A Closer Look At Satellite Parking Opportunities In Menlo Park

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Last Update: July 15, 2018

Purpose

The City of Menlo Park is studying the idea of building a parking structure in one of the downtown parking plazas. A potentially more attractive alternative is (a) reducing the number of daily parking permits issued annually for parking in the plazas and (b) creating permit parking spaces in nearby remote parking lots that are served by a convenient shuttle service.

Potential Satellite Parking Lots
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There are between 550 and 675 existing parking spaces rarely used during the week within a mile of downtown Santa Cruz Avenue. A number of these idle spaces might be transformed into remote permit parking

The cost of leasing blocks of parking spaces might be a very attractive alternative to a new parking structure.

For example, if the leasing cost per space was $1,000/year, 100 spaces = $100,000/year = $1M over ten years

The City would need to provide insurance, security, usage management equipment.

The City could also either purchase or enter into a long term lease for the parcel at the corner of Oak Grove and Alma that is currently occupied by a 7-Eleven and J&J Hawaiian and re-purpose it for permit parking. This 2750 square foot parcel could provide 60 to 70 surface parking spaces. A second level might add another 50 to 60 spaces for a total of 100 to 130 spaces.

Satellite Parking Benefits versus Parking Structure

    1. Great flexibility re: parking space capacity in the face of uncertain demand
    2. Much less cost per parking space than a structure
    3. Preserves plaza space for other future uses
    4. Can be implemented much sooner, possibly in 2018
    5. Avoids disruption caused by parking structure construction, e.g. loss of 100 to 200 existing parking spaces – depending on plaza – for 18 months
    6. Can use Nealon as a low-cost trial to gain experience

Additional On-Street Short Term Parking Solutions

Convert 14 to 48 existing unrestricted street parking spaces to either short-term or permit parking

  • Up to 34 on the south side of Menlo Avenue
  • Up to14 on the north side of Oak Grove between University and Crane

Estimated Total Potential Parking

Satellite + Converted street = between 519 and 628 spaces +  between 34 and 48 spaces = 553 to 676 spaces

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