The city council makes the following specific legislative findings in support of preferential resident parking as illustrations of the need compelling the enactment of this chapter. They are intended as illustrations only and do not exhaust the subject of the factual basis supporting its adoption.
A. The safety, health and welfare of the residents of Visalia can be greatly enhanced by maintenance of the attractiveness and livability of its residential neighborhoods and other residential areas, and by preserving the character of such areas and neighborhoods as residential.
B. Certain neighborhoods and areas of Visalia do not have sufficient on- or off-street space to accommodate the convenient parking of motor vehicles by residents thereof in the vicinity of their homes because of the influxes of motor vehicles owned by nonresidents which compete for the available on-street parking spaces. This causes an unreasonable burden in residential neighborhoods in obtaining parking near their residences and in gaining access to their homes.
C. There further exist certain parking “attractors” such as commercial and institutional uses which further exacerbate resident parking problems. These entities have attracted progressively more people every year so that the parking problem in some areas exists seven days a week.
D. Unnecessary vehicle miles, noise, pollution, trash and strain on interpersonal relationships caused by the conditions set forth herein work unacceptable hardships on residents of these neighborhoods and other residential areas by causing the deterioration of air quality, safety, tranquillity and other values available in an urban residential environment.
E. If allowed to continue unchecked, these adverse effects on the residents of the city will contribute to a further decline of the living conditions therein, a reduction in the attractiveness of residing within this city and especially these affected neighborhoods, and are consequently injurious to the general public welfare.
F. A system of preferential resident parking as enacted in this chapter will serve to promote the safety, health and welfare of all the residents of the city by reducing unnecessary personal motor vehicle travel, noise and pollution and by promoting improvements in air quality, the convenience and attractiveness of urban residential living, and the increased use of public mass transit facilities available now and in the future. The public welfare will also be served by ensuring a more stable and valuable property tax base in order to generate the revenues necessary to provide essential public services. (Ord. 9901 § 1 (Exh. A (part), 1999)