Village Center and Monarch
Club Phase 3 Parking Impact
Based on 2021 Townhalls
Proposed Phase 3 Plan
The Phase 3 Plan adds 122 duplex homes, 40 condominiums and a boutique hotel to the village center. The current plan will cause a 53 space parking shortage in the Village Center. It will hurt the businesses in the Village Center and cause overflow parking onto neighborhood streets and into Monarch Club parking lots.
Village Center Horseshoe Parking
The Phase 3 plan proposes using the 92 existing parking spaces on the horseshoe exclusively for the Village Center. These spaces have supported the golf driving range and Challenge Course for more than 14 years. The 2007 Challenge Course plan amendment reviewed parking based on the SLO parking code and found that these parking spaces met golf parking requirements.
The only parking spaces available for the driving range and Challenge Course are the spaces around the horseshoe. If existing golf parking use is not taken into account, it will impact the new Village Center businesses and cause overflow onto neighborhood streets.
The SLO shared parking code will allow the Village Center to use up to 20% of the spaces currently being used by golfers. This would allow 18 spaces to be used for the Village Center. The Phase 3 plan is claiming 74 spaces they are not allowed to use.
Shea wants all golfers to park in the main golf parking lot. This will just cause major overflow problems. The main lot is only large enough to support the 18-hole golf course and the golf course restaurant. There are no extra spaces. In addition, by code, the main lot is too far from the Challenge Course to be used to support their parking needs. That is why the horseshoe parking is used. If Shea had wanted to reserve the horseshoe spaces for the Village Center they could have put in additional parking when the driving range and Challenge Course were put in.
Shea has also claimed that the golf course wants all golfers to park in the main parking lot. This is not true. The golf course has stated that the horseshoe parking spaces are needed for golfers who use the driving range and Challenge Course. See Golf Parking Picture from Google Maps.
Village Center Condominium Parking
In addition to not allowing for existing parking needs, the proposed plan does not follow required parking for the condominiums in the Village Center. It is 48 spaces below the required parking.
The Woodlands Specific Plan specifies required parking for Village Center restaurants and condominiums. It specifies the SLO parking code for most other parking needs. In the case of restaurants, it reduces parking by about 50% compared to the SLO parking code since many people can walk to the Village Center. In the case of condominiums additional parking is required to protect Village Center businesses and prevent overflow parking outside the Village Center.
In Trilogy the parking code for townhomes and condominiums outside the Village Center requires less parking than inside the Village Center. Inside the Village Center the Woodlands plan protects Village Center businesses. Additional condominium parking spaces are required in order to prevent overflow into business parking spaces. This also prevents overflow onto surrounding residential streets and into the Monarch Club parking lots.
The Phase 3 Plan's failure to allow for existing parking and not using the proper condominium parking code results in a 53 space parking shortage. Detailed information is on the Parking Example page. It shows Shea's proposed plan and the parking required by code.
Boutique Hotel
Hotels have specifically not been allowed in the Village Center in past plans. Keeping the boutique hotel at the resort site and using the proposed hotel site for parking would resolve both the Club and Village Center parking issues and allow space for added sports courts to compensate for the new homes. This would only reduce the number of new homes proposed by Shea by about 8 homes.
Example
The concept drawing shows the current resort space with new duplexes and the boutique hotel added to the space. This addresses the following issues:
The hotel is placed so that it is not close to existing homes resolving a major member concern.
Using the freed up space for parking in the Village Center would resolve the Village Center parking issue as well as leave room for other uses like more sports courts.
The hotel is a 5 minute walk from the Village Center.
The location preserves the premium duplexes with the best locations.
Woodlands Plan - Residential Units in the Village Center:
The original Woodlands Plan included up to 80 residential units in the Village Center. Past Shea amendments have converted these homes and used them in past Trilogy home builds. Adding these to Shea's new proposal means that Trilogy homes are increasing by 202 homes over the original plan. This means that the condominiums proposed in the new plan are new units. They are part of the original Woodlands Plan. Removing the condominiums from the plan and keeping their parking spaces would be another way to resolve the Village Center parking issues.
Monarch Club Parking
Monarch Dunes Clubhouse parking is an issue. People are parking on the horseshoe and on streets when lots are full. Shea is proposing 122 new homes in addition to the 80 homes added in past amendments. This increases Trilogy homes by 16% without any increase in Club parking included in the proposed plan or in past plans.
Parking in Monarch Club parking lots is a minimum of 75 spaces under code. This does not include parking for the Avila Room, all Charter Clubs use at the Club, and the barbeque area by the pool. A detailed review is included on the Parking Example page.
Shea has offered to either provide added parking or sports courts if members agree to support the proposed 122 new homes. Parking is not a tradeoff. It is an infrastructure issue like traffic and water use. Shea may not be responsible for changes in Club use over time, but they do promote the Club to prospective home buyers and this improves their profit. New homeowners assume that the Club parking is adequate and that it meets code. Club parking needs to be reviewed and adequate parking needs to be included as part of the new plan amendment.
One area that could help address the Club parking issue is designating the 43 space Park & Ride lot across from the tennis courts as parking for the Monarch Club. It is not part of the Village Center. It is owned by Trilogy not Shea. It does not need to be included in the Phase 3 project.