The Lafayette City Council unanimously voted to introduce Ordinance 704 during its Sept. 14 meeting to update downtown parking meter zones and establish new rates for longer-duration parking. The ordinance aims to provide additional parking opportunities, particularly for downtown employees, while also addressing changes to existing parking locations required by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), according to a staff report presented by Transportation and Circulation Program Manager Patrick Golier.

    The ordinance amends two sections of the Lafayette Municipal Code, which establishes parking meter zones and applicable parking fees. The changes are part of the city’s implementation of its 2026 Downtown Parking Management Study, which identified a need for more longer-duration parking opportunities and greater consistency in parking management.

    One of the changes expands the existing parking meter zone on Oak Hill Road. Previously, the designated zone covered only the east side of the street between Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Deer Hill Road. Under the ordinance, both sides of Oak Hill Road will be included. The city-owned parking lots at 3299 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, commonly known as the “Ace” lot, and the city-owned Gazebo lot at 3429 Mt. Diablo Boulevard will also be added as a designated parking meter zones.

    The ordinance also establishes a graduated parking rate for five locations: Happy Valley Road, Oak Hill Road, Dolores Drive, the Gazebo lot and the Ace lot. The proposed rate is $2 for up to one hour, $4 for up to two hours, $4.50 for up to three hours and $5 for four hours or more. The daily maximum will be $5.

    The designated spaces will remain available to employees, customers, visitors and other members of the public. They will not be reserved exclusively for downtown employees or any individual business or property. 

    The city’s Downtown Parking Management Study found that downtown parking challenges were connected to inconsistent management and the distribution of parking demand. The study identified opportunities to make better use of existing parking spaces, including providing more practical options for employees who may need to leave their vehicles parked for several hours.

    The ordinance also addresses the removal of on-street parking on First Street between Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Deer Hill Road. Caltrans required the city to remove parking along this segment. Ordinance 704 removes the affected section of First Street from the city’s designated parking meter zones and associated parking-rate provisions to reflect the change.

    Alongside the ordinance, the council considered Resolution 2026-51, which establishes the days and hours when parking fees will be enforced at the designated locations. Under the proposed resolution, the Ace and Gazebo lots will be metered Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with parking free during evenings and weekends. On-street parking on Dolores Drive, Happy Valley Road, and Oak Hill Road will be metered Monday through Saturday during the same hours, with parking free during evenings and Sundays. Existing unmetered two-hour parking spaces on Happy Valley Road will remain unchanged.

    The resolution also authorizes the City Manager Niroop Srivatsa or a designee to implement necessary changes to meters, payment systems, signage and other operations. Staff will monitor parking utilization and availability following implementation to evaluate how the changes affect parking in downtown Lafayette.

    During its Sept. 28 meeting, council members read the second waiver and adopted the ordinance. Staff will coordinate the operational changes needed to implement the updated parking zones and rates.