Modesto to look at downtown parking

The conversation about how to fix parking downtown – including whether Modesto should charge for its most desirable street parking – is about to restart.

The Downtown Modesto Partnership’s board of directors voted last month to have DMP members meet with the city about parking. The problem – as outlined in a 2014 consultant’s report commissioned by the partnership – is the city’s parking incentives are backward.

Prime street parking in the downtown core is free while the city charges for its least-desirable parking in its four paid parking lots and three garages. It costs $1 an hour during the day and $78 for a monthly pass. So downtown workers park on the street to save money, making it difficult for visitors to find prime parking spots during peak hours.

It also contributes to traffic congestion because downtown streets have limits on how long people can park, typically two hours. That has created what is called the “two-hour shuffle,” as workers move their vehicles to avoid a $33 ticket for parking too long at one spot.

DMP Board Chairman Dave Gianelli said the goal is to change the parking incentives to create turnover for the most desirable street parking during peak hours to encourage more people to come downtown to eat, shop and take care of other business. Deputy City Manager Brent Sinclair said the city plans to meet with the DMP this month.

The parking study conducted by the San Francisco office of Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates recommends variable pricing for prime street parking, charging more during high demand to free up spots and charging nothing when demand is low. It also recommends charging progressively higher rates the longer someone parks in a prime parking spot during peak hours to increase turnover.

It also recommends reducing what the city charges at its parking lots or garages to encourage employees at downtown businesses to park there. The government workers at Tenth Street Place, the city-county administration center, park for free in those lots and garages, though the report states they may park on the street because it is convenient.

The report also recommends the city look at increasing the supply of public parking by entering into agreements with private parking lot owners to allow the public to use some of those sports. The report says downtown has plenty of parking but how the parking is used is out of balance.

Though the consultant’s study recommends the city consider paid street parking, Gianelli said the partnership needs to explain to the public why that is good for downtown and get support before pursuing that recommendation with the city.

“That’s certainly one of the recommendations,” he said. “We have to get the pulse of the community before we go to that position. It’s certainly one of the recommendations and will be looked at. But we need to do a lot of education.”

Parking meters or other forms of paid street parking for the downtown core during prime hours has the support of a least one downtown employee.

“I think it would be great,” said Juan Medina, who has been a waiter at Papachinos for about a dozen years. “We always get complaints (from customers). It is so hard for them to find a parking space. As a waiter, I get all the complaints.”

Several visitors to downtown said Tuesday that they like the recommendations and would not mind paying for street parking during peak hours if that meant they and others could find convenient parking along the street.

“I had to go around (the block) three or four times before I could find a spot,” Tommy Haar said. “It wouldn’t bother me (to pay for parking). I’ve put a lot of money in parking meters over the years (in other cities).”

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Modesto to look at downtown parking."