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i 6.3.B. - Page 8 10/12/2015 TJKM = Transportation Consultants • � INTRODUCTION For decades, most major cities in the nation have struggled to balance the desire to support growth and to somehow contain the increased vehicular traffic and associated negative impacts on the ' livability of their quiet neighborhoods. While local governments continued to manage increased ' auto use and increased parking demands though zoning regulations, it is widely accepted that ' creating more parking is as impractical as building more freeways to meet the growing travel � ' demand.Additionally, creating more parking to meet the peak demand is not only very expensive, I but it creates abundance of oversupply during all hours other than the peak demand periods. It is imperative that dependency on the auto travel and resulting greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions are I appropriately addressed and contained. More sustainable and economically feasible alternatives ' must be developed to assure quiet,safer and walkable communities for future generations. Planners, city leaders and developers must work together to address these issues and support 'I development policies that encourage compact and transit-friendly urban designs that promote alternate modes of transportation, preserve open space and reduce GHGs. , Redwood City continues to attract new employers, residents and businesses to its thriving downtown core. It is critical to provide adequate parking that makes the retail activity more attractive and helps builders fully lease office, residential and retail land uses.As the downtown ' development activities continue over the coming years,the increased demand on transportation ' infrastructure and mobility may pose new challenges to the attractiveness of its downtown and ', livability of its neighborhoods. The City's Downtown Precise Plan acknowledged the negative "! impacts of excessive parking and outlined parking regulations that will ensure convenient and accessible parking for all without the negative impact on the Downtown's pedestrian-oriented character. , Since completing a comprehensive analysis of parking conditions in 2005, Redwood City has � ' implemented several policy changes that have resulted in better parking operations within the ` downtown core.The most recent changes include an August 2014 increase in the on-street meter ' fees that may improve dispersion of parking demand in the downtown core and the immediate ! vicinity. Figure 1 shows major public parking facilities within the downtown core. Since 2006, Redwood City has offered an In-Lieu Parking Fee Program to developers who may �� ` choose to pay a set fee per parking space in lieu of providing the necessary number of spaces to i comply with the code requirements. Several developers have opted to pay this fee in the past � decade, and recently many more have proposed to do so.The program guidelines adopted by the City Council in 2006 have not been updated. Now,the City wishes to revisit the intended purpose of ' the program, address any known issues and challenges,and make necessary policy and procedural revisions including a higher fee that reflects a realistic cost of building a parking space.This report summarizes the use of the program over the last decade, current issues and challenges and offers Precommendations to improve effectiveness of the program.The report reflects valuable input from the City staff and various committees and stakeholders including the Economic Development+ ' Downtown Subcommittee. �� Redwood City/n-Lieu Parking Fee Study Page � 1 3 RESO.#15448 MUFF#703