A. Purpose. Special parking standards are established for the Old Town area for the following primary purposes:
1. Spur growth in the core of old town by not requiring uses to provide more parking spaces than presently exist in the core;
2. Manage the growth of old town by limiting the number of businesses, offices, lodges, clubs and associations in the core of old town which may generate traffic or parking demands in excess of commercial, office and public assembly parking availability, causing the overflow of traffic and parking to spill over onto adjacent residential streets;
3. Manage traffic circulation and parking capacity by periodically assessing parking capacity in the core of old town;
4. Manage traffic circulation and parking by requiring reciprocal easement agreements between new parking lots and adjacent properties zoned for public facility, commercial, office or mixed use on which new parking lots can potentially be developed. The provision of reciprocal easements is intended to reduce street traffic and the number of on-street parking spaces used by allowing customers to find a space in an adjacent parking lot which may not be full.
B. Applicability. For the purposes of these zoning regulations, the Old Town boundaries are defined by the northern side of Park Street, the eastern side of John Street, the southern side of Plum Street, and the western side of Oak Ridge Road.
C. Special Parking Requirements for Non-Residential Uses. Generally, non-residential uses in the designated Old Town area are exempt from the parking requirements outlined in Table 17.48.050-1 (Parking Requirements by Land Use). However, new non-residential uses and non-residential uses that propose to expand by fifty percent (50%) or more, which would result in a parking demand of thirty (30%) or more spaces, may be subject to parking requirements if required criteria are met through a subsequent parking capacity assessment outlined herein.
D. Parking Capacity Assessment. In order to provide development opportunity and adequate parking in Old Town, the redevelopment agency has assembled property for shared parking and reduced standards as outlined herein to rely on this shared parking rather than compelling each business to satisfy parking demand on-site. To ensure that adequate parking remains available, the Planning Commission will periodically evaluate parking conditions in the Old Town in the form of a parking capacity assessment. Through analysis of that assessment, the Planning Commission will determine whether the then current parking supply is adequate to meet the corresponding parking demand. The following standards and criteria apply to the parking assessment and determination:
1. Assessment Frequency. The city will evaluate and monitor parking supply and demand on a regular basis. A parking capacity assessment shall be conducted the sooner of every two (2) years or after every fifth new use, that would require ten (10) or more parking spaces as outlined in Table 17.48.050-1 (Parking Requirements by Land Use).
2. Responsibility and Content. City staff shall prepare the parking capacity assessment for Planning Commission consideration. The assessment shall include average and peak parking capacity in the designated Old Town area.
3. Determination of Parking Adequacy. The Planning Commission shall find that parking is adequate if parking demand does not exceed eighty-five percent (85%) of the available capacity within a two (2)-block radius of a project.
4. Parking Controls. The Planning Commission will implement parking controls (e.g., time limits, metered parking, and remotely located employee parking) before seeking to expand parking capacity.
5. Shared Parking. The Planning Commission will consider expanding available shared public parking (e.g., a parking garage) in order to relieve individual projects of the obligation to provide parking on-site as determined by a parking management study.
E. Reciprocal Easement Agreements. Property owners of new parking lots are required to provide reciprocal easements to adjacent properties zoned for public facility, commercial, office or mixed use on which new parking lots could potentially be developed as determined by the city engineer or Community Development Director. Placement of reciprocal easements will be determined by the city engineer and/or Community Development Director. (Ord. 2010-02 § 1 (part), 2010)