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Home My WebLink About03 Old Town Parking StudyITEM #3 DATE: MARCH 25, 2008 TO: PLANNING COMMISSION FROM: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SUBJECT: OLD TOWN PARKING STUDY SUMMARY: On February 19, 2008, the Tustin City Council received the Old Town Parking Study and directed staff to begin implementing the parking alternatives discussed within that document. On March 11, 2008, the Tustin Planning Commission received a copy of the Old Town Parking Study as background to support its future involvement in the review of related implementing actions. At that time, the Planning Commission requested additional information and a presentation on the matter. RECOMMENDATION: Receive and file. BACKGROUND Old Town Tustin is the traditional center of Tustin and the City's original town site. First subdivided by Columbus Tustin, Old Town has become an enclave of turn of the century and pre-World War II development largely separated from the rest of the City. This separation gives Old Town its strong, unique identity, but it also isolates Old Town from the mainstream of community activity and traffic circulation, which has negatively impacted the area's economic development and business attraction. Businesses have been only partially successful at taking advantage of Old Town's unique location and small-town character by focusing on public events such as festivals, street fairs, a Farmers Market and similar activities to attract customers to the area. The City and Redevelopment Agency have been proactively involved in revitalizing Old Town by introducing new mixed use development, attracting new businesses, supporting the replacement of the City's existing Library, and introducing new street lighting, roadway improvements, street furniture, signage, and landscaping in the area. It is the City of Tustin's continuing desire that Old Town Tustin become a vibrant and walkable town center offering shops and dining along with places to live and work. The introduction of new residents and businesses would likely generate more activity in and around Old Town and would greatly improve the existing sense of place and expand the economic viability of the area. However, non-residential uses need parking to thrive. Retail and other commercial uses require convenient parking spaces that can Planning Commission Report Old Town Parking Study March 25, 2008 Page 2 handle high turnover, and businesses need parking for their employees. A vibrant mixed use area's parking needs may shift throughout the day as people come to shop, employees head to work and residents return home in the evening. In addition, the availability of public transit, flexible shared parking programs, provision of publicly owned parking spaces, in-lieu fees and other parking alternatives may help to reduce the demand for costly on-site parking while improving urban design, helping to preserve historic buildings and fostering economic development of the area. Although a majority of the Old Town built environment was constructed at pre-World War II land use and parking standards, the City of Tustin's General Plan and Zoning Code regulations do not currently differentiate development in new areas of Tustin from development in Old Town. Proposed intensification of uses and new development in Old Town have been required to meet current development standards, typically a set amount of parking for a given square footage or number of units, without regard to the neighborhood's particular mix of uses, access to transit, etc. The City has adopted zoning codes for the Old Town Tustin (Cultural Resources Overlay District and Overlay Parking District) that provides commercial and professional property developments or use conversions an alternative means of meeting on-site parking requirements including but not limited to the presentation to the City of a long-term lease of public parking spaces available within existing parking lots located within Old Town. Traditional parking standards may represent a potential barrier to better development and can discourage or even prevent development and the introduction of mixed-use residential uses or introduction of customer-attracting commercial uses (such as restaurants, theaters, etc.) that would generate jobs and greatly increase the number of persons shopping and working in Old Town Tustin. OLD TOWN PARKING STUDY In 2007, the Tustin City Council directed staff to investigate opportunities to improve the economic vitality of Old Town through a review of Old Town parking practices and regulations. The Tustin City Council authorized staff to enter into an agreement with Katz, Okitsu and Associates to review parking conditions and parking codes in the commercial center of Old Town Area (Attachment 1). With input and oversight from the Redevelopment Agency, Public Works, and Community Development Departments, the consultant completed The Old Town Parking Study (provided to the Planning Commission on March 11, 2008) which evaluates existing parking conditions in the Old Town area, including identification and documentation of parking supply, parking demand, parking utilization, and parking regulations/management practices. The consultant also evaluated and reported options for providing new on- and off-street parking, modified parking standards, and alternative methods of addressing parking requirements within Old Town Tustin that would promote business attraction and economic development in the area. Parking standards for residential units and their guests are currently considered adequate and such parking Planning Commission Report Old Town Parking Study March 25, 2008 Page 3 provided for residential units in Old Town Tustin will not be available for shared use and are assumed reserved for residents and guests. Residential parking spaces were not considered for use by non-residential businesses in the Old Tustin Parking Study. The Study generally found that Old Town Tustin's existing parking supply is generally adequate and is not heavily utilized in most study areas. A few parking lots within the study area are used more heavily than other areas; however, no areas would be defined to have a severe parking shortage. Overall, the amount of parking demand in Old Town Tustin is lower than what might be expected for a comparable level of development in a more suburban configuration or land use style. The current parking conditions may present opportunities for the City to allow for additional land uses to locate within the study area and take advantage of available surplus existing parking. Further, parking management practices and provision of additional parking facilities may allow the City to improve the activity level and vitality of the Old Town district. The Old Town Parking Study provides numerous general and specific findings and recommendations for planning and management of parking in Old Town Tustin. Some recommendations provide short-term solutions to current problems identified in this report. Others provide a blueprint for future prioritization and management. The following is an excerpt of the generalized study findings taken from the Executive Summary portion of the report. • Parking demand in Old Town is generally low based upon the amount of parking now utilized in relation to the existing floor area and land use types. A comparable downtown community could have a much higher parking demand, if activity levels were higher. • Parking is generally available and underutilized in most of the study area at most times, however there are hot spots. These are generally within time limit zones in front of businesses on EI Camino Real and Main Street that have limited off street parking. Shortages occur more frequently during special events such as the Farmers Market and Jamestown Flea Market. • There is evidence of violation of time limits and there is minimal enforcement in time limit zones. • There is probably not sufficient land to attain general plan goals for Old Town through use of suburban development types and at-grade off street parking. Also, land use trends in the county are not consistent with this development approach. The trend in many older downtown areas in Southern California is toward mixed-use projects requiring a creative use of parking requirements, regulations, and incentives intended to maximize parking utilization. Planning Commission Report Old Town Parking Study March 25, 2008 Page 4 • Mixed use developments, higher density developments, and specialty developments will likely be the rule, not the exception, for new development in the Old Town area, especially if they are consistent with the general plan vision. On February 19, 2008, the Tustin City Council received the Old Town Parking Study and directed staff to begin implementation of the alternatives recommended in the report, including: Land Use/Tustin City Code Modifications (summarized): • Continue to encourage mixed-use developments in order to make better use of available parking for present and future uses. • Review and revise the Tustin City Code to permit limited restaurant uses within existing multi-tenant buildings under special permit without the need to an increase in on-site parking requirements for such uses. • Modify the Tustin City Code to enact new or relaxed parking requirements for Old Town. • Review and revise current parking in-lieu fees to reflect the current costs of acquiring and constructing parking facilities and to acknowledge pay parking as an off-set against any established fee structure. • Continue to allow development the opportunity to utilize a variety of options to meet the City's parking requirements through the use of existing and potential alternative parking techniques (parking on-site, leasing spaces at City-owned parking lots within 300 feet, payment of in-lieu fees, etc.). Parking Management Strategies (summarized) • Employ better management of existing public and private parking facilities in Old Town by including, where necessary, time limits for curb-side and public parking in Old Town. • Adjust parking enforcement to achieve compliance with time limits and to insure parking opportunities for customers. • Review and develop policies to possibly exempt certain individuals from time restricted street parking under special circumstances (i.e., for business owners). • Advise private property owners to consider time limits in private off-street parking lots to insure maximized parking capacity and availability. Public Parking Lots (summarized) • Work with Stevens Square Association to improve parking lot conditions, security and lighting. • Continue to monitor existing public directional signage. If necessary, consider additional sign installations. Planning Commission Report Old Town Parking Study March 25, 2008 Page 5 • Evaluate where existing public parking lots may be utilized to provide parking opportunities for non-residential elements of mixed use projects. The Old Town Parking Study has been provided to the Planning Commissioners. A copy of the Old Town Parking Study may be viewed on the City's website or at the Community Development Department, City of Tustin, 300 Centennial. Way, Tustin, California. Dana L. Ogdon Assistant Director Elizabeth A. 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