10B Action 2010 0210 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Estudillo Callan Parking Garage, Award 2 September 20, 2010 BACKGROUND The existing 2 -level parking garage was constructed in 1973. Since then, concerns with the existing structure developed, including: 1) the insufficient number of parking spaces; 2) traffic circulation within the structure and entry /exit onto both Estudillo Avenue and Callan Avenue; 3) (ADA) accessibility; 4) security; and 5) the structure's ability to withstand a significant seismic event. In 2008, Walker Parking Consultants was retained to design a replacement parking structure to address all of the deficiencies noted. The design includes a 2.000 -square foot office space for the Chamber of Commerce located in the southwest corner of the structure fronting Estudillo Avenue and improvements to Plaza Del Oro, the pedestrian area between the garage and East 14 Street. The new structure design includes 4 levels of parking, providing 395 parking spaces and a Bid Alternate for a 5 level, providing an additional 80 spaces. Exterior colors and materials will complement the architecture of the Main Library. The Chamber of Commerce space will be faced with a storefront enclosure to improve the Estudillo Avenue view. The building will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registered and a Silver certification level appears achievable. Overall, the garage will be an open structure to promote security and provide an inviting image to users. The main entrance will include a generous stairway and dual elevators with glass fronts, providing a vista onto the Plaza del Oro, East 14 Street/Downtown and beyond. Improvements to the Plaza Del Oro will match the improvements recently completed on the west side of East 14 Street. Stormwater runoff from the garage roof will be collected and conveyed to provide irrigation to a Plaza Rain Garden and meet clean water requirements. An updated bus shelter structure is also provided. The garage is a critical component of the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Strategy. Centralized parking that encourages downtown retail patrons to park once and walk to multiple destinations to promote pedestrian activity in the downtown is desired and identified as the first parking strategy in the Downtown TOD Strategy: "A reservoir of public parking allows lower parking standards for commercial and residential development in the downtown area, promotes walking and visibility of downtown businesses, as well as provides future flexibility to use parking pricing as a Transportation Demand Management strategy ". The garage supports additional retail development, without building additional on -site parking. It makes mixed -use more feasible by providing satellite parking reservoirs next to retail opportunities and is in lieu of additional surface parking that disrupts the flow of the downtown area. For example, it will allow for development on the South Gateway (Albertsons) and Town Hall Square sites and higher density development on Regency's site. Cities with successful downtowns started with centralized parking garages (i.e., Walnut Creek, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Pasadena and Santa Barbara). A parking garage provides the necessary parking to attract additional retailers and restaurants to the downtown. Without sufficient parking, many businesses do not consider downtown a viable location.