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maintenance of the parklet, transfer of ownership, liability/indemnification, and <br /> insurance requirements, as detailed in Attachment 1. <br /> Staff suggests annual renewal of the permits which will allow the City to verify insurance <br /> is active, that there are no maintenance issues with the subject parklet, and there are no <br /> planned street improvements in the upcoming year (e.g., repaving Main Street) that <br /> might require the parklet to be removed. <br /> The Planning Commission indicated the process seems appropriate and asked that staff <br /> clearly outline expectations, process, timelines, and requirements with the business <br /> community. If the parklet program as outlined by staff is supported by the City Council, <br /> the City can set-up subsequent meetings with the PDA to clearly outline the <br /> aforementioned items and provide clear direction on how businesses can proceed if <br /> they wish to install a parklet. <br /> Parklet Fees <br /> Staff outlined initial one-time fees and annual fees, as detailed in Attachment 1. Staffs <br /> methodology is detailed in Attachment 1 but includes consideration of existing parklet <br /> programs, the current cost of parking to residents, hypothetical monetary value of <br /> parking if meters were installed, downtown commercial rental rates, and the current <br /> Parking In-Lieu fee (on an annualized basis). After considering all of these inputs, staff <br /> recommends an annual fee of$1,000 per year, per parking space occupied, with the fee <br /> to be waived during the first year to help offset the costs of investing in the parklet itself. <br /> In discussing the fee, the Commission considered the loss of parking, parklets' <br /> economic benefit to individual businesses as well as the cost of participating (e.g., <br /> construction and maintenance of the program), potential City tax revenue, economic <br /> attraction of allowing parklets, and equity (particularly during economic downturns). A <br /> comment was made that parklets are now being permitted all over the country and may <br /> factor into the equation whether restaurants choose to locate in downtown Pleasanton <br /> rather than another city. Some members of the Commission felt that the proposed <br /> $1,000 fee was potentially too low and should be closer to the middle of the range of <br /> fees that staff concluded could be charged (between $1,000 and $7,500 a year), <br /> potentially with a longer initial period during which fees might be waived to support start- <br /> up of the program. Other Commissioners concurred with the proposed amount and <br /> noted that the City should not aim to "make money" off of that rental rate but simply aim <br /> to recover costs. <br /> Additionally, there was also some discussion around if whether the City should provide <br /> grants to businesses to encourage construction of parklets or waive the rental fees all <br /> together. These parklet structures may be expensive to build and it was posited that if <br /> the City could provide some initial grant money, it may encourage the parklet program <br /> to be used by businesses that may otherwise not be able to afford it. <br /> Page 6 of 8 <br />