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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Stepping Out In Midtown: Beyond the Valet of the Dilettante
by Marion Millin, published on October 25, 2009 at 7:58PM
Storyline: livability
Three young women navigated the west sidewalk of 18th Street last Friday evening. The one in front says to her friends behind her, "Last time we were down here, I was thinking I might like to live here." The Friday night scene was crackling, with loud music filling the air and cars filling the streets.
"Yeah," says her friend, "but you'd need a place with a driveway. There's actually a lot more of them than I thought." The third woman says, "You wouldn't have much of a back yard."
The trio crossed 18th Street at Capitol and stopped to reclaim their car from the valet. The street parking or East End Parking Garage may have been closer to whichever business they were coming from, but the valet represents the convenience and perceived safety that many local visitors opt for.
Even those who think that they "might like to live here," bring their suburban expectations with them. "You'd need a place with a driveway." Or you'd need a place in Midtown that was not overrun with too many businesses, which are given too many parking waivers, so that rightful residential street parking becomes impossible.
"You'd need a place with a driveway," or a place with parking provided where it historically has been in Midtown -- in the alley. "You wouldn't have much of a back yard." Traditionally, Midtown residences have deep front porches and shallow green setbacks, that match the others on the block, enough to catch the Delta breezes. In the back is a deeper yard, many with a parking garage at the alley. The deep lots and alleys provide a buffer to the overimpaction of bars and restaurants surrounding them.
Many businesses move into Midtown and immediately want parking waivers, so that they don't have to meet the parking requirements that their business is legally responsible for. This impacts the street parking that is available for residents and other businesses. The overuse of parking waivers and the dependence on valet parking as a solution to Midtown's parking woes, actually exacerbate the problem.
Valet parking reinforces the attitude that patrons need to park as close to the door of their destination as possible. It reduces the number of people who are parking on the street or in public parking garages and walking a few blocks.
Valet parking perpetuates the illusion that it is not safe or realistic to look for parking further from the door and walk. Yet, that's what the displaced residents have to do, when visitors, valets and restaurant/bar employees fill up the nearby parking.
More people walking on the streets encourages more people walking on the streets. It also increases public safety, where the valet service does not. Better lighting and signage at the available and inexpensive public lots will also encourage more people to use them.
The more transit options that are available, the more lighting that is provided, the more that people see others walking around Midtown and the more that public parking garages are well lit, affordable and highly visible; the more new visitors may broaden their expectations of what their Midtown experience -- or even living here -- has to offer.
photos: Marion Millin
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http://sacramento.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=8&event_id=94&meta_id=186104
Recommendation: Adopt 1) an Ordinance adding Chapter 10.46 to the Sacramento City Code relating to valet parking; 2) a Resolution establishing permit fees for valet parking. Contact: Dean Fujimoto, Operations General Supervisor, 808-5579, Transportation Department.
Ordinance Amendment: Valet Parking
Rationale for Recommendation: Permits for the operation of a valet parking service are currently issued pursuant to City Code section 12.12. This section generally governs encroachment permits. As section 12.12 does not specifically address valet parking, there are no standards governing valet parking operations.
Based on feedback and support from various community groups (e.g. Midtown Business Association, valet operators, Neighborhood Advisory Group, Old Sacramento Business Association Board, etc.), this Valet Ordinance was developed with input and support from the community. Both the Midtown Business Association and the Old Sacramento Business Association Board have submitted letters of support for the Valet Ordinance.
The Valet Ordinance is consistent with the Central City Parking Master Plan in providing more specific parking requirements and further defining the valet application and permitting processes. In addition, the Valet Ordinance will provide a more fair and equitable administration and enforcement process for valet permits and valet operations. This will better support the businesses and the residents by ensuring greater availability of on-street parking. This ordinance will also help to ensure the safety of our community with preapproved traffic plans as part of the permitting process.
"Valet parking must be used in in conjunction with evening enforcement of the Residential Permit program, more widespread use of resident only parking in highly impacted parts of Midtown, and paying to park on most residential streets for non-residents into the late evening hours."
Really good points, pointing toward a more balance solution than the current overimpaction on certain blocks.
"The Valet ordinance going to council this week makes it illegal for Valet parking operators to use street parking and gives parking services some teeth to enforce the ordinance."
While they are enforcing, they can also sweep the illegally parked cars out of the alleys.
Do you even own a car?
Parking is a limited, valuable resource--so valuable that people can and should pay for it. But there are many lots that are vacant after their offices close. If the owners of those lots started renting out their lots for evening and late-night parking, they would add thousands of parking spaces to the mix. With those lots off limits, parking can get pretty crunchy. If they were to realize the money to be made, and "free" parking de-incentivized through later parking enforcement, parking downtown would get even easier, at least for those willing to pay for it.
Marion: It's a metaphorical rolling up of the sidewalks--the assumption during much of the 20th century (in many cities, Sacramento among them) was that downtowns were not fit for people to live, and actively discouraged late-night activity. Street parking policies that don't extend past 6:00 PM are based on the assumption that nobody wants to park there in the evening--a statement that flies in the face of the reality you see on your block in the evening. We're a 16 hour city now, at least in spots--but many want to pretend that we aren't, because they don't want to pony up a few bucks for parking when they're out dropping a few C-notes on expensive wine, expensive meals, and expensive coffee.
One of the answers to lowering crime and keeping downtown safe is the issuance of CCW permits..
People carrying guns will not.
I also stick to routes that are well-lit and populated whenever possible--a big plus to Sacramento's growing level of evening activity is that open stores, crowds of people and lit sidewalks are far safer than quiet, empty streets with lots of dark places for bad guys to lie in wait. Part of the return to the central city is greater public safety by design--more people living downtown means more eyes on the street, more people on the street, and more people concerned about the well-being and safety of the central city after the state workers go home.
The people who come from the suburbs, who don't maintain that kind of defensive posture, more easily become victims. That is why Second Saturdays have become the big crime nights: the predators look for drunk suburbanites, those unused to keeping their eyes open--easy targets. As Sacramentans become more used to the dangers (as well as the benefits) of city life, hopefully more will become aware and take steps to avoid being victimized.
Where is the balance point? Some of the newer businesses with affluent clients, returning to their cars all liquored up, have drawn more crime, not less.
The consultants paid by Midtown Business Association to assess Sacramento nightlife issues made those points quite clear; hopefully they listen to that advice.
Regarding safety, how many would support valets if they knew their vehicles were being parked, not only in the streets but in the alleys and in those other substandard lots you mentioned? And why is the City of Sacramento allowing it?
Lighting, signage etc. are definitely needed, but the business community has to step up and provide at least some of that--private lots need bigger, lit signs, business PBIDs have to pay for streetlights the city can't afford (or at least leave their business lights on later to light the sidewalk) and set up both parking-validation programs and maybe even free streetcar token programs for local businesses. A friend who worked on Portland's streetcars mentioned that one of the biggest opponents was a Les Schwab tire store, about as auto-centric a business as one could find. They gave Schwab 1000 free streetcar tokens to give to customers. Turns out waiting customers LOVED being able to hop on the streetcar and shop while their tires were being replaced, and Schwab now buys tokens for that purpose.
A better answer is an investment in a fixed streetcar line. It's cheaper than light rail and can be built faster, their size and speed is compatible with car traffic, it can replace buses on the same route, and, best of all, its course is far more predictable than that of a bus. People also tend to like streetcars better than buses (even buses faked up to resemble trolleys,) making it easier to attract "choice riders" who might otherwise drive. Modern streetcars have low floors for ADA access without ramps, air conditioning, and can even be equipped for Wi-Fi.
A lot of streetcar fans call those buses "trollops." They don't handle well so the ride is bumpy, the wooden seats are uncomfortable, they're diesel powered so they are louder and stinkier than streetcars (and CNG powered buses) and I don't think they are air-conditioned. They don't run often enough or predictably enough to attract impulse riders, and choice riders avoid them. They're good for local tour groups, who show up at a common place at a common time for a trip around town, but they're not so good for regular public transit.
Points well taken about noise, etc. on the "trollops." For this discussion, they might do: to encourage more widespread use of various parking and transit options available via the trolley; increase visitors' awareness of the area (maybe even awareness that people actually live here) instead of Point A to Point B trips from outside Midtown; help them expand their comfort zone and actually walk the streets; benefit more businesses by that increased spread of people throughout the area, not just from Granite Bay to valet.