Planning Commission moves to expand car-share rules, study on-street pilot and add car-share to TMA activities

The Planning Commission on June 10 voted to adopt a draft resolution establishing commission policy on car sharing and to initiate amendments to Planning Code Section 166 aimed at clarifying rules for required car-share parking and conversions of existing residential parking to car-share uses.

Staff presentation: Anne Marie Rogers and Kevin Guy outlined a Zoning Administrator bulletin that explains certification, spacing, required pod sizes and operational mechanics. The bulletin would allow some conversions of required residential parking to car-share use by right while keeping required commercial parking conversions subject to variance. Staff recommended initiating code amendments to codify conversions and to consider expanding nonresidential requirements in several dense districts.

Public input: Advocates (Livable City, City Car Share) urged more flexibility and recommended requiring memberships for projects that obtain excess parking; community speakers and advocates asked for strong tracking and subdivision recording to prevent inadvertent loss of required car-share spaces.

Commission action: Commissioners added amendments directing staff to (1) include car-share activities in Transportation Management Association programs, (2) review City Car Share's recommendations and the effects on affordable housing projects, and (3) study an on-street pilot. The motion to initiate the ordinance and adopt the policy as amended passed unanimously.

Next steps: Staff will draft code language, evaluate the affordable housing implications, refine internal tracking procedures and provide comparative examples from other dense cities at a later hearing.