The “Residential Parking Permit program” is an election year gift to the council's most ardent supporters and oldest neighborhood association. Unfortunately, if you live in the hypothetical parking area near downtown and happen to be an apartment resident, condo resident or planned unit development resident, the downtown parking committee has determined and recommended to city council your non-participation to apply/vote/participate or receive these special city street parking permits. It’s ironic that “resident” has a special meaning in this program only. The program seems innocuous until you see the long term effect on downtown merchants and anyone else that doesn’t own a single family home and needs to park on city streets near downtown.
Single family detached home residents should park within their own footprint just like every other resident of Mountain View or compete for street parking like everyone else while obeying time restrictions where posted.
If downtown workers or commuters are affecting the quality of life for a few single family homeowners near downtown Mountain View, time restrictions are the answer, not hundreds upon hundreds of parking permits for a select few residents. 2 hour restrictions work best. 5hr restrictions are problematic, although they dissuade commuter parking, 5hr restrictions invite spillover parking from residents and downtown workers as the chalk needs to be wiped clean from the tires only once at 1:30 pm in the afternoon.