Parking Around Village Center
Sections
Condominium Parking
Existing Parking Around the Village Center (Developer claims exclusive use)
Golf Parking Use
Shea and Specialty Construction False Golf Parking Claims
Monarch Dunes and MAC Parking (Parking space additions.)
Village Center Parking Review
The parking plan submitted by the developer has a parking shortage. There are two issues that impact parking. One is parking for condominiums in the Village Center and the other is allowing for the existing golf parking use. At the Planning Meeting the developer agreed to use the Monarch Dunes Specific Plan requirement for condominiums. This resolves the first issue.
The developer has estimated needing 123 spaces for the Village Center. The developer’s submitted plan claims all existing spaces around the Village Center and plans to add about 50 parking spaces. The existing spaces are already being used. The SLO parking code allows the developer to use 20% of these spaces (18 spaces). Based on the current plan the developer will need to put in 80 parking spaces.
Village Center Condominium Parking.
After the developer’s condominium parking plan for the Village Center was rejected by the SCAC (South County Advisory Council), the developer agreed at the Planning Commission meeting to use the Monarch Dunes Specific Plan for residential parking in the Village Center. This requires more parking than the SLO parking code.
The reason the Monarch Dunes Specific Plan requires more parking spaces than the SLO County parking is that unlike other areas in SLO county, the closet shopping (grocery, pharmacy, banks, hardware, etc.) is 5 miles way. There is no public transportation, and we are not in an area where people can walk to work. Cars are critical.
On the positive side for the developer, the developer plans to use the Monarch Dunes Specific Plan parking requirement for the Village Center restaurant, which saves the developer parking spaces versus the SLO parking code.
From Monarch Dunes Specific Plan Section 2.4.1 Village Center Commercial, paragraph D
Existing Parking Around the Village Center
The developer is claiming exclusive use of all parking spaces around the Village Center. The SLO parking code requires the developer to allow for existing parking use. These spaces have been used by golfers for more than 15 years.
When the driving range and Challenge Course were put in, the 92 spaces around the Village Center for parking. When the Woodlands LLC submitted the 2007 Challenge Course Specific Plan Amendment they changed the Challenge Course from 9-holes to 12-holes and made full use of all 92 parking spaces around the Village Center. The SLO County parking code allows the developer to use 18 of these spaces in their parking plan (maximum allowed per the SLO County shared parking code). Since that time the Challenge Course was installed the golf course has added tees that can require up to 34 additional parking spaces. The developer does not have to take these additional spaces into account when calculating parking, however, it is critical that the developer abide by the SLO parking code and only used 18 of the existing spaces to avoid parking overflow issues.
The only other golf course parking is the main golf course parking lot. When the Woodlands LLC put in the main 18-hole golf course and golf course restaurant in 2006, they included a main golf course parking lot. This lot was only designed to support the main golf course and restaurant. There are no extra spaces for the driving range and Challenge Course.
Allowing for existing parking is a critical issue since the most popular times for the Golf Course and future Village Center businesses will be on weekends. Not allowing for existing parking will hurt new businesses and cause overflow on neighborhood streets.
At public meetings Shea and the developer have made a number of claims that these spaces can only be used for Village Center parking. These claims are false (see below)
Shea and the developer have also included the overflow lot as parking in some of their presentations. As stated previously, this is not part of the Village Center and is required to support Monarch Club parking.
Existing Golf Parking
At public meetings Shea and the developer have stated that the golf course does not need these spaces. If golf parking is not considered, it will hurt the golf course and the new Village Center businesses, particularly on weekends when golfers and customers need these spaces.
Below is a picture from Google maps showing the location of golf courses, golf course restaurant, and driving range around Trilogy Parkway and Via Concha intersection.
Golf Parking below is based on the SLO parking code.
18-hole Professional Golf Courses and Butterfly Grill (restaurant)
Driving Range and 12-hole Challenge Course
Golfers have always used parking spaces around the horseshoe (Village Center).
Other Additions made after Challenge Course was put in.
Shea and Specialty Construction False Golf Parking Claims
The following false claims have been made in presentations by Shea and the developer:
Claim: All parking spaces around the Village Center can only be used for the Village Center. The driving range and Challenge Course golfers must use the main golf course parking lot.
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The 2007 Specific Plan Challenge Course Amendment (File No. DRC2006-00132), submitted by the Woodland LLC, approved the proposed Challenge Golf course change from 9-holes to 12-holes. The plan stated that parking was reviewed. The SLO golf parking code requires 92 parking spaces. The only spaces available for driving range and Challenge Course parking were the 92 spaces on the horseshoe. No additional parking spaces were added for the Challenge Course.
Claim: Golf course management wants all golfers to park in the main golf course parking lot.
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The golf course was not contacted about parking by Shea or the developer. The Golf Course has provided letters at past SCAC and Planning Commission meetings stating that they were never contacted and that they need the parking spaces around the Village Center for golfers using the driving range and Challenge Course.
Claim: All golfers use motorized carts on the Challenge Course and don’t need parking.
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This is not true. The driving range and Challenge Course allow push pull carts. In addition, a significant amount of golf course business is from outside Monarch Dunes. Golfers from outside Monarch Dunes need parking spaces whether they use push pull carts or rent motorized carts. In addition, Monarch Dunes is not a golf course community. Main streets leading to golf courses are public and standard golf carts are not allowed to drive on streets in the community.
Claim: The Overflow Parking Lot originally designated as a park-and-ride lot can be used to support Village Center parking.
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This lot is not part of the Village Center land and cannot be counted to meet the Village Center parking requirements. The lot is owned and maintained by Monarch Dunes. Since public transportation was never put in, this lot was changed to support Monarch Dunes Club parking.
In addition, while Phase 3 parking additions will address some of the Monarch Club parking shortage, the Monarch Club will be under the parking code even including the overflow parking lot.
Claim: Past amendments have allowed the Village Center to use parking spaces in Monarch Dunes parking lots.
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The 2019 Plan Amendment proposed using 30 spaces in Monarch Dunes club parking lots pending Monarch Dunes HOA approval. That approval was never given. The amendment never went forward.
If the Village Center does not put in parking to meeting their parking needs, it will hurt new businesses.