With respect to on-site and off-site parking space requirements for nonresidential uses within an assessment district wherein properties are assessed under a Bond Plan G financing pursuant to Title 13, the requirements of this Section 18.52.070 shall apply in the CD Assessment district in lieu of comparable requirements in this Chapter 18.52. Requirements for the size and other design criteria for parking spaces shall continue to be governed by the provisions of Chapter 18.54.
(a) On-Site Parking Requirement
Any new development, any addition or enlargement of existing development, or any use of any floor area that has never been assessed under any Bond Plan G financing pursuant to Title 13, shall provide one parking space for each 250 gross square feet of floor area, except as may be exempt from such requirement by the provisions of subsection (b) of this section. The purpose of this subsection is to regulate the number of parking spaces required.
(b) Exceptions to On-Site Parking Requirement
The requirement for on-site parking provided in subsection (a) of this section shall not apply in the following circumstances:
(1) The following square footage shall be exempt from the on-site parking requirement of subsection (a):
(A) Square footage for handicapped access which does not increase the usable floor area, as determined by Section 18.18.060(e);
(B) Square footage for at or above grade parking, though such square footage is included in the FAR calculations in Section 18.18.060(a).
(2) A conversion to commercial use of a historic building in Categories 1 and 2 shall be exempt from the on-site parking requirement in subsection (a), provided that the building is fifty feet or less in height and has most recently been in residential use. Such conversion, in order to be exempt, shall be done in conjunction with exterior historic rehabilitation approved by the director of planning and community environment upon the recommendation of the architectural review board in consultation with the historic resources board. Such conversion must not eliminate any existing on-site parking.
(3) Vacant parcels shall be exempt from the requirements of subsection (a) of this section at the time when development occurs as provided herein. Such development shall be exempt to the extent of 0.3 parking spaces for every one thousand square feet of site area, provided that such parcels were at some time assessed for parking under a Bond Plan E financing pursuant to Chapter 13.16 or were subject to other ad valorem assessments for parking.
(4) No new parking spaces will be required for a site in conjunction with the development or replacement of the amount of floor area used for nonresidential use equal to the amount of adjusted square footage for the site shown on the engineer's report for fiscal year 1986-87 for the latest Bond Plan G financing for parking acquisition or improvements in that certain area of the city delineated on the map of the University Avenue parking assessment district entitled, Proposed Boundaries of University Avenue Off-Street Parking Project #75-63 Assessment District, City of Palo Alto, County of Santa Clara, State of California, dated October 30, 1978, and on file with the city clerk. No exemption from parking requirements shall be available where a residential use changes to a nonresidential use, except pursuant to subdivision (b)(2) of this subsection.
(c) Off-Site Parking
Parking required by this chapter may be provided by off-site parking, provided that such off-site parking is within 500 feet of the site using it and approved in writing by the director of planning and community environment. The director shall assure that sufficient covenants and guarantees are provided to ensure use and maintenance of such parking facilities, including an enforceable agreement that any development occurring on the site where parking is provided shall not result in a net reduction of parking spaces provided, considering both the parking previously provided and the parking required by the proposed use.
(d) In-Lieu Parking Provisions
In connection with any expansion of the supply of public parking spaces within the CD commercial downtown district, the city shall allocate a number of spaces for use as "in-lieu parking" spaces to allow development to occur on sites which would otherwise be precluded from development due to parking constraints imposed by this chapter. Off-site parking on such sites may be provided by payment of an in-lieu monetary contribution to the city to defray the cost of providing such parking. Contributions for each required parking space shall equal the incremental cost of providing a net new parking space in an assessment district project plus cost for the administration of the program, all as determined pursuant to Chapter 16.57 of Title 16 of this code, by the director, whose decision shall be final. Only sites satisfying one or more of the following criteria, as determined by the director, shall be eligible to participate in the in-lieu parking program:
(1) Construction of on-site parking would necessitate destruction or substantial demolition of a designated historic structure;
(2) The site area is less than ten thousand square feet and it would not be physically feasible to provide the required on-site parking;
(3) The site is greater than ten thousand square feet, but of such an unusual configuration that it would not be physically feasible to provide the required on-site parking;
(4) The site is located in an area where city policy precludes curb cuts or otherwise prevents use of the site for on-site parking;
(5) The site has other physical constraints, such as a high groundwater table, which preclude provision of on-site parking without extraordinary expense.
Office uses above the ground floor shall not be eligible to participate in the in-lieu parking program from the effective date of Ordinance No. 5460 through August 1, 2025.
(e) Underground Parking
Underground parking deeper than two levels below grade shall be prohibited unless a soils report or engineering analysis demonstrates that regular pumping of subsurface water will not be required.
(f) Minor Adjustments to Existing Parking Facilities
The following minor adjustments may be made to existing parking facilities that are intended to remain in substantially the same form after restriping.
(1) Accessibility and EVSE-related equipment. For sites with existing development, the number on-site parking spaces may be reduced to the minimum extent necessary to: (1) achieve state or federally mandated accessibility requirements or (2) permit installation of electrical utility equipment required for EVSE. A maximum of 10% of the existing automobile parking stalls, or one stall, whichever is greater, may be removed pursuant to this section. The loss of a parking space is not permitted to accommodate EVSE itself. To the extent reasonably feasible, electrical equipment required for EVSE shall be placed in a location that minimizes visibility from the public right of way.
(2) Substitution of bicycle parking. For sites with existing development, where additional bicycle parking facilities cannot reasonably be located outside of the parking facility area, existing automobile parking stalls may be substituted with long- or short-term bicycle parking facilities. The maximum number of substitutions shall be two existing automobile parking spaces, or 10% of the existing automobile parking stalls, whichever is greater. A minimum of four long-term or eight short-term bicycle parking spaces is required per automobile parking space. The bicycle parking spaces are to be located in the same physical location as the automobile spaces they are replacing, which shall be near primary entries of the building on-site or in locations that meet best practices for bicycle parking facilities.
(Ord. 5554 § 33, 2022: Ord. 5552 § 3, 2022: Ord. 5513 § 2, 2021: Ord. 5504 § 10, 2020: Ord. 5460 § 13, 2019: Ord. 5373 § 21 (part), 2016; Ord. 5356 § 5, 2015: Ord. 5214 § 5, 2013: Ord. 4964 § 3 (part), 2007)