REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Introduce an Ordinance to Amend Sunnyvale Municipal Code Chapters 19.28 (DSP) and 19.46 (Parking) to include Modifications based on the Tandem and Stacker Parking Study Issue (2014-7435); Finding of CEQA Exemption Pursuant to CEQA Guideline 15061 (b)(3) - Continued from February 24, 2015
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
In March 2013, the City Council sponsored this study issue following a hearing where the Council approved a development project proposing stacker or mechanical lift parking spaces as part of the project's required parking. Subsequently, the City Council approved another project with stacker parking (also counted as required parking) in July 2013.
As stated in the study issue paper (Attachment 1), this study is intended to determine if stacker and tandem parking spaces could be used to satisfy parking requirements in residential zoning districts. For purposes of this report the term "tandem" includes both end-to-end parking spaces as well as vertical stacker spaces that are dependent on moving one vehicle to access the second vehicle. In determining whether tandem parking should be allowed as required assigned parking, staff looked at the following items:
· Current parking requirements in residential developments;
· Survey of projects using tandem spaces;
· Survey of standards from other cities that allow tandem spaces to satisfy required parking; and
· Allowing tandem spaces based on zoning or geography (e.g. high density residential, Downtown, Lawrence Station) or only in projects that provide affordable housing options.
Based on the research, staff recommends Alternatives 1 and 2 which consist of the following changes to the Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC):
· Modifications to parking requirements for single-family dwellings that:
o Would allow tandem covered parking in certain circumstances; and
o Would exclude the garage square footage in calculating gross floor area when evaluating the requirement for two covered parking spaces.
· Modifications to the parking requirements for multi-family developments that would allow:
o A portion of the assigned parking spaces to be provided in a tandem arrangement;
o Independent mechanical parking lifts;
o Any form of tandem parking if in excess of the parking requirement; and
o Tandem parking scenarios in the Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) area in conjunction with review of a development project.
The Planning Commission considered this item at its regular meeting on February 9, 2015. They passed a motion (6-1) to recommend the staff recommendation but made one modification; instead of recommending tandem parking be allowed for 50 percent of the units in new multi-family developments they decided that 25 percent was more appropriate.
This item was presented to the City Council at their February 24, 2015 regular meeting; however, due to the late start time of the item the City Council chose to continue the item to another agenda. The only substantive change to this report is that the Alternatives have been separated into recommendations that pertain to single-family dwellings, multi-family projects and non-residential projects.
BACKGROUND
In the 1980s several townhouse developments in Sunnyvale were built with two-car tandem garages and 0.25 guest spaces per unit. Many residents of these developments complained that there was inadequate parking. The City responded in the 1990s by making changes to the standards to not count the interior tandem space toward required covered parking. Later in the 1990s the parking standard was further changed to base the unassigned space requirements on the number of bedrooms in each dwelling unit. This resulted in a larger quantity of unassigned or guest parking spaces for each residential development. The most recent changes to the residential parking requirements were made in 2003 to require two covered parking spaces for single-family dwellings if the dwelling meets the criteria in SMC Section 19.46.050(d) (Attachment 5). On-site covered parking reduces the tendency for residents to park their vehicles in the street or in guest parking spaces.
As mentioned above, this study session was sponsored by the City Council in March 2013. The projects that prompted this study issue were two apartment complexes on Evelyn proposed by the same developer. Although the projects fell short of City's parking requirement, the projects included affordable units and density bonuses through the State Density Bonus laws and exceeded the minimum requirements in the state statute.
In addition to these recent projects, developments (and entire neighborhoods) in Sunnyvale have been constructed in the past with two-car tandem garages or one-car garages. These single-family dwellings are considered legal non-conforming under the current standard of two covered and two uncovered (driveway) parking spaces.
Currently, tandem parking is allowed for single-family and duplex dwellings only when the exterior space is located in the driveway behind the covered space (i.e. garage or carport space). City regulations or policies do not allow tandem parking spaces in multi-family developments to satisfy required parking. Where tandem spaces have been allowed in multi-family developments, they are treated as excess parking (above the minimum parking requirement) or approved as a deviation.
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan
Community Character- Design
Goal CC-3 Well-Designed Sites and Buildings - Ensure that buildings and related site improvements for private development are well designed and compatible with surrounding properties and districts.
Policy CC-3.1 Place a priority on quality architecture and site design which will enhance the image of Sunnyvale and create a vital and attractive environment for businesses, residents and visitors, and be reasonably balanced with the need for economic development to assure Sunnyvale's economic prosperity.
Housing Element
Policy HE-6.2 Promote neighborhood vitality by providing adequate community facilities, infrastructure, landscaping and open space, parking, and public health and safety within new and existing neighborhoods.
Policy HE - 6.6 Encourage use of sustainable and green building design in new and existing housing.
Council Policy
Policy 7.3B.3 Prepare and update ordinances to reflect current community issues and concerns in compliance with state and federal laws.
Climate Action Plan
Improve Mobility through Land Use Planning
LUP-1.3 Implement parking management tools for residential uses such as decreased or flexible standards, unbundled parking and shared parking plans.
Sunnyvale Municipal Code
Attachment 5 provides excerpts from the Zoning Code Parking Chapter (19.46) including the definition of tandem and the minimum parking requirements for single-family and duplex dwellings as well as the table or required parking for multi-family dwellings. Attachment 5 also includes the parking requirements for residential developments in the Downtown Specific Plan area.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Although the modifications to the ordinance are considered a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), staff has concluded that adopting the proposed ordinance is exempt from CEQA under Guideline 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that it will not have a significant effect on the environment.
Projects that are subject to the requirements of the amended chapters will be environmentally evaluated on an individual basis.
DISCUSSION
The goal of this study is to determine if is appropriate to allow tandem parking spaces to satisfy parking requirements for residential uses. As mentioned above, dependent mechanical parking is a form of tandem parking but can create a denser parking environment because each car needs only a portion of the space needed in a side by side scenario (i.e. aisle length is reduced). Tandem parking can also reduce the site or building area required for project parking. When evaluating tandem and stacker parking it is important to understand tandem parking and the types of mechanical lift (stacker) systems.
Tandem Parking
Tandem parking is generally thought of as a type of parking where one car is parked in front of another. When cars are parked in tandem, one vehicle must be moved in order to let the other vehicle out. Dependent mechanical parking lifts are another form of tandem parking; in this scenario, a car is parked on top of another where the bottom car must be moved in order to lower the top car down (or up) to ground level. Dependent mechanical parking lifts must be assigned to the same tenant because access to both vehicles is required.
Mechanical Lift Parking
Mechanical lift parking systems consist of two main categories:
· Dependent mechanical parking lifts (described above).
· Independent mechanical parking lifts.
Independent mechanical parking lifts, sometimes called puzzle lifts or pallet lifts, operate in a way that does not require a car to be moved in order to pull another car into (or out of) the system. These types of parking systems allow several different users to park in one system because a car can be parked or retrieved without moving another car first. A video showing an example of both types of mechanical parking lifts can be found by following the links at the end of this report (Attachments 11 and 12).
Mechanical parking systems are often considered when the cost and availability of land are development constraints. Mechanical systems were first implemented in Paris in 1905 and have grown substantially in European and Asian countries but have not developed as quickly in the United States. A presentation by one of the largest mechanical parking providers in the Bay Area, created for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), has been shared with the City of Sunnyvale (Attachment 8). This presentation gives information (and diagrams) on mechanical lift parking and the types of parking systems that the vendor offers.
Tandem Parking in Conjunction with Residential Development
Single-Family Dwellings
While many single-family dwellings in Sunnyvale have two car garages or carports, several neighborhoods and developments only have one car garages or carports and a few houses have no covered parking.
Staff conducted research (Attachment 3) to determine if Sunnyvale had a higher parking ratio for single-family dwellings than other cities in the area. Compared with the cities surveyed, Sunnyvale's requirement of two covered and two uncovered parking spaces is higher than other cities. The City's standard may make it difficult for owners of existing single-family dwellings with legal non-conforming parking to reinvest in their property with modest additions or remodels and provide spaces per the current standard.
In order to accommodate property owners in this situation, it may be appropriate to change the parking requirements in the Zoning Code to allow tandem parking for existing single-family dwellings when certain circumstances exist on the subject property. One circumstance that may warrant the allowance of tandem covered parking is a narrow lot. In this circumstance a property owner may have a difficult time expanding their garage to the side but may be able to accommodate expanding it to the rear while still maintaining required setbacks. Another circumstance that may warrant tandem covered parking would be if an existing dwelling had a configuration (structural wall, built on the setback line, requiring major interior renovations) that made it difficult to expand the garage in its current location.
In addition to potentially allowing tandem parking for some existing single-family dwellings, staff suggests that changes may be appropriate to the requirement for single-family dwellings to bring their parking into conformance. Section 19.46.050(d) of the SMC requires that new single-family dwellings provide two covered and two uncovered parking spaces and that existing single-family dwellings must provide the minimum two covered spaces when:
1. An alteration results in four or more bedrooms; or
2. An addition results in a gross floor area of 1,800 square feet or more, including garages and carports.
3. Adding an accessory living unit (other zoning standards also apply).
Item 2 above, which includes garages and carports in the gross floor area, has a greater impact on properties with one garage space when compared to properties with no garage.
For example:
|
House sq. ft. |
Garage sq. ft. |
Gross sq. ft. |
House #1 |
1,400 sq. ft. |
200 sq. ft. |
1,600 sq. ft. |
House #2 |
1,400 sq. ft. |
0 sq. ft. |
1,400 sq. ft. |
House #1 is "penalized" by having a covered parking space because they are only able to add on 199 square feet without bringing their parking up to the current standard while House #2 can add up to 399 square feet without adding any parking. House #1 is the house that is more in keeping with the current requirement because they have at least one covered parking space but the inclusion of the garage space gives them a disadvantage. In addition, counting a garage space towards the parking requirement is questionable because the code intends that dwellings with more habitable space and likely more occupants should provide more covered parking. By eliminating the garage square footage from the gross floor area, it enables property owners with sub-standard or no parking to build similar size additions as long as other zoning standards are met.
New single-family dwellings should be able to create covered parking per the current requirements because they are developing on a vacant lot and are able to design the house accordingly; therefore, staff is only suggesting changes to the SMC for existing single-family dwellings.
Duplex Dwellings
Staff also researched duplexes (Attachment 3). Duplexes in Sunnyvale are only required to have one covered and one uncovered parking space per unit which staff found to be consistent with surrounding cities. Since we already allow the two spaces for each unit to be tandem (one space in a garage or carport and one behind it in the driveway) staff is not suggesting any changes be made to the parking requirements for duplexes.
Multi-Family Dwellings (except in the Downtown Specific Plan area)
In Sunnyvale the type of covered parking and the number of bedrooms in a dwelling unit influence the parking requirement for a project. See Attachment 5 for the parking requirements.
The amount of unassigned parking decreases based on the amount of assigned or enclosed parking that is provided on the site. While assigned parking spaces are leased or sold with an individual unit, unassigned parking spaces can be used for guests or residents. Generally at least 25% of the unassigned parking spaces are reserved for guests only and the other unassigned spaces are first come first served.
As the number of assigned spaces increases, the number of unassigned spaces is reduced; however, it is not increased and reduced at the same rate. The following table details the parking requirements for a 100 unit 3-bedroom development based on the three parking categories from the table in Attachment 5:
Parking Type |
Required Assigned Spaces |
Required Unassigned Spaces |
Total Spaces Required |
One carport or underground space |
100 |
100 |
200 |
One fully-enclosed garage space |
100 |
140 |
240 |
Two fully-enclosed garage spaces |
200 |
50 |
250 |
The difference in required unassigned parking is based on the assumption that some residents will not use their garage for parking and will instead park in the unassigned parking spaces. However, in other circumstances the unassigned parking may be under-utilized if a household only has one vehicle. Additionally, unassigned resident spaces can be used more effectively if they can also be used by guests. (For example Resident A is at work when Resident B has a visitor).
Cities have different methods for calculating required parking. Some cities (like Sunnyvale) require at least one covered assigned parking space per unit but others only require assigned parking and do not regulate whether it is covered or not. Due to these differences, it is not simple to compare Sunnyvale multi-family parking requirements with surrounding cities. The table in Attachment 4 compares other cities' parking requirement with Sunnyvale's. Because most cities do not have a parking standard equivalent to the "two fully-enclosed garage spaces" standard, Attachment 4 does not show an exact comparison of parking rates.
If tandem parking were allowed in multi-family under the "two fully-enclosed garage spaces" scenario it may provide benefits to the project as a whole. Sunnyvale's recently adopted Climate Action Plan has a measure that specifically mentions implementing decreased or flexible residential parking standards to reduce greenhouse gases. Additionally, developments near public transit stations or corridors with good bus service may have a lower parking demand. Furthermore, where less site area is needed for parking, more area can be devoted to open space and landscaping. The size and mass of medium and high density developments could also be reduced if parking garages were more compact.
The City Council may want to allow tandem parking for required assigned parking spaces. Tandem spaces tend to downplay the importance of the second automobile yet still preserve the option of parking/storing two vehicles (perhaps one is used less often). Revised requirements that acknowledge tandem spaces should also consider the appropriate number of unassigned spaces in a development.
Unassigned parking can be used by residents and their guests. If tandem parking were allowed, staff recommends either limiting the percent of tandem spaces or increasing the amount of guest parking. Staff is not suggesting that developers could provide tandem parking for 100% of the required assigned spaces because that may warrant the need for additional unassigned spaces for a development. Amending the table from "two fully enclosed garage spaces" to "two spaces" and adding a provision that only 50% of these two space sets can be tandem reduces the number of side by side garages and does not change the total number of required parking spaces within this scenario (two garage spaces vs. two tandem spaces).
Residential Dwellings in the Downtown Specific Plan Area
The parking requirements for residential dwellings in the Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) can be found in Attachment 5. As shown in the attachment, the DSP does not require two assigned spaces per unit so amending the municipal code to allow tandem parking is not as simple as the modification suggested for multi-family dwellings that are not in the DSP.
Two recent projects in the DSP proposed tandem parking (discussed above in the background section) and in both scenarios a deviation for unassigned parking was requested. The tandem spaces were approved with requirements that at least 25% of the parking would be left unassigned. Staff suggests that projects within the DSP could be allowed tandem parking scenarios similar to these instances but since there is no "two assigned space" scenario in the DSP it should be addressed in the development review for the project. The only change that is being suggested for the DSP zoning district at this time is to consider tandem parking through approval of a parking management plan since the request for tandem parking or two assigned spaces in the DSP is not specifically called out in the existing parking requirements. Even if tandem parking is allowed for a portion of the spaces in a multi-family development in the DSP, at least 25% of the parking should remain unassigned.
Non-Residential and Mixed Use Projects
While this study issue focused on mechanical lift parking for residential uses, staff is suggesting a minor amendment pertaining to parking for mixed use and non-residential uses. Mechanical lift parking is already permitted for these uses, but the proposed amendment would specify that such parking shall be located within a building or parking structure.
Independent Mechanical Lift Parking
Independent mechanical lift parking is a concept that could be used to reduce parking garage size while still allowing individuals to have access to their cars at any given time. Since these parking spaces can be accessed independently, it is similar to the accessibility of standard surface parking spaces in any garage. Staff does not see a formidable issue with allowing developers to install these independent systems for assigned parking spaces as long as all building and fire codes are satisfied.
One consideration is that individuals parking within an independent mechanical lift system would require instruction from their property manager on how to use the system and would require an assigned device or key to activate the system. For these reasons, using an independent mechanical lift system for unassigned spaces may not be advisable or feasible since a portion of unassigned parking spaces are intended for guests, who would not receive proper instruction to use the system.
Other Cities
Tandem parking is allowed in single-family and duplex developments in almost all of the cities surveyed, similar to what is allowed in Sunnyvale (uncovered driveway space behind covered parking space).
There are some cities that currently allow tandem parking in multi-family developments (San Jose, Cupertino, Milpitas, Palo Alto and Fremont) and many of those cities have unassigned parking space ratios similar to Sunnyvale (while allowing tandem parking scenarios) (Attachment 4). While many of the cities in the County of Santa Clara have not codified regulations around mechanical lift parking at this time, projects involving this type of parking (as required parking) have been approved in San Jose, Palo Alto and Mountain View and beyond Santa Clara County in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, San Leandro and Hayward. As mentioned above, Sunnyvale has also allowed tandem parking as required parking in two DSP projects within the last two years.
Tandem Parking: Impact on Neighborhoods
As directed by the study issue summary paper, staff examined different options for allowing tandem parking and independent mechanical lift parking, and the potential impacts they might have on neighborhoods and the community as a whole. Staff has observed that developments involving private garages often go through an initial period when parking feels inadequate and that this situation is caused by garages not being fully usable while possessions are temporarily stored in the garage. There is also the practice by owners of leasing out rooms to additional adults with vehicles. Once homeowners associations or property management companies are established, the garage spaces tend to be more effectively used and the residents self-police their parking behaviors.
Pros and Cons of Tandem Parking
Mechanical parking lifts or reduction of parking as a whole are concepts that contribute to a more sustainable City. Tandem parking and enclosed mechanical parking lifts offer the following potential benefits:
· Decreased parking area because cars can be parked more compactly or one on top of the other;
· Decreased surface parking because parking can be provided more efficiently in an enclosed parking garage;
· Potential for more open space or landscaping because surface parking has been reduced; and
· More compact parking areas may lead to better siting of buildings.
While there are benefits to tandem or lift parking, tandem parking could potentially have negative impacts on a neighborhood:
· Tenants parking in "guest" or unassigned parking instead of the interior (or top) space.
· Delays (30-90 seconds) while waiting for a car to move from the top to the bottom of a mechanical lift.
· The potential for a mechanical system to breakdown.
Staff Recommendation
Staff suggests that the broader benefits offered by tandem and mechanical lift systems outweigh the negative operational issues. After researching mechanical lift and tandem parking scenarios, discussing the concepts with the public and evaluating parking requirements in Sunnyvale and surrounding cities, staff recommends the following amendments to Chapters 19.28 and 19.46 of the SMC (see draft ordinance in Attachment 2):
· Modify the parking requirements for existing single-family dwellings to:
o Allow tandem parking in certain cases; and
o Exclude existing garages/carports from the gross floor area when determining whether the parking on a lot must be brought into conformance with current requirements.
· Modify the parking requirements for multi-family dwellings to:
o Allow tandem parking for up to 50% of the units to satisfy the assigned space requirement and use the same unassigned parking ratio for "two fully enclosed spaces" in Attachment 5.
o Allow independent and dependent mechanical lift parking systems for assigned parking only.
o Require that mechanical lift parking be located within a parking garage.
o Require that the two spaces on a dependent mechanical lift be assigned to the same tenant.
o Consider tandem parking for development projects within the DSP area as long as at least 25% of the spaces remain unassigned.
· Modify the parking requirements for mixed use and non-residential developments to require that mechanical lift parking be located within a parking garage.
When deciding which recommendations are appropriate it is important to think about whether the two tandem space scenario is appropriate for all areas of the City and whether the two tandem spaces provide a sufficient number of unassigned parking spaces when compared to the side by side garage scenario. In addition to the above recommendation, staff considered different unassigned parking ratios if tandem parking is allowed and more information on those options can be found in Attachment 6.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no fiscal impacts to the City for modifying the parking requirements.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact regarding the study issue was made through the following ways:
1. Posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website;
2. Publication in the Sun newspaper, at least 10 days prior to the hearings;
3. E-mail notification of the hearing dates sent to all interested parties and Sunnyvale neighborhood associations; and
4. Two noticed public outreach meetings held on October 8 and 9, 2014.
Public Outreach
Staff sent out information via e-mail to an interested parties list, neighborhood associations and developers announcing two community workshops. Workshop #1 was held in the evening on October 8, 2014 and had one person in attendance who is a member of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission. Workshop #2 was held in the morning on October 9, 2014 and also had one person in attendance who works in the mechanical parking industry. Both attendees supported the use of tandem and mechanical lift parking and one of the attendees submitted a letter after the meeting (Attachment 9).
Study Session with the Planning Commission
A study session with the Planning Commission was held on November 10, 2014. The Commission was generally interested in the idea of mechanical lift parking but wanted more information. Staff provided video links (these links are listed below in attachments) and web links with more information on mechanical lift parking. Questions that were raised by the Commissioners about these lift systems were sent by staff to Michael Dennison, who is an engineer and industry professional. These questions and Michael's answers can be found in Attachment 7.
In addition, a few members of the public also attended the study session and spoke about their interest in the use of same-level tandem parking in residential developments. One member of the public (a developer) mentioned that the use of tandem parking in multi-family projects is relatively common in other cities and would help developers meet parking requirements.
Field Trip with the Planning Commission
Staff arranged a field trip for the Planning Commission to visit a project that was developed with dependent mechanical lift parking in San Jose on December 8, 2014. The Fourth Street Apartment complex consists of 100 affordable units with many of the larger units assigned a dependent mechanical lift for parking. Staff and the Planning Commission discussed the maintenance and usefulness of the mechanical lift parking with the property managers and saw a demonstration of the lifts.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Find that the project is exempt from CEQA under Guideline 15061(b)(3).
2. Introduce an ordinance (Attachment 2) to amend Chapter 19.46 of Title 19 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to allow (a) tandem parking in existing single-family dwellings in certain circumstances and (b) to exclude garage square footage from gross floor area for existing single-family dwellings when determining if additional parking is required.
3. Introduce an ordinance (Attachment 2) to amend Chapter 19.46 of Title 19 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to (a) allow tandem parking for up to 50 percent of the units in multi-family developments and require unassigned parking consistent with other 2-car garage provisions, (b) allow independent and dependent mechanical lift parking in multi-family developments and (c) to require all mechanical lift parking to be in a parking structure.
4. Introduce an ordinance (Attachment 2) to amend Chapter 19.28 of Title 19 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to consider tandem parking in multi-family developments within the DSP with review of a parking management plan.
5. Adopt an ordinance with modifications to the staff recommendation, including the recommended Planning Commission modification to allow tandem parking for up to 25 percent of the units in multi-family developments.
6. Adopt an ordinance with modifications to the staff recommendation.
7. Do not modify Chapters 19.28 and 19.46 and make no changes at this time.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternatives 1, 2, 3 and 4:
1. Find that the project is exempt from CEQA under Guideline 15061(b)(3).
2. Introduce an ordinance to amend Chapter 19.46 of Title 19 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to allow (a) tandem parking in existing single-family dwellings in certain circumstances and (b) to exclude garage square footage from gross floor area for existing single-family dwellings when determining if additional parking is required.
3. Introduce an ordinance to amend Chapter 19.46 of Title 19 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to (a) allow tandem parking for up to 50 percent of the units in multi-family developments and require unassigned parking consistent with other 2-car garage provisions, (b) allow independent and dependent mechanical lift parking in multi-family developments and (c) to require all mechanical lift parking to be in a parking structure.
4. Introduce an ordinance to amend Chapter 19.28 of Title 19 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to consider tandem parking in multi-family developments within the DSP with review of a parking management plan.
Allowing tandem parking for specified existing single-family dwellings and excluding garage size in gross floor area will allow property owners of lots with sub-standard parking to add on to their dwelling while still being in compliance with the spirit of the regulations to have adequate on-site parking. The changes to multi-family regulations will keep Sunnyvale on a path to meeting the goals of the Climate Action Plan and potentially reduce the areas dedicated to surface parking while having the potential to increase the amount of landscaping or open spaces on project sites. Because other local cities allow tandem parking in their multi-family developments, Sunnyvale would not be any less restrictive with these changes and these alternatives will allow developers to provide smaller parking areas for developments. These cost savings may allow developers more flexibility when designing projects and may result in enhanced architectural features and better design.
PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
The Planning Commission considered this item at its regular meeting on February 9, 2015. The first motion failed 2-5 to recommend the staff recommendation with a modification to allow dependent mechanical tandem parking but not horizontal or end-to-end tandem parking. The second motion passed 6-1 to recommend the staff recommendation with a modification that would allow all forms of tandem parking but limited to 25 percent of new multi-family units. Staff recommended allowing tandem parking for up to 50 percent of the units. Commissioners commented that the change to 50 percent of the units seemed too high.
The Planning Commission appreciated the research that had gone into this study issue and noted that alternative parking scenarios may be necessary in some circumstances so it is important to give property owners the ability to explore these options. The Commission recognized that trends are changing and more people are using alternatives modes of travel which leads to some cars not being used as often by their owners or a reduction in cars per household. The Commission also found that the recommended modifications to the requirements for existing single-family dwellings are appropriate for some of the City's older housing stock (built with only one covered parking space or no covered parking).
Prepared by: Amber El-Hajj, Senior Planner
Reviewed by: Trudi Ryan, Planning Officer
Reviewed by: Hanson Hom, Director, Community Development
Reviewed by: Robert A. Walker, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Study Issue Paper
2. Draft Ordinance
3. Parking Comparisons in Bay Area Cities for Single-Family and Duplex Dwellings
4. Parking Comparisons in Bay Area Cities for Multi-Family Dwellings
5. Parking Excerpts from Section 19.46 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code
6. Other Options for the Ratio of Unassigned Spaces when Tandem Parking is Allowed
7. Responses to Planning Commission Questions from an Industry Professional on Mechanical Lift Parking
8. Mechanical Parking Solutions for Modern Urban Density Presentation
9. Public Comment
10. Minutes from the February 9, 2015 Planning Commission Meeting