Ordinance 3280CITY OF ALAMEDA ORDINANCE NO. 3280
AMENDING ALAMEDA MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER XII
(DESIGNATED PARKING) TO IMPROVE PROCEDURES FOR
MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC PARKING ON CITY STREETS AND IN
CITY LOTS
WHEREAS, parking pricing, parking time limits, and parking enforcement can be
used to influence transportation mode choice, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,
and reduce automobile congestion; and
WHEREAS, the 2019 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, the 2018 Transportation
Choices Plan, and the Alameda Point Transportation Demand Management Plan
recommend parking management to reduce traffic and GHG emissions citywide; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of Alameda wishes to manage parking citywide to
better manage traffic congestion, reduce GHG emissions, and ensure efficient use of City
owned on-street parking spaces and City owned public parking lots; and
WHEREAS, this Ordinance was considered at a regular, duly noticed public
hearing of the City Council on May 5, 2020, and all interested parties were provided an
ample opportunity to participate in said hearing and express their views.
BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Alameda that:
SECTION 1. AMC Section 12-0-DEFINITIONS shall be amended as follows:
Parking meter shall mean any coin receptacle, instrument, device, indicator or
machine which, upon the deposit therein of such coin or paper currency of the United
States or other legal form of payment such as credit cards and debit cards and any
software application that processes payments from a mobile phone that are legally
accepted as a valid form of cash payment in the United States of America and as may be
required by this title, shows, indicates, registers, displays or permits legal parking for one
(1) or more spaces in the parking meter zone wherein or adjacent to which such coin
receptacle, instrument, device, indicator or machine is situated. A parking meter as
defined herein may or may not be a self-contained timing device; it may be manually
adjusted, automatically or manually controlled, or otherwise operated either externally or
internally, so as to show, indicate, register, display or permit legal parking upon the
deposit of coin or paper currency of the United States of America or other legal form of
payment such as credit cards and debit cards and any software application that processes
payments from a mobile phone that are legally accepted as a valid form of cash payment
in the United States of America and as required by this title.
SECTION 2. AMC Section 12-4.4 -Parking Meter Charges shall be amended as
follows:
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a. When any vehicle shall be parked in any space in a parking meter zone where parking
meter is established in accordance with other provisions of this article, the operator of
said vehicle, upon so parking, shall, and it shall be unlawful to fail to initiate a paid
parking session by purchasing parking time using an approved method of payment.
for the designated space as per the directions imprinted on the parking meter or
signage.
b. The City Council hereby establishes a range of acceptable hourly meter rates for on-
street parking meter zones between $0.00 and $5.00. The Public Works Director is
authorized to adjust hourly parking meter rates within this approved range consistent
with the goal of achieving an 85% occupancy target. Hourly rates may vary based
upon the time of year, time of week, or time of day. Meter rate changes must be
published a minimum of two weeks in advance of implementation and shall be
maintained on file at the Public Works Department.
SECTION 3. AMC Section 12-4.5 -Rates for Use of Public Off-Street Parking Lots
shall be amended as follows:
a. The parking meters located on the public off-street parking lots shall be equipped to
receive only legal coins or paper currency of the United States of America or other legal
form of payment such as credit cards and debit cards, and any software application that
processes payments from a mobile phone which are legally accepted as a valid form of
cash payment in the United States of America. The rates shall be designated by
appropriate markings or signs.
b. The City Council hereby establishes a range of acceptable hourly meter rates for
public off-street lots between $0.00 and $5.00. The Public Works Director is authorized
to adjust hourly parking meter rates within this approved range consistent with the goal
of achieving an 85% occupancy target. Hourly rates may vary based upon the time of
year, time of week, or time of day. Meter rate changes must be published a minimum of
two weeks in advance of implementation and shall be maintained on file at the Public
Works Department.
c. The rates for use of attendant lots shall be established per agreement with contractor
and approved by City Council.
d. Moneys collected from the parking lots shall be placed in the Parking Meter Fund
and used accordingly pursuant to subsection 12-13.4.
§.:_Parking meters, when installed, shall be adjusted so that legal parking time is
registered and accumulated on such meters in the units of time and monetary rates
established by resolution of the City Council. No parking meter shall be adjusted to
register and accumulate any period of time in excess of the maximum parking time limit
designated by appropriate signage in the parking meter zone in which the meter is
installed.
SECTION 4. AMC Section 12-4.7 -Overtime Parking shall be amended as follows:
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When appropriate signs or markings designating parking time limits are in place
giving notice thereof, it shall be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to stop, stand or
park the vehicle on any public off-street parking lot for longer than the permitted time or
in the case of permit parking pursuant to subsection 12-4.11 for longer than ten {1 0)
consecutive hours. A vehicle will be deemed to have been parked longer than the posted
parking limit, if it has not been moved outside of the off-street parking lot or garage after
the expiration of the maximum time limitation. A vehicle may not return to the initial parking
lot or garage sooner than two hours following the expiration of the initial time period.
SECTION 5. New Section 12-12.5-Special event parking meter rates shall be
added to read as follows:
Notwithstanding Sections 12-4.5.b and 12-12.4, the Public Works Director is authorized
to set Special Event parking meter rates between $0.50 per hour and $10 per hour within
on-street parking meter zones and public off -street parking lots. The hourly parking meter
rate cannot be greater than double that of the standard parking meter rate charged within
the parking meter zone. A flat daily rate may be offered in lieu of an hourly rate so long
as the flat daily rate does not exceed double that of the standard total daily charge
according to the parking meter operating hours. The rates may be set during, and/or up
to four hours prior to, Special Events as designated by the Director in order to manage
excessive parking demand, congestion, and traffic circling near those Special Events. For
purposes of this Section, a "Special Event" shall include athletic events, concerts,
conventions, parades, street festivals, entertainment or cultural exhibitions or shows, or
any other similar event that is expected to generate a significant, short-term demand for
parking.
SECTION 6. AMC Section 12-13.2-Regulations for Parking at Parking Meters
shall be amended as follows:
a. Parking meters, when installed, shall be so adjusted to show legal parking upon and
after the deposit of only legal coins or paper currency of the United States of America
or other legal form of payment such as credit cards and debit cards, and any software
application that processes payments from a mobile phone which are legally accepted
as a valid form of cash payment in the United States of America.
Maps detailing the location, time limits and hours of operation for all meters within
the City shall be established and maintained by the Public Works Department.
SECTION 7. AMC Section 12-13.3-Marking of Meter Zones and Parking Therein
shall be amended as follows:
a. The Public Works Director shall cause lines or markings to be painted designating
the parking space or spaces for which the meter is to be used, and each vehicle
parked or within a parking space shall park within said lines or markings. It is unlawful
to park any vehicle across any such line or marking, and to park a vehicle in such a
position that it shall not be entirely within the space designated by such lines or
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markings. The Public Works Director shall establish hours of operation, and maximum
time limits, and shall cause signage to be placed-display on each meter which shall
indicate days and hours of operation, maximum time limits, and any exception. Such
information on parking meters shall constitute the parking meter zone signs referred
to in subsection 12-16.4.
b. Signs. The Public Works Director shall cause an appropriate sign to be affixed to or
located on each parking meter or on the parking meter screen display within a parking
meter zone indicating the hours of operation of such meter and the maximum parking
time permitted in the zone. Such information on parking meters shall constitute the
parking meter zone signs referred to in subsection 12-16.4 of this Code.
SECTION 8. AMC Section 12-13.4 -Parking Meter Fund shall be amended as
follows:
Section 12-13.4 Parking Fund.
a. The Parking Fund is hereby established. Money collected by the City or its contractors
from parking meter, parking permit, or off-street parking lot charges as herein set forth
shall be placed in the Parking Meter Fund and shall be used primarily to regulate the
use of parking spaces or off-street parking lots; to provide parking facilities and areas,
together with maintenance and service thereon; to repay principal and interest on
bonds issued for such purposes; and to reimburse the City•s General Fund, Internal
Service Funds and Capital Improvement Funds for any payment made therefrom,
during the same fiscal year, for such purposes.
b. Additional monies beyond what is required to sustain the parking operation, as
described in subsection 12-13.4.a, may be used for the following purposes:
i. For the installation and maintenance of alternative mode programs such as
shuttle or bus routes, bike parking racks or storage, pedestrian linkages and
walkability improvements, sidewalk cleaning, and street furniture.
ii. For the painting and marking of curbs required for the regulation of loading and
parking of vehicles.
iii. Revenues from preferential parking permits may, in addition to the foregoing,
be used for sidewalk, landscaping and other transportation, pedestrian or
bicycle enhancements on streets where preferential permit parking is provided.
SECTION 9. AMC Section 12-16.4-Parking for More Than Time Permitted in
Parking Space shall be amended as follows:
It shall be unlawful for any person to cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle registered
in his or her name or operated or controlled by him or her to be parked in any parking
space within a parking meter zone where a parking meter is established, for more than
the time indicated by proper signs placed in such parking meter zones indicating the
maximum parking time allowed in such parking space, or any time during which meter is
displaying a signal or other form of reporting indicating that the space is illegally in use
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except during the time necessary to set the said meter to show legal parking, and
excepting also during the time from 6:00p.m. to 9:00a.m., Mondays through Saturdays,
and all day on Sundays and legal holidays. A vehicle will be deemed to have been parked
longer than the posted parking limit, if it has not been moved a minimum of 150 feet after
the expiration of the maximum time limitation. A vehicle may not return to the initial parking
location sooner than two hours following the expiration of the initial time period._ The Civic
Center Parking Structure is excepted from parking payment Mondays through Saturdays
and on legal holidays from 5:00p.m. to 6:00a.m. and all day Sundays. When any section
of this article exempts holidays from the parking restriction, the holidays exempt shall be
the day observed by the City for the following:
a. January 1;
b. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday;
c. Lincoln's Birthday;
d. Presidents' Day;
e. Memorial Day;
f. July4;
g. Labor Day;
h. Veteran's Day;
i. Thanksgiving Day;
j. Day after Thanksgiving;
k. December 25.
SECTION 10. AMC Section 12-17.12-Guest Parking Permit-Daily or Weekly shall
be amended as follows:
a. The number of daily or weekly guest parking permits to be issued to each residence
for which application is made shall be determined by the parking conditions within
each zone and set forth by resolution of the City Council. Two (2) types of temporary
guest permits shall be available for residents at an additional cost. Short-term permits
shall be valid for one (1) day, while long-term guest permits shall be valid for one (1)
to four (4) weeks. The cost of the guest permit shall be established by the City Council
resolution that creates the preferential parking zone. Daily guest permits are valid
only on the day for which they are issued and shall expire at 8:00a.m. following the
effective date thereof. Guest parking permits are to be used only by a resident's
guests.
b. Daily guest parking permits shall be properly displayed according to the instructions
provided by the City at the time of purchase.
SECTION 11. AMC Section 12-17.15-Permit Content shall be amended as
follows:
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Ihe preferential parking zone in which it is valid, the expiration date, and any additional
information required by the City of each preferential parking permit shall be verifiable for
enforcement purposes either through the physical display of permit information or through
a database.
SECTION 12: IMPLIED REPEAL
Any provision of the Alameda Municipal Code inconsistent with this Ordinance, to the
extent of such inconsistencies and no further, is hereby repealed or modified to the extent
necessary to effectuate this Ordinance.
SECTION 13: CEQA DETERMINATION
The City Council finds and determines that the adoption of this ordinance is exempt from
review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to the following,
each a separate and independent basis: CEQA Guidelines, Section 15378 (not a project)
and Section 15061 (b)(3) (no significant environmental impact).
SECTION 14: SEVERABILITY
If any provision of this Ordinance is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid,
this invalidity shall not affect other provisions of this Ordinance that can be given effect
without the invalid provision and therefore the provisions of this Ordinance are severable.
The City Council declares that it would have enacted each section, subsection,
paragraph, subparagraph and sentence notwithstanding the invalidity of any other
section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph or sentence.
SECTION 15: EFFECTIVE DATE
This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect fro and after the expiration of thirty (30)
days from the date of its final passage.
Attest:
La~r,City ~
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I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was duly and
regularly adopted and passed by the Council of the City of Alameda in a continued
regular meeting assembled on this 20th day of May 2020, by the following vote to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers Daysog, Knox White, Oddie, Vella and
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft-5.
NOES: None.
ABSENT: None.
ABSTENTIONS: None .
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official
seal of said City this 21st day of May 2020.
Approved as to form:
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