Nealon Park Satellite Permit Parking

This entry was posted in Uncategorized on by

Menlo Park should seriously consider building satellite permit parking AND reducing downtown permit parking. Together these two strategies could create hundreds of new short term parking spaces, and the flexibility them as needed.

Nealon Park Example

There are about 155 public parking spaces at Nealon Park and another 25 could easily be added at a small cost. Currently the existing parking spaces are used during weekdays by Little House participants and employees, residents of adjacent multi-unit apartments*, and park users.

* Note: There are 18 multi-unit apartment buildings adjacent to Nealon Park and another 10 on the north side of Roble, and they all have gate access to Nealon parking. At least HALF of the 155 existing spaces are routinely used by residents during weekdays.

A potential near term solution:

  • Add about 25 new parking spaces
  • Dedicate 50 of the 180 spaces for free daily permit-only parking
  • Use a lottery to select these permits
  • Run a regular free shuttle during commute times
  • Monitor success and impacts; make adjustments as needed.

A potential medium term solution:

  • Add more permit parking spaces by requiring Little House employees and volunteers to park on Roble and use the gate to walk short distance to the senior center. Seniors would not be effected.
  • Reduce the number of downtown parking permits.

In both cases some apartment residents would likely be displaced from the Nealon parking lot during the day but could still be permitted to park at other times. Menlo Park is not obliged to provide them unlimited free daytime parking.

Cost-Benefit Impact:

Avoid parking structure cost of 50 x $40,000 = $2 million.

(Earlier) economic benefits to downtown retailers: Unknown.

Implementation: TBD (50 x $2500 = $125,000???)

Cost of Shuttle: TBD

Cost of lost permit revenue: 50 x $500 = $25,000/year

 

 

Other Satellite Parking Possibilities

There are also estimated 150 to 200 parking spaces in privately owned parking lots within a half mile of downtown that are rarely used on weekdays between 8 am and 5 pm. Perhaps the owners would allow the City to use them for permit parking if the owners received a fair amount of revenue untaxed by the City.

  • $500 x 100 spaces = $50,000/year for an under-utilized asset.
  • Avoid parking structure cost of 100 x $64,500 = $6.5 million.

Leave a comment