City internship parking study finds low peak utilization, recommends eliminating parking minimums

An intern-led parking study presented to the Oak Harbor Planning Commission found low peak parking utilization in sampled commercial zones and recommended policy changes including eliminating minimum parking requirements and reconsidering parking maximums.

Nolan Grunska, Associate Planner for the City of Oak Harbor, summarized a summer 2024 internship with Western Washington University student Sierra Reordan that produced a commercial-area parking study. Grunska said counts were taken between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8, and Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Zone C3 and C5 areas along State Route 20, Pioneer Way and Midway Boulevard. "None of the sites studied achieved a greater usage than 61.7% capacity at any of the time surveyed," Grunska said.

The study reported a study-wide average utilization of 30.1% and found that, at peak surveyed hours, almost 10 acres of parking area across the study sites were unoccupied (excluding drive aisles and accessory spaces). The report applied a conventional 10–15% reduction to total supply when estimating effective capacity and noted that, except for one site (site C), no site exceeded 47.2% utilization during counted periods.

Based on the data and a review of professional literature, the study recommended several policy approaches: eliminate minimum parking requirements to reduce the cost barrier to development; consider cooperative parking reductions where adjacent businesses share supply; and reassess existing parking maximums to discourage construction of excess parking. Grunska told commissioners the city already uses maximums but the study suggests downward adjustment could be warranted.

Commissioners questioned sample size and scope. Commissioner Frey said, "I personally would have liked to have seen a little more data on that," noting the counts covered just two days and that downtown and residential areas were not sampled. Grunska acknowledged the limited sample—one weekday count and two weekend counts per site—and said the internship's time constraints limited scope; staff called the work a useful first step and said more extensive counts could be performed in future studies.

The study also cited broader planning literature and technical guidance, including the Institute of Transportation Engineers' Parking Generation Manual, and recommended pairing parking-code reform with investments in transit, walking and biking infrastructure. Grunska noted Senate Bill 5184 (currently in the Washington Legislature) could also limit the city's legal authority to require parking in future code updates.

The commission did not take a formal vote on code changes at the meeting; the presentation was accepted as informational and staff flagged the study as background for future comprehensive-plan and form-based code discussions.