Smart Growth / Transportation for Livable Communities

Parking Study

Smart Parking Seminar — Developing Policies for Your Community

On June 14, 2007, MTC hosted a training seminar on parking policies to support smart growth, focusing on providing strategies for local jurisdictions interested in changing their policies.

• More on the seminar, including streaming video, presentations and materials

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Review of Toolbox, Best Practices and Training
(April 2007 update)

The Technical Advisory Committee met on April 26, 2007. The primary focus was on the latest version of the “Toolbox,” with comments on both the organization and the contents.  The latest version of the “Best Practices” report was also reviewed.  These two documents are now coordinated with each other. 

We also discussed additional ideas and details for the training session, including organization and target audience; it is scheduled for June 14. The case studies for four cities were very briefly reviewed – most of the detailed discussion of the case studies will occur in individual meetings between the city and the consultants – questions and comments from the TAC are welcome.

The next TAC will be on May 31 at 10:00. Scheduled for that meeting: final comments on the “Toolbox,” final comments on the Best Practices, final details for the training to be held on June 14, draft regional policies, and final comments on the case studies. 

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Brainstorming potential regional and state policies, review of ‘Best Practices”
(March 2007 update)

The Technical Advisory Committee met on March 22, 2007. The primary focus was brainstorming to identify potential regional and state policies to support parking policies for smart growth.  There was extensive discussion about a wide variety of potential policies and approaches.

The latest version of the “Best Practices” report was also reviewed.  The initial ideas for a training session were discussed.

The next TAC will be on April 26. Scheduled for that meeting: final draft of the Best Practices, additional development of the Toolbox, final approach for the training, and case studies.

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Review of Draft Parking Demand Model, Toolbox and Training
(February 2007 update)

The Technical Advisory Committee met on February 22, 2007. The primary focus was the draft parking demand model developed by the consultants. The model is designed to be used by local jurisdictions to estimate parking demand based on existing and future land uses, parking availability, parking costs, shared parking opportunities, availability of transit, pedestrian and bicycle accessibility and auto ownership. The presentation stepped the TAC through the use of the model, including inputs and calibration factors. The model may be used to estimate the impact of different parking policies, such as shared parking, on demand. In addition, the model may be used to compare parking demand of various alternative development scenarios with different parking policies. The model is being run by the consultants for each of the 8 case study focus areas; the results will be incorporated into the case study writeups.

The TAC also reviewed the draft outline for the "Parking Handbook/Toolbox", including the approach of organizing the materials by typology — there was support for this organizational approach as long as the strategies are also cross referenced. The purpose and audience of the upcoming training was also discussed: while the preference was that the focus be on technical staff, including training in the use of the model, there will also be a broader, more policy oriented component oriented toward elected officials and policy staff.

The next TAC will be on March 22. Scheduled for that meeting: final draft of the Best Practices, additional information on the Toolbox, approach for the training, and the impact of pricing on parking demand for the case studies. The results from the cruising analysis will also be brought if possible.

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Review of Draft Existing Bay Area Parking Policies, Draft Best Practices, Case Studies Continue
(January 2007 update)

The Technical Advisory Committee met on January 25, 2007. The primary focus was the draft Existing Bay Area Parking Policies and the revised draft Best Practices report — comments included a request for additional examples of best practices, especially for smaller cities. The consultants will be reviewing the input from the meeting as well as followup comments, and incorporate them into the updated reports for next month. Additionally, the consultants provided status reports on the outreach work done for the eight case studies, the development of a parking model that incorporates transit and pricing, and progress on assessing "cruising". The schedule for the next six months was reviewed; monthly meetings will be held, and specific deliverables for each were identified. The next TAC will be on February 22, and will include the final Existing Practices Report, the revised Best Practices report, the case studies updated with stakeholder input, and the presentation to the MTC Planning Committee scheduled for March.

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Review of Best Practices Preliminary Draft Report, Case Studies Continue
(November 2006 update)

The Technical Advisory Committee met on Nov 16. The primary focus was the draft Best Practices report — comments included specific parking policies and practices suggested for inclusion, organization and presentation of the work, and definition of the audience. The consultants will be incorporating this input, and will bring the revised copy to the next TAC. Additionally, three revised case study progress reports were provided for comments. The overall agenda, draft "Best Practices," and refined case study progress reports are available for download below. The next TAC will be in late January 2007, and will include the revised Best Practices, and case studies with stakeholder input.

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Case Studies Continue (August 2006 update)

The consultants have worked with staff in each of the case study cities on parking and development issues, and have analyzed the data on parking spaces/occupancy/turnover, reviewed local policies, and proposed preliminary strategies that would better support city development goals for transit oriented development and downtown infill.

The Technical Advisory Committee, including planners from each of the case study jurisdictions, met on August 24 to review 4 of the case studies. Following this review, the consultants will be meeting with the stakeholders for each of the locations. In addition, the outline of "Best Practices" was reviewed. The overall presentation, initial 4 case study reports, and the outline of "Best Practices" are available for download below.

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Case Studies Begin (July 2006 update)

MTC staff and the consultants have held kick off meetings with staff in each of the cities to discuss parking and development issues and opportunities, review land use and parking data, define a data collection plan, and identify key stakeholders. We toured the focus areas to better understand the character of the locations, both in terms of land use and transportation opportunities. This information has been used to refine the specific issues and goals, data collection plans, strategies of potential interest, and processes for involving key stakeholders for each of the case studies. The consultants will be collecting data, including parking occupancy, turnover, and "cruising" from May – August, and will be analyzing this data in June – September. We will be working with the local jurisdictions to draft potential parking strategies for staff discussions, to be followed by discussions with the stakeholders, scheduled for the Fall 2006. An update of this effort was provided to the MTC Planning Committee, available below.

• Presentation for Reforming Parking Policies to Support Smart Growth (PDF 1.2 MB)
• Case Study Workscopes

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Cities Selected as Case Studies for Parking Study (April 21, 2006)

MTC is beginning a study of how to reform parking policies to support smart growth, and has selected Bay Area jurisdictions with an interest in exploring innovative parking policies around transit hubs and town centers. Case studies were selected with the Technical Advisory Committee to reflect a diversity of land use and transit types, parking issues, and geographical distribution, and will be conducted in Berkeley, Hercules, Menlo Park, Morgan Hill, San Francisco, San Rafael, Union City and Vallejo. Details for each are shown below. Participating cities essentially will serve as case studies and will receive expert consultant advice free of charge. For further information, contact MTC project manager Valerie Knepper at vknepper@mtc.ca.gov or 510.817.5824.

Reforming Parking Policies to Support Smart Growth: About the Study

In MTC’s smart growth implementation activities, parking issues have been repeatedly cited by local jurisdictions, transit interests, developers and community interests alike as a major barrier to smart growth patterns in general and transit oriented projects in particular. This study will assess current parking policies in the Bay Area, describe potential parking policies, conduct case studies on potential parking policies in several Bay Area communities, develop a handbook and training to assist local jurisdictions in developing effective parking polices for various settings, conduct outreach to local jurisdictions, and make recommendations for MTC and the state of California for supportive regional and state policies.

Parking policies include broad, and often uncoordinated, sets of local policies relative to on-street and off-street parking, public and private parking, and paid and free parking.  A key element of most parking policies is the requirement by local jurisdictions that land use developers provide specified levels of off-street parking for vehicles, which is then provided free to the land users – either commercial or residential.  The level of parking that is required is typically based on the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ (ITE) Parking Generation.  In addition, most local jurisdictions provide free or below market-priced curb parking.  While such parking policies are often a response to high and growing use of parking, uncoordinated parking policies may undermine public investment in transit, result in inefficient use of valuable real estate, create excessive costs for infill development, result in underutilization of existing buildings, produce significant “cruising” for free parking and the resulting excess vehicle travel, and significantly impact travel choices, particularly in areas of urban infill, close to transit stations and corridors, and in dense downtowns.

A variety of alternative parking policies are being tried in the Bay Area and throughout the county – these policies and other innovations will be examined to demonstrate different parking approaches and policies, and will be evaluated for different settings. 

Project Description

This project will build on national and local work to propose reformed parking policies and approaches to address the needs of local communities, commuters, businesses, and other stakeholders for mixed use/ transit-oriented and infill land use developments. The project will evaluate current and potential parking policies, assess which policies have benefits for which kinds of areas, and recommend potential supportive regional and state policies. This project serves a critical need to inform the state, region and local jurisdictions regarding choices and impacts of parking policies.

In MTC’s smart growth implementation activities, parking issues have been repeatedly cited by local jurisdictions, transit interests, developers and community interests alike as a major barrier or concern related to land use development in general and transit oriented projects in particular. Commonly used parking policies can significantly impede smart growth:

• Requirements for off-street parking may significantly increase the cost of development.  In areas where land costs are already high, such as infill type development close to transit, these requirements may not be based on market demand or represent an economically efficient use of land. Such requirements can make infill less financially attractive, raise housing costs, and result in less housing in areas that are transit rich. 
• Parking requirements on conversions to new uses of existing buildings may result in underutilized or even abandoned buildings, especially in downtowns.
• Requirements for the provision of free parking by local jurisdictions on land use developers effectively create a subsidy for driving, which may undermine use of transit, which is of particular concern in areas close to substantial transit investments.
• The space used for parking diminishes the amount of space available for residential, commercial, or community activities, which could provide housing opportunities, additional tax money, or other services of importance to local communities.
• Areas designed primarily for driving/parking may be of poor quality for residents, bicyclists and pedestrians, and thus may discourage the use of these modes.
• High levels of “cruising” by people searching for parking imposes on the quality of life for residents in high demand areas, and contributes significantly to vehicle miles of travel, use of gasoline, and production of air pollutants.

Through this effort we will offer assistance to local jurisdictions to define parking policies and approaches for mixed use/ transit-oriented and infill land use developments that address the needs of local communities, commuters, businesses, and other stakeholders, while supporting public investments in transit, This effort will also help define supportive regional and state policies.