term fiscal sustainability.
• Strengthen the public’s safety and improve the quality of life.
• Advance environmental sustainability and climate resiliency.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Give second reading to and adopt Ordinance No. 2022-04 to approve Code Amendment CO-2022-xx, amending Article 3 of Title 10 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code (CMMC) pertaining to parking by permit only.
2. Approve revisions to the Residential Permit Parking Program Guidelines and Policies.
3. Approve proposed Resolution No. 2022-xx to establish annual residential permit parking fees.