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When parking saturation is reached, people start calling for moratoriums on further development. Planners, politicians, neighbors, and fellow businesses start demanding denial of proposed conditional use permits and design review approvals until the "parking problem" is solved. The Coming Parking Crunch Parking supply can still function adequately when parking is tight, because finding one space solves the problem for each driver. But, when parking saturation is reached, such as with no parking spot within two blocks, the customer may quit that venue, and alter shopping habits to avoid visiting that location. The Millard-Ball study in San Francisco cited below found that the probability of finding a parking space goes quickly to zero when average hourly occupancy exceeds 90 percent (2). A closer look at the Hexagon Parking Survey reveals just how bad the impending parking scarcity will become. Pastime Plaza: Parking Demand 23 spaces (Ord. req'mt) Public Spaces available: Within 1 block: 2.6 vacant spaces 1 to 2 blocks away: 24.5 vacant spaces* Total 27.1 vacant spaces rind. 9.8 spaces on dirt lot behind train station- Lot B ) When Pastime Plaza opens for business, every public parking space within two blocks will typically be occupied. Options? 1. Parking garage (e.g. on Bank of America lot). 2. Vest pocket parking lots near core (e.g. Spring Street lot shown on Downtown Specific Plan) 3. Shared parking arrangements on specific blocks (e.g. The parking assessment district on the block bordered by Division, St. Mary's, Peters and Main). 4. Put a price on downtown parking (as with parking meters). 5. For the longer term solution, expanded use of in lieu parking fees to later fund 1. and 2. above. Briefly, as a starting point for the Downtown Vitality Committee discussion: 4