Video: Parking Becomes a Nightmare at the Saratoga Library

Saratoga Library patron Lorette Mah says the parking at the hugely popular book house is so cumbersome, it takes an average person a long time to land a spot.

"It's pretty bad," Mah said after exiting the facility located at 13650 Saratoga Ave. "They open at 1 p.m. and when I got here at 1:30 p.m. it's already full. You need to get here before it opens."

Even when the library is closed, the parking lot looks full, she noted.

And there's no hope in sight. According to Saratoga community librarian Gayathri Kanth, "There's really no place at the Saratoga Library to expand parking.

"We do get very busy, especially after school ... If there's a huge event, we talk to school officials [to try to figure out the situation.]"

Kanth said there's mostly a parking problem after school hours, between 2 and 5 p.m., but she said she hasn't heard any parking complaints lately but has in the past.

Due to its proximity to the Sacred Heart Parish, 13716 Saratoga Ave., worshippers there sometimes park in the busy lot, Mah said.

When Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, 13601 Saratoga Ave., has an event, its members will also use the parking.

And since Redwood Middle School is right around the corner at 13925 Fruitvale, a large amount of its students walk to the library and get picked up at the location increasing the amount of cars entering and leaving the facility.

"It's just crazy because people are doing pick-up here," Mah said. "But it's just such a beautiful library. It has everything you need and if they don't have it here you get it on hold through the Santa Clara County Library system online."

Dean Andrus, who's lived in Saratoga for more than 30 years, said he comes to the library twice a week and has become frustrated by the parking situation. "The lot is full all the time. It takes me quite a while to find parking," he said.

Saratoga Councilwoman Emily Lo, who was dropping off books at the library on Tuesday, said the situation could be improved if everyone was considerate and actually used the location for library purposes and not to pick-up or drop-off children for school or attend nearby events.

Patch Editor Rachel Stern contributed to this report