Developer urges discussion of multifamily parking minimums; staff schedules code work for April

A public caller identified as Sandeep Sharva spoke during the Feb. 18 public-comment period to ask when the city will address off-street parking minimums for multifamily development. Sharva said current parking requirements make it difficult to finance mid-rise or higher-density developments without expensive underground parking.

Sharva: “If I want to build 16 one‑bedroom apartments, I have to have 16 parking spots,” he said, and added that underground parking increases project cost when lot area is constrained.

Staff response: Planning Director York Stevens Wojta said the commission has previously discussed parking minimums in broader conversations about middle housing and neighborhood residential regulations. York said specifics on development regulations—including proposed changes to parking standards—are penciled in for April, when staff will bring detailed code amendments for commission review. He summarized that staff has discussed a general approach that could set one space per dwelling unit citywide as the high end and reduce requirements in centers or near transit, and that state mandates also affect parking in some locations. “I think we communicated that that we're looking at 1 space per dwelling unit citywide as kind of as the highest we would go and it would go down from there,” York said.

Ending: staff told the caller the work on parking minimums is not complete and that the commission should expect detailed code proposals in April; commissioners and staff encouraged continued participation as those drafts are prepared.