This document establishes the procedures governing parking facilities at the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Headquarters Complex. These procedures ensure USDA complies with the goals and objectives set forth by the General Services Administration (GSA) and other Federal regulatory and management agencies pertaining to the assignment and utilization of parking facilities, energy conservation, ridesharing, and other related objectives. This directive supersedes Departmental Regulation, Number 1633-1, dated December 13, 1982, and any other instructions that conflict with its provisions.

This procedure applies to parking facilities at the USDA Headquarters Complex. It also includes the GSA controlled facility known as the 12th & C Streets Lot where USDA has an allotment of parking spaces.

The provisions of this directive are in accordance with the Federal Property Management Regulation (FPMR) 101-6.3, Ridesharing, and 101-20.104, Parking Facilities.

The following definitions shall be the official definitions pertaining to the parking program at the USDA Headquarters Complex:

a Agency Parking Representative. An employee designated by their Director of Administrative Services or Administrative Officer to administer the parking program within their agency or staff office in accordance with these procedures.

b Capacity. The maximum number of persons that can be transported one-way in the motor vehicle.

c Carpool. A group of at least four (4) persons using a motor vehicle for transportation to and from work on a daily basis. At least fifty percent of the members must be USDA employees, as define under Employment Boundaries.

d Contact Person. The member who is responsible for the information on the Parking Application (AD-697). The Contact Person ensures that the information is true to the best of their knowledge. The applicant is also responsible for ensuring that the Agency Parking Representative is notified immediately of any changes which occur in the carpool/vanpool, updating and submitting a revised parking application. The Contact Person must be a USDA employee, as identified under g Employment Boundaries. The box indicating "YES" must be shaded to denote Contact Person on the Parking Application (AD-697).

e Court. South Building parking areas located between each wing.

f Departmental Transportation Coordinator. An employee in the Office of Operations (OO), Washington Area Service Center (WASC), who is responsible for developing, maintaining, and implementing a Departmental Parking and Ridesharing Program for the USDA Headquarters Complex.

g Employment Boundaries. Government agencies and offices located within a 1.5 mile radius of the USDA Headquarters Complex. Eligible USDA personnel must be employed at the USDA Headquarters Complex , or USDA facilities occupied within a 1.5 mile radius such as, L'Enfant Plaza, Portals, Aerospace, 501 School Street or Reporters Building. USDA employees working at locations outside of the 1.5 mile radius or in buildings where employee parking is provided will be considered under "Federal employee", as stated in Section 10a5c.

h Executive Parking provided to the immediate Office of the Secretary and offices reporting directly to the Office of the Secretary. Spaces are used by individuals or carpools exempt from carpool requirements because of exigencies of Government business. These allocations are made by the Assistant Secretary for Administration to each Under/Assistant Secretary for use at their discretion. An Executive Parking Permit, AD-153C, is issued and must be properly displayed in all vehicles parking in Executive Parking space assignments.

i Government Vehicle/Building Support. Parking spaces reserved for USDA-leased or USDA-owned vehicles utilized solely for the conduct of Government business. Also includes parking necessary to support the 24-hours-a-day operations and maintenance of the Headquarters Complex.

j Physically Challenged Employee. A USDA employee working in the USDA Headquarters Complex who is so physically challenged that the use of public transportation and carpooling is unreasonably difficult or impossible due to the presence of a medically determinable impairment which significantly impairs ambulation (See Section 10d). A physically challenged employee is further defined as a person who:

k Headquarters Complex. The USDA Headquarters Complex is comprised of the Administration, South, Auditors, and Cotton Annex Buildings, associated grounds and parking lots; as well as parking allocated to USDA by GSA at the 12th and C Streets Parking Lot.

l Keycard. An electronically coded plastic credit card shaped device, used to access the South Building courts on scheduled work days between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

m Lot. Parking areas having fixed boundaries that are located around the Administration, Cotton Annex, and Auditors Buildings. (South Building Parking Areas are called Courts.)

n Parking Applications. An application that must be completed when applying for a USDA Headquarters parking space. All applications may be obtained from Agency Parking Representatives or the Departmental Transportation Coordinator.

o Parking Permits . USDA parking permits are issued and must be displayed when entering and using parking facilities at the Headquarters Complex (see Section 5a for the types of parking permits).

p Parking Space. An area allocated in a USDA parking facility to accommodate a motor vehicle.

q Part-time Member. A person who does not ride to and from work on all scheduled work days, or travels less than six one way trips weekly, as defined by Regular Member below.

r Regular Member. A person who travels at least six one way trips each week in a carpool/vanpool for a minimum distance of one mile to and from the USDA Headquarters Complex or to a work site within employment boundaries. Personnel assigned parking under Executive Parking, will not be used in scoring car/vanpool applications.

s Staging Area. A parking area for temporary use to resolve parking problems in the complex such as building emergencies, temporary parking for vehicles displaced by illegal parking or snow emergencies.

t Temporary Parking reserved by the Departmental Transportation Coordinator, designee, or an Agency Parking Representative, with a time limitation, usually one day or less. Temporary Parking is not reserved for the 12th & C Streets Parking Lot.

u Transmitter. A radio transmitter used to activate the parking control arms located at the Administration and Cotton Annex Building parking lots.

v USDA Parking. Vehicle parking spaces within the Headquarters Complex under the jurisdiction and/or control of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

w Vanpool. A group of eight (8) or more persons utilizing a van to commute daily to and from work. At least four regular members must be USDA employees housed in the Headquarters Complex or within employment boundaries. Although some automobiles may carry eight (8) or more passengers, they are not considered vanpools.

x Official Visitor Parking reserved solely for the use of officials visiting the Department on official business. A form AD-153B, Temporary Parking Permit, is issued for visitor parking use. Visitor spaces are not intended to accommodate the daily or personal needs of employees who work in or near the complex. Parking Representatives are not authorized to utilize official visitor parking spaces, under any circumstances. These spaces are not available to private contractors for use in special agency or departmental events or similar circumstances. However, visitor spaces may be used by agencies to accommodate the physically challenged on a short-term (less than 30 days) emergency basis. See Criteria for Reserving Official Visitor Parking Spaces, Section 10 b.

a Parking Permits. Permits which are issued for entry and display while using USDA Headquarters Complex parking facilities are listed below. Permits must be displayed as defined in Section 7e(3).

b Parking Applications. Form AD-697, Application for Parking Space, must be completed in pencil and submitted through the appropriate authority or Agency Parking Representative to the Departmental Transportation Coordinator in the Washington Area Service Center (WASC), room S-321, South Building. Agency Parking Representatives are specifically instructed to return incomplete or improperly prepared applications to the applicant. Applications are available from Agency Parking Representatives and from the Departmental Transportation Coordinator.

C. Express Lane Commuter Information and Ridesharing. Form AD-697, Application for Parking Space, should be completed denoting "Ridefinder", and a computer printout will be sent to you with information pertaining to your commuting area.

a Government Vehicle and Building Support Parking: Vehicle parking areas shall first be reserved for Government Vehicles and vehicles associated with the 24-hours-a-day operations and maintenance of the Headquarters Complex as defined in Section 4i.

b Official Visitor Parking as defined in Section 4x. Visitor parking spaces will be assigned based on the availability of spaces and agency need. c Parking spaces not required for Government Vehicles, Building Support, or Official Visitors will be used for employee parking. Available parking spaces shall be assigned according to the following priorities:

b Agency Administrator's and/or Directors will:

c Agency Administrative Services Directors and Administrative Officers will:

d Agency Parking Representatives are responsible for administering the parking program within their agency by serving as their agencies' liaison with the Departmental Transportation Coordinator (DTC) in accordance with these procedures. Their responsibilities are to:

e Persons using USDA's parking facilities must:

Applications for parking space assignments will be accepted on a continuous basis. All applicants must submit the appropriate forms through their Agency Parking Representatives. When applications exceed the number of spaces available, they will be placed on a waiting list until spaces become available:

a Requests for all parking space assignments (excluding Executive Parking) must be submitted through Agency Parking Representatives on the appropriate application (i.e., AD-697, AD-697A, AD-1079, AD-1080 and AD-1081, See Section 5b). These forms are available from Agency Parking Representatives and the Departmental Transportation Coordinator.

b Reassignments shall take place periodically, usually annually. OO/WASC will issue a Departmental Notice announcing the reassignment. Agency Parking Representatives shall notify employees of applicable instructions, requirements and due dates.

c Notification of parking assignments will be made to applicants by Agency Parking Representatives.

d Qualified carpools/vanpools will be assigned parking spaces based on a point system. Applicants with the highest number of points will be assigned parking spaces within the USDA Courts and Lots until all available spaces have been assigned. The remaining assignments will be made, still based on the highest number of points, to as many applicants as possible until all available spaces at the 12th and C Streets Parking Lot have been assigned.

e Each USDA member of a qualifying carpool will be required to appear in person, with photo I.D., in order to obtain the new parking permits. Members should plan to appear together.

f A minimum of four USDA members of qualified vanpools will be required to appear together, with photo I.D. to obtain the new parking permit.

g Approved applicants will be issued the appropriate USDA Parking Permit (one permit will be issued to each USDA driving member). Non-USDA personnel will not be issued permits to park in the USDA Headquarters Complex.

h Permit holders shall surrender permits when:

a Permits will be issued as appropriate to USDA driving members for all parking assignments (except 12th & C Streets Parking Lot, which will be issued only one monthly permit per assignment or pool):

b Permit holders are responsible for the parking permits and following the rules printed on the back of each permit and in this Departmental Order.

a Assigning Pool Parking Spaces. The following criteria are used to evaluate applications and assign spaces:

b Reserving Official Visitor Parking Spaces Visitor parking spaces will be assigned to agencies based on the need and justification submitted. Agencies desiring allocated visitor parking spaces must complete an AD-1079, Application for Agency Official Visitor Parking Space, and submit it to their Agency Parking Representative. Visitor parking spaces shall be reserved solely for the use of Officials visiting the Department on official business. These spaces are not intended for USDA employees personal use, nor are they to be used by Executives not receiving parking accommodations from their respective Under/Assistant Secretary. All reservations for visitor parking spaces must be made by contacting your Agency Parking Representative. A completed AD-153B, Temporary Parking Permit, must be displayed face up on the driver's side of the vehicle for all visitor parking. Priority and procedures for reserving Visitor Parking Spaces:

c Assignment of Executive Parking Spaces

d Assignment of Designated Physically Challenged Parking Spaces

No parking permits are issued for bicycle or motorcycle parking. However, USDA ID's are required to gain access to the South Building Courts. Employees utilizing these facilities may only park in these designated areas.

a Bicycle parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis at the South Building, Court 2; Auditors Building, Lot 14; Lot 10 and the Jefferson Drive side of the Administration Building. Cyclers are responsible for providing their own locks to secure their bicycles.

b Motorcycle Parking is available on a first come, first serve basis at the South Building, Court 5; the Administration Building, Lot 8; and the Cotton Annex Building, Lot 7.

a Reassignment of individual parking spaces which become available will be made based on the priority of assignment of parking spaces as stated in Section 6. Spaces determined to be available for reassignment to carpools and vanpools will be assigned to pools on the established waiting list. (See Section 14 Interim Assignments)

b Reassignments of all parking spaces in the Headquarters Complex will occur annually unless necessity dictates otherwise. Employees will be notified of reassignment schedules and requirements via Departmental Notice to all employees in the D.C. Headquarters Complex and USDA employees housed in buildings within a 1.5 mile radius.

c When competing for parking spaces during a reassignment, employees must return completed application package to the Agency Parking Representative on or before the announced closing date. Agency Parking Representatives are instructed not to accept applications after the closing date.

d Agency Parking Representatives will review each application for completeness and accuracy and assign an Agency Number (example FS-012) to each application for a parking space. Agency Parking Representatives will then prepare a recap sheet which summarizes all applications by type, and submit the listing and the applications to the Departmental Transportation Coordinator by the closing date.

e The Departmental Transportation Coordinator will review the data, consolidate all the agency submissions, establish a cut-off point, assign spaces and notify Agency Parking Representatives of the results from the reassignment.

f Agency Parking Representatives will notify applicants of the results of the reassignment, collect old and distribute new parking permits, and keycards to successful applicants as directed by the Washington Area Service Center.

a Loss or change in membership must be immediately reported to the Agency Parking Representative. The carpool will be given thirty days to replace the member(s) and submit a revised AD-697, Application for Parking Space, reflecting all changes. If the carpool does not have enough qualifying points after thirty days, their space will be reassigned to the next qualifying carpool.

NOTE: If the carpool has enough qualifying points without an additional member, they will retain a USDA parking space, but not necessarily the same space. Failure to report changes will result in loss of parking privileges and notification of parking violation to your agency head for possible further disciplinary action.

b The Departmental Transportation Coordinator is available to assist carpools/vanpools in locating new members.

When spaces become vacant during the assignment period because of retirements, separations or any other reason, the Contact Person is responsible for notifying their Agency Parking Representative that the space is available for reassignment. Agency Parking Representatives shall notify the Departmental Transportation Coordinator who will in turn reassign the parking space to the next qualifying carpool/vanpool. Agency Parking Representatives are not permitted to reassign any parking spaces and are responsible for returning official spaces no longer required, to the Departmental Transportation Coordinator for reassignment.

a OO/WASC shall maintain current information concerning employee transportation services to the extent possible. These services shall include maintenance of an automated carpool/vanpool referral service, and shall interface with services provided by local ridesharing agencies and entities, such as the Council of Governments (COG) and the General Services Administration, National Ridesharing Office, when possible.

b USDA employees may obtain ridesharing information from the Departmental Transportation Coordinator.

c USDA employees who use TDD equipment may obtain information on joining or forming carpools/vanpools by calling 720-PARK.

a Accidents. The Federal Protective Service of the General Services Administration has jurisdiction over the parking lots/courts in and around the Administration, South, Auditors, and Cotton Annex Buildings. Persons involved in an accident are responsible for reporting accidents occurring within or at the entrance of the lots/courts immediately to appropriate USDA guards and to the Federal Protective Service at (202) 708-1111.

b Common Problems. If someone is parked in your space, note the license plate number; state of tag; type and color of vehicle; and, if a USDA parking permit is visible, the information on the permit; then proceed to Court 2 and give the information obtained on the vehicle in your space, along with your name, phone number, lot and space number to the guard. The guard will contact the parking office and obtain a staging parking space for your vehicle. You are responsible for moving your vehicle back to your assigned space, in a timely manner, if contacted by either the Departmental Transportation Coordinator or your Agency Parking Representative. Should a permit holder forget or lose their permit; they should:

a All applicants and permit holders are responsible for abiding by these parking procedures. By signing the parking application (Form AD-697), each applicant certifies that they have read and understand these parking procedures.

b WASC will provide program participants with a written NOTICE OF INFRACTION for all violations.

c Permit holders shall surrender permits when:

d If any person's name appears on applications for more than one parking space (inside or outside of USDA) and the number of one-way trips is unreasonable or impossible, that person will be banned from the parking program for a period of not less than one year or reassignment period. The carpool will have thirty (30) days to replace the driver/rider or forfeit the space (there will be no exceptions to this rule).

e WASC will make random investigations of parking assignments during the course of the assignment period. If, after the investigation, a space is found to be operating at other than the levels indicated on the parking application the space will be returned to the parking inventory for reassignment.

f If, for any reason, an assigned space is occupied by someone other than the assignee, the Contact Person or carpool member should:

g The Departmental Transportation Coordinator authorizes the issuance of District of Columbia, Department of Motor Vehicle tickets and the Chief, Executive Services Branch authorizes issuance of US Park Service tickets for Jefferson Drive permit holders.

h Illegally parked vehicles at the USDA Headquarters Complex receiving a District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicle ticket, or that have outstanding DC Parking Violations may be booted or towed from USDA facilities at any time at the owners expense.

i Tickets received at the USDA Headquarters Complex for parking violations are not generally "negotiable" and represent a legal matter between the DC Department of Traffic Adjudication or the US Park Service and the receiving individual.

j South Building court parking spaces, adjacent to offices or court perimeter walls will be "Front End Parking" only.

k Permits must be prominently displayed on driver's side of dashboard, face up, at all times. Failure to display valid permits may result in the vehicle being ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.

l DO NOT block traffic lanes in courts while waiting for pool members. Remain in your assigned parking space until all members arrive.

m DO NOT double park while waiting for riders.

n DO NOT block traffic by allowing passengers to get into or out of vehicles on the ramp.

o Hours of operation: South Building Courts 1 and 6 are open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with keycard access from 9:30a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Court 2 is open 24-hours-a-day, and Courts 3, 4 and 5 are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

p All vehicles entering the South Building Courts or USDA parking lots are subject to search by security guards or appropriate officials of the Department.

q 12th and C Streets Parking Lot

a Evening parking is available between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. only, during scheduled work days. Weekend and holiday parking begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 6:00 a.m. on the next scheduled work day. Unauthorized vehicles using these facilities at other time frames will be ticketed and towed.

a Key cards are used to enter and exit the South Building Courts when the gates are not open. Key cards will only operate the gates between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. No key cards are needed for Court 2 which is open 24-hours a day.

b Key cards are issued to the Contact Person and next driver listed at the time of assignment. If additional key cards are needed for other USDA drivers they should be requested by contacting the Contact Person's Agency Parking Representative and provide them with the driver's name and agency for each card requested.

Steps to reduce vehicle emissions and single-occupant vehicles (SOV's) are being undertaken by state and local jurisdictions. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 presently require every employer with 100 or more persons at any work site in a "'severe non-attainment" area to implement a Transportation Management Program (TMP) to increase the average passenger occupancy (APO) per vehicle by 25 percent over the area's average by 1997 and, although the Washington area is not presently a "severe non-attainment" area, the Federal Government, with its large concentration of facilities in the National Capital Region (NCR), we must continue to help set the example in transportation management planning to prevent deterioration of air quality in the area to the "severe" category. The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and GSA are working cooperatively to ensure:

a All Federal agencies establish an APO baseline for each work site of more than 100 persons by June 30, 1994;

b Implementation of a vigorous TMP to achieve an increase in APO per vehicle by 25 percent at each such worksite by October 1, 1997, recognizing that where great strides in transportation demand management have already been made, a more limited goal may be required;

c Aggressive promotion of a wide range of TMP strategies to achieve the increased APO goal, including parking management, personalized assistance and ridematching, van/buspooling, transit, bicycling, walking, telecommuting, variable work hours, transit benefit program, guaranteed/emergency ride home, and commuter centers, and;

d Promoting the use of shuttle bus service for Federal employees between Metrorail stations and Federal work sites to the extent permitted by law.

e Strong support of the enactment of legislation to (1) extend authorization for the transit benefit program beyond the December 31, 1993 expiration date and (2) permit Federal agencies to operate shuttle bus service, where needed, between Metrorail stations and Federal work sites, and urges support for such legislation by local, state, regional, and Federal agencies in the NCR.

f Direct circulation of these amendment resolutions to all Federal agencies in the NCR by letter, urging each agency to voluntarily implement the goals and policies as soon as possible.