Many neighbors near Kaiser Permanente's Oakland Medical Center can now apply for preferential parking permits aimed to stop hospital patients and staff from clogging up neighborhood streets, officials said.

Residents near Temescal and Piedmont Avenue received a letter from the city late last week setting a deadline of March 26 for turning in permit applications.

The city will install new signs about the restricted parking "sometime after" March 26, according to the letter. As a result, parking will be limited to two hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Oakland Local wrote about the proposed permit program in February, after the city sent a confusing letter to many residents about the application process.

Kaiser will cover the cost of permits for about 3,400 Oakland residents for the next 50 years, as the result of an agreement the medical company made with the city after reviewing environmental impacts the hospital's growth will cause.

The hospital facilities and surrounding areas are undergoing major construction during their transformation into what Kaiser describes as a "comprehensively planned state-of-the-art medical center."

Some are resistant to parking permits because of what may be an unwiedly application process. To qualify for a permit, people must provide their car registration and a driver's license, both showing the permit address, along with a utility bill or current lease.  People who live in shared houses, where not everyone is on the lease or utility bills, may face challenges in providing proper documentation, as will those who have moved frequently, as the Department of Motor Vehicles does not issue new licenses even when a new address is filed.

The City Council approved the new permit program last fall. But the permits aren't a done deal. Residents of each block will have the final say in whether to participate, said Wladimir Wlassowsky, transportation services manager for the city. Fifteen households must apply for a block to qualify. In cases where there are fewer than 15 houses on a block, 50 percent of the residents must opt in.

He cautioned that blocks that reject the program likely will be left even more congested when permits go into effect, as people trolling for longer-term spots discover the few remaining streets that aren't protected. But those who want to opt out, he said, are welcome to call his office for help.

Residents are able to apply by mail or in person for passes for visitors, which cost $1 per day or $5 for two weeks.

Permits in the affected areas must be renewed on an annual basis and are limited to two per household. (See files at the bottom of the story for a map and complete list of streets slated for restricted parking.)

TAKE ACTION

For more information about permits, call Philip Ho, Oakland transportation engineer, at 238-3466 or 238-6256. He can be reached by e-mail at PHo@oaklandnet.com.

Kaiser holds a monthly meeting regarding construction issues and invites community members to attend the March session, at 7 p.m., in the second floor conference room at the Broadway Medical Office Building and Cancer Center, 3701 Broadway. For more information, call Judy DeVries at 752-2004 or e-mail her at Judy.DeVries@kp.org.