One of life’s universal truths seems to be that things can’t go wrong unless you have a plan, the explanation being that unless there’s a plan, how can you tell that something is not going according to that plan?

But, to the point! On April 13, 2006 the Los Angeles City Planning Commission will consider an ordinance amending the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan to create a pilot Community Parking District along a portion of Colorado Boulevard. The purpose of this pilot parking program is to revitalize Eagle Rock’s Main Street (or at least one of the main streets in Eagle Rock) while at the same time, addressing the parking needs of the businesses along Colorado Boulevard. Incentives are provided for the use of existing pedestrian scaled commercial buildings along portions of Colorado Boulevard within Eagle Rock by use of underutilized public and private parking as an alternative means of complying with city mandated parking requirements.

If successful, the proposed parking ordinance for Eagle Rock may be used as a model to facilitate the revitalization of many of the older neighborhood commercial villages throughout Los Angeles.

The proposed parking ordinance is based on a system developed by the City of Pasadena. That system allows businesses to buy into a pool of parking credits which represents the number of available spaces in City parking structures. The number of credits available for sale is a multiple of the number of parking spaces contained in the garages. Credits are tied to real spaces so that development is kept from outpacing the local supply of parking. In this manner the pedestrian orientation of the district is maintained and the small scale retail buildings are preserved. This has allowed smaller businesses to open that would not otherwise be able to afford to meet the on-site parking requirements.

In Eagle Rock, all existing public and privately owned parking spaces along Colorado Boulevard, between College View and Loleta Avenues and on Eagle Rock Boulevard Between Colorado Boulevard and Yosemite Drive were mapped and the number of spaces identified on each site. The LA City Planning Department then conducted a survey to determine the rate of utilization of the parking spaces, including metered and non-metered on-street spaces. It was found that at any given time between 8:00 a.m. and midnight approximately 45% of the total number of available spaces were unused.

The pilot program proposes to start with spaces controlled by the City, which consist of 467 metered and non-metered on-street spaces and 71 spaces on 3 city-owned parcels. The unused The Department of Transportation developed a credit system reflecting the different utilization rates for different times of the day. Businesses wishing to open on Colorado Boulevard would then buy the required number of credits based of the proposed use.

Of course, as we all know, the devil is in the details. The City staff recommendation for the cost of a parking credit is $200 per credit per year. The Department of Transportation calculated that the value of a credit should be $270 per credit per year. The City of Pasadena currently charges $130 per parking credit per year. The City staff report gives an example of a 2,000 square foot restaurant seeking to open on Colorado Boulevard operating 7 days and evenings per week needing to purchase 66 credits. This would cost that new restaurant $13,200 per year. In my opinion, this is on a par with what it would cost a property owner to apply for a variance for reduced parking, which, if granted, would be a one-time cost instead of an annual cost. One of the things we have heard is that the cost of applying for a variance or a Specific Plan Exception is one of the disincentives to new businesses opening along the Boulevards. And, all other things being equal, if a business pays $130 a year for a parking credit in Pasadena and has to pay $200 or more per year in Eagle Rock, why would they locate in Eagle Rock?

I think the City staff is to be complemented for working with ERCPR and its consultant, Civic Enterprise Associates in coming up with this pilot program. However, in order for it to have a fair chance of being successful, the cost of the parking credits needs to be in line with those of the City of Pasadena, if not less. A successful program will help continue the revitalization of Eagle Rock’s boulevards will assuring that parking demands of new businesses do exceed the supply of parking credits available.

I urge you to review the proposed parking plan and, if you can, to attend the City Planning Commission meeting. If you call City Staff with questions or to review the file, the case number is CPC 2006-1958-SP. The phone number for the Planning Commission Secretary is 213-978-1300 should you wish to make an appointment to review the file. We’ll keep you posted on the outcome of the public hearing. Let us know what you think!

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John Acevedo assisted in putting this edition of the e-letter together.