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Home My WebLink AboutStaff Report 2605-6346CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL Special Meeting Monday, June 15, 2026 Council Chambers & Hybrid 5:30 PM Agenda Item 19.FIRST READ: Adopt an Ordinance to Amend College Terrace Residential Preferential Parking Program Fixed Permit Terms, Sale and Grace Periods in PAMC 10.46.060; CEQA status: categorically exempt. City Council Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR Lead Department: Transportation Meeting Date: June 15, 2026 Report #:2605-6346 TITLE FIRST READ: Adopt an Ordinance to Amend College Terrace Residential Preferential Parking Program Fixed Permit Terms, Sale and Grace Periods in PAMC 10.46.060; CEQA status: categorically exempt. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City Council adopt an ordinance to amend the College Terrace Residential Preferential Parking Program (RPPP) at PAMC section 10.44.060 by removing fixed permit terms, sales cycles, and grace periods. BACKGROUND The College Terrace neighborhood, located between Stanford University and the Stanford Research Park, faces a chronic shortage of street parking driven by its proximity to major institutions. This congestion represents spillover parking from Stanford University including university students and employees who park on residential streets to avoid campus permit fees that were intended to reduce motor vehicle trips and fund travel demand management (TDM) strategies. Furthermore, the development of high-density graduate housing along Stanford Avenue has intensified the demand for street space, as residents and visitors often choose free city parking over paid campus facilities. The physical layout of College Terrace complicates the situation because the neighborhood consists of small lots and dense housing with limited off-street parking options. In response to this scarcity, some commuters choose to engage in hazardous parking behaviors, such as blocking fire hydrants and obstructing visibility at intersections. These behaviors are particularly concerning along Stanford Avenue, which serves as a school route for children traveling to and from Escondido and Nixon Elementary, Greene Middle and Palo Alto High schools. To address these long-standing issues, the College Terrace Residents’ Association undertook research on permit programs, finding strong support among neighbors. In 2000, Stanford University was required to provide a $100,000 deposit to the City of Palo Alto as a condition of its General Use Permit. These funds were earmarked for the evaluation and initiation of a Residential Parking Permit Program. ANALYSIS Fixed September Cycle: Rescinds the rigid September 1 to August 31 permit term. Restricted Purchase Windows: Removes the 30-day pre-purchase limitation. Legacy Grace Periods: Eliminates the formal September grace period for expired permits. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT modernize program administration without affecting overall budget assumptions. The transition year may temporarily affect the timing of permit sales and revenue collection; however, no material long-term fiscal impacts are anticipated. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW ATTACHMENTS APPROVED BY: ***NOT YET APPROVED*** 1 157_20260519_ts24 Ordinance No. ____ Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Amending the College Terrace Residential Parking Program (RPP) at PAMC Section 10.46.060 to Remove Fixed Permit Terms, Sale and Grace Periods The Council of the City of Palo Alto ORDAINS as follows: SECTION 1. Findings and Declarations. The City Council of the City of Palo Alto finds and declares as follows: A. The City has a residential parking permit program in the College Terrace neighborhood (College Terrace RPP) as codified in PAMC Chapter 10.46. B. The City Council now desires to increase flexibility for the City to issue parking permits in the College Terrace RPP program by removing provisions that fix the term and duration of permits, as well as provisions that fix the sale period and grace period for enforcement. Staff will continue to implement the RPP program under its authority in PAMC section 10.46.120. SECTION 2. Subsection (b) is hereby deleted from section 10.46.060 (Issuance of residential parking permits) of Chapter 10.46 (College Terrace Residential Parking Permit Program) of Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code to read as follows (deleted text in strikethrough, new text underlined): 10.46.060 Issuance of residential parking permits. (a) Residential parking permits shall be issued by the city in accordance with requirements set forth in this chapter. Each such permit shall be designed to state or reflect thereon the identification of the particular residential permit parking area (i.e., College Terrace) as well as the license number of the motor vehicle for which it is issued. The city may also issue virtual permits in combination with or instead of physical permits. No more than one residential parking permit shall be issued to each motor vehicle owned or leased for which application is made. (b) Reserved. The city shall issue residential parking permits with a term of one year from September 1 to August 31 regardless of when during the year a resident purchases the parking permit, to motor vehicles which comply with the requirements setforth in this chapter. Purchase of permits will be available starting thirty days prior to the beginning of thenext RPPP year. A grace period will be recognized from September 1 to September 30 for residents with a permit from the previous year. Vehicles displaying a permit from the previous year will not be cited during the grace period. (c) Residents applying for a permit will be required to provide proof of vehicle ownership and residency. A vehicle registration form as well as one of the following shall be required at the time of registration showing College Terrace residency: • Driver’s license – indicating College Terrace Address ***NOT YET APPROVED*** 2 157_20260519_ts24 • Rental agreement – with name of resident • Current (i.e., not more than sixty days old) utility bill with street address noted (d) One residential parking permit may be issued for each vehicle owned, leased or any person who can demonstrate that they are currently a resident of the area for which the permit is to be issued. (e) A residential parking permit may be issued for any vehicle owned, leased or any person who is employed by or a representative of a neighborhood-serving establishment located within the particular residential permit parking area. Each employee or representative of a neighborhood-serving establishment will be allowed to obtain one permit for each vehicle they own or lease subject to the following criteria which shall be used to establish the eligibility of a neighborhood-serving establishment and the maximum number of permits to be issued: (1) An establishment for which there is no off-street parking and no financially feasible way of creating adequate off-street parking on the site of the establishment; (2) In areas where it appears that the number of permits sold per block would exceed the number of legal on-street parking spaces per block the initial sale would be limited to two or possibly one permit per neighborhood-serving establishment; (3) Distribution of permits shall be through a designated representative of the establishment who will be responsible for allocation of the permits to employees. (f) Renewal of residential parking permits shall be subject to the same conditions imposed on new permits. (g) The residential parking permit shall be displayed as directed by the city. The city may issue a residential parking permit in any form, including as a virtual permit. (h) The Director of the Office of Transportation is authorized to issue such rules and regulations, not inconsistent with this chapter, governing the issuance and display of residential parking permits. (i) Any person to whom a residential parking permit has been issued pursuant to this section shall be deemed a parking permit holder. SECTION 3. Severability. If any provision, clause, sentence or paragraph of this ordinance, or the application to any person or circumstances, shall be held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the other provisions of this Ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application and, to this end, the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby declared to be severable. SECTION 4. Effective Date. This ordinance shall be effective on the 31st day after adoption. // // // // // // ***NOT YET APPROVED*** 3 157_20260519_ts24 SECTION 5. CEQA. The City Council finds and determines that this categorically exempt under CEQA regulation 15301 (existing facilities). INTRODUCED: PASSED: AYES: NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENT: ATTEST: ____________________________ ____________________________ City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED: ____________________________ ____________________________ Assistant City Attorney City Manager ____________________________ Chief Transportation Official