PC 06/24/1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

_ Mr. Iserson acknowledged that pazking on Main Street can be difficult at certain times during the day; however, the parking calculations had to be based on the requirements in the Pleasanton Municipal Code. Commissioner Maas inquired if staff has looked at the possibility of subletting pazking spaces from other neazby businesses. She also asked if the City is seriously looking at building a public pazking facility. Mr. Iserson replied that subletting has occurred informally in the past for a few businesses but that he is not awaze if it still takes place today. He reiterated that while no date or site has been determined for the public parking facility, Commissioner Dove has been working on the matter with the Downtown Association and staff to locate possible areas for a parking lot. Commissioner Dove stated that this group has looked at the nine sectors in the Downtown to determine how many lots aze available. He added that in the coming weeks, interns from the City's Traffic Division will conduct a survey on on-street parking, and representatives of the Downtown Association will observe the parking conditions at different hours of the day, including how many vehicles are parked the whole day on some of these lots as well as on City streets. The Downtown Association Boazd is looking at presenting its recommendations to the City Council in October. Commissioner Maas inquired if the vacant lot that used to be a service station by Amador High School could be leased to provide an interim parking lot. Commissioner Dove replied that the property has been purchased by Mt. Diablo Bank. _ Commissioner Kumazan noted that the Main Street/Ray Street intersection is one of the busiest in the City. He inquired if the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for the next few yeazs includes any provision for improvements or traffic mitigation efforts in this azea. Mr. Iserson replied that the CIP has not earmazked any money for that purpose. He added that the Planning Commission will, in fact, consider at its next meeting, an application to amend the Downtown Specific Plan to delete the proposed Ray Street/St. John Street realignment. One of the reasons for this amendment is that the realignment would have to go through the fonner St. Vincent de Paul property, on which Red Beaz has proposed to construct a hotel. PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED Mr. Ed Churka, applicant and owner of Coffee Roast Express, 780 Main Street, stated that his request for the azea of benefit is reasonable because the other two business with a deferred in-lieu parking agreement have aone-block area location extension of only half a block from First Street to their sites while his request is almost half a mile down Ray Street. With respect to pazking, he pointed out that when the City improved the Downtown streets in 1992, 16 pazking stalls were eliminated from the six-block section. Streets became narrower with the installation of wider sidewalks and bulb-outs to slow down traffic and make Main Street pedestrian-friendly. He stated that realigning Ray Street and St. John Street would be moving in the wrong direction because the streets would have to be widened, the Red Beaz hotel would be eliminated, and the Pleasanton Hotel would be isolated from the rest of the Downtown area Planning Commission Minutes Page 4 June 24, 1998