12-294 - City of Sunnyvale - State of California

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their employees. In other areas, excess parking is installed because there are
unspoken incentives to overpark a business. Some businesses feel that
abundant parking for customers is essential for success. Lenders may also
contribute to the issue, as properties with high parking rates are considered
more leasable than those with average amounts of parking. Creating a large
number of parking spaces ensures that no customers are lost due to a
perceived parking problem, and customers are not frustrated by a lack of
parking to access the business.
Particularly with high-profile retail centers, there is a stronger desire to
establish parking which may or may not be used on a regular basis. New
trends in online shopping and service provision have lowered demand, but
business thinking and parking rates have not yet caught up with this trend.
With the high cost of land, developers are more conscientious of development
costs of parking.
A maximum parking rate would limit the number of spaces built in a project.
Regulating parking by maximum parking rates could be used effectively for
commercial uses to create a baseline of how much parking is needed for
average uses. An adjustment process could be included (see the next section)
which would allow variation from minimums or maximums with
documentation that the minimum or maximum is insufficient for business
needs. Creating a maximum may prompt businesses to think more creatively
about what parking they really need, and what steps can be taken during
holiday seasons to address parking demand rather than just pave additional
land area.
Details about each of the rates are contained in the Parking White Paper
(Attachment C). Where possible, staff attempted to design rates based on
building characteristics rather than employment. Rates based on staffing levels
(per employee) and based on small areas within the building (seating areas) are
generally avoided. Staff notes that the two rates recommended for increase are
convalescent hospitals and child care uses.
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends the following rates. Rates indicate
the recommended number of parking spaces per 1,000 sq. ft. of gross floor
area, unless otherwise specified. Arrows indicate whether the proposed rate
has increased, decreased or stayed the same. Sideways arrows indicate that
the rate is not proposed for change.