Revised Parking Plan Position

NOB HILL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
NW PARKING PLAN POSITION – Updated December 20, 2011

To avoid any misinterpretation and to resolve any confusion that may have resulted from our previous statement, we wish to clarify our position:

The Nob Hill Business Association does not support the current NW Parking Plan for the following reasons:

1.    Our membership has clearly expressed their opposition to the Plan at Public  Meetings and through emails and phone calls to the Association.

2.    There are stakeholders that have not been heard.

  • Many institutions were not represented on the SAC committee, such as public and private schools, apartment owners, renters, service providers, and commercial property owners.
  • When the SAC Committee extended the boundaries to avoid overspill, the affected stakeholders were not invited to the committee.
  • Some SAC committee members have resigned leaving a lack of proper representation on the Advisory Committee.
  • Some of the businesses and institutions may realize a hardship with the 85% FTE Permit Allowance.
  • Some of the institutions and non-profit groups may realize a hardship with the Permit Fees.

3.    Now is the wrong time to create new barriers for customers to visit our businesses.

Nob Hill has recently been affected by a major construction project that has driven customers to others areas.  We are only now getting customers to come back to the pre-construction levels.
The installation of meters and limited parking during the current economic downturn will further deter our customers from shopping at our businesses.

4.    The current plan puts Nob Hill at a disadvantage with competing shopping areas.

Unlike other areas with a high density of businesses and residences there is no significant off street parking structure in the Nob Hill District that accommodates the long term user.  This Parking Plan, using meters and limited parking , has no option for extended parking.  If someone wants to shop or dine beyond a 3-hr. limit, they must move their vehicle.  Most of the parking structure sites referred to in the Plan will not be developed.  Even if they are developed, we would only add 650 spaces.

The area businesses do not want to be the first “neighborhood” to have meters.  To avoid an unfair competitive disadvantage for our business district, we want a definite plan in place to install meters/parking limits in other like areas at the same time the meters are installed in Nob Hill.