25F - AGMT - PARKING STUDY - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

EXHIBIT A SCOPE OF SERVICES Project Understanding and Approach Similar to the City of Santa Ana, many communities across the nation are implementing regulatory plans that establish a framework for vibrant, walkable, mixed-use and/or transit -oriented districts similar to the Metro East Mixed Use (MEMU) Overlay District. These plans are in response to many internal and external factors including economic development, redevelopment of under-utilized land, evolving community lifestyles, improved air quality and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and shifts in market demand and private sector product delivery, The provision of parking and the management of the public and private parking supply have been critical and evolving topics at every scale of development. The abundance of free parking resulting from conventional zoning codes often conflicts with community goals to create compact, higher -density mixed-use districts where walking, biking, and transit are viable and attractive choices for transportation. In the not so distant past, financing institutions discouraged developers from building projects with less parking than conventional zoning required because of the lack of data supporting the economic viability of mixed-use and transit -oriented development. Those times have changed with the advent of numerous successful examples of vibrant urban development replacing traditional, outmoded, low -Intensity single- use development models. The City of Santa Ana has adopted new progressive parking requirements for development within the MEMU Overlay District. The requirements vary depending on whether the development is stand-alone, or vertically or horizontally mixed. Table 1 provides a comparative summary of the City's conventional and MEMU Overlay District parking requirements. As illustrated in the table, the District's parking code Is substantially different from the requirements for conventional single -use development elsewhere in the City, and provides a robust standard for mixed-use shared parking disallowed under conventional development standards. Despite the paradigm shift in the feasibility and desirability of this now common type of development, many communities still struggle with the transition from traditional parking requirements to more progressive parking requirements—requirements that recognize the reduced demand for parking achievable through compact, mixed-use environments through shared parking, improved walkability, attractive transit service, and modern techniques for managing the public and private parking supply. Concern about transitioning to more progressive parking requirements is a real and legitimate issue resulting from a number of factors including: • Policies, programs, incentives, public investment, and agency commitment that encourage and support private investment in mixed-use districts; Real and perceived perceptions and attitudes about the adequacy of parking to support development; • The lag in demand for ground -floor commercial space in mixed-use developments and the cost -burden created by this market offset; • The overall maturity of the mixed-use development in the district necessary to create a beneficial synergy between land uses and a walkable environment; and The existence, extent, and quality of the public infrastructure (streets, streetscapes, multimodal connectivity) and services (public transportation, public parking, maintenance) to support a reduced parking supply and encourage alternative modes of transportation. The creation of a compact, walkable, mixed-use district takes time and commitment for the many public and private pieces to come together, evolve, and mature. During this transitionary period, it is the responsibility of the public agencies to work collaboratively with the development community to lessen the risks taken by the early catalyst development projects. This can be achieved by. 1) adopting transitionary strategies; 2) allowing flexibility in the initial implementation of the MEMU plan parking requirements; 3) considering code application from a 25F-13