By Clarence Cromwell
Now that Los Gatos has a proposal to tackle the shortage of parking spaces downtown, the Town Council must figure out what to do with money the plan might generate through parking fees.
If it sets permanent fees, that is.
The Downtown Parking Improvement Plan, drawn up by Director of Building and Engineering Services Scott Baker, would generate an estimated $1.45 million a year by charging for parking at town-owned lots. The town would use most of the money to build a new parking garage and to cover the costs of collecting the fees and issuing parking stubs. But that might leave the town with a surplus up to $500,000, Baker said.
Councilmembers would only try the fees, if they're adopted, for a test period. Parking fees would only become permanent if popular with the public.
Nevertheless, opinions on how to spend potential parking money were plentiful at the council's July 15 public hearing.
A representative of the business community asked the town not to take the downtown parking money and spend it in other areas. Some councilmembers, however, said parking money might be appropriately used for street repairs or other public improvements around town.
Kurt Lemons, owner of Upstream Flyfishing, spoke to the council on behalf of the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of
Commerce parking subcommittee, bringing four concerns before the council, including the issue of how to spend the parking revenue.
Lemons said the town should use parking money to improve the downtown business district.
"Don't tell me you're going to take this money and fix potholes across town," Lemons said.
Before the meeting, Lemons told the Los Gatos Weekly-Times any plan that spends excess money outside the downtown business district will be difficult for businesses to swallow because many of them paid--or still pay--for construction of parking district spaces the town would be charging fees on.
Lemons suggested charging low parking fees and putting any excess money into the downtown streetscape plan, proposed to beautify downtown.
"I'd be irate if they were being spent on infrastructure townwide," Lemons said.
"If they're charging for parking to build parking, I'm a little interested. But if they're charging for parking to take care of the general fund shortages, I'm concerned," Lemons concluded.
Though he's also a member of the town Parking Commission, Lemons emphasized that he was speaking only for the chamber.
Councilmembers registered a number of differing opinions on how to use the funds.
Councilmember Patrick O'Laughlin said the town should only use parking funds to pay for the necessary parking improvements. And he favored the option of allowing businesses to buy a limited number of the spaces, which would allow them to upgrade their shops to handle and attract more customers. The town policy currently prohibits such upgrades because of the shortage of parking spaces.
Councilmember Steve Blanton agreed with those options, but said the council should use some of the money to improve streets around town, although a little could probably be spent on the downtown streetscape.
"Everybody from all over town is coming downtown and paying into the system," Blanton said. "So why should we spend all of the money in the downtown area?"
Linda Lubeck said she might agree to spending some of the money to fix streets, but only in the downtown area.
Joanne Benjamin, who has said she opposes parking fees, reminded the audience that the town would only be conducting a test to see if fees for parking work.
About 10 Los Gatos residents raised various questions about the parking plan. Only one speaker opposed it outright.
The chamber's other three concerns, conveyed by Lemons, were apparently simpler than the question of how to spend parking funds.
Lemons said the amount charged for employee parking passes should be considered carefully because many downtown employees earn the minimum wage, and employers who want to buy the passes won't be able to afford them if the cost is too high.
Town Manager Dave Knapp has said that one benefit of charging for parking will be the ability to control how heavily individual parking lots are used by raising or lowering rates. Drivers would pay a premium for heavily used lots, or could save money by walking a few blocks from a more distant lot.
Teri Hope, owner of the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company, volunteered to test the idea of employee parking permits.
Lastly, Lemons cautioned the town against starting a validated parking program because many businesses would be unable to afford parking for their regular customers or would feel awkward refusing validation to a regular customer making a small purchase.
The Town Council plans a series of public hearings on the parking plan.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, July 24, 1996.
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