City Seeks Volunteers for NW Parking TMA
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is seeking interested individuals to help implement the Northwest District Parking Management Plan, which City Council adopted on December 12, 2012. Council directed that a Transportation Management Association (TMA) be formed to advise on the implementation of the parking plan. The City is now accepting applications.
Responsibilities of the TMA include advising on priorities for funding projects and programs, implementing travel demand and parking management programs, monitoring and reporting on transportation and parking issues in the district, facilitating the shared use of off-street parking, and evaluating and advising on the implementation of each phase of the parking plan.
The TMA will have 18 voting members with representation from the following groups:
Chair (1)
At Large Residents (6)
Accessibility Advocate (1)
Bike/Pedestrian Advocate (1)
At Large Businesses (4)
Public School (1)
Private School (1)
Hospital (1)
Non-Profit Organization (1)
Hillside Neighborhood (1)
Individuals interested in parking and transportation issues that affect residents, businesses and visitors in the northwest district are encouraged to submit an application. Forms and more information are available online at https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/60560. Applications must be received no later than Friday, January 25, 2013.
NW Parking Update – 11/30/12
Today, Mayor Adams announced that he will put the NW Parking Plan before City Council on Thursday, December 6, at 3 pm. More information and supporting documents are available at http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.cfm?c=52616.
NWDA voted to support the Mayor’s plan in January 2012. NWDA supports the concept of a TMA but has not developed a formal position on the terms of the TMA that was made available today. If you have any comments prior to NWDA’s Executive Committee Meeting on Wednesday, December 5, please email them to Tavo Cruz, NWDA Ad Hoc Parking Committee Chair, at gustavocruz@nobhilllaw.com.
Permit Zone Question – 3/5/12
A quick Q&A about permit zones in NWDA:
Question from a resident via email on Friday, March 2: I had some questions about what the Parking Committee is doing or supporting in order to make Zone L an easier place for residents to park in. I’ve lived in this zone for nearly 5 years, and it’s an absolute bear, at least where I live. What really gets me, though, is that right across the street on my block are Zone K spots. In my part of Zone L (below Glisan, east of 20th), there are tons of apartment units and not nearly enough spots, yet right out my window across the street are tons of unused Zone K spots all the time. They have FAR less people living there (and the huge Catholic church with no one living in it, taking up 3 whole blocks), but they also have an All-Day Zone that actually protects them. We would LOVE to have an All-Day Zone that protects us in the same way where I live, so I’m really curious what the NWDA and/or the city are doing or plan on doing to make it easier for residents to park near their residences. I would much prefer a Zone K pass over my Zone L since there are more spots (not just unused, but overall as well) near my house in another zone that I can never use, yet everyone parks in my zone all the time. We are absolutely swamped with people here and need protection.
Is anything being done or considered for making Zone L (at least the part south of Glisan and east of 20th) into an All-Day Zone? If not, why not?
Answer from Tavo Cruz, NWDA VP and Ad Hoc Parking Committee Chair: The short answer is that there are no current plans to make Zone L into an all-day zone.
By way of background, Zone K was established several years ago by the residents of Zone K (and the businesses in Zone K) as a special parking “zone.” They circulated a petition and pursued this through the City, and eventually, Zone K was implemented through adoption of a special ordinance for that area. The primary intent of Zone K was to dissuade commuters to downtown from parking in Zone K and walking to work, thereby avoiding the cost of parking in the core of the city. On the other hand, Zone L was also established several years ago to protect residents of that area from the effects of Portland Beaver baseball games at PGE Park. When the Beavers left and the Timbers came online, the City and the management of Jeld-Wen Field set about to update Zone L for Timbers games. The NWDA had some input into that process, but not as much as we would have liked, and the implementation of the new Zone L was not handled well. The City has admitted this, and has promised that if a new parking plan is adopted for the larger NW District, the implementation will be handled better than it was for Zone L.
Also, you should know that the NWDA attempted to incorporate Zone K (and Zone L) into the broader parking plan for the district. However, the residents of Zone K objected loudly to this, and insisted that their area be treated separately. So, as a compromise, the City agreed to carve out Zone K from the proposed plan and to leave it on its own. If the parking plan is adopted, Zone K will not change. Zone L will continue as a special arrangement for events at Jeld-Wen Field, and there are no plans to convert it to another zone like Zone K.
Although the NWDA supports the current draft parking plan, it is unclear whether it will have sufficient support within City Council to be implemented. If it does pass, then you may want to bring your concerns to the TPMA (Transportation and Parking Management Association) which will be formed as part of the plan to address the concerns of specific areas. If it does not pass, then you might consider discussing this issue with other residents of your area to see if they would support converting Zone L to an all-day zone, or if they might support an expansion of the existing Zone K to include your specific area. In my personal opinion, I would prefer to see the neighborhood adopt a district-wide parking plan that addresses concerns more globally, rather than see multiple zones adopted within the district, all with different rules and procedures.
Addressing Parking Concerns – 2/14/12
At NWDA’s January 23 Board meeting, the Board approved the terms of the Mayor’s proposed NW Parking Plan by a vote of ten to one, with two abstentions. During the meeting, the Board invited questions and input from attendees. Prior to voting on the Plan, Members of the NWDA Parking Committee, the Mayor’s staff, and parking experts attempted to answer questions and address concerns for attendees and Board members.
For those not able to attend, both NWDA and the Mayor’s Office have provided a written summary of the questions and responses. You may download the documents here:
NWDA Response to Parking Comments-012312
NW_Parking_Concern_Response_2.9.12
NW Parking Update – 2/12/12
At the NWDA Board meeting on January 23, 2012, the NWDA Board of Directors voted 10-1 (2 abstentions) to approve the following motion put forward by the NWDA Ad Hoc Parking Committee:
RESOLVED, that the NWDA Board of Directors hereby supports the draft parking plan, as most recently outlined in a powerpoint presentation received by the NWDA Board on Friday, January 20, 2012 (the “Plan”). In a letter, the NWDA will request that the City: • Conduct additional outreach with neighborhood businesses and residents regarding implementation of the Plan; • Devote sufficient financial and human resources to insure that initial implementation (including enforcement) of the Plan is as smooth as possible; and
• As soon as practicable, engage with stakeholders to establish a detailed template for operation and governance of the proposed Transportation and Parking Management Association.
Members of the Mayor’s staff and PBOT attended the meeting and shared the resolution with the Mayor. On January 25, Tavo Cruz, Juliet Hyams, and Ron Walters met with City Commissioner Amanda Fritz to communicate NWDA’s resolution and support for the Mayor’s Parking Plan. On January 26, Tavo, Juliet, and Ron met with City Commissioner Nick Fish to share NWDA’s support for the plan and answer questions about the plan and process. NWDA representatives will reach out to Commissioners Saltzman and Leonard to discuss the Mayor’s Parking Plan.
NW Parking Plan Update – 12/28/11
The NWDA Ad Hoc Parking Committee (the Committee) continues to work with representatives of the City and other stakeholders, both through the Mayor’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) and through separate outreach, toward finalizing the NW District Parking Plan. The specifics of the Plan remain in flux, as additional comments are received and incorporated, and new stakeholders provide input. Furthermore, we anticipate that the plan will remain flexible once adopted, to respond to changing variables and optimize its performance.
There are many exceptions, but generally speaking, it appears that many residents support some sort of parking regulation, while many neighborhood businesses oppose it. (At the outset, some business leaders opposed the Plan, while the Nob Hill Business Association (NHBA) supported the Plan subject to revisions. The NHBA recently shifted their position, and they now oppose the Plan.) Some interested parties have already begun direct lobbying of City Council members in an effort to kill or delay implementation of the plan for an indefinite period of time.
The City circulated a now outdated Executive Summary approximately two months ago. A new version will be circulated soon, and it should incorporate a number of potential revisions, including:
1. Extension of the majority of time stays to three hours;
2. Expansion of the central commercial meter/permit area toward Burnside Street;
3. Reduction of the hourly rate, possibly to $1.25/hour (from the proposed $1.60/hour); and
4. Phase-in of the upper NW portion of the neighborhood (the “Chapman Area”).
Other changes are also under discussion, including subsidies for low-income permit holders, and inclusion of the Hillside Neighborhood in the SAC process. We have also requested that the City provide additional information regarding formation and operation of the Transportation and Parking Management Association (TPMA), as well as additional outreach efforts to residents and businesses.
Once the new parking Plan materials have been circulated, the Committee expects to solicit further comments from NWDA members, either via the web or a public meeting.
Ultimately, whatever Plan is adopted – IF it is adopted – will be the product of extensive compromise and negotiation among all parties. The Committee continues to support the adoption of a rational parking plan, in an attempt to deal with a difficult parking situation that will only become worse as the economy accelerates and additional residential and commercial development projects come online in the neighborhood. The final plan should more effectively allocate a scarce resource – unrestricted on-street parking – while balancing the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors to the neighborhood.
NW District Parking Plan Presentation 09/16/11
Slides of Mayor Adams’ presentation to the NWDA Board on 9/16/2011 can be downloaded here:
NWD Parking Presentation – District Meetings 9-12-11 [4].pdf
NW District Parking Plan Open House
An open house for the proposed NW District Parking Plan will be held:
Thursday, October 13
Metropolitan Learning Center, 2033 NW Glisan St.
5:30-7:30pm
Mayor to Present Parking Plan to NWDA Board
Mayor to Present Parking Plan to NWDA Board at September 19 Meeting
Mayor Sam Adams will present the proposed NW District Parking Plan at the September NWDA Board Meeting. This plan consists of a combination of permit parking areas and parking meters. The meeting will be Monday, September 19, 2011, 6:00-8:00 pm, Legacy Good Samaritan Auditorium, Medical Building 2, 1st floor. The parking presentation will be from approximately 6:30-7:30pm. The meeting is open to the public.
The NWDA will be collecting non-perishable food to benefit Northwest Portland Ministries food bank at this meeting.
Please bring your canned goods and learn more about the possible changes to on-street parking in NW Portland.
Timbers Parking Survey Results
Results of the Timbers parking survey are now available for download.
