AgdaPkt 2006-02-27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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SA Page 27 parking requirement. This incentive is intended to discourage situations such as the all-too- common bank parking lot which sits empty at night as restaurant patrons search for parking. Shared parking incentives are not widely used, but some cities, such as San Luis Obsipo, CA and Bellevue, W A use them. Developers can receive the lower requirement either by paying into the In-Lieu Parking Fund, or by allowing shared parking. Shared parking would be considered to be any spaces that are available for use by the general public during at lease one ofthe following two periods: 1. Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5,:00 P.M. 2. Monday through Friday, 5:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. and Saturday through Sunday, 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. Any parking areas that are completely off-limits to the general public and thus do not contribute to shared parking efficiencies would have a higher minimum parking requirement in order that they may meet their peak parking needs entirely on-site. Recommendation #1: Simplify and Lower Downtown's Parking Requirements Residential Requirements Residential parking is a challenge. On one hand, having too-little residential parking creates problems. In particular, when residents don't have enough parking of their own, they overload the on-street parking supply, creating parking congestion. On the other hand, allowing less residential parking has many benefits, including: '\ 1. More affordable housing. The more parking spaces that are assigned to a residential unit, the higher its cost. This cost is then passed on to the tenant or buyer, whether they need the parking or not. The San Francisco Planning Department estimates that each parking space adds $20,000 to $30,000 to the cost of constructing a residential unit in their city. According to the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California, "a 1998 statistical study of house and condominium sales in San Francisco revealed that the inclusion of a parking space increased the price of the unit by $46,000 and $39,000 (respectively)." 2. Better architecture and urban design. Another benefit of less residential parking is that it allows better urban design and architecture. Having less parking means that the parking can be tucked out of the way, having less of a negative visual impact. With high parking requirements, the results can often be unattractive, such as "dingbat" buildings (a building on stilts over a parking lot). ~t1~t1 2(") ._-,~......_.,,~. - .-- ,- .---,- -,._," -...-..,..---...........-.-- --._---._--_....'.--.~-~_._--~.,-,. --