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HomeMy WebLinkAbout19D - PARKING PERMIT UPDATEREQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 2, 2018 TITLE: RECEIVE AND FILE — PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE PREFERENTIAL PERMIT PARKING PROGRAM (STRATEGIC PLAN NO. 7.6.e) RECOMMENDED ACTION CLERK OF COUNCIL USE ONLY: 0»0009.7 ❑ As Recommended ❑ As Amended ❑ Ordinance on 16' Reading ❑ Ordinance on 2nd Reading ❑ Implementing Resolution ❑ Set Public Hearing For CONTINUED TO FILE NUMBER Receive and file information related to process improvements for the Preferential Permit Parking program. DISCUSSION For many years, the City has had a permit parking program whereby residents may choose to reserve some on -street public parking adjacent to their property when there is an excessive number of vehicles intruding from other neighborhoods, nearby apartment complexes, or other high vehicle parking generators such as high schools. Section 36-490 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code authorizes the Public Works Executive Director to establish rules and procedures necessary or appropriate to implement the Preferential Permit Parking Program. The qualifying process involves two major phases: 1. The first phase involves a field observation to verify if there is a need to restrict parking. Field observations are generally conducted nighttime or very early in the morning. 2. If the field observation confirms the need for permit parking, then a formal petition is initiated whereby the majority of the block residents vote on the formation of permit parking. Accordingly, a permit district is enacted on a block by block basis, and each resident is issued a limited number of parking permits resulting in a greater likelihood of public parking spaces available for their use. For many years the process has worked satisfactorily and requests have been managed in a reasonable timeframe. Over the last few years, a combination of limited staff and greater vehicle densities has led to an unacceptable backlog of requests. Also, due to the many steps involved, the process has been taking about 9-12 months to be completed. 19D-1 Receive and File — Preferential Permit Parking Process Change October 2, 2018 Page 2 While staff has begun analyzing the program to make major changes to achieve long term effectiveness, there was an immediate need to relieve a backlog of about 100 applications which resulted in requests taking too long to process. As mentioned above, the permitting process includes nighttime field observations, notification & petition by residents, final approval and street signage modifications. After analyzing permit process data from the last two years, it was noted that about 80% of the requests pass the field observation phase and only 22% are approved by the residents as shown in the table below. Year Requests Passed Observation % of total Passed Petition /o of total 2016 165 135(82%) 33(20%) 2017* 140 108 77% 34(24%) Totals 305 243(80%) 67(22%) rntnes incivae onry [nose wnicn nave compietea petition process as of 8/31/18 Given these findings staff will bypass the field verification observation and move directly to the resident approval step which involves submittal of an interest form showing that at least 51 % of the block residents concur with the request along with photographs documenting the parking shortage. It is expected that the procedural changes will result in a significant reduction in the delay to implement permit parking applications, save staff time, and allow Public Works to provide better customer service by focusing on requests with a higher chance of success. This will also have a benefit of providing quick responsiveness by allowing the requestor to immediately initiate action and perform the petition phase. In addition, the staff workload and backlog is expected to be reduced by at least one half. There are currently 100 requests that were filed under the old procedures and have not been field verified yet. Those applicants will be given the opportunity to apply under the new process to expedite their permits. However, if the requestor chooses not to participate, the field observation will take place as originally planned. STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT Approval of this item supports the City's efforts to meet Goal #7 - Team Santa Ana, Objective #5 (create a culture of innovation and efficiency within the organization), Strategy E (identify best practices and opportunities for process improvement and automation across City departments in order to provide effective and efficient delivery of City services to the community). 19D-2 Receive and File — Preferential Permit Parking Process Change October 2, 2018 Page 3 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT There is no environmental impact associated with this action. FISCAL IMPACT no fiscal impact associated with this action. Fuad'S. ISweiss, PE, Executivp Director Public Vqorks Agency 19D-3 19D-4