title
MTP - ACTION ITEM: (1) Discussion Regarding Establishing Parking Maximums; and (2) Direction to Staff.
body
Meeting Date: August 9, 2022
Contact Person/Dept: Erika Ramirez, Current Planning Manager
Gabriela Silva, Associated Planner
Phone Number: (310) 253-5727 / (310) 253-5736
Fiscal Impact: Yes [ ] No [X] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No [ ]
Public Notification: E-Mail via GovDelivery: Meetings and Agendas - Mobility, Traffic & Parking Subcommittee Notify Me - Construction, Street Maintenance and Closures Stay Informed - Bicycle & Pedestrian / Culver CityBus /Construction, Street Maintenance and Closures (08/08/2022)
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director (08/05/2022)
______________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Mobility, Transportation, and Parking Subcommittee (1) discuss establishing parking maximums; and (2) provide direction relative to the discussion item.
BACKGROUND
The City is advancing several mobility and transportation strategies related to off-street parking, in order to advance a number of objectives, including reduced parking supply and parking footprints, encouraging use of alternative modes of transportation, increased transit/mobility options, promoting housing development, promoting parking alternatives, and promoting sustainability and livability. As part of this effort the Current Planning Division has researched off-street parking and related forms of mobility and has presented information to the Planning Commission and City Council across various discussions. During the June 27, 2022 City Council meeting, the Council discussed the various parking and mobility concepts presented by staff and provided staff with direction. Specifically, that staff move forward with the preparation of a draft Zoning Code Amendment that would eliminate minimum required parking and revise bicycle parking standards, loading standards, and standards for automated parking/parking stackers. This work is currently underway and scheduled to be presented to the Planning Commission on August 24, 2022. In addition, the City Council expressed a desire to establish parking maximums and instructed that the subject be referred to the Mobility, Transportation, and Parking Subcommittee for discussion and consideration and to provide further direction to staff.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
Through the years, local governments have generally adopted Zoning Code standards setting a minimum required amount of parking, without setting a maximum, allowing projects to incorporate surplus parking as needed and/or as feasible. The purpose of minimum parking requirements has generally been to adequately plan for the parking needs of a development and ensure that sufficient off-street parking is provided for each development/use to meet those needs. Further, the desire to address parking demand has in part stemmed from a desire to avoid potential impacts to surrounding public streets, especially when commercial uses are adjacent to residential neighborhoods. Under this traditional approach of requiring minimum parking, projects rarely provide surplus parking, or very little surplus if any. In fact, in most cases, projects narrowly meet their required parking, and in some cases may include requests to modify stall dimensions, drive aisle dimensions, or even to reduce the number of required parking spaces.
In recent years, the concept of establishing a maximum allowable amount of parking has become more widely utilized by local governments throughout the country. Parking maximums are utilized to place a cap on the amount of parking that a development or site can provide, thereby limiting the amount of area that is dedicated to parking within a site. The desire to limit parking and its footprint is attributed to a number of reasons, including concerns related to 'induced demand', traffic congestion, vehicle emissions, land use prioritization, and development costs (particularly as it relates to housing affordability).
There are different approaches to implementing parking maximums. The primary method is by adopting a table listing the allowable land uses and assigning a specific maximum ratio for each use, similar to the traditional minimum required ratio tables, but instead of being a minimum ratio it represents a maximum. Another method is assigning an allowable surplus (by quantity or percentage) above the minimum required; however, this is only applicable when there is a minimum parking requirement, which the City is in the process of eliminating. Variations to the methods of implementing parking maximums include setting parking maximums for all uses citywide, all uses in specific zones or areas, for only certain uses, and including provisions for allowing maximums to be exceeded, such as through a discretionary process and/or by payment of a fee. In addition to determining a methodology, the City will also need to determine the quantities, whether by a fixed number or specific ratios (e.g., by square foot). Some cities have used their prior minimum rates as their maximums.
Among the cities that have adopted some form of parking maximums, are:
* Santa Monica, CA
* Pasadena, CA
* San Diego, CA
* San Francisco, CA
* Berkeley, CA
* Seattle, WA
* Minneapolis, MN
* Hartford, CT
Attached is a summary of the methodologies for each of the above listed cities for discussion (Attachment No. 1).
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact related to this item at this time.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2022-08-09-ATT-MTP-Parking Maximum Research Summary
MOTION
That the Mobility, Traffic and Parking Subcommittee:
1. Discuss the subject of parking maximums; and
2. Provide direction to staff.