REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Forward a Recommendation to the City Council to Evaluate the Minimum Automobile Off-Street Parking Requirements for Residential Uses (Study Issue CDD 19-07)
File #: 2022-7404
Environmental Review: The action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(a).
Project Planner: George Schroeder, (408) 730-7443, gschroeder@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
The Planning Commission sponsored this study issue in 2018. The original Study Issue was to explore potential reductions in residential automobile parking requirements and future conversions of parking to other uses; the study did not include potential modifications to bicycle parking requirements. In February 2022, the City Council supported the study with a scope limited to reporting Sunnyvale's standards vs. other cities' standards.
Recent changes in state legislation have already impacted the amount of parking that the City can require for certain projects. A reduced parking formula must be applied to any housing project seeking state density bonus provisions. No parking is required for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) or any type of residential development within a half mile of major transit stops. Only one covered parking space is required for each new single-family home in Dual Urban Opportunity (DUO) housing projects, including those utilizing an Urban Lot Split (ULS). DUO projects are also exempted from minimum parking requirements if within a half mile of El Camino Real, considered a high-quality transit corridor.
Data for minimum automobile parking requirements were collected for 14 other incorporated cities and towns within Santa Clara County, as well as the County's regulations. Additionally, eight other Bay Area peer jurisdictions were surveyed based on similarities in population and regional context to those of Sunnyvale. Based on the information gathered, the following observations were m...
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