HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-11-03; Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission; 03; Parking Opportunities on Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue
Meeting Date: Nov. 3, 2025
To: Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission
Staff Contact: Miriam Jim, Senior Engineer
miriam.jim@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-5796
John Kim, City Traffic Engineer
john.kim@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2734
Subject: Parking Opportunities on Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue
Recommended Action
Provide feedback on the assessment of parking opportunities on Madison Street and Chestnut
Avenue.
Background
On March 4, 2025, the City Council approved a minute motion directing the City Manager to
assess additional parking opportunities along Madison Street and east from Madison Street on
Chestnut Avenue.
As an ongoing effort to add on-street parking in the Barrio, staff have assessed potential
parking opportunities on Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue along the Pine Avenue
Community Park frontage. Possible new diagonal parking spaces on Madison Street north of
Chestnut Avenue and perpendicular parking on Chestnut Avenue east of Madison Street have
been identified, taking into consideration the existing landscaping, infrastructures and
amenities along the frontage of the park, see Exhibit 1.
Discussion
Overview
Pine Avenue Community Park is an 8.2-acre city park located in northwest Carlsbad and
bounded by the intersections of Pine Avenue and Harding Street, Pine Avenue and Chestnut
Avenue and Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue. It features an inter-generational community
center, multi-use sports field, outdoor basketball courts, picnic and children’s play areas and a
community garden.
Parallel on-street parking is available on streets surrounding the park. Ten regular and one
accessible perpendicular parking stalls are provided along the park frontage on the north side
of Chestnut Avenue west of Jefferson Street.
Both Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue are classified as Identity Streets in the city’s General
Plan Mobility Element. Madison Street is 48 feet wide with one travel lane, a bike lane and a
TRAFFIC SAFETY & MOBILITY COMMISSION
Nov. 3, 2025 Item #3 Page 1 of 5
parking lane in each direction while Chestnut Avenue east of Madison Street is 40 feet wide and
has one travel lane with on-street parking in each direction.
Parking Opportunities
Chestnut Ave
Additional parking can be provided on Chestnut Avenue east of Madison Street by constructing
new perpendicular parking stalls along the existing landscaped area between the walkway in
the Pine Avenue Community Park and the roadway. These perpendicular parking stalls can be
considered as an extension of perpendicular parking from the existing stalls on Chestnut
Avenue just west of Jefferson Street.
Preliminary engineering assessment has determined that a total of nine perpendicular parking
stalls (eight regular and one accessible) can be added without impacting existing trees and
storm drain systems. This represents a net gain of four parking spaces, considering there is
space for approximately five parallel parked vehicles on this portion of Chestnut Avenue.
Nov. 3, 2025 Item #3 Page 2 of 5
Madison Street
Additional parking on Madison Street north of Chestnut Avenue was explored in the landscaped
area between the roadway and the existing wall along the frontage of Pine Avenue Community
Park. Preliminary engineering assessment has determined that a total of seven diagonal parking
stalls can be added in this area without impacting the existing utilities. This represents a net
gain of two parking spaces considering the existing five parallel parking spaces currently
available along this stretch of Madison Street. A new sidewalk adjacent to the stalls would be
added for pedestrian access.
Potential conflict between these diagonal parking stalls and the existing bike lane should be
noted especially when drivers backing out of parking stalls with limited visibility of oncoming
bicyclists. In addition, all existing on-street parking spaces on Madison Street are parallel
parking, introducing a portion of diagonal parking may cause confusion to drivers as well as
bicyclists. Overall, the existing condition with bike lane adjacent to parallel parking is
considered to be safer for bicyclists than the proposed.
All existing on-street parking on Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue by Pine Avenue
Community Park, both parallel and perpendicular parking, has no time restrictions. New
additional parking stalls added are expected to have no time restrictions to match the existing
conditions.
Preliminary Cost Estimates
The estimated construction costs for the perpendicular parking on Chestnut Avenue alone and
for the diagonal parking on Madison Street are summarized in Table 1. It would cost
approximately $124,700 to construct the nine perpendicular parking spaces on Chestnut
Avenue, with a net gain of four parking spaces, and with an extra $118,500, a total of $243,200,
to construct the seven diagonal parking spaces on Madison Street combined, which would
result in a net gain of six parking spaces in the area. The two additional parking spaces gained
on Madison Street would cost $59,250 each, close to double the cost per parking space gained
on Chestnut Ave alone.
Nov. 3, 2025 Item #3 Page 3 of 5
Table 1 – Preliminary Cost Estimates
Parking
Alternative
No. of
perpendicular
/ diagonal
parking spaces
No. of existing
parallel on-
street parking
No. of
parking
spaces
(Net Gain)
Estimated
Construction
Cost
Estimated
Cost per
Parking
Space
Gain
Chestnut
Avenue Only 9 5 4 $124,700 $31,175
Madison
Street Only 7 5 2 $118,500 $59,250
Chestnut
Avenue and
Madison
Street
Combined
16
(Chestnut: 9 &
Madison: 7)
10
(Chestnut: 5 &
Madison: 5)
6
(Chestnut: 4
& Madison: 2)
$243,200
$31,175
(Chestnut)
$59,250
(Madison)
Next Steps
Staff will present the assessment of parking opportunities on Madison Street and Chestnut
Avenue to the City Council on December 9, 2025.
Exhibit
1. Parking Layout – Diagonal Parking on Madison Street and Perpendicular Parking on Chestnut
Avenue
Nov. 3, 2025 Item #3 Page 4 of 5
N
PINE AVE PARK / BARRIO PARKING PROJECT
ALTERNATIVE A - MIXED PARKING
(MADISON & CHESTNUT)
Nov. 3, 2025 Item #3 Page 5 of 5
Parking Opportunities on Madison
Street and Chestnut Avenue
John Kim, City Traffic Engineer
Miriam Jim, Senior Engineer
Nov. 3, 2025
RECOMMENDED ACTION
•Provide feedback on the parking assessment
for Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue by
Pine Avenue Community Park
2
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
3
•On March 4, 2025, City Council approved a minute
motion directing the City Manager to assess
additional parking opportunities along Madison
Street and east from Madison Street on Chestnut
Avenue
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
BACKGROUND
PARKING ASSESSMENT
4
Pine Ave
Community
Park
Ma
d
i
s
o
n
S
t
Chestnut Ave
Pine Ave
Community Park
Parking Assessment Area
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
MADISON STREET
5
•Identity Streets in the
city’s General Plan
Mobility Element
•48’ wide with one travel
lane, a bike lane and
parallel on-street
parking in each
direction
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
MADISON STREET – DIAGONAL
6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
New Sidewalk Existing utilities to remain
7 diagonal parking stalls
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
MADISON STREET – DIAGONAL
7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(Net gain of 2 parking spaces)
Exist: 5 parallel parking spaces
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
MADISON STREET – DIAGONAL
8
Bike conflict with diagonal parking:
Drivers backing out with limited
visibility of bicyclists
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
MADISON STREET – DIAGONAL
9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Small portion of diagonal parking
mixed with parallel parking may cause
confusion to drivers and bicyclists
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
CHESTNUT AVENUE
10
•Identity Streets in the
city’s General Plan
Mobility Element
•40’ wide with one travel
lane and on-street
parking in each
direction
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
CHESTNUT AVENUE
11
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
9 perpendicular parking stalls
Exist trees to remainExist. trees to remain
Exist storm drain inlet
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
CHESTNUT AVENUE
12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Exist: 5 parallel parking spaces
(Net gain of 4 parking spaces)
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
CHESTNUT AVENUE
13
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Extension of existing
perpendicular parking to the east
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATES
14
Parking Alternative
No. of
perpendicul
ar / diagonal
parking
spaces
No. of existing
parallel on-street
parking
No. of parking
spaces
(Net Gain)
Estimated
Construction
Cost
Estimated
Cost per
Parking
Space Gain
Chestnut Avenue
Only 9 5 4 $124,700 $31,175
Madison Street
Only 7 5 2 $118,500 $59,250
Chestnut Avenue
and Madison Street
Combined
16
(Chestnut: 9;
Madison: 7)
10
(Chestnut: 5;
Madison: 5)
6
(Chestnut: 4;
Madison: 2)
$243,200
$31,175
(Chestnut)
$59,250
(Madison)
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
SUMMARY
15
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
Parking Spaces
(Net Gain)Notes
Chestnut Ave
(Perpendicular)4 •Extension of existing perpendicular parking
•No major operation concerns
Madison St
(Diagonal)2
•Conflicts with bike lane
•Short segment of diagonal parking mixed with
parallel parking on Madison St
•Higher cost per parking space gained
16
•Staff will present the assessment of parking
opportunities on Madison Street and Chestnut
Avenue to City Council on Dec. 9, 2025
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
NEXT STEPS
RECOMMENDED ACTION
•Provide feedback on the parking assessment
for Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue by
Pine Avenue Community Park
17
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
THANK YOU!
18
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
MADISON STREET – PERPENDICULAR
19
2 8
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
1 3 4 5 6 7 9 10
OVERNIGHT PARKING RESTRICTION
20
ITEM 3: PARKING OPPORTUNITIES
•All city park parking lots have an overnight parking restriction of “No parking 11pm-
5am”
•Similar restriction applies for the perpendicular parking stalls along Oak Ave, Eureka
Ave by Holiday Park
•The existing perpendicular parking stalls on Chestnut Ave do not have overnight
parking restrictions
•If overnight parking restriction applies to the new parking stalls, there will be a loss
of overnight parking for the residents in the area