Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council directs staff to return with 'flexible demand' parking minimums after Right‑Size Parking study
Summary
After a multi‑hour presentation and extensive council discussion of data from 17 multifamily sites, the council directed staff to prepare an ordinance based on the study’s 'flexible demand' option (option C) — roughly 0.5 spaces per studio, 1 per one‑bedroom and 1.25 per two‑plus bedrooms — and to include the city’s 10% guest‑parking standard.
The Walnut Creek City Council reviewed expanded analysis from the Right‑Size Parking study and directed staff to return with a draft ordinance based on the study’s "flexible demand" policy option (option C), which staff summarized as roughly 0.5 parking spaces per studio, 1 space per one‑bedroom and 1.25 spaces per two‑plus‑bedroom unit, and to reflect existing objective design standards that allocate 10 percent of required on‑site parking for guest spaces.
Planning staff told the council the study expanded data collection from nine large multifamily complexes in 2023 to 17 sites in 2024 (1,132 housing units and 1,595 parking spaces measured). The late‑night, weeknight counts used occupied units to estimate parking demand and showed average utilization (occupied spaces divided by supply) of about 74 percent across the study sites outside the state‑defined transit proximate half‑mile around Walnut Creek BART. The presenter said, "Parking utilization overall is much lower than our existing supply and much lower than our existing requirements."
Staff and council discussed policy tradeoffs: the fiscal and construction cost of extra structured parking (staff referenced a 2020 estimate of about $23,000 per parking space as a conservative figure), the role of unbundling parking from rent, guest parking design, and whether lower minimums could push spillover onto neighborhood streets. Staff noted AB 2097 (state law) already prevents local minimums within a half‑mile of BART, so the study and proposed changes apply outside that area.
Council direction and vote: After public comment (none) and lengthy council exchange, the council voted to ask staff to prepare a draft ordinance based on the flexible demand option (option C). The council clarified that the city’s objective design standards already reserve 10 percent of required parking for guest spaces; staff will reflect that in the ordinance. The direction passed on roll call (Mayor Mary Darling, Mayor Pro Tem Wilk, Councilmember DeViney and Councilmember Silva voted aye).
Why it matters: The move changes the minimum parking floor for new multifamily and mixed‑use residential development outside BART proximate areas, lowering the required on‑site parking supply the city will expect developers to build. Staff said matching observed demand could free up construction costs currently spent on unused parking stalls and has implications for housing affordability, street parking, and future development patterns.
Ending: Staff will return with a noticed hearing and a draft ordinance implementing the flexible demand minimums and will include the council’s requested clarifications and analysis.
