Paso Robles Announces New Downtown Parking Permit Program

The parking program goes live on December 1, 2018. Permits are $5 per month and covers one car per permit.

The City of Paso Robles has launched the Paso Robles Downtown Employee Parking Permit Pilot Program (PREP⁴) to create designated permit parking locations throughout downtown for permit holders. Permit holders will have the opportunity to park in any available permit stall. Permits go on sale November 5, 2018 and are found here: http://www.prcity.com/361/Downtown-Parking.

Below are full details on the program, followed by answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Purpose:        Free up convenient on-street parking for customers.

Goal:               Create a low-cost permit program and designated permit parking areas to encourage employees to voluntarily store their cars away from businesses. Parking occupancy and utilization data will be collected throughout the pilot.

When:            Permit sales will begin on November 5, 2018 and the permit pilot program will officially launch on December 1, 2018 through April 30, 2019.

Cost:               $5.00 per month.

How:               A link to an online portal will be posted on the City’s website on November 5. Business owners and employees can create an account, select the permit type, upload proof of employment, and purchase the permits. Your license plate number will be your permit. Beginning December 1, permit-holders are eligible to park in any location designated for permit parking by signage.

What:             The following permit types will be available. If the permit you want isn’t available, please sign up for the wait list. The City will refer to the wait lists when determining how and when to expand the program.

Daytime employee, valid 8:00AM-5:00PM, Monday-Friday (145 available)
Evening employee, valid 5:00PM-8:00PM, Monday-Friday (145 available)
Downtown resident, valid 8:00AM-8:00PM, Monday-Friday (5 available)

Where: Permits will be valid at the following locations, based upon posted signage:

Parking Lot Locations

Portion of City Hall Lot
Railroad Street Lot
Portion of 12th Street Lot (next to Marv’s Pizza)
Portion of Spring Street Lot
Pine Street Lot
Portion of Train Station Lot

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What do I do if the permits are sold out?
If permits are sold out you can join a wait list. If there is a wait list, the City will consider expanding the program to accommodate everyone.

What if I have multiple cars?
For the pilot, only one license plate number can be tied to each permit.

What do I do if all the permit spaces near my work are full?
If you are a permit holder, you are eligible to park in any permit parking stall. There will be enough permit parking stalls for every permit holder to find a space. If one location is full, please check the others.

Will someone get a parking citation if they park in a permit parking stall without a permit?
Yes. The City’s Parking Ambassador will be enforcing the permit parking areas to ensure that permit holders have a place to park.

How is the City collecting data, and why?
The City will be utilizing License Plate Recognition (LPR) camera technology mounted on a vehicle to collect data throughout the pilot. Parking occupancy and utilization data will be useful for the City when assessing the effectiveness of the pilot. The City can also use this information to make important parking management decisions in the future. Progress updates will be shared on a monthly basis.

Why is there a cap on the number of permits being sold?
The City intends to start small and expand the program if successful. It is important to implement new parking programs incrementally and to make data-driven decisions. The City also wants to ensure that there is enough parking available to permit holders, so additional permits will not be sold beyond the permit parking capacity.

Where should I park if I choose not to get a permit?
Please park anywhere outside of the downtown prime parking core, which is currently 10^th to 14^th Street and Spring to Pine. Ideally, on-street parking should be made available for customers.

Why is the program only Monday through Friday?
This is a starting point for the City, but the program could be expanded to the weekends if successful. This will require additional enforcement resources.

For more information, please contact parking@prcity.com or call 805.237.3888.