Sonoma and Napa county innovate downtown parking for cities

Customers have to park their cars somewhere, and that need is driving some cities, and North Bay developers, especially of hotels, to find some creative solutions like valeting cars off-site, or using a lift to stack them in a parking garage.

“In the real estate and development worlds it's definitely the topic du jour,” said Jeff Blackman, president of Bedford Lodging. “In (planning) my developments, parking is a big conversation. What is the right ratio?”

Dallas-based Bedford is the developer of a 144-room AC Marriott hotel in Santa Rosa's historic Railroad Square, ironically, on a former parking lot. The plan has received preliminary approval from the Design Review Board.

In downtown Santa Rosa, the city requires hotels to provide one parking space per each 500 square feet, which means the 77,000-square-foot project would have to provide 156 parking spaces, inclusive of guests and employees.

Bedford commissioned a parking survey, however, which determined that with Uber, taxis, and bicycle use, a fewer spaces would be sufficient. The city agreed, citing a goal to reduce traffic downtown.

“We're trying to move away from vehicle traffic to be a more pedestrian-friendly area,” said Patrick Streeter, senior city planner.

Bedford said it will tear down a duplex on property a block away from the hotel and convert it into a valet parking lot with 126 spaces at Sixth and Davis streets.

During the permitting process, Blackman said the city has been “definitely focused” on the parking issue.

“Parking is major issue as far as the city's review [of the Marriott] and public comment,” said Streeter.

Blackman also said he had been in negotiations with the owner of the under-utilized Santa Rosa Mall parking garage, for possible conditional use. But because of leasing issues, he decided to build the lot instead as a more permanent solution.

Another hotel project downtown, however, has proposed an agreement with the city to exclusively designate a portion of an existing public parking garage to guest parking. The proposed 40-room boutique hotel in the Empire building, at Courtyard Square, would provide valet parking.

The city council will address the proposal from owner Hugh Futrell at a March 14 meeting. This is the first time the city has been approached with a parking solution like this, said Kim Nadeau parking division director, and staff is recommending the Council approve the valet agreement.

NAPA

Although it's a first for Santa Rosa, reserving space in public parking garages for hotel guests is nothing new in downtown Napa.

The city does require hotels and motels to make available one parking space per room plus one space for a manager and one space for every two full or part time employees. If the hotel has convention, banquet, restaurant or meeting facilities, additional parking needs to be provided, as determined by the planning commission.

Since the 1970s, however, businesses in the downtown area have been exempt from having to provide on-site parking. Instead, they pay in-lieu fees to the city, which then uses the funds to build public parking areas. The city currently has four public parking garages, with plans for another one near Oxbow Marketplace.

According to Jennifer LaLiberte, Napa economic development manager, the system is an excellent planning tool, creating pedestrian traffic in a walkable city. Visitors self or valet park their car, and walk to a restaurant, theater, or shopping destination.

It's also a business-friendly tool as developers are not hindered by the planning or expense of creating parking spaces or using valuable property to do so, she added.

The 183-room Archer Hotel on First Street, scheduled to be completed this spring, has a $3.15 million agreement with the city for exclusive use of the top level of the adjacent Pearl Street Garage.

The city has a similar agreement with the Andaz Napa hotel, which is also located on First Street.

The Archer has also contributed $100,000 towards a new parking lot and garage is planned at Pearl and West Street.

YOUNTVILLE

Parking space is especially at a premium in downtown Yountville. With no on-street parking, strict zoning codes, and premium real estate, new businesses coming into town face a “major hurdle” to provide parking, said Sandra Liston, planning and building director.

One such business, The Boisset Collection, which owns Raymond Vineyards of St. Helena and other labels, has proposed to put Yountville Brewing Co., a high-end “boutique” brewery on Washington Street in the heart of the town's business district, according company spokesperson Patrick Egan.

City code requires restaurants, wine tasting bars, bars, and nightclubs to provide one parking space per three patrons.

Boisset presented parking solutions to the city which included valet parking, and an electric lift which stacks vehicles above one another in a parking garage. Last year, the city rejected the valet parking idea as being too visible from the street, and the lift was dismissed as “too urban,” Liston said.

Another downtown business, looking to expand, has struck a deal with the city to develop a parking area next to the Community Park.

Restoration Hardware currently runs the Maisonry wine collective tasting room and art gallery at 6711 Washington St. The company has proposed developing a glass-roofed 186-seat restaurant on a vacant lot next door and city code would require 77 parking spaces.

The long-term lease on the new lot would provide parking on the east side of Washington Street, a block away.