Bay Meadows residents frustrated over parking

When the residential units first opened about a decade ago, the city implemented a two-hour restriction on street parking during the day, even for residents, as part of its vision to cut down on vehicle use.

The city stopped enforcing the rule in 2020 due to the pandemic, but started implementing the restriction for all residents in February.

Bay Meadows resident David Agranovich hoped the city would consider implementing a permit program, or some sort of compromise that could expand visitor parking — especially given the changes in parking and work patterns since COVID-19 — but, according to a 2005 development agreement, the city “shall at no time in the future entertain a request from the residential developments within the Bay Meadows Specific Plan Area for a residential permit program.”

The move has angered many residents, who say the push for nonvehicle travel is laudable, but any restrictive policies or bans should be paired with sufficient planning and infrastructure. Many have said it’s actually pushed more people to drive, since they can’t leave their cars on the street.

“I think everyone knows that supporting and getting more transportation is hard, and it’s a noble cause … but you do need parking, and their reasoning is completely antithetical because it makes me drive more,” five-year-resident Ed Hwong said. “There are more Nueva [School students] that take Caltrain than residents … you might be lucky if 50 commute regularly on the Caltrain.”

However, others have said that residents should have been aware that a street parking permit was never going to be an option, given the original agreement, and the development was never meant to accommodate those with more than two cars.

The development also includes apartment units with access to a parking garage, although those costs have gone up significantly since the beginning of the year, Agranovich said. He mentioned the change has created a significant financial burden on one resident, who lives in a below-market-rate unit, during the community meeting April 23.

“For other residents, there has been a disparate impact, forcing them to pay more for parking,” he said. “The frustration was both immediate and financial … it’s very frustrating and painful and annoying. And it’s having a measurable daily effect on us that isn’t quantitative but is qualitative.”

Agranovich said the city has offered three “tiers” of potential solutions, which would vary in difficulty and effectiveness. Staff suggested that homeowners associations work with neighboring businesses, such as nearby Franklin Templeton, to use their garages, though Agranovich said he isn’t confident that’s a feasible solution, given security concerns it could pose for many private companies.

Another avenue would be for the residents to fund a traffic impact study, which would then be presented to the Planning Commission and the City Council. The council would still have to review and approve study and subsequent changes to the parking plan — something that is far from guaranteed.

“They’re asking [us] to resolve a situation that we aren’t resourced to fix, and at the end of the day the city could turn around and say, ‘we’re rejecting your petition,’” he said.