TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Masa Alkire, A.I.C.P., Community Development Department Director
Erik Zandvliet, T.E., City Traffic Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Resolution to Establish a Tree Section Residential Permit Parking Program in the Neighborhood West of Sepulveda Boulevard between Manhattan Beach Boulevard and 33rd Street (No Budget Impact) (Community Development Director Alkire)
(Estimated Time: 1 Hr.)
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 25-0139
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 25-0139 to establish a residential permit parking program in the neighborhood west of Sepulveda Boulevard between Manhattan Beach Boulevard and 33rd Street.
FISCAL IMPLICATION:
If City Council elects to adopt the Resolution to establish a new resident parking permit program, there would be costs associated with staff review and issuance of resident parking permits as well as the cost of the permit hangtag. These costs would be partially covered by the permit issuance fee, which is already established in the Citywide Fee Schedule.
There would be additional labor and materials costs for the installation of new parking signs, however the amount would depend on the size of the area posted. Since not all eligible streets would be expected to request restrictions immediately, sign installation and maintenance costs could be absorbed into existing Public Works maintenance budgets. Enforcement of new parking restrictions would be handled by the Police Department’s Parking and Animal Control Section through parking citations and associated fines to cover enforcement costs.
BACKGROUND:
Existing City Residential Permit Parking Programs
The City currently has Residential Permit Parking Programs in two areas of the City: the Mira Costa Area and in the neighborhood east of Downtown.
Mira Costa Residential Permit Parking Program: On August 2, 2005, the City Council approved a residential permit parking program in areas adjacent to Mira Costa High School to address student parking intrusion into the residential neighborhood. The Program authorizes the posting of school day parking restrictions on certain streets with fronting residences near Mira Costa High School through an opt-in petition process. The restrictions are set up with staggered hours on opposite sides of the street to prohibit continuous parking during the school day but allows for limited parking without parking permits. Pursuant to the existing Program, 15 street segments have been posted with permit parking restrictions.
Downtown Residential Permit Parking Program: On October 21, 2008, the City Council approved the 2008 Downtown Parking Management Plan, which included the authorization to establish the Downtown Residential Permit Parking Program to address overflow merchant and customer parking intrusion in the neighborhood located east of Ardmore Avenue, adjacent to the Downtown Business District. This Program authorizes the posting of 2-Hour parking restrictions between 7AM and 8PM on certain streets within the permit zone but exempts vehicles with resident permits from the time limit. The permit zone includes a buffer area in which residents on certain street segments can petition to be added into the Program, subject to the verification that there is significant overflow parking impact from Downtown businesses. Pursuant to the existing Program, 22 street segments have been posted with permit parking restrictions through the opt-in petition process.
Oak Avenue NTMP and Resident Permit Parking Petition
On May 21, 2024, the City Council approved the Oak Avenue Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP) and a set of initial measures, which included the following measure:
Conduct a study to verify recurring non-resident parking intrusion and determine if a residential parking permit program would be appropriate on residential streets immediately west of the commercial properties along Sepulveda Boulevard between Manhattan Beach Boulevard and 33rd Street.
In May 2025, the City received a resident petition requesting the installation of resident permit parking restrictions on Oak Avenue between 19th Street and Marine Avenue. (PPIC Report Attachment A) The petition was signed by 30 of the 32 homes (93% in favor) with frontages on this street segment. (PPIC Report Attachment B). The petition requests a full-time parking prohibition except by permit. This type of parking restriction is more restrictive than two previously approved permit parking programs described above. At a meeting with residents in April, residents stated that parking from commercial businesses along Sepulveda Boulevard often overflows onto Oak Avenue. They are also concerned about potential for overflow residential parking from a nearby residential overlay district (ROD) development project at 2301 Sepulveda Boulevard that has been submitted to the City for building plan check review.
Pursuant to this initial NTMP measure and the submitted petition, staff conducted a parking study in the petitioned area, and the results are summarized in this report.
On July 24, 2025, the PPIC considered the Traffic Engineer’s analysis of the petitioned area findings and recommendations. After hearing public testimony from six residents, reviewing written correspondence and discussing the matter, the Commission voted unanimously to:
1) Support the staff’s recommendation to establish a new residential parking permit program in the neighborhood bounded by Sepulveda Boulevard, Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Pine Avenue and 33rd Street.
2) Recommend the deferral of the implementation of permit parking restrictions on Oak Avenue between 19th Street and Marine Avenue until such time as significant and recurring non-resident parking intrusion is verified.
DISCUSSION:
The area being considered for the residential permit parking program identified in the Oak Avenue NTMP is generally bounded by 33rd Street, Sepulveda Boulevard, Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Pine Avenue. The Manhattan Village Shopping Center is adjacent to the study area on the east of Sepulveda Boulevard between Marine Avenue and Rosecrans Avenue. The existing land uses along Sepulveda Boulevard are primarily retail, office and personal services, with some restaurants. Residential properties within the study area are mainly single-family homes. No elementary schools are located within the study area. The street network is shown on the Location Map attached to this report.
Sepulveda Boulevard is classified as a Regional Arterial roadway pursuant to the City’s adopted Mobility Plan. Marine Avenue is classified as a Residential Collector Street west of Sepulveda Boulevard and a Minor Arterial roadway to the east. Manhattan Beach Boulevard is classified as a Minor Arterial roadway west of Sepulveda Boulevard. Valley Drive and Ardmore Avenue are classified as Residential Collector Streets. All other streets within the study area are Local Streets.
Pursuant to the City’s Mobility Plan, Local Streets are intended “solely for access to adjacent residential land uses. They provide for circulation within a residential neighborhood, including bicycle and pedestrian access. Any through traffic, including through traffic from one residential neighborhood to another, is discouraged. Local streets have one lane in each direction and have speed limits of 25 miles per hour or slower. Curbside parking is generally allowed where the street width is sufficient to support both moving traffic and parking lanes.”
In March 2023, the City established the Residential Overlay District (ROD) in the Commercial Zone along Sepulveda Boulevard adjacent to the Oak Avenue NTMP area. This new zoning allows for multi-family housing in addition to the existing commercial uses, along with reduced parking requirements for low-income housing units. If multifamily residential development occurs on ROD zoned sites, then it is anticipated that there could be increased parking demand on adjacent residential streets if the private parking supply provided on ROD project sites is insufficient. Permit parking zones are often used by jurisdictions to protect residential neighborhoods from overflow parking demand that is caused by adjacent land uses that do not provide sufficient parking supply.
Existing Neighborhood Conditions in the Program Area
Neighborhood streets in the proposed permit parking program area are improved with rolled curbs and some parking pads. Parking is generally allowed on both sides of residential streets. A full street closure is located on 30th Street west of the commercial properties along Sepulveda Boulevard to discourage commercial traffic intrusion into the neighborhood. However, pedestrians are able to walk through the closure area.
The petitioners live on Oak Avenue between 19th Street and Marine Avenue, which is a 20 feet wide local residential street with a 25 mph prima facie speed limit located one street west of Sepulveda Boulevard. Oak Avenue is stopped at 19th Street and Marine Avenue. Curb parking is allowed on both sides of the street on parking pads or adjacent to the gutters, with a total of 41 public parking spaces. This street segment is not posted for street sweeping restrictions.
Field observations were made on typical days during peak and non-peak periods in July 2025. Street parking on Oak Avenue is moderate most of the day and tapers off at night, but does not exceed 50% occupancy at any time. Construction activity was observed at one home. It also appears that some vehicles were parked in the same parking pad for numerous days without movement. Parking related to commercial businesses was not observed except for a couple of vehicles parked adjacent to the small shopping center south of Marine Avenue.
Proposed Tree Section Parking Permit Program
The Traffic Engineer finds that a permit parking program similar to the Downtown Resident Permit Parking Program would be very effective in eliminating employee and other non-resident parking where it occurs west of Sepulveda Boulevard. It would also address the likelihood of overflow parking from high density multi-family developments or mixed-use development as now allowed by current zoning codes.
The proposed permit program is designed to be implemented in a two-step process. First, the City Council approves an area within the City that would be eligible for permit parking restrictions. Second, residents within the eligible area can submit a 67 percent majority petition to opt into the program and request permit parking restrictions on their specific street segment. The Traffic Engineer would have the authority to post permit parking restrictions and issue parking permits for that street segment upon verification that it has “recurrent and heavy non-resident parking demand.” This two-step process ensures that the often burdensome permit requirements and related enforcement would not extend beyond the street segments that are actually impacted. The Traffic Engineer has prepared draft guidelines for a proposed Tree Section Resident Permit Parking Program modeled on the Downtown Resident Permit Parking Program’s guidelines for consideration along with the establishment of the new permit parking zone. (PPIC Report Attachment D)
Permit Parking Petition for Oak Avenue between 19th Street and Marine Avenue
In applying the proposed Tree Section Residential Permit Parking Program guidelines to the permit parking petition submitted by residents on Oak Avenue between 19th Street and Marine Avenue, the required petition percentage was met, but the Traffic Engineer determined that adequate street parking spaces were available for residents at all times and recurrent non-resident parking intrusion was not currently impacting parking supply. Therefore, this street segment does not meet the criteria for the posting of permit parking restrictions at this time. If the guidelines are approved by City Council, a two-hour parking restriction (except by permit) could be implemented administratively in the future when recurrent and heavy non-resident parking demand is verified by the Traffic Engineer.
Legal Authority
Given that public streets are owned by government agencies and maintained with public funds, street parking must remain open and available to all users by law, subject to certain parking restrictions authorized in the California Vehicle Code (CVC). When recurrent and heavy parking demand significantly limits the ability for residents to have an equitable opportunity to park on a public street, the CVC allows a local jurisdiction to limit or restrict parking. CVC Section 22507(a) states:
22507. (a) Local authorities may, by ordinance or resolution, prohibit or restrict the stopping, parking, or standing of vehicles, including, but not limited to, vehicles that are six feet or more in height (including any load thereon) within 100 feet of any intersection, on certain streets or highways, or portions thereof, during all or certain hours of the day. The ordinance or resolution may include a designation of certain streets upon which preferential parking privileges are given to residents and merchants adjacent to the streets for their use and the use of their guests, under which the residents and merchants may be issued a permit or permits that exempt them from the prohibition or restriction of the ordinance or resolution. With the exception of alleys, the ordinance or resolution shall not apply until signs or markings giving adequate notice thereof have been placed. A local ordinance or resolution adopted pursuant to this section may contain provisions that are reasonable and necessary to ensure the effectiveness of a preferential parking program.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
For the PPIC meeting on July 24, 2025, residents and property owners within 300 feet of the street segment on Oak Avenue in the permit parking petition were invited by mail to attend the meeting or provide public testimony. For this City Council meeting, all residents within the proposed resident parking permit program area were notified by mail and were invited to attend the City Council meeting or provide public input. The general public has been informed of this agenda item as part of the City’s standard meeting notice practices via public bulletin boards, website calendar and social media. All written or voicemail correspondence related to this matter received prior to posting the agenda for this item has been attached to the staff report.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has environmentally reviewed these proposed traffic control devices pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code Sections 21000, et seq. (“CEQA”), the State CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Sections 15000 et seq.), and the City’s environmental guidelines. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301, the City has issued a Class 1(c) Categorical Exemption because the traffic control devices authorize a minor alteration to the City’s existing streets involving only a negligible change in the use of the City’s existing streets.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
NEXT STEPS:
Based upon Staff analysis and PPIC review, it is recommended that the City Council:
1) Adopt attached Resolution No. 25-0139 to establish a new residential parking permit program in the neighborhood bounded by Sepulveda Boulevard, Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Pine Avenue and 33rd Street.
2) Concur with the Traffic Engineer’s analysis pursuant to the permit program guidelines and defer implementation of permit parking restrictions on the Oak Avenue street segment between 19th Street and Marine Avenue until such time as significant and recurring non-resident parking intrusion is verified.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 25-0139 (Exhibit A)
2. PPIC Staff Report with Attachments - July 24, 2025
3. PPIC Minutes - July 24, 2025
4. PowerPoint Presentation