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Home My WebLink About8.1 Attch 4 CCSR 08/2112 (ror lire 2 STAFF REPORT CITY CLERK 19�� =�)82 %0/� CITY COUNCIL File #570-20 Q16IF00 DATE: August 21, 2012 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Joni Pattillo, City Manager(°` 6),--, 72144 SUBJECT: Village Parkway Parking Reduction Program Update Prepared by Kristi Bascom, Principal Planner EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Based on direction provided by the City Council on May 15, 2012, Staff prepared Zoning Ordinance Amendments to implement a pilot parking reduction program in a 4.3-acre area of the Village Parkway District. Feedback from the Planning Commission and property owners in the Village Parkway area urged reconsideration of the size of the pilot area and the duration of the temporary amendments. The City Council will provide direction to Staff on an alternative to the previously-proposed trial parking reduction pilot program in the Village Parkway District to enlarge the size of the area and reduce the term. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None at this time. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council provide Staff with direction on whether or not to amend the Zoning Ordinance to temporarily suspend the parking standards in the entire Village Parkway District for a limited term of two years. C.4.—_ k _ p„.___ - _ __,, - _ Submitted By Reviewed By Director of Community Development Assistant City Manager DESCRIPTION: The overarching goal of the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan (DDSP) is "to create a vibrant, dynamic commercial and mixed-use center that provides a wide array of opportunities for shopping, services, dining, working, living, and entertainment in a pedestrian-friendly and aesthetically pleasing setting that attracts both local and regional residents." The DDSP established three distinct districts, each including its own set of design standards tailored to the envisioned uses. The Transit-Oriented District embraces the recent opening of Page 1 of 4 ITEM NO. 7.2 ATTACHMENT 4 the West Dublin BART station and is the district where a vast majority of the new residential development in Dublin is envisioned to take place. The Retail District includes much of the existing retail core and aims to stimulate infill development and redevelopment of aging buildings and large parking areas. The Village Parkway District embraces the existing successful service and retail uses along a "Main Street" corridor, and this district has the most potential to reutilize and re-tenant existing buildings with more intense uses such as restaurants, service retail, and other local-serving businesses. Since the adoption of the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan in February 2011, City Staff have been working to implement the goals and policies of both the Specific Plan and the subsequent recommendations of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panel report. One of the recommendations from the ULI report was to incentivize more commercial businesses in the downtown by having greater flexibility in regulatory standards such as the City's parking requirements. On May 15, 2012, the City Council reviewed a Staff Report that recommended a pilot program to test a market-based approach for parking in a portion of the Village Parkway District (Attachment 1). Under a market- ' ''''''.: .'''' rMI,-`s �- ,. �". based approach to parking, the ,, s DDSP would continue to regulate ;k . ' - the uses allowed, but parking �'I tt .,.- *. .',; 4..` requirements for the use types ��' 1 ., ►`M - would not be a consideration. ��„�� t�� , Parking supply and demand would ilk ”' /4, F •' be managed by the property , � 1 ° ' 7 owners and tenants, and not �. �� - � , �„ regulated by the City. It would �� . become the responsibility of the �� l�� !,iii,�'��' ,. � � � a;* ; ._� n■ property owners, property �� ,,,,, lk managers, and businesses to lease tenant spaces to the right ' • d - :, . combination of users to ensure that ''�� , 5; there • sufficient parking to serve , �,� � a the businesses and their °: ° V customers. A pilot program that ,� removes the parking requirement �ry e y 4), on four parcels on Village Parkway was seen as one way of testing the S ,y concept to see if it could be �� successful in a larger area. ,,,f.:440, = Staff discussed the pilot program concept with two property owners on Village Parkway who have experienced limitations on their ability to lease their property due to the City's parking requirements. The two property owners control a combined total of 4.3-acres on four parcels. Each building has multiple tenant spaces that house a variety of uses including retail, indoor recreation, bar/restaurant, auto repair and service, warehouse, and personal service. This section of Village Parkway was thought to be an interesting location to test a pilot market- based parking program for several reasons: Page 2of4 1. The buildings on these properties are located close to the street, which makes them good candidates for more active uses; 2. There is on-street parking in front of these buildings that could be utilized by customers; 3. The four parcels are fairly self-contained. If the pilot program leads to more intensive parking demands, it is expected that there would be limited spillover parking onto other Village Parkway properties; and 4. The property owners have expressed a willingness to try a market-based approach. At the conclusion of the May 15, 2012 presentation and discussion on this item, the City Council provided direction for Staff to prepare amendments to Chapter 8.72 (Off Street Parking and Loading) of the Zoning Ordinance to temporarily waive the parking requirements on the parcels noted above during the three-year pilot program. After the City Council meeting, Staff took the following actions: 1. Prepared the draft Zoning Ordinance Amendments; 2. Provided the proposed amendments to the affected two property owners in the proposed pilot area; 3. Sent a notice to all property owners and businesses within the Village Parkway District notifying them of the proposed pilot program and seeking their input on the concept; 4. Prepared the appropriate environmental review; 5. Sent out Public Hearing Notices for the Planning Commission meeting to all property owners and businesses within the Village Parkway District and within 300 feet of the pilot area; and 6. Presented the Zoning Ordinance Amendment to the Planning Commission for review and recommendation to the City Council. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment on July 24, 2012. Two comment letters were received from the public (Attachments 2 and 3) and two members of the public attended the Planning Commission meeting. A third comment letter was received after the Planning Commission hearing was held (Attachment 4). Two of the comment letters stated a concern about creating an unfair competitive advantage if only a handful of the properties in the Village Parkway District had relaxed parking standards, and they suggested expanding the area to include more properties. The Commission had a lengthy discussion on the merits of reducing parking requirements in a specific area. Concerns were raised about the size and location of the pilot area, the lack of available tenant spaces for lease in the pilot area, and the proposed length of time for the pilot program. At the conclusion of the item, there was a call for a vote that resulted in a split decision with no formal recommendation via resolution. The vote was 2-2-0 (one Commissioner was absent). The draft meeting minutes are included as Attachment 5 to this Staff Report, and it was the desire of the Planning Commission that the City Council consider this issue with the meeting minutes offering insight into the thoughts of the Commission members and public comments received. Page 3 of 4 Staff is bringing this idea back to the City Council to receive direction on whether the area in which the temporary parking requirements could be suspended should be enlarged, and if the temporary term should be reduced. Staff proposes to enlarge the market-based parking program to encompass the whole Village Parkway District (instead of the 4.3 acre pilot area) and to apply the program for a temporary period of 24 months (instead of 36 months), Staff would: 1. Notify all property owners and businesses within the Village Parkway District of the updated proposal and seeking their input on the new concept; 2. Prepare the appropriate environmental review; 3. Send out Public Hearing Notices to all property owners and businesses within the Village Parkway District and within 300 feet of the District; and 4. Prepare Staff Reports for the Planning Commission and City Council for consideration of an updated Zoning Ordinance Amendment. If directed to proceed, the proposed modifications to the pilot program will require additional staff time to conduct the appropriate outreach and preparation. Therefore, Staff will evaluate the existing workload and incorporate the expanded program into the work program. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: Public notices are not required on items where the City Council is providing feedback or direction. However, notification of the meeting and a copy of the Staff Report was provided to members of the Planning Commission and members of the public who provided comments on the project to date. Future public hearings on this topic will be noticed in accordance with State Law. ATTACHMENTS: 1. May 15, 2012 City Council Staff Report (without attachments) 2. July 17, 2012 email from John Denholm of Oil Changers 3. July 19, 2012 letter from Ellie Lange 4. July 16, 2012 letter from Jeffrey Ryan 5. July 24, 2012 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes (Draft) Page 4 of 4