Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.3 Attch 5 CC Rpt from 09-03-2012 w/o Attchmts 1b -'- 82 STAFF REPORT CITY CLERK CITY COUNCIL File #450-20 DATE: September 3, 2013 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Joni Pattillo, City Manager( o SUBJECT: Economic Impact Analysis of Proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments Related to Multi-Family Parking Regulations Prepared by Mamie R. Delgado, Senior Planner EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: On February 7, 2012, the City Council received an informational report on the status of parking in Area G of Dublin Ranch and directed Staff to prepare Zoning Ordinance Amendments related to multi-family parking regulations. Staff presented the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments to the Planning Commission on July 10, 2012; the Planning Commission recommended City Council approval of the amendments, with modifications. Based on feedback received from the development community, the City Council directed Staff to enter into a Consulting Services Agreement with Economic & Planning Systems (EPS), to prepare an economic impact analysis of the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments on future residential projects. The economic impact analysis is complete and Staff is reporting back to the City Council on the findings and seeking direction related to the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments. FINANCIAL IMPACT: During FY 2012-2013 a budget transfer from the General Fund Contingent Reserve line item was approved to cover the cost to engage Economic & Planning Systems to conduct the economic impact analysis. The not-to-exceed contract amount is $48,500 and to date $29,688.75 has been expended. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council receive the report and provide direction on the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments related to multi-family parking regulations. L Submitted By Reviewed By Director of Community Development Assistant City Manager Page 1 of 5 ITEM NO. 7.1 ATTACHMENT 5 DESCRIPTION: Background At the February 7, 2012 City Council meeting, Staff presented an informational report on the status of parking in Area G of Dublin Ranch (Attachment 1). The City Council received the report and, among other things, directed Staff to prepare Zoning Ordinance Amendments to: 1) establish consistency between the parking standards for apartments and condominiums; 2) require a minimum amount of personal storage for attached residential units; and 3) eliminate the use of tandem parking to meet minimum parking requirements. On July 10, 2012, Staff presented proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments to the Planning Commission (Attachment 2). During the public hearing, the Planning Commission received input from a local developer who expressed concerns regarding the proposed multi-family accessory storage requirement (Attachment 3). The Planning Commission weighed the developer's concerns and recommended City Council approval of the Amendments with modifications. Following the Planning Commission meeting, two additional local developers expressed concerns over the increased parking requirements for condominiums and the inability to use tandem parking as required parking (Attachment 4). One of the concerns expressed was that the proposed changes to the parking ordinance would limit the developer's ability to construct for-sale residential projects on in-fill sites as well as limit their ability to achieve residential densities greater than 15-18 dwelling units per acre on in-fill sites. As a result, fewer units would be constructed, thereby lowering land values and limiting opportunities for first-time homebuyers. Another concern expressed was that the increase in required parking is contrary to Senate Bill 375 and parking trends in surrounding jurisdictions. The City of Livermore was cited as requiring 1 guest parking space for every 4 units in contrast to Dublin's proposed 1 guest parking space per unit. The developers also expressed concerns over eliminating tandem parking especially for smaller, 1- bedroom units. They believe that maintaining flexibility with the use of tandem parking on in-fill sites could produce affordable by-design for-sale housing for first-time homebuyers. Ultimately, the developers foresee the changes to the parking regulations as inhibiting the development of for-sale housing on in-fill sites and facilitating the development of higher density rental housing. As a result, representatives of the development community felt that the proposed changes to the parking regulations would result in unintended consequences that should be further evaluated. On November 20, 2012 the City entered into a Consulting Services Agreement with Economic & Planning Systems to assist Staff in preparing an economic impact analysis of the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments. The purpose of this Staff Report is to present the findings of the economic impact analysis and seek direction from the City Council on the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments. ANALYSIS: The economic impact analysis (Attachment 5) evaluates the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments that would: 1. Require a minimum of 200 cubic feet of accessory storage per unit for multi-family projects that have private, enclosed garages assigned to individual units; Page 2 of 5 2. Increase the guest parking requirement for condominium projects from .5 space per unit to one space per unit; and, 3. Eliminate the use of tandem parking to meet minimum parking requirements in residential projects. As part of the economic impact analysis, EPS researched residential parking policies in neighboring jurisdictions in the greater Tri-Valley area; evaluated the use of tandem parking in residential projects throughout Dublin; interviewed stakeholders and planning professionals; and prepared a case study to illustrate the difference in residential densities with and without the use of tandem parking. Accessory Storage The proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment would require that a minimum of 200 cubic feet of accessory storage be provided per unit in multi-family projects that have private, enclosed garages assigned to individual units. This requirement is intended to provide residents with an alternative to storing their personal effects in their private garages thereby freeing up the garage for the parking of personal vehicles. Interviews conducted with developers confirmed that the provision of some additional interior storage space would not create a financial burden for residential projects. A modest amount of additional storage can be integrated into residential products without a significant impact on the product format. Guest Parking The proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment would increase the guest parking requirement for condominiums from .5 space per unit to one space per unit consistent with the current guest parking requirement for apartments. Based on the economic impact analysis, most project sites offer sufficient surplus land to provide the additional guest parking without impacting project densities or creating a financial burden to developers; however, landscaping, open space and other common areas are likely to be reduced in size in order to accommodate the additional guest parking. In-fill development and other projects with limited site flexibility will suffer a greater burden associated with the increased parking requirement, as these sites are less likely to accommodate additional surface parking without an impact on density. Tandem Parking The proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment would eliminate the use of tandem parking to meet minimum parking requirements in residential projects. According to the economic impact analysis, the elimination of tandem parking is unlikely to create a significant financial burden for residential project developers; however, the resulting product type is more likely to be lower density, larger units with a lower price per square foot. The demand for this larger product type may or may not be absorbed by the market thereby constraining developers in the type of residential product that would be delivered to the community. Additionally, development sites that are constrained due to their size or other natural or topographic features would produce fewer units thereby increasing the potential for financial impacts to the project. Furthermore, this constraint on product type would limit the diversity of housing types and sizes to meet the various needs of the community. As a result, the economic impact analysis suggests that some allowance of tandem parking may be appropriate under certain circumstances and recommends allowing tandem parking for up to 25% of the units in a project. Page 3 of 5 According to the economic impact analysis, the primary benefit of tandem parking is planning and design flexibility that improves site efficiency. Tandem parking provides a means by which developers are able to meet suburban parking standards without using traditional wide, suburban-sized house lots. In certain situations, the narrow-lot tandem-parked residential unit can "fill out" a site where side-by-side parking formats will not fit. Based on interviews with representatives in the development community, an allowance of tandem parking for up to 25% of the units in a project would allow for significantly better efficiency in site development. The economic impact analysis further suggests that in those portions of the City where higher density development is desired (i.e. Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area) that tandem parking be permitted in order to maximize densities and facilitate the redevelopment of smaller in-fill sites. Options for Consideration Related to Tandem Parking Based on the conclusions of the economic impact analysis, Staff is presenting the following options for the City Council's consideration: Option 1 • Amend the Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations (Chapter 8.76) to prohibit tandem parking to meet minimum parking requirements in residential projects with the exception of the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan Area; • Allow 25% of the units in a residential project to have tandem parking in the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area, by-right; and • Allow more than 25% of the units in a residential project to have tandem parking in the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area, with approval of a Conditional Use Permit. Under Option 1, the Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance would be amended to prohibit tandem parking to meet minimum parking requirements in residential projects with the exception of the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area where tandem parking would be permitted by-right for up to 25% of the units in a residential project with the option to increase the amount of tandem parking with approval of a Conditional Use Permit. This option would provide maximum flexibility for residential projects in the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area to facilitate development including development on small or constrained sites, achieve higher densities in an area where higher density is currently encouraged, and foster greater economic development opportunities within the Specific Plan area. Option 2 - - - - • Amend the Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations (Chapter 8.76) to prohibit tandem parking to meet minimum parking requirements in residential projects with the exception of the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan Area; and, • Allow 25% of the units in a residential project to have tandem parking in the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area, with approval of a Conditional Use Permit. Under Option 2, the Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance would be amended to prohibit tandem parking to meet minimum parking requirements in residential projects with the exception of the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area where tandem parking would be conditionally permitted for up to 25% of the units in a residential project with approval of a Conditional Use Permit. This option would provide some flexibility for residential Page 4 of 5 projects in the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area to achieve higher densities but would be subject to a discretionary review process to determine appropriateness of the tandem parking and certain findings would need to be made in order to approve the tandem parking. Option 3 • Amend the Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations (Chapter 8.76) to prohibit tandem parking to meet minimum parking requirements City-wide, including the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area. Under Option 3, the Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance would be amended to prohibit tandem parking to meet minimum parking requirements in residential projects City-wide including the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan area. This option has the potential to slightly reduce residential densities and increase the potential for financial impacts in projects that are proposed on constrained sites due to the parcel size, configuration or other natural or topographic feature. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: A public notice is not required to seek direction from the City Council. However, City Staff did send a letter to the development community and interested persons who were previously notified that the City was undertaking Zoning Ordinance Amendments related to multi-family parking regulations. Additionally, the Staff report was made available to the public on the City's website. ATTACHMENTS: 1. City Council Staff Report dated February 7, 2012 2. Planning Commission Staff Report dated July 10, 2012 3. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of July 10, 2012 4. Letters from the development community regarding the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments 5. Economic Impact Analysis prepared by Economic & Planning Systems dated June 4, 2013 Page 5 of 5