Welcome

The Parking Element

Planning for Parking
The previously approved University Facilities Master Plans (1987, 1997), Master Plan Addendum (2000), and Campus Parking Plan Update (2002) reflect a conscious effort on the part of the University to increase parking spaces supplied as student and staff populations have grown. Our current parking space count reflects net increase of 50 in spaces provided over the 2002 count-even as 27 city street parking spaces were removed from the count.The total parking count has grown from 474 spaces in 1987 to the current count of 1,196.

■ Click here to see existing Parking Map ■

Parking Despite these ongoing efforts, the University understands that the common perception remains that parking supply is inadequate. In response to this, the University will pursue immediate remedies in the form of re-striping and redesigning lots to increase parking spaces and instituting more incentives to strengthen its Transportation Demand Management Program. It is also instituting programmatic changes beginning in the Fall '06 semester aimed at leveling out scheduling of classes to reduce the peak load numbers. Finally, additional parking lot construction identified below would add more than 250 additional spaces.

As addressed in President Morgan's introductory letter, the focus of University strategic efforts for the foreseeable future has less to do with growth and more to do with quality. While ambitious projects will focus in the near term on more and improved facilities, the University's strategic objectives equate to qualitative improvements with level-to-modest growth.

As seen in the Chart of Current Conditions, the University currently exceeds its statutory and historical requirement for University parking by 95 spaces.

This is in spite of the voluntary ceding of adjacent street parking previously credited to the University on Bonita Avenue and D Street. The proposed plan would add 293 additional parking spaces on University property for a net (after considering expected staff and student growth) "surplus" of 285 parking spaces. It should be noted that these figures are very conservative in at least two important ways:

1. For the first time in any plan submission, the figures acknowledge the 2:1 standard for all resident students (as opposed to the less stringent 3:1 ration required for non residents) without any adjustment in the estimate of peak load non resident students. This means that many resident students are counted twice in the calculation of parking demand.

2. There is a very modest projection for the impact of Transportation Management. Currently the University can claim credit for 27 faculty/staff who participate in our Transportation Demand Program and leave their cars at home. These projections add less than three additional individuals (to a total of 30) to this program. University goal is to proceed with the Transportation Management Plan described in this document to see that number grow to at least 100 over the next five years.The Parking Matrix showing Proposed Master Plan Changes Impacting Parking outlines the proposed development of additional parking as it relates to the projected phases of campus development. A narrative discussion of the phases follows the matrix. Through a combination of additional parking and an invigorated Demand Management Program, the parking needs related to anticipated growth and the current perceived parking problems can be accommodated.The accompanying "Traffic Impact Analysis for the University of La Verne Master Plan" prepared by Crain & Associates (October 2005) also shows that a minimum of mitigation efforts will be needed with little impact to the community.

See Chart of Historical Parking Supply/Demand Compared with Proposed Master Plan and Parking Phasing Maps

The University has already begun to re-stripe and reconfigure the Central Services Facility parking lot and other parking lots on campus to provide more parking. For example, changing the Mainero Parking Lot from diagonal to perpendicular parking can add 19 spaces. In other areas, some to the spaces can be converted from 10' wide to 9' wide. Some spaces will be converted to 8' x 16' for compact parking as allowed for in Section 18.76.050 of the La Verne Parking code. The re-striping of existing parking will add at least 39 spaces.

Also in Phase One, as part of the completion of the Campus Center the University proposes to add a 16 car parking lot in place of the old gym. Once construction of the D Street Student Housing project is complete, Stu-Han will be demolished to provide a central location for 85 parking spaces.

Once the baseball field is moved, the University will add 125 surface parking spaces to the core of the campus, accessible from 1st Street.

Joint development of a parking structure on Bonita Avenue by a mixed-use developer, the University and City could potentially provide an additional 177 parking spaces for the University and many more for Old Town La Verne, relieving parking pressures for both the University and community. (Note that the plan does not project either demand or supply impacts for this project that are subject to review development agreements with the City of LaVerne.)

In Phase 2 of the Campus Master Plan, 27 spaces would be added to the parking lot on 2nd Street.

Transportation Demand Management

The University is pursuing a proactive approach to transportation demand management by developing strategies to provide incentives to faculty, staff and students to come to campus without automobiles. As previously noted only 27 individuals walk, bicycle or take public transportation to work. The Plan projects an increase of only three additional participants (to 30); our goals are far more ambitious. We would hope to increase that number to at least 10% of full-time faculty and staff (47-50) plus an additional 50 students within four years. Additionally, restructuring of student parking fees and incentives should reduce historical student reliance on private cars as well.

The University can reduce vehicle trips and save parking though more extensive use of Foothill Transit District buses and Metrolink trains. People can ride bikes to bus stops and take their bike with them to campus.The Citrus Route Bike Trail, currently being implemented, will make bicycle commuting safer and more attractive.

In Phase 1 of the Master Plan, getting 5% of the University population to walk, bike, ride the bus or train to campus, or work remotely by telecommuting has the potential of reducing the need for parking by about 80 spaces.

In Phase 2, getting 10% of the University population to walk, bike, ride the bus or train to campus, or work remotely by telecommuting has the potential of reducing the need for parking by approximately 165 spaces.

In Phase 3, once the Gold Line Station is built -- if the University could get credit for 20% of the campus users who could bike, ride the bus or train, or work remotely by telecommuting -- there is potential of saving as many as 370 parking spaces. There are campuses in California, such as UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis, where a majority of the students and employees come to campus without automobiles.

Current Condition
Description	Count (3/06)	Ratio	Parking Demand*	ULV Parking Spaces**
Current FTE (ULV faculty and staff)	458	1:1	458
Current FTE Student Head Count at Peak Period	1139	1:3	380
Current Resident Students	527	1:2	264
Total current demand and space			1,101	1196
Current Parking Surplus				95

Totals for ULV at Master Plan Phase One
Total Master Plan Faculty/Staff	477
Total Master Plan Peak Students	1,289
Total Master Plan Residents	595
Total Master Plan Parking Demand	-1204

Total Master Plan Parking Spaces	1489
Total Master Plan Parking Surplus / (Deficit)	285

The University of La Verne also has shifted its facilities operations to small neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV's) that reduce congestion, parking space demand, and local emissions.

Grants to improve air quality and reduce congestion can help reduce motor vehicular trips.The University and City have jointly submitted a Bike/Bus proposal for an AQMD Settlement Grant. However, encouraging use of other modes of access will pay for itself by reducing the need for parking. The University and Community can save considerable money and land by not having to build as many parking places. People who walk or ride the bus need no parking. Bicycle racks or lockers require about a tenth to a fifth of the space required for automobile parking and are less expensive to build and maintain. Folding bikes require even less space to store and can be easily carried on trains and buses.Walking, biking, sharing rides and using public transit save students and employees money, especially as the cost of owning and operating a car continues to increase. Safe bicycle routes that connect the Main Campus to the athletic and recreation facilities to be developed at Campus West would reduce the tendency for students to drive there, thus avoiding using several parking spaces during each day. Bicycling to sports facilities would provide a warm-up before an athletic event, and a cool-down afterwards. Bonelli Regional Park is already a major destination for recreational cyclists. It would be beneficial for the campus and community to connect with this regional resource. Safe, convenient and pleasurable regional bike routes attract people to restaurants and shops in the Old Town as well as provide ways for commuters to get to the Old Town and University campus. Enhancing accessibility pays off in many other ways. Public transit users can read, use notebook computers, PDAs and cell phones to make better use of commuting time. Those who bicycle, or frequently walk, boost their vitality and consequently their productivity. Active people tend to be healthier and happier and are able to avoid many hidden health costs and the increasing costs of depending primarily on an automobile.

Sustainability
Freeway congestion, air quality, heat island effect, fuel consumption, affordability, walkability, and fitness - these related issues raise questions about the extent to which the University and Old Town should rely on automobiles. Air quality does not always meet public health standards in this part of the South Coast Air Basin, and the use of automobiles is a major contributing factor to poor air quality as well as the production of greenhouse gases related to global climate change. Parking lots, with expanses of exposed pavement, contribute to heat island effects.This further affects air quality by creating hotter microclimates and conditions that increase evaporation of fuel from vehicles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from pavements.

Current levels of fossil fuel consumption are unsustainable and fuel prices are becoming unstable due to natural disasters (such as hurricanes) and human conflicts (such as terrorism and war). Consequently, it is becoming less affordable for students to own, fuel, maintain and insure an automobile. An increasing portion of a typical student's income is tied up in a car. It is not uncommon for students to need a job in order to own a car. University of La Verne students should be encouraged to get to campus without a car.

The campus and surrounding community should be walkable and bicycle friendly, encouraging people to be more active, and gain exercise in their daily routines.This improves the health and productivity of university students as well as sedentary office workers. It enhances air quality and helps reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.

Transportation Management Plan
To make use of the La Verne Parking Code Section 18.76.150 Flexible Options, Part C.Transportation Management Plans, the University proposes the following:

1. Develop strategies to reduce vehicle trips by providing incentives and/or requirements for staff and students to commute by mass-transit and shuttles, car pool, vanpool, or by walking and bicycling.

2. Apply for a reduction in parking under the following conditions:

Approval of the Transportation Management Plan by the University and City.
Inclusion of strategies in the plan for providing necessary parking should the plan fail.
Inclusion of a performance evaluation as part of the conditions of approval.

The ULV Transportation Demand Management Plan includes the following:

1. Create incentives for students and employees to walk, bike, share rides, take public transit, or telecommute to campus. The University already provides Scrip credit usable at the cafeteria, bookstore and local merchants. Incentives could also include chances to win MP3 players (such as iPods) and PDA integrated cell phones (like the Blackberry or Mobile Windows) for riding the bus or train.

2. Arrange for group discounts on purchases of folding bikes. Such bikes make it easier for students and employees to take them on buses and trains and securely store them on campus and at their residence.

3. Work with the City to develop safer bike routes. These routes can connect the campus to public transit, including Foothill Transit bus stops, the Metrolink Train Station in Pomona, and the future Gold Line Station in La Verne, the Citrus Regional Bike Trail, and recreation facilities at Campus West and Bonelli Regional Park.

4. Provide bike racks and lockers on campus. Reliable bicycle security gives people the opportunity to ride higher quality bikes that can make riding more pleasurable, encouraging people to bicycle-commute longer distances and rely more on bikes when living on campus.

5. Charge for parking on campus. Create a fund to offset the impacts of automobiles and build parking structures on campus. (Most Universities now charge for parking.)

6. Actively monitor the number of people walking, biking, ride sharing, taking public transit, or telecommuting to campus. Make sure that the University achieves the Phase 1 Goal of 5%, Phase 2 Goal of 10%, and Phase 3 Goal of 20%. This will reduce the need to cut back on growth, build huge parking structures, or resort to remote parking as a backup plan.Working together, the University and City can improve access to the campus and Old Town on a sustainable basis while also improving the quality of life on campus and in the community.

Mixed-Use Development
Mixed-use development will also improve access by providing places to live, work and go to school all within easy walking distance. At the same time, mixed-use development can integrate parking spaces beneath buildings or in nearby parking structures.The University has opportunities to work with developers and property owners of land adjacent to the campus to create exciting new mixed-use developments, particularly along Bonita Avenue.

Transit-Oriented Development
Transit-oriented development encourages the creation of mixed-use developments within easy walking distance of a train station.The University has the opportunity to provide transit-oriented development on its property along D and 1st Streets when the future Gold Line Station is developed. While accommodating more housing, classrooms and office space for the University, mixed-use simultaneously provides commercial development that benefits the community by generating sales tax.Transit-oriented development also helps insure the success of the future transit station.

Plans

(click on links to see parking plans)