Bill 51 seeks to establish a restricted parking zone (RPZ) program to help ease parking congestion in residential neighborhoods surrounded by major traffic generators, like hospitals and universities. RPZs help neighborhoods deal with the impacts from major traffic generators through transportation and parking demand-management strategies and signed time limits, from which vehicles displaying a valid RPZ permit are exempt.
A restricted parking zone may have one or more of the following:
- Parking in the street is reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles displaying a valid RPZ permit, guest permit, or other identification issued by the city
- Parking in the street is reserved during certain posted hours for exclusive use of vehicles displaying a valid RPZ permit, guest permit, or other identification issued by the city
- Time limits are established for parking in the street that apply to all vehicles except vehicles with a valid RPZ permit, guest permit, or other identification issued by the city
To obtain a RPZ permit, any restricted applicant must present proof of residency in or adjacent to the restricted parking zone boundary. Any residential applicant must also present proof that the address of vehicle registration matches the applicant’s dwelling unit address or that the applicant is an out-of-state non-resident or active military personnel.
To obtain an employee-restricted parking zone permit, an employer must present, for each employee requesting a permit, proof of employment within the restricted parking zone boundary. Each eligible dwelling unit is entitled to no more than four RPZ permits at any one time, although exceptions are made for adult family homes, assisted-living facilities, domestic violence shelters and permitted congregate residences with not more than one person per sleeping room.
The city has the authority to consider whether a RPZ within a designated area, would promote certain benefits or result in adverse impacts. Benefits include increased access for area residents, reduced traffic congestion, increased traffic or pedestrian safety, reduced air or noise pollution, reduced commuter parking in neighborhoods, prevention of blighted areas, and promoting the use of alternative modes of transportation. Adverse impacts that may prevent establishing a restricted parking zone include transferring a parking problem to a different area, inability to effectively enforce program restrictions, lack of alternative transportation modes, and availability of simpler, cheaper or more effective solutions.
The city may establish a new or expand an existing restricted parking zone whenever 75 percent or more of the capacity of the streets available for parking on ten contiguous blocks (or 20 block faces) is generally occupied; over 35 percent of the vehicles parked on the street in the area are not owned by residents of the designated area; there is an identifiable parking generator; there has been a strong and effective community engagement effort indicating that generally stakeholders in the designated area have reviewed and support the restricted parking zone, which could include a petition signed by a majority of the residents in the designated area in support of the restricted parking zone; and the public interest would be served. In cases where the criteria listed above are not met, the city has discretion in the public’s best interest and can engage affected and interested community stakeholders to review and assist in refining any future restricted parking zone proposals.
