City of Culver City - File #: 19-318

• File #: 19-318
• Version: 2
• Type: Minute Order
• Status: Action Item
• File created: 9/17/2018
• In control: Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
• On agenda: 11/29/2018
• Title: CULVER CITY ZONING CODE: BICYCLE PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR OFF-STREET BICYCLE PARKING

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CULVER CITY ZONING CODE: BICYCLE PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR OFF-STREET BICYCLE PARKING

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Meeting Date:  September 20, 2018

Contact Person/Dept:                     Sanjana Mada / Public Works Administration

Phone Number:  (310) 253-5616

Fiscal Impact:  Yes []    No [X]                                                                General Fund:  Yes []     No [X]

Public Hearing:  []          Action Item:                     [X]          Attachments: []   

Commission Action Required:     Yes [X]     No []    Date: 09/20/2018

Public Notification:   (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (09/17/2019=8);

Department Approval:  Charles D. Herbertson, Public Works Director/ City Engineer (11/26/2018)

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RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (1) discuss Culver City’s current off-street bicycle parking zoning code requirements; and (2) provide recommendation to staff and the Planning Commission on how the City should modify the “off-street parking”  section of the zoning code.

BACKGROUND

As part of the Current Planning Division’s ongoing implementation of the Zoning Code, and through the review of various projects, staff has identified that current language within the “off-street parking” section of the Zoning Code requires modification.  Over the past few years, as new development has proliferated, staff and the Planning Commission have required bicycle parking above the Zoning Code required amount through conditions of approval for projects as they go through the discretionary process.

As a result of the ongoing review of projects and feedback from the Planning Commission, staff identified portions of the Zoning Code pertaining to off-street parking requirements that were deemed to necessitate modification. Zoning Code Section 17.320.045 - Bicycle Parking requires such spaces at a rate of 10% of the required vehicle parking spaces for multi-family projects and at a rate of 5% for non-residential projects.

Zoning Codes are a product of their times and the current standards changes in technology and in the prevalence of alternative energy vehicles, and changes in mobility trends towards increased bicycle use for transportation.  Since these topics have been recurring and are of importance to the development of projects throughout the City, staff believes it may be prudent to modify the zoning provisions to implement standards that reflect changes in the realities of development and the goals of the City as it plans for the future.  Furthermore, it is staff’s opinion that the proposed amendments related to these types of parking standards will be a step in the desired direction to benefit the general public interest, health, safety, convenience and welfare of the City.

ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION

The Zoning Code currently specifies the standards for off-street parking, including bicycle parking, in Chapter 17.320 - Off-street Parking and Loading, as summarized above.  Based on City staff’s experience with recent projects and the direction received from the Planning Commission, staff researched Zoning Codes from other nearby jurisdictions, with regard to bicycle parking.  On the basis of these factors, staff derived proposed standards for bicycle parking as discussed below.

Bicycle Parking

The current Zoning Code standards require bicycle parking as a percentage of required vehicle parking at rates of five (5) and ten (10) percent for non-residential and multi-family residential uses respectively, and there are no separate requirements or distinction between short-term and long-term bicycle parking.  When applied to a typical office/retail/restaurant project, 35,000 square feet of floor area would require a total of five (5) bicycle spaces; and when applied to a typical five-unit residential project would require only one (1) bicycle space.  In addition, based on this formula, as required vehicle parking spaces decrease so would the required bicycle parking spaces, which would not be conducive to encouraging and accommodating bicycle use as a mobility option.  The research of other jurisdictions showed that most implemented a ratio of bicycle parking per square foot of building floor area, similar to the manner in which vehicle parking ratios are implemented, some had more extensive list of specified uses than others, some had quantity minimums, and some distinguished short-term from long-term.  A summary of these requirements is shown in Table 4 below.  The ratios per square foot vary greatly; for example, while Los Angeles County requires one long-term space per 12,000 square feet of floor area for general retail uses, City of Santa Monica requires one per 2,000 square feet.  Based on the ranges for common uses, such as office, general retail, and restaurant, the resulting approximation was used as a guide for those three (3) non-residential categories.  Further, staff also used ratios based upon research of recently approved projects.  For example, staff identified two (2) non-residential projects.  The first was a retail/restaurant project, where the total number of bicycle parking spaces required by staff was fifteen (15) and was then doubled by the Planning Commission upon consideration of the project’s compliance with projected mobility objectives.  The second was an office project, where the total number of bicycle parking spaces was seventeen (i.e. 7 short-term and 10 long-term) and the number required by Planning Commission as a condition of approval was increased to a total of twenty-eight (28) spaces, including twelve (12) short-term and sixteen (16) long-term.  Similarly, recent multi-family residential projects were required to provide one (1) bicycle parking space per unit, and up to two (2) spaces (long-term) per unit with additional one (1) space (short-term) per four (4) units.

Table 4:  Bicycle Parking Standards by Other Jurisdictions
Jurisdiction	Standards/Requirements
City of Santa Monica	Use	Short-term	Long-term
	Residential (3+ units)	10% of Long-Term; minimum 2 spaces per project	1 space per bedroom, including studios
	Senior Housing	25% of Long-Term; 2 min. per project	0.5 spaces per bedroom; 2 min. per project
	Colleges & Trade Schools, Public & Private	1.5 for each 10 students	0.5 per classroom
	Day Care Facility	1.5 for each 20 students	0.5 per classroom
	Hospitals or Clinics	1 per 4,000 sq. ft. of floor area; 4 min per project	1 per 2,000 sq. ft. of floor area; 4 min per project
	Parks and Recreation Facilities, Public	5% of maximum daily attendance	1 per 20 employees
	Schools, Public and Private	1.5 for each 20 students	0.5 space per classroom
	All Commercial & Public/Semi-Public uses except as listed below	1 per 4,000 sq. ft. of floor area; 4 min. per project	1 per 3,000 sq. ft. of floor area; 4 min. per project
	Parking Facility	1 per 10 spaces; 6 min. per project	1 per 20 spaces; 4 min. per project
	Office	1 per 8,000 sq. ft. of floor area; 4 min. per project	1 per 2,000 sq. ft. of floor area, 4 min. per project
	Hotels	8 spaces	0.20 per room
	Industrial Uses	1 per 12,000 sq. ft. of floor area; 4 min. per project	1 per 12,000 sq. ft. of floor area; 4 min. per project
City of West Hollywood	Stall Dimensions:  2 feet by 5 feet
	Residential (5 or more units): 1 per 4 dwelling units
	Non-residential	Short-term	Long-term
	All non-residential uses	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.	1 per 7,500 sq. ft.
City of El Segundo	Stall Dimensions:  2 feet by 5 feet
	Multiple-family Residential:  10% of the required vehicle parking spaces for projects with 6 or more units
	Non-residential:  A minimum of 4 spaces for buildings up to 15,000 square feet, plus a minimum of 5 percent of the required vehicle spaces for the portion above 15,000 square feet.  Maximum of 25 spaces.
Manhattan Beach	Commercial Use Classifications:  5% of the requirement for automobile parking spaces. Ambulance Services; Animal Boarding; Animal Grooming; Catering Services; Commercial Filming; Horticulture, Limited; Funeral and Interment Services; and Vehicle/Equipment Sales and Services (all classifications) are exempt
	Industrial Use Classifications:  None required
City of Inglewood	Non-residential uses only:  Four (4) spaces for the first 50,000 square feet of floor area, plus 1 space per each additional 50,000 square feet.
City of Los Angeles	Stall Dimensions:  2 feet by 6 feet
	Residential	Short-term	Long-term
	1 to 25 dwellings 26 to 100 dwellings 101 to 200 dwellings 201 or more	1 per 10 dwelling units 1 per 15 dwelling units 1 per 20 dwelling units 1 per 40 dwelling units Minimum 2 short-term spaces shall be provided in all cases	1 per dwelling unit 1 per 1.5 dwelling units 1 per 2 dwelling units 1 per 4 dwelling units None required for projects with individually accessed private garages for ea. unit
	Non-residential	Short-term	Long-term
	Minimum 2 short-term and 2 long-term spaces shall be provided in all cases
	Office	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.	1 per 5,000 sq. ft.
	Warehouse	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.
	Health Clubs	1 per 2,000 sq. ft.	1 per 2,000 sq. ft.
	Restaurants and bars, general	1 per 2,000 sq. ft.	1 per 2,000 sq. ft.
	Restaurants and bars, less than 1,000 SF	2 per restaurant	2 per restaurant
	Retail, general	1 per 2,000 sq. ft.	1 per 2,000 sq. ft.
	Retail, furniture	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.
	Trade schools, private universities, private colleges	1 per 500 sq. ft. or 1 per 50 fixed seats, whichever is greater	1 per 1,000 sq. ft. or 1 per 100 fixed seats, whichever is greater
	Other commercial uses	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.
	All institutional uses	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.	1 per 5,000 sq. ft.
	All industrial uses	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.
	Auditorium	1 per 350 sq. ft. or 1 per 50 fixed seats, whichever is greater	1 per 700 sq. ft. or 1 per 100 fixed seats, whichever is greater
	Private elementary, private high schools, charter schools	4 per classroom	1 per 10 classrooms
County of Los Angeles	Stall Dimensions:  2 feet by 6 feet
	Use	Short-term	Long-term
	Residential (5+ units)	1 per 10 dwelling units (2 min)	1 per 2 dwelling units
	General retail, including restaurants	One space per each 5,000 square feet of gross floor area (2 space min)	One space per each 12,000 square feet of gross floor area (2 space min)
	Hotels, motels, clubs, fraternity and sorority houses, and dormitories	1 space per 40 guestrooms (2 space min)	1 space per 20 guestrooms (2 space min)
	Office	1 space per 20,000 square feet of gross floor area (2 space min)	1 space per 10,000 square feet of gross floor area (2 space min)
	Theatres, auditoriums, lodge rooms, stadiums, or similar amusement and entertainment uses	1 space per 50 intended visitors based on occupant load (2 space minimum)	1 space per 100 intended visitors based on occupant load (2 space minimum)
	Industrial uses	1 space per 20,000 square feet of gross floor area (2 space min)	1 space per 10,000 square feet of gross floor area (2 space min)
	Institutional uses, including hospitals, convalescent hospitals, adult residential facilities, and group homes for children	1 space per 20,000 square feet of gross floor area (2 space min)	1 space per 10,000 square feet of gross floor area (2 space min)
	Schools, including trade schools, colleges, universities, and private elementary, middle, and high schools	4 spaces per classroom (4 space minimum)	1 space per 10 classrooms (2 space minimum)
	Churches, temples, and other places of worship	1 space for each 50 intended visitors based on occupant load of largest assembly area within the facility (2 space min)	1 space for each 100 intended visitors based on occupant load of largest assembly area within the facility (2 space minimum)

Based on the survey data and recent Planning Commission action on various projects, as well as feedback from the community, it is clear that the current Zoning Code standards fall short.  As the community mobility preferences continue to shift, it is necessary to reevaluate this subject in a manner that will address current needs as well as needs and demand in the future.  Therefore, the proposed amendment proposes to change the way bicycle parking is required to be based on the amount of floor area and/or dwelling units within a site or project, rather than a percentage of vehicle parking, and also by implementing requirements for both short-term and long-term spaces.  Further, the proposed text amendment language for the required amount of bicycle parking is shown in Table 5 below.

Table 5  Bicycle Parking Requirements
Use Type	Short-Term	Long-Term
Multiple-family residential	One per two units	One per unit
General retail, restaurant	One space per 2,500 sq. ft. of gross floor area, with a minimum of 4 spaces	One space per 3,500 sq. ft. of gross floor area, with a minimum of 4 spaces
Office	One space per 10,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area, with a minimum of 4 spaces	One space per 5,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area, with a minimum of 4 spaces
Other non-residential uses	One space per 10,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area, with a minimum of 2 spaces	One space per 10,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area, with a minimum of 2 spaces

This language is consistent with the requirements implemented on a recent retail/restaurant, and office projects, as well as with various residential condominium projects.  The proposed language is also consistent with the approximate figures derived from the survey of other jurisdictions for general uses such as office, retail, and restaurants/food service establishments. This initial proposal is intended as starting point for discussion to amend this Zoning Code.

ATTACHMENTS

1.                     Santa Monica Municipal Code, Article 9, Division 3, Chapter 9.28 PARKING, LOADING, AND CIRCULATION <http://www.qcode.us/codes/santamonica/view.php?cite=section_9.28.140&confidence=6>

2.                     El Segundo, Title 15, Chapter 15: Off Street Parking and Loading Spaces <http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=587>

3.                     West Hollywood Municipal Code, Title 19, Article 19-3, Chapter 19.28 Off Street Parking and Loading Standards <https://qcode.us/codes/westhollywood/view.php?topic=19-19_3-19_28-19_28_150>

4.                     Los Angeles Bike Ordinance <http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2012/12-1297-s1_misc_1-15-13.pdf>

5.                     Los Angeles County Municipal Code, Title 22, Division 1, Chapter 22.52, Part 11 Vehicle Parking Space <http://lacounty-ca.elaws.us/code/coor_title22_div1_ch22.52_pt11_sec22.52.1225>

MOTION

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Staff:

(1) Discuss Culver City’s current off-street bicycle parking zoning code requirements; and

(2) Provide recommendations to staff and the Planning Commission on how the City should modify this section of the zoning code.