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Presentation of Downtown South San Francisco Parking Garage Number 2 site concept at 201 Baden Avenue. (Justin Lovell, Public Works Administrator, Public Works Department)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Housing Subcommittee of the City Council and Planning Commission receive a presentation on the Downtown South San Francisco Parking Garage Number 2 site concept at 201 Baden Avenue.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
In December 2014, the City received a grant through the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG) to study current and future parking needs within the downtown Priority Development Area (PDA), as well as potential impacts of new development spurred by the Downtown Station Area Specific Plan. The consultants conducting the study, CDM Smith (Consultant), reviewed existing parking conditions, and forecasted parking demand in the short-term (three-year period) and long-term (ten-year period). The parking study found that by 2026 an additional 228 parking spaces in the downtown would be needed during the lunch hour, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., and during the dinner rush, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
As part of the Fiscal Year 2017-18 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the City Council approved Parking Garage Number 2 planning as a CIP project. Staff contracted with Kimley Horn to conduct the planning phase of a new downtown parking garage. Part of the planning phase was to validate the parking occupancy results of the 2016 parking study and then assist staff with recommending the best site for a second parking garage in the downtown.
The occupancy study was conducted on one weekday and one Saturday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. The Kimley Horn study found that the peak trends followed the 2016 study and saw a higher level of occupancy than what was found in 2016. Based on the parking occupancy data they determined that the second garage would be best located south of Grand Avenue.
Kimley Horn also evaluated the impact of parking demand an upgraded Caltrain station. They found that while ridership at the South San Francisco may increase with a new station, the new riders would most likely walk to the station and would have a minimal impact on parking demand.
The planning process to identify the second parking garage iis still ongoing, and there is no identified site yet. However, understanding that the proposals for sale and development of 201 Baden Avenue have been received, staffs wanted to first determine if the Old Fire Station at 201 Baden would be a suitable location for the parking garage. Kimelley Horn evaluated the site (see attachment 1) and found that is not ideal because it could only provide approximately 162 additional parking spaces, well short of the 228 that would be needed by 2026.
Below is the site evaluation for 201 Baden Avenue:
Key Attributes
• One entry/exit location off Baden Avenue on the north side of the garage.
• ±20,000 square foot site footprint.
• Two east-west oriented parking bays with standard (8.5 foot by 18 foot) 90-degree parking spaces.
• Two internal parked-on ramps along both parking bays at a grade of approximately 6.0%.
• Four levels (one at-grade level, three elevated levels) of parking providing approximately 162 parking spaces. Note that this total does not account for loss of spaces due to motorcycle and bicycle parking and utility and storage rooms.
Issues and Other Considerations
• Approximate number of parking spaces that the site can provide falls short of the 228 spaces needed.
• Site is located further away from the main downtown area and area of highest parking demand, which may result in a lower garage usage.
• Due to the size of the lot, end bay parking could not be accommodated in the garage. This is due to the length of ramp that was needed to minimize the grade in order to be parked on ramps. The lack of end bay parking decreases the efficiency of the garage.
• The old fire station building would need to be demolished for this garage to be constructed, and would add significant cost to the project.
CONCLUSION
Kimley Horn’s study determined that 201 Baden Avenue is not the best location for the Parking Garage Number 2. Staff will continue to work with Kimley Horn to evaluate other potential locations that would better accommodate the estimated future parking demand.
Attachments:
1. 201 Baden, Old Fire Station Parking Garage Concept
2. PowerPoint Presentation