WPCNR The Parking News  By John F. Bailey. March 23, 2006: Councilman Tom Roach’s suggestion that the city of White Plains license valet parking, is a thought already being turned into action by Denver, Houston, Boston, Palo Alto, Santa Monica, and is now being considered seriously by Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.  Many of these cities cited the congestion valet parking was creating as the reason for regulating the nightly procedures.

The Valet Zone: Licensing to Come? Photo, WPCNR News

WPCNR research has found  cities just like White Plains are having problems with restaurants in burgeoning new downtowns using city right of ways they do not own to enhance their draw at city expense and motorists’ inconvenience. Charlotte is attempting to do something about it, and so is Washington, D.C. Cities which have already jumped on the valet renegade operations use a variety of fees and strict regulations  to keep them in line. One of the key provisions of most plans is the requirement the valet operator/restaurant/business carry insurance, as well as the company parking the cars.

With Traffic Commissioner Tom Soyk giving valet parking at the City Center a positive evaluation, and promising to make traffic signage more clear at the Main and Mamaroneck intersection, Roach suggested the city license valet parking now operating at other locations in the city, which are not under Mr. Soyk’s scrutiny or the city presently, being “maverick” operations, according to Soyk. Soyk is shown at the head of the table giving the City Center valet operation a vote of confidence. Photo, WPCNR News

Tom Roach proposing the licensing idea to Mayor Joseph Delfino Tuesday evening. The Mayor felt there were no problems with valet parking as presently executed in the city, and he did not want to dwell at long length on the licensing issue, attempting to head Mr. Roach off at the pass. But, Mr. Roach made his point, and Mr. Soyk is going to draft some legislation.  Photo, WPCNR News.

Let’s take a look at Some Valet Licensing Practices:

In Boston, time limits on how long a vehicle can be parked waiting to be parked are set. Beantown requires records to be maintained for each car parked; permits are issued for one year, and renewable. As of November, 2003,  Boston charged $40 per linear foot of curb space used for the permit, and $150 per sign for a five year period.

For example if one parking space was 20 feet long and “Cheers” used 10 spaces for their “holding queue” the fee would be $8,000 a year. Plus the restaurant and business would have to pay the establishment where they were parking the cars if they did not have their own lot or were using a city lot.

Reading Boston’s valet parking permit regulations indicates White Plains has to look at creating valet parking areas where the cars are eventually parked; perhaps consider shared valet parking zones, and insurance issues. Boston does not allow parking at street meters.

When Palo Alto enacted a Valet Parking ordinance in 1999, the fees were similar to Boston’s: $450 permit application, $74 annual permit renewal; $220 short-term permit; $35 per space per week for on-street parking spaces (for the valet parking zone); $150 per valet parking sign fee and a $30 penalty for unauthorized parking in on-street valet parking spaces.

When Santa Monica was drawing up their ordinance in 2001, they recommended $1,750 per valet location, and a space use fee of .50 per hour of valet operation annualized upfront. Santa Monica projected a $50,000 revenue from the 17 operations expected, and that was 5 years ago. They also opted for a uniform rate, so motorists could not congest traffic by “shopping” for the least expensive valet rate.

In Houston, valet parking regs were enacted in 2003. Businesses there must apply for a valet zone permit for $100 a year. Valet companies in that city which operate the valet parking for businesses that offer it must pay $1,000 the first year and $750 each additional year. Houston also requires the valet companies operating the nightly drop-offs and returns to maintain liability coverage of a  minimum of $300,000, and perform a criminal background check on their “Kookies.” (Remember Edd Byrnes as the Parkboy on 77 Sunset Strip?)

In the mile-high city of Denver, they have a most specific ordinance which can be read at www.denvergov.org/parking_Management/template311681.asp.  The ordinance allows the valet offering establishment two meter spaces (40 feet) for their valet zone included in the excise and license application fees. And Additional meter spaces for more than a 40 foot zone are purchasable for the annual meter time request for one year upfront about $2,500 back in 2001 when the ordinance was enacted. This is in addition to the fees the establishment will have to pay for the private parking area where the cars will eventually be parked. 

The issues are many: hours of operation; method of operation; how much of the street is given over; insurance; who parks the cars; where they are parked; the routes the cars take to and from the valet zone; signage; licensing fees; and potential revenue and enforcement penalties for violations.