Downtown to Get Two-Hour Parking, Council Says

Downtown patrons and business owners will finally get their wish after the City Council today agreed to change the time limit on San Mateo Avenue from one-hour to two-hour parking.

The council's unanimous vote to increase the time people have to park their cars now means downtown shoppers can stay longer at restaurants and have more time to run errands on the historic strip—an issue many have long complained about.

"I think it's a long time coming," Mayor Jim Ruane said at the council meeting. "It should have been done a long time ago."

The action stems from a request the Chamber of Commerce made in 2009 to change the . A number of downtown businesses supported the change, and most people who frequent the area say increasing the time limit would help them enjoy their stay without having to worry about always getting a ticket.

The time increase, however, may not be a permanent fix.

Part of the council's approval included a charge to have city staff evaluate the effectiveness of parking time increase a year from now.

The city is still trying to figure out how to pay for the labor to replace all the one-hour parking signs, estimated to cost between $6,000 and $9,000. Public Services Director Klara Fabry said the city's Traffic Safety and Parking Committee suggested asking the chamber to pick up the tab, but council members didn't agree with that proposal.

And business owners who were hoping the city would also consider offering a way for them to park longterm while operating their shops are still out of luck. For right now, they will have an extra hour just like everyone else—and that's it.

In other action, the council approved the proposed to be included in the city's list of redevelopment commitments in anticipation of an adverse impact from Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed state budget. That means a new library and a new main fire station are slated to be built.