Los Gatos Weekly-Times Parking lot on W. Main Street emerges as best site for garage Lot may help solve parking but create traffic problems Report due in December By Jeff Kearns It's time for a new parking lot downtown; the money has been earmarked, and town officials have narrowed the available sites down to two options. But before anyone starts pouring concrete, one big question still needs to be answered: which lot? The two existing lots singled out for improvement are Lot 2, which runs between Bachman Avenue and Royce Street behind the Eureka Building, and Lot 13, at W. Main Street and Victory Lane, across from the Village Inn. At a public study session Oct. 10, many of the residents agreed that Lot 13 was the best option, because it would be the most cost-effective and have room for a greater number of cars. The session was hosted by San Mateo-based Watry Design Group, the outside consultant hired by the town to facilitate the process of selecting the best site and design. About 60 people turned out to take part in the event, which included short presentations by town staff and consulting staff on geotechnical, financial and traffic considerations, then tours of both sites and, finally, group discussions. "Most people said it was well-conducted and valuable," Public Works Director Scott Baker said. Scott Baker said. Although the study session was the town's effort to get public input on building a new garage early in the process, the ultimate decision rests with the Town Council, which will be forwarded a recommendation by the Parking Commission. Baker said the council should be getting a preliminary report on the study session by Dec. 7. Preliminary cost estimates put the price tag for a new garage at about $3.5 million. If Lot 13 becomes the town's next parking structure, following Lot 4, which was completed in 1991, the next candidate will most likely be Lot 2. Parking Commission chairman Rex Morton said that many at the study session said Lot 13 was the best option because it could provide the most spaces per dollar, and could be as many as five levels--two underground, one at grade and two above ground. Morton said Lot 13 could be maxed out to provide more than 450 new spaces, which would go a long way to easing the parking crunch. "We need 700 to 800 new spots to get to the point where we're able to feel comfortable as a town," he said. Parking Commissioner Kurt Lemons said that although the lot could provide a significant amount of spaces, "people may not want to build a lot that big." Lemons added that putting a giant garage on Main Street could increase through-traffic in the Almond Grove District, where streets such as Tait and Massol could turn into speedways for frustrated drivers trying to get around the congestion on N. Santa Cruz and University avenues. But Lot 13 may also have a leg up on Lot 2 because it is closer to Old Town, which should be nearing completion early next year. Lot 2 would most likely be built along the lines of Lot 4, with one level below-grade and one at ground level. The water table at the site would probably make a second underground level almost impossible to build, and the surrounding neighborhood, which is partly residential, would probably oppose an above-ground structure. Lot 2 is more accessible, however, because it is served by two streets, vs. Lot 13, which is served by one street and a narrow alley and is in the middle of downtown. Baker said that building multiple levels cuts the per-space cost of construction and maximizes the number of cars that can be parked in the area, but added that building below-grade costs about 50 percent more than above-ground, and takes longer to build. The town has also discussed putting a row of small retail shops along the garage's frontage on Main Street. The shops would help the structure blend in visually with downtown and would generate a revenue stream that could go toward maintaining the garage, Baker said, but they would also subtract spaces from the structure and, by intensifying the use by adding retail, create an even greater need for parking. Some who attended the meeting said that the town was pushing Lot 13. "I was incredibly upset with the process," Planning Commission chairwoman Sandy Decker said at an Oct. 20 mayor's meeting. "It appeared to be so slanted to 13. If this town does want 13 built, then why was everyone there?" Baker said the town has no hidden agenda, and added that Lot 2 was originally recommended in the last staff report made to the Town Council. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 28, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.