06-16-2025 - Agenda Packet Planning Commission - Planning Commission Packet

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9 ments (e.g., shared parking determinations, discussed in detail below). If the resources to implement the process are not available, review the process and simplify it to match the resources. Without effective admin- istration and enforcement, regulations can be a political lightning rod and generate litigation. Reuse of Buildings Many codes recognize that requiring different levels of off-street parking for a variety of commercial uses may lead to problems when new uses attempt to move into buildings that were tailored to different commercial uses. For example, a 5,000-square-foot retail building may be constructed to the requirement of one space per 400 square feet of gross floor area, requiring 13 spaces. If a subsequent tenant would like to convert the build- ing to an office use, a parking standard of one space per 300 square feet would result in a requirement of 17 spaces, thus not allowing for office use without securing additional parking or granting a variance. Portland, Or- egon, specifically refers to this issue in its code, as follows: Minimum Required Parking Spaces: A. Purpose The purpose of required parking spaces is to provide enough on-site parking to accommodate the majority of traffic generated by the range of uses which might locate at the site over time. Transit-supportive pla- zas and bicycle parking may be substituted for some required parking on a site to encourage transit use and bicycling by employees and visi- tors to the site. The required parking numbers correspond to broad use categories, not specific uses, in response to this long-term emphasis. There may be an inherent tension or contradiction between the desire to have off-street parking requirements that closely approximate the parking demand for each individual land use and the desire to ensure that build- ings may be easily adapted to house a variety of different uses. ZONING CODE PROVISIONS THAT RESPOND TO AND/OR INFLUENCE PARKING DEMAND What follows is an overview of a range of strategies communities have adopted that go beyond standard minimum parking requirements. Many of these strategies recognize and respond to unique factors associated with different parts of the community in question (e.g., commercial strips, down- town districts). Mixed-Use Development and Shared Parking The overall number of parking spaces serving multiple uses in close prox- imity to one another may be significantly reduced through shared parking arrangements. Sharing parking allows more efficient use of land compared to providing dedicated parking spaces for each use. Carefully crafted shared parking arrangements between two or more uses can reasonably meet peak demand, particularly in mixed-use areas or on mixed-use or multiple-use sites. The Victoria Transport Policy Institute (2002) notes that shared park- ing is also most appropriate where: • a specific parking problem exists; • land values and parking facility costs are high; • clustered development is desired; • traffic congestion or vehicle pollution are significant problems; and • adding pavement is undesirable. 126