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North Lake Tahoe Parking Management Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Residential Parking Permit Areas
The possibility of discounted rates for residents is being considered as part of the program development. The community's input is being sought on all program elements, including this aspect.
The placards in use in Granite Bay are plastic hang tags for the vehicle’s rear-view mirror that the County purchases from a vendor. They include sequential permit numbering, a holographic sticker, and a tamper evident label showing each residential address. A recent order placed in 2023 for the 5-year renewal of these residential parking permits resulted in a cost of about $6.50 per hang tag, or permit.
Residential permit parking is allowed in Placer County Code, Article 10.12 Part 8. Permit Parking, to allow reasonable accommodation between the needs of non-residents and the needs of county residents for parking spaces. It can be applied where non-resident parking is disruptive to a neighborhood. If applied to a neighborhood adjacent to a commercial town center, it is not intended to impact people living in an already walkable area, but rather to protect the neighborhood roads from unmanaged, excessive parking behavior that may be unsafe or inappropriate. The goal is to balance providing residents with sufficient parking permits at little to no cost for parallel parking along County roadways and preventing non-residents from taking up the available parking supply during peak visitation conditions.
Yes, reducing vehicles miles traveled (VMT) is integrated into the Resort Triangle Transportation Plan (RTTP), a Board approved guiding document for this effort. Reducing VMT promotes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the development of multi-modal transportation networks, and a diversity of land uses. Being within walking distance of a commercial core reduces reliance on the personal automobile, which is a major goal of RTTP and TRPA’s Regional Transportation Plan.
The question of residents' parking needs during winter versus summer months requires a more comprehensive analysis and review during the program development phase. Factors such as seasonal variations in visitation, the impact on local businesses, and the specific needs and preferences of the residents will be considered to ensure an effective and balanced parking management program. We are committed to thoroughly examining this matter and incorporating community input to address the parking needs of residents throughout the year.
Town Center - Commercial Area Paid Parking
The current proposal specifically targets the implementation of a summer parking management program, which does not extend to the winter months. Its primary emphasis is on the town center areas, aiming to address parking issues during peak visitation periods. Regular sidewalk maintenance and snow removal are conducted as part of the Kings Beach Benefit Assessment District and through an ordinance in Tahoe City that ensures the maintenance of sidewalks. Furthermore, the County, in collaboration with TRPA (Tahoe Regional Planning Agency), remains steadfast in its commitment to continually enhance mobility both within and beyond the town centers. This includes exploring opportunities for expanded maintenance initiatives, subject to the availability of funding.
The RTTP parking analysis recommended options for this element of the program ranging from discounted employee parking passes (i.e., $200 for an annual pass, $40 for a monthly pass, or $2 per day) and free parking for employees at remote parking locations, if available. If discounted rates for employees are offered, it would be up to the individual businesses to determine if they would offer to pay for these for their employees or to let employees pay for themselves or otherwise make alternative transportation choices.
The RTTP parking analysis recommends discounted rates for employees and the consideration of a limited amount of free employee parking in more outlying parking lots. Encouraging alternative modes of transportation such as transit use or carpooling are part of regional employee trip reduction strategies.
Beaches & Recreational Site Paid Parking
We are soliciting community input on all program elements at this time. Starting enforcement earlier in the summer and on weekends is a suggestion that will be considered further. However, no final decisions have been made regarding this matter.
The scope of the County paid parking program is initially limited to County-owned parking lots and County maintained roadways. We plan to coordinate with Caltrans to expand parking paid parking along State Highways and we will continue to encourage private business owner parking lot participation.
While the parking management program currently being developed does not include a proposal to reduce or change the number of parking spaces from the existing capacity, it aims to enhance the management and utilization of the available parking. The program will focus on improving the efficiency and turnover of parking spaces in the town center areas.
This is not within the scope of development of the parking management program.
Operations & Administration
The provisions of the California Vehicle Code govern, and we must be consistent with the provisions of state law.
This is part of program development. We are discussing several options related to improving the County’s existing winter parking enforcement.
Specific instances such as this are being addressed by improved coordination between the CHP and the Placer County Department of Public Works as part of improving the existing abandoned vehicle program and procedures.
The parking management program would include adding enforcement officers to work shifts to monitor and enforce during parking restriction hours.
Placer County's Department of Public Works will manage the parking revenues and expenses for the parking management program.
The parking revenues collected will be directly applied toward program administration and enforcement.
There will be fewer kiosks, or parking machines, because it is more common to pay to park using a parking app by cell phone or “text to pay.” The kiosks will be available for those who wish to use a credit card in the actual machine. There is a maintenance and service charge with the vendor for each kiosk the County installs.
A parking management program goal is to better use existing town center parking spaces, both public and private. The RTTP parking analysis identified underutilized parking spaces on private (business) properties on peak summer Saturdays. Opportunities for private business owners to optimize the use of existing parking spaces are available through the flexibility provided with current parking app technology in partnership and agreement with the County as part of a parking management program.
During peak periods in the current conditions, buses and micro transit (such as TART buses and TART Connect) may experience delays due to traffic congestion. However, efforts are being made to address this issue and prioritize transit in the transportation system. The Placer County Department of Public Works is currently undertaking a Strategic Implementation and Phasing Plan for the State Route 89 and State Route 267 corridors. This study aims to identify near-term phases of implementation to give priority to transit at intersections and propose mid- to long-term projects, including the creation of a reversible bus-only center lane. The ultimate goal is to make transit a faster and more efficient option than private automobiles during peak traffic conditions. By implementing these measures, we aim to improve the reliability and effectiveness of buses and micro transit in the area.
The proposed additional lane in the center of SR 89 and SR 267 is primarily intended to be a reversible transit-only priority lane for buses and micro transit. The main objective is to enhance the efficiency and reliability of public transportation. While it is currently being considered whether high occupancy vehicles and shuttles will also be allowed to use the lane, the specific details regarding this aspect are still being determined and are part of the ongoing planning and development process.
This amount was estimated in the RTTP parking analysis based on the Kings Beach Town Center, the Tahoe City Town Center, and the identified beach and recreational sites all being established into a paid parking program with assumed parking fee amounts. The actual areas to be included in the paid parking program are not yet worked out, and neither are the proposed parking fee amounts, so this revenue amount is not confirmed. The Board of Supervisors would need to take future actions on the details of the parking management program. However, it is anticipated that parking revenues would directly pay for annual parking program administration, operation, and enforcement, and surplus funds would be spent locally on multi-modal facilities such as pedestrian, bicycle, and transit enhancements.
The County parking lots do not allow overnight parking/camping per Placer County Code 10.12.120.
There is no impact.
While this question is related to the TBAP and land use, and not directly related to the development of a parking management program, the TBAP amendments are not increasing density in the Town or Village Centers.
Density is capped by TRPA, which sets aside a maximum amount of residential units, tourist accommodation units, and commercial floor area that can be built. Per the TRPA Regional Plan, the TBAP and its amendments are designed to concentrate development more towards the Town and Village Centers but not facilitate more overall development in the region. The County's parking management program is specifically focused on addressing parking-related issues and improving efficiency within Town Centers.
Kings Beach - Specific
This is a question that needs further review and analysis on a case-by-case basis as part of program development.
We don’t have these details worked out yet; it is part of program development, and we are soliciting community input on all program elements at this time.
The residential permit parking program is an element of parking management that is intended to address the spillover of visitor parking into the Kings Beach grid. Residents with verified addresses in the grid streets will be able to obtain a certain number of residential permits from the County to hang on rear-view mirrors and they will then be able to parallel park along County roadways in the grid, but vehicles that do not display these permits will be ticketed. This requires a Board action to update the Parking Ordinance, Placer County Code, Article 10.12, so it will take some time to put in place.
That is being considered as a first implementation step, but we are still reaching out to the North Lake Tahoe community for input on this and other program elements. Residential permit parking requires a Board action to update the Parking Ordinance, Placer County Code, Article 10.12, so it will take some time to put in place.
Tahoe City – Specific
We don’t have these details worked out yet; it is part of program development, and we are soliciting community input on all program elements at this time. There will be substantial follow-up and conversations with Tahoe City community members and business owners, and ultimately decisions made by the Board of Supervisors, to be able to answer this question.
General questions
The Placer County Board of Supervisors (“Board”) has directed staff to develop a parking management program as part of the Resort Triangle Transportation Plan (RTTP) that the Board adopted in October 2020. The Board has the authority to ultimately decide on staff proposed ordinance changes, to make policy decisions through the public hearing process, and to vote on actions related to program development and implementation. By participating in the public outreach process, sharing feedback, and voicing your concerns to the Board, you can actively contribute to shaping the program's direction and outcome.
The Board of Supervisors will ultimately make decisions by action of the Board through public hearing processes to adopt ordinance changes to establish the details and timing of implementing a parking management program. The soonest an initial phase of parking management could potentially be in effect is the summer of 2024.