Overview

Building off of the City’s Downtown Vision Plan, the recently adopted 2023 Housing Element and other past studies, the City is developing a Parking Strategy to fully and cost-effectively address the Downtown’s current and future parking needs. This project seeks to balance parking availability with increasing density and vibrancy in Downtown Los Altos to meet the needs of various user groups (e.g. patrons, residents, employees) and maximize available resources. Beginning with an extensive assessment and analysis of the existing availability and usage of parking in the downtown area, as well as an economic and financial feasibility assessment, the City will conduct outreach events to gather feedback and ensure that the Strategy meets the needs of residents and stakeholders in Los Altos.

What are the goals of the Parking Strategy? 

The Strategy will build on other recent plans and studies to articulate and catalyze a new future for parking downtown. The Strategy will include a coordinated toolkit of strategies as well as a phased action plan and will help operationalize short-term and long-term improvements while ensuring that downtown can realize its vision for growth, multimodal access, and economic vitality.

What is the project area? 

The study area is bounded by Edith Avenue, San Antonio Road, and Foothill Expressway.

What is the process of developing the Parking Strategy? 

The process begins with an extensive review of existing conditions to understand the current policy framework for on- and off-street parking downtown. A field survey to inventory total parking supply and its occupancy rates and durations will be conducted to understand how current parking is being utilized and by whom (employees, residents, patrons, etc.). The project team will then analyze the current and future demand for parking and conduct an economic and financial feasibility assessment to ensure that the Parking Strategy supports the financial feasibility of future economic vibrancy and development in Downtown Los Altos. In conjunction with an extensive community engagement process, these data, analysis, and recommendations will be compiled into a comprehensive Downtown Parking Strategy. The Strategy is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2024.

How will the community be engaged in this process? 

The City is committed to an inclusive and equitable engagement process, to ensure that the community has agency over how the downtown develops and is well-informed about the transportation and economic trade-offs of various parking strategies. Community engagement for this project will be multi-pronged, including stakeholder interviews, community outreach media, an online questionnaire, a “pop-up” event, and community workshops.