Planning commission adopts downtown parking plan, sends to council

The Sonoma Planning Commission unanimously adopted a downtown parking plan on Dec. 15 as Plaza parking remains a problem on high traffic days.

“Clearly, the key to any of the suggestions that have come up in the parking study has to do with the importance of turnover,” Planning Commissioner Larry Barnett said, “which is to say that parking spaces are not blocked for more hours than they need to be.”

The state, which owns the Casa Grande lot north of the Plaza, is adding to the congestion concerns. “State Parks staff have noted that the lot, where there is currently no charge for parking, will become paid daily parking in the next six to 12 months,” according to the city’s report. That could mean extra cars searching for free spots.

The city council tasked the planning commission to develop a long-term parking management plan for the Plaza to address the limited turnover of spaces. Parking studies by the city show the main issues stem from a lack of enforcement, lenient parking lengths and extended stays by Plaza employees.

The proposal takes incrementally tougher steps to create parking turnover over three phases — and although Phase 3 of the plan does call for meters on the Plaza, the city is not considering that at this time, according to Associate Planner Kristina Tierney.

The 30-day review of the downtown parking plan ended Nov. 17 and commissioners made their final revisions Dec. 15 before they unanimously approved the plan. It will next be taken up by the Sonoma City Council.

Addressing Plaza parking cannot only be done by creating more parking, Barnett said, and the city must use “technological improvements” to enforce turnovers of cars.

“I strongly feel that the addition of parking spaces on the Plaza is not a particularly viable solution in that it's not going to solve the turnover problem,” Barnett said. “If the state went ahead and imposes parking fees (in the Casa Grande lot), it's going to radically transform everything.”

The Casa Grande lot, which is heavily used by Plaza visitors, does not serve the downtown businesses surrounding the Plaza, Tierney said.

“One of the hard things with the state is you have to remember that their mission is different from our mission,” Tierney said. “And their mission is serving their State Parks and providing access for the (residents) of California.”

Contact Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com and follow @Chase_HunterB on Twitter.