Downtown Advisory Committee Meeting (DTAC) #10, April 15, 2025

The City of San Carlos Downtown Advisory Committee (DTAC) convened to discuss the development of the downtown specific plan, focusing primarily on parking and transportation demand management (TDM) strategies. The meeting reviewed existing parking conditions, including occupancy surveys and challenges such as spillover parking into residential neighborhoods and underutilization of public parking facilities like the Wheeler garage. Proposed strategies were categorized into short-term, mid-term, and long-term measures, including modifying parking time limits, enhancing enforcement through community service officers or third-party vendors, establishing a Transportation Management Association (TMA), implementing public parking pricing, expanding residential parking permit programs, improving bicycle infrastructure, and considering vehicle and bicycle valet parking for special events. The discussion also covered zoning and municipal code updates to align with state laws like AB2097, which eliminates minimum parking requirements near transit stops, and the need for accessible parking compliance. The committee emphasized the importance of phased implementation, enforcement, and community input. Funding options for the streetscape master plan and specific plan implementation were also briefly discussed, including community benefit dollars from development projects and potential grants. The meeting concluded with scheduling future DTAC meetings and city council study sessions to continue refining and adopting the downtown specific plan.