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Mr. Dolan stated that this all comes down to a reset of the community's willingness to walk <br />a walkable Downtown because right now, even in the busiest times, there actually are <br />parking spaces in the closer Transportation Corridor lot, and there are parking spaces in <br />Peters Avenue. He added that with very few exceptions, there is also available parking in <br />the City Hall lots almost all the time, except maybe when the Pleasanton Library has a big <br />event, during the First Wednesday events during the summer, but that is perceived by <br />many as too far to go. <br />Mr. Dolan stated that none of these opportunities to provide additional parking are in the <br />City's current Capital Improvement Program (CIP). He noted that they have brought <br />forward for consideration in the last couple of CIP rounds, but there were other priorities <br />that basically got the available funds. He added that certainly at some point, projects for <br />additional surface parking will be included. <br />Mr. Dolan stated that one of the challenges for a parking structure is having a decent size <br />lot because otherwise they are just not efficient. He indicated that the City does not have <br />the benefit of too many decent size lots, and it also does not have the benefit that <br />Livermore had of participating in redevelopment, which is how that structure was built. He <br />noted that therefore, even if the City had the funds, he was not quite sure that the City <br />would have the ideal location to put it right in the middle of the Downtown. <br />Chair Olson stated that the additional Transportation Corridor will help for additional surface <br />parking. He noted, however, that the City needs to be mindful that people come here to <br />Pleasanton's Downtown from out of town and that it is impossible to walk to the Downtown <br />from out of town. He added that if the City wants a vibrant Downtown, it will have to accept <br />the automobile and that vibrancy will hopefully involve people coming from out of town to <br />experience the City's Downtown. <br />Mr. Dolan stated that there are some things the City can do with signage to make sure that <br />everybody knows exactly where the parking lots are. He noted that it is not that far to walk <br />from Peters Avenue, where there is generally parking available. He indicated that another <br />thing that the City has not explored is something that Walnut Creek did at one point: it had <br />a big program that made a big push to convince some of the private lot owners who <br />currently chained their lots to make them available in the evening. He noted that that some <br />lots which were very well located were signed such that they were not available for parking, <br />but they were left open so people could use them. He noted that there were different levels <br />of seriousness about prohibiting parking there but that some sort of formal arrangement is a <br />possibility in the Downtown. <br />Chair Olson stated that he is not prepared to vote "no" on this item but that he just wants to <br />raise those points to get it in the record. He noted that not everybody is going to walk or <br />bicycle to Pleasanton Downtown and that the automobile has to be accepted. He indicated <br />that its days are still here and that they may all become electric someday, but they will be <br />there. <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, January 8, 2014 Page 8 of 13 <br />