East San Rafael Parking Community Updates
East San Rafael's densely populated neighborhoods and high parking demands, make parking a daily challenge. The City of San Rafael is committed to working with residents and businesses to ease the burden of daily parking and find solutions that work for all of the East San Rafael community.
East San Rafael Parking Taskforce
The East San Rafael Parking Taskforce is comprised of community stakeholders and supported by City staff to formulate solutions to the lack of accessible parking in East San Rafael. The taskforce has already convened in 2022 and have identified several short and long term solutions to parking, including the introduction of street markings, traffic lane modifications, potential sites for dedicated parking, and collaborating with local business owners to provide parking spaces during non business hours. Read the September 2022 progress report for more information on the East San Rafael Parking Task Force updates.
Timeline of Events
In 2016, the City Council supported a 6-month study to evaluate existing East San Rafael parking conditions and better prepare parking solutions the City could implement. The study showed parking occupancy rates to be well over 100%, meaning some cars were not parking according to parking regulations. During the study, the City worked closely with residents and businesses compiling feedback and suggestions on possible parking solutions. The study identified both short, medium, and long-term solutions – classified based on their time and ease to implement.
Measure Updates from the Task Force
The table below includes actions from the East San Rafael Parking Task Force and the City's progress to date on those actions.
Measure |
Description |
Status |
| 1 | a. Consider a pilot project to gate Windward Way, increase lighting, provide security, and consider collecting a fee for residents to park overnight in this area. | As this project would not increase parking capacity it has been canceled |
| b. Consider partnership with the County Health and Human Services to avail parking for afterhours parking. | On hold pending completion of the residential parking permit program development | |
| c. Contact property owners with suitable off-street parking lots (e.g. Cardenas, Clinics, etc.) that were identified during the Task Force meetings to discuss potential shared parking agreements during evenings when businesses are closed. | On hold pending completion of the residential parking permit program development | |
| 2 | Explore opportunities to add parking on City-owned land and/or modify parking configurations. An active project under construction will reconfigure the parking to gain more on-street and off-street parking in the area. | Complete |
| 3 | Remove the four-hour time limit restrictions in on-street spaces identified during the Task Force meetings in the Commercial zone on Saturdays and Sundays so that long-term parkers (e.g. local residents) may use those spaces while many businesses are closed and current parking occupancy rates are low. | Complete |
| 4 | Parking experience could be realized as a result of walkabilty improvements such as traffic calming, crossing, and lighting identified in the June 2022 Canal Neighborhood Community-Based Transportation plan. There is a pending Adaptive Transportation Program grant application for a number of these measures. | The Public Works Department will soon hire a consultant to design the project. Design will commence this summer with construction funds not expected to be available until the summer of 2026. |
| 5 | The City could identify and stripe on-street parking spaces that could benefit from the introduction of street markings (i.e. “T”s and “L”s) to discourage inefficient parking behavior. This would also require enforcement by Parking Services or the Police Department. | Partially complete with all areas to be completed by the end of the year |
| 6 | Consider expanding the hours of targeted parking enforcement to include early mornings and/or evenings to prevent illegal parking that can cause access and safety issues (e.g. red-curb parking, curb ramps, crosswalks etc.) | In Progress |
| 7 | Educate the public regarding the informal permitting of parallel parking in front of single-family residence driveways by authorized motorists (e.g. residents or guests of the home). Develop appropriate graphics showing proper parking protocols and prohibited behaviors (e.g. parking perpendicular to the curb, blocking the sidewalk). | Ongoing |
Parking Guidelines
As part of the short-term strategy identified in the study, the City has implemented time-limited parking throughout East San Rafael. Time limits will be enforced in the following areas (see map for zone boundaries):
- Residential zones (24-hour limits): Canal, Bahia, and Spinnaker & Baypoint neighborhoods
- Commercial zones (4-hour limits from 8AM to 6PM;): Commercial and Kerner neighborhoods
- All new parking restrictions will be enforced 7 days a week, including weekends.
For all inquiries and or feedback please see our FAQs, or contact:
- Public Works, (415) 485-3355, for sign installation and placement inquiries;
- Parking Services, (415) 458-5333, for parking enforcement and a map of the affected blocks.