The new parking area is located at the “Chandler Lot” to the east of the station along Chandler Blvd. between Fair Ave. and Vineland Ave..

The new parking facility looking east. The pavement is permeable, allowing rainwater to drain through it.

An additional 194 parking spots will be available at the North Hollywood Red and Orange Line Station beginning Monday. As it stands, the parking lot at Metro’s third busiest station is usually at or near capacity on most weekday mornings, which means some park-and-ride commuters have no choice but to circle the lot or give up and drive the rest of their trip.

The new parking facility, which is located east of the station along the north side of Chandler Boulevard, will add to the station’s parking supply to try to keep up with the increasing demand for spaces. Parking in the new lot is free.

The lot is located on previously unused Metro-owned property and is part of a sustainable parking demonstration program in which Metro is looking to make better use of land near stations while larger scale transit-oriented plans are hashed out.

That said, making sure the new facility was low-cost, easy to construct and remove with little impact to the environment were key in its design. A permeable “temporary” pavement (it should last seven to 10 years) was used, meaning water can drain through the parking lot’s surface instead of requiring costly drainage systems.

Here’s Metro’s full press release with more details:

More parking is coming for park-and-ride commuters at the Metro Red and Orange Line North Hollywood Station beginning Monday, November 16. The new 194-space sustainable parking facility is located on a previously vacant Metro-owned lot just east of the station along the north side of Chandler Boulevard between Fair Avenue and Vineland Avenue. Parking at the new facility will be free.

The facility was designed with sustainability in mind and will help accommodate the high demand for parking at the station’s existing 954 parking spaces, which currently operate at or near capacity during weekday peak hours. The lack of parking is estimated to deter more than 1,000 potential transit riders a day.

“We must make it as easy and fast as possible for our riders to get to and from our stations,” said Metro Board Chair and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “This parking facility is a smart, low-cost and efficient solution that makes it easier for San Fernando Valley residents to get out of their cars and onto our system.”

The new parking facility was built with sustainable elements such as special permeable paving material and LED lighting. Using the permeable pavement allowed the facility to be designed in a way that doesn’t require extensive drainage or costly improvements to control water run-off or water capture. Metro is also in the process of procuring solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for use at some of the parking spaces.

The parking facility is considered temporary because it’s located on a Metro-owned parcel slated for future transit-oriented development, though there are currently no development plans identified. Metro staff looked to use a temporary, sustainable parking surface because of its low installation and removal costs. The permeable pavement has a lifespan of seven to ten years.

In addition to the new parking spaces, a multi-use path was built adjacent to the new parking lot, offering a separated path that creates a safe connection for pedestrians and bicyclists to the existing Chandler Bikeway and Orange Line Bikeway.

“The construction of much needed additional parking and the closure of the bikeway gap near the North Hollywood Station really addressed two of the biggest challenges we face at this important Valley transit hub,” said Paul Krekorian, L.A. City Council Member and Metro Board Member. “These improvements will make it easier and safer to access the Orange and Red lines by foot, bicycle or car.”

The budget for the Metro sustainable parking demonstration project was set at $1.4 million with 10% of the project funded by Proposition C. The project was completed under budget and on schedule.

The sustainable parking demonstration project will provide insight for Metro in long-term planning for parking facilities, particularly those in underutilized Metro–owned parcels that may be developed or re-purposed in the future. In September, Metro began the process of creating development guidelines for four parcels totaling 15.6 acres around the North Hollywood Station.

“The sustainable parking demonstration project is not only about parking, it’s also about making better use of space around our stations,” said Metro CEO Phil Washington. “What was previously an empty piece of land is now being used to make transit more accessible while acknowledging the potential for future transit-oriented growth in this vibrant community.”

The new parking facility will be included in Phase I of Metro’s parking guidance system program, which will provide real-time parking count data that Metro will use to improve Metro’s parking operations and planning, as well as to provide the public real-time information about station parking availability.

Parking at the new facility will be free. Metro is currently developing a Supportive Transit Parking Program Master Plan that among its multiple objectives, will establish an approach for a potential parking pricing system at Metro parking facilities located at stations throughout the system.

The North Hollywood Station in the San Fernando Valley is Metro’s third busiest station by daily ridership. It’s a key transfer point between the Metro Red Line subway to downtown Los Angeles and the Metro Orange Line bus rapid transit (BRT) to Warner Center and Chatsworth, and is the terminus for both lines. The station serves more than 22,500 Metro riders a day.

The station is also home to two Zipcars, a car sharing service that provides commuters with Zipcar memberships access to vehicles on an hourly basis. Metro partnered with the car share company last May to improve first-mile last-mile connectivity at the station.

Metro local buses, Burbank Bus, LADOT Commuter Express and Santa Clarita Transit also operate routes to and from the station. In October, the Metro Board approved a 180-day pilot program beg,inning in spring 2016 for the NoHo-Pasadena Express bus route, which will directly connect the Metro Red and Orange Line North Hollywood Station in the San Fernando Valley to the Metro Gold Line Memorial Park Station in Pasadena.