SR 05:222 - Laserfiche WebLink

streetscape and historic buildings which make the Downtown a unique destination. In recognition of that principle, the parking ordinance has for many years included a provision for an In-Lieu Parking Program, whereby development not able to accommodate all of its required parking on site would pay an equivalent sum of money which would be collected by the City and used to purchase land for and to construct public parking lots in the Downtown. The ability to provide parking off-site has encouraged property owners to retain Downtown's historic buildings and traditional streetscape and to maximize the floor area of new and redeveloped buildings. This, in turn, has been a factor in the revitalization Downtown has experienced over the last 15 years. The Downtown Specific Plan, adopted by the City Council in March 2002, identifies parking as one of the most important issues for Downtown and recognizes its role in facilitating the economic vitality of the area both today and as the Downtown continues to grow and intensify. The Specific Plan recognizes that some businesses are served by private parking lots and others have no off-street parking, that on-street parking is a major part of the area's parking supply, and that additional public parking lots are needed. Furthermore, it acknowledges that the Downtown as a whole benefits when all properties can develop and intensify. While Specific Plan policies state that development should generally provide a significant amount of its required parking on site, it recognizes the value of in-lieu parking as a way to encourage development while creating public parking, and, therefore, the new parking ordinance retains the Program. The In-Lieu Parking Program has been administered over the years through the City Council's approval of individual In-Lieu Parking Agreements at the time of project approval, where the developer agrees to pay into the City's Downtown Parking Fund based on the number of deficient parking spaces for that particular development. In some agreements, the fee amount is specified; in others, it is stated that the fee will be determined when collected. In any case, while it is accepted that the cost required to provide a parking space Downtown has increased substantially over the years, based on both the increase in land values and in construction costs, there is currently no officially designated in-lieu fee amount. The new parking ordinance requires a more formalized, regular procedure for determining the in-lieu fee to ensure that the fee reflects realistic costs of providing parking in the Downtown and to identify the amount that developers and property owners are required to pay for their particular development. Both the PDA and staff realize that there needs to be a fee which is fair and universally applied in order to ensure sufficient parking for the Downtown while continuing to encourage development in the area. DISCUSSION The determination of a standard parking in-lieu fee for the Downtown is dependent on several variables, including the land area needed for the parking space itself plus area needed for vehicle back-up and landscaping; land costs; and improvement costs. Since the City does not have actual parking lot layouts of future parking lots to calculate precise in-lieu fees, staff has studied some existing parking lots as examples and has consulted design manuals in order to determine an appropriate methodology for the recommended in-lieu fee. SR:05:222 2