<br />Mayor, Councilors, Commissioners; 3-6-24 <br />Regarding your ongoing discussion of the proposed ‘River Road/Santa Clara <br />Neighborhood Plan’ – specifically in regards to establishing a cross-jurisdictional parking <br />enforcement program: That is a tough one – and I agree with those I’ve talked to about <br />it; it is complicated. It’s also an issue that raises equity questions and is deserving of <br />your review, discussion, and collaborative action-taking. I raise the following example for <br />your consideration. <br />‘Howard Meadows’ is a new ‘City’ development in the River Road neighborhood (at the <br />intersection of Lake Dr. and Howard Ave.). In the illustration below, ‘Howard Meadows’ <br />is heavily outlined in the middle of the page (red, for those who can see it). The newly <br />created lots at ‘Howard Meadows’ are not the only ‘City’ (incorporated) parcels on the <br />page - there’s Howard Elementary School and I’ve cross-hatched the incorporated <br />residential lots. Please consider: <br />• How many on-site parking spaces will be available for the 40+ new households in <br />‘Howard Meadows’ upon completion (neighbors have heard numbers from 12 to <br />20)? <br />• The new ‘City’ section of Lake Dr. – running down the middle of ‘Howard <br />Meadows’ (off-yellow on the map) is the only City-owned street section on the <br />page. All other streets on the map are ‘County’ – most considered unimproved. <br />• The northern half of the new ‘City’ section of Lake Dr. is posted “No Parking” on <br />both sides of the street – probably due to the emergency turnaround <br />configuration. <br />• Those “No Parking” signs are the only “No Parking” signs on any street in the <br />illustration – except for the “No Parking Anytime” signs on the West side of Grove <br />St. (between Howard and Maxwell) to ensure safe bus passage . <br />• Any overflow parking from ‘Howard Meadows’ will spread outward and negatively <br />impact only ‘County’ streets and, mostly, County residents. <br />Establishing a collaborative parking enforcement program that deters off-site parking <br />from new developments would support the goal of encouraging more walking, biking, <br />and use of public transportation. One of the messages such a program would send to <br />both developers and future residents is: yes, on-site parking for every unit is not <br />required but should there be any overflow, the nearest parking will be (however many) <br />blocks away – and we have a mechanism in place to enforce that. One of the messages <br />such a program would send to established residents is: we are looking out for you too. <br />Thank you for the opportunity to comment. <br />Steve Norris, River Road <br /> <br />20