The City of Morgan Hill will hold two public meetings Wednesday, May 11 on downtown parking conditions. The announcement of the meetings follows the recent completion of the 2016 update to the Downtown Parking Resources Strategy, which acts as an assessment of the city’s current and future parking needs.
A morning session will take place 8 a.m. May 11 at the Morgan Hill Council Chamber, West Conference Room, 17555 Peak Ave. An evening meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 11 at Morgan Hill City Hall, Grand Conference Room, 17575 Peak Ave. The public is invited to attend both meetings.
The city has evaluated existing and future parking needs in downtown Morgan Hill in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008, according to city staff. In 2008, a Downtown Parking Resources Management Strategy was developed in conjunction with the 2009 Downtown Specific Plan.
With the city and developers preparing for the redevelopment of several downtown properties and new public park spaces, an update to the parking strategy was completed earlier this year, city staff added.
The 2016 downtown parking update, conducted by Hexagon Transportation Consultants, Inc., found that off-street public parking capacity in the downtown core increased from 1,237 parking spaces in 2009 to 1,560 spaces in 2016. These numbers include parking at the Community and Cultural Center.
Most of this increase is attributed to the construction of the new 270-space downtown parking garage located between Third and Fourth streets, according to the study.
On-street parking declined from 477 spaces in 2009, to 434 spaces in 2016, the study found.
The study area is geographically bound by Main Avenue, Depot Street, Dunne Avenue and Del Monte Avenue.
“Overall, the city is well supplied to meet both its existing and future parking demands,” reads Hexagon’s 2016 update in part.
The study included the following among its conclusions regarding future downtown parking needs:
• The city should seek to create public-private partnerships to open relatively vacant private lots to the public during peak hours;
• Increase parking enforcement to ensure public spaces in the downtown area are used by business, park, or commercial patrons;
• Valet parking should be administered to better utilize lots further from the downtown center including the VTA/Caltrain lot.
