Shared Parking
Sharing Parking Facilities Among Multiple Users
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TDM
Encyclopedia
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
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Updated
September 4, 2007
This chapter provides information on techniques for sharing parking facilities among various users to increase efficiency.
Shared Parking means that parking spaces are shared by more than one user, which allows parking facilities to be used more efficiently. It is a type of Parking Management. Shared Parking takes advantage of the fact that most parking spaces are only used part time by a particular motorist or group, and many parking facilities have a significant portion of unused spaces, with utilization patterns that follow predictable daily, weekly and annual cycles.
There are various degrees of shared parking. A parking space assigned to a specific user is not shared at all. On-street parking spaces located in a busy, mixed use urban area tends to be the most shared. In between are parking spaces that are shared among various employees at a particular worksite, parking that is shared by customers at a variety of businesses located in a mall, or arrangements by one facility to use another facilities parking at certain times, such as a tavern that allows its parking spaces to be used on Sunday mornings by attendees at a nearby church. An assigned employee parking space is typically used about 2,000 hours per year, while an on-street parking space in a busy area often gets three times as much use. Efficient sharing of spaces can allow parking requirements to be reduced significantly.
Specific ways of sharing parking are described below.
Parking can be shared among a group of employees or residents, rather than assigning to individuals. For example, 100 employees or residents can usually share 60-80 parking spaces without problem, since not all employees will drive to work at one time.
This strategy complements other TDM strategies that encourage people to reduce their vehicle ownership and use, such as Commute Trip Reduction and Location Efficient Development. This type of sharing can be a consumer option. For example, motorists could be offered an assigned space for $100 per month, or a shared space for $60 per month. This allows individuals to decide whether they are willing to pay extra for an assigned space, or capture the savings that result from shared parking.
Parking can be shared among different buildings and facilities in an area to take advantage of different peak periods (see Table 1). For example, an office complex can efficiently share parking facilities with a restaurant or theaters, since offices require maximum parking during weekdays, while restaurants and theaters require maximum parking during evenings and weekends. As a result, the total amount of parking can be reduced 40-60% compared with standard off-street parking requirements for each destination (Smith, 1983). Barton-Aschman Associates (1982) and ITE (1995) provide specific recommendations for shared parking implementation.
Table 1 Peak
Parking Demand
|
|
|
|
|
Banks Schools Distribution facilities Factories Medical clinics Offices Professional services |
Auditoriums Bars and dance halls Meeting halls Restaurants Theaters |
Religious institutions Parks Shops and malls |
This table indicates peak parking demand for different land use types. Parking can be shared efficiently by land uses with different peaks.
Parking can be shared by relying on public parking facilities rather than having each building provide private off-street parking, since each public space can serve many users and destinations. As a result, 100 public parking spaces can be equivalent to 150 to 250 private parking spaces. Developers or building owners can be allowed or required to pay in-lieu fees that fund public parking facilities as an alternative to minimum requirements for private off-street parking (Shoup, 1999b). On-street parking tends to be the best type of public parking facility for sharing, since it is visible and convenient. It is therefore helpful to manage on-street parking for maximum use, particularly in busy Commercial Centers.
Shared Parking is limited by the proximity of destinations that share a parking facility. Exactly how close they must be depends on the type of land use and the type of user. Table 2 summarizes acceptable walking distances for various types of activities. Acceptable walking distance is also affected by the quality of the pedestrian environment, climate, line of site (longer distances are acceptable if people can see their destination), and “friction” (barriers along the way, such as crossing busy traffic).
Table 2 Acceptable
Walking Distances (Parking Evaluation)
Adjacent(Less than 100 ft.) |
Short (less than 800 ft) |
Medium (less than 1,200 ft) |
Long (less than 1,600 ft.) |
|
People with disabilities Deliveries and loading Emergency services Convenience store |
Grocery stores Professional services Medical clinics Residents |
General retail Restaurant Employees Entertainment center Religious institution |
Airport parking Major sport or cultural
event Overflow parking |
This table indicates maximum acceptable walking distance from parking to destinations for various activities and users. It assumes good pedestrian conditions (sidewalks, crosswalks, level terrain) that are outdoors and uncovered, with a mild climate.
In general, the potential for sharing parking is greatest in areas where land use activities are Clustered, and the benefits from sharing parking are greatest due to high parking costs. Priorities for sharing parking are listed below.
The concept of Shared Parking is well known, but it is often discouraged by current planning practices. Conventional planning often reflects an assumption that communities want the greatest possible supply of parking provided at the lowest possible price. Standards used in most communities require each building or facility include a minimum amount of off-street parking supply, based on studies of peak-period demand. Transportation professionals and public officials often prefer generous, simple and consistent minimum parking standards because they are easy to administrate and minimize spillover problems. All of these factors contribute to inefficient use of parking resources: many parking lots are seldom or never full, even during peak periods, and most parking spaces are unused most of the time.
These practices are well established, but are beginning to change, particularly in growing urban communities. Increasingly, communities have objectives to encourage infill development, use of alternative modes and reduce the portion of land that is paved.
Shared Parking is usually implemented by municipal government policy to allow and encourage it, with sharing arrangements actually made between individual facility developers and managers. It may require changes to zoning codes (see below), and development of appropriate standards and practices that local transportation planners can use to evaluate, manage and enforce shared parking arrangements. It can be encouraged by establishing parking sharing brokerage services to match potential sharing partners, which can be provided by a Transportation Management Association or local government agency.
Shared parking can also be implemented by providing public parking as a substitute for private parking. This can be done by:
· Providing a maximum amount
of on-street parking in an area.
· Providing public off-street
parking.
· Managing
public parking faculties so the most convenient spaces are available to
priority uses (such as customers).
· Addressing barriers, such as
inadequate walkways that limit use of public parking.
· Encouraging more Clustered development.
· Allowing or requiring in
lieu fees instead of private off-street parking.
Below is an example of wording to allow shared parking in municipal parking ordinances.
Introduction
Cumulative parking requirements for mixed-use occupancies or
shared facilities may be reduced where it can be determined that the peak
requirements of the several occupancies occur at different times (either daily
or seasonally). The submittal requirements for a parking reduction request vary
according to the method used to determine the parking reduction. The reduction
methods and accompanying submittal requirements are outlined in this section.
In all cases, a shared parking operations plan must be prepared to the satisfaction
of the Department of Planning showing that parking spaces most conveniently
serve the land uses intended, directional signage is provided if appropriate,
and pedestrian links are direct and clear. On-street parking spaces wholly
adjacent to the property may be included in the required minimum.
Three methods for determining a parking reduction are as follows:
A. Intermittent or Seasonal Nonconflicting Uses
(1.) When required
parking reductions are predicted as a result of sharing between intermittent or
seasonal uses with nonconflicting parking demands (e.g. a church and a bank),
then the reduction can be considered for approval by the Planning Commission
without demand calculations or a parking study. Individual spaces identified on
a site plan for shared users shall not be shared by more than one user at the
same time.
(2.) If a privately
owned parking facility is to serve two or more separate properties, then a
"Shared Parking Agreement" shall be filed with the City of
B. Parking Occupancy Rate Table
When the parking reduction has been shown to be feasible by using
the demand calculations as determined by Table 3, Parking Occupancy Rates, the
applicant shall submit a parking demand summary sheet showing the process for
calculating the reduction as outlined in this section. (Note: The default rates
from the Table 3, Parking Occupancy Rates are set to include a small
"safety margin" of parking beyond that minimally needed to serve an
average peak demand. Therefore a local study of parking demand may yield a
greater reduction in parking required.)
(1.) The minimum
number of parking spaces that are to be provided and maintained for each use
shall be determined based on standard methods for determining minimum parking
supply at a particular site.
(2.) The gross minimum
number of parking spaces shall be multiplied by the "occupancy rate"
as determined by a study of local conditions (or as found in Table 3), for each
use for the weekday night, daytime and evening periods, and weekend night,
daytime and evening periods respectively.
(3.) The gross minimum
numbers of parking spaces for each of the purposes referred to for each time
period shall be added to produce the aggregate gross minimum numbers of parking
spaces for each time period.
(4.) The greatest of
the aggregative gross minimum numbers of parking spaces for each period shall
be determined.
Table 3 Parking
Occupancy Rates
|
Uses |
M-F |
M-F |
M-F |
Sat. & Sun. |
Sat. & Sun. |
Sat. & Sun. |
|
|
8am-5pm |
6pm-12am |
12am-6am |
8am-5pm |
6pm-12am |
12am-6am |
|
Residential |
60% |
100% |
100% |
80% |
100% |
100% |
|
Office/ Warehouse
/Industrial |
100% |
20% |
5% |
5% |
5% |
5% |
|
Commercial |
90% |
80% |
5% |
100% |
70% |
5% |
|
Hotel |
70% |
100% |
100% |
70% |
100% |
100% |
|
Restaurant |
70% |
100% |
10% |
70% |
100% |
20% |
|
Movie Theater |
40% |
80% |
10% |
80% |
100% |
10% |
|
Entertainment |
40% |
100% |
10% |
80% |
100% |
50% |
|
Conference/Convention |
100% |
100% |
5% |
100% |
100% |
5% |
|
Institutional
(non-church) |
100% |
20% |
5% |
10% |
10% |
5% |
|
Institutional (church) |
10% |
5% |
5% |
100% |
50% |
5% |
This table defines the
percent of the basic minimum needed during each time period for shared parking.
C. Local Parking Study
When
the parking reduction has been shown to be feasible by using a local parking
demand analysis, the following three items must be submitted:
(1.) A parking demand analysis prepared
by a qualified parking or traffic consultant, a licensed architect, city
planner, or urban planner or civil engineer, which substantiates the basis for
granting a reduced number of spaces. A local parking study shall be subject to
the approval of the Director of Planning and Planning Commission. The study
shall take into account the following three factors:
(a.) Existing parking surveys. Parking
surveys shall determine parking occupancy rates of morning, afternoon and
evening peaks on the seven different days of the week. The seven days of
observation may take place over the span of two consecutive, typical weeks. In
the case of new construction or addition of new uses, the surveys shall observe
another circumstance with similar mixed uses. A combination of similar
circumstances may be necessary to cover all the proposed land uses. The
approximate square footages of the various land uses of the specimen projects
shall be compared to the proposed project to allow the ratios of uses to be rated
accordingly. In the case of an enlargement, or substitution of existing uses,
the surveys shall document the occupancy rates of the existing parking
facility.
(b.) Proximity and convenience factors.
The following factors may influence the Planning Commission’s approval of the
parking reduction figures:
•
Distance between sharing uses and the parking facility
•
Pedestrian connections among sharing uses and the parking facility
•
Vehicular connections
•
Whether parking will be paid
•
Location--proximity to the CBD and general development density.
•
Proximity to major transit corridors or stations.
•
Special trip reduction programs, such as subsidized vanpooling, transit,
shuttle or telecommuting
•
Need for any reserved parking spaces. (Parking spaces to be shared cannot be
reserved for specific uses or individuals except during off-peak hours.)
(c.) Captive market parking
requirements. Parking requirements for retail, restaurant, hotel, convention
and conference uses may be reduced where it can be determined that some portion
of the patronage of these businesses comes from other uses (e.g., employees of
area offices patronizing restaurants) located within a maximum walking distance
of 500 feet. Parking requirements may be reduced up to 90 percent as
appropriate. Whenever practical, such a reduction should be supported by
surveys at similar establishments.
(2.) A covenant must be executed
guaranteeing that the owner will provide the additional spaces directly or by
payment of in-lieu fees if the City, upon thorough investigation of the actual
use of parking spaces at the building within two years of initial occupancy,
recommends to the Planning Commission that the approved reduction be modified
or revoked. Said covenant shall meet the same requirements for covenants set
forth in other sections of this document. The City must document insufficient
parking supply by showing occupancy rates over 98 percent for a least two
consecutive hours on at least three separate days within a single month.
(3.) Fee of guarantee. The owner shall
pay a fee which will be applied towards the cost of a parking study of actual
parking accumulation to be carried out within one to two years of occupancy.
(4.) Exception: The covenant guaranteeing
either additional spaces or payment of in-lieu fees (2. above) and the fee for
follow-up parking study (3. above) may be waived when the Planning Commission
will certify that previous experience of similar shared parking projects
indicates it is unlikely a serious deficiency would result.
d. Covenants. When a covenant between
parties is required by this Ordinance, the following standards shall apply:
(1.) Be executed by the owner of said lot
or parcel of land the parties having beneficial use thereof.
(2.) Be enforceable by either of the
parties having beneficial use thereof, or both.
(3.) Be enforceable against the owner,
the parties having beneficial use and their heirs, successors and assigns, or
both.
(4.) Be first duly recorded in the Office
of the Recorder of Deeds.
E.
Parking Lot Location Standards. The location of all required and nonrequired
parking lots with five or more spaces shall meet the location requirements
below. All conditional uses hereunder shall be granted by the Planning
Commission in accordance with Chapter regulations governing applications of
conditional uses; procedures.
1. Permitted Locations by Right. Parking lots
shall be located within the same zoning district as the use they serve. Required
parking lots for uses allowed by right within a zoning district are allowed as
a use by right in the same zoning district.
2. Permitted Locations as a Conditional Use.
Remains the same.
3. Off-Site Locations. If off-street parking
cannot be provided on the same lot as the principal use due to existing
buildings or the shape of the parcel, parking lots may be located on other
property not more than 600 feet distant from the principal use, subject to
conditional use approval by the Planning Commission. Parking spaces serving
residential units must be located within 300 feet of the dwelling unit
entrances they will serve whether they are off or on the site. Clear, safe
pedestrian connections must be provided, requiring no crossing of an arterial
street except at a signalized intersection along the pedestrian pathway.
When
Parking Requirements Must be Met
Parking
requirements shall be met at the time any building or structure is erected,
enlarged, or increased in capacity, changed in use, or an applicable outdoor
use is established or enlarged. In mixed-use developments, or developments
affected by co-operative agreements between different uses on neighboring
properties, changes in use will require a parking demand analysis using Table 3
or a Local Parking Study to demonstrate the change in parking demand patterns.
A forecast deficiency greater than 10% must be met by the construction of
additional parking spaces, payment of in-lieu fees, or support of shuttle
service or other trip reduction program satisfactory to the city. If a parking
study results in a forecast deficiency of less that 10%, no covenant or
guarantee payment is required.
Maximum
Number Allowed
Parking lots may contain up to 20% more spaces than the required
minimum. Any additional spaces above 20% shall be allowed only as a conditional
use and shall be granted in accordance with City zoning governing applications
of conditional uses; procedures, and upon the finding that additional spaces
are needed.
Shared Parking does not directly reduce vehicle travel if it substitutes for increased parking supply. To the degree that it increases the available supply of parking and reduces parking prices it can encourage automobile travel. To the degree that Shared Parking allows more Clustered Development it can encourage use of alternative modes.
Table 4 Travel Impact Summary
|
Travel
Impact |
Rating |
Comments |
|
Reduces total traffic. |
0 |
Depends on parking cost and
land use impacts. |
|
Reduces peak period traffic. |
0 |
" |
|
Shifts peak to off-peak
periods. |
0 |
" |
|
Shifts automobile travel to
alternative modes. |
0 |
" |
|
Improves access, reduces
the need for travel. |
0 |
" |
|
Increased ridesharing. |
0 |
" |
|
Increased public transit. |
0 |
" |
|
Increased cycling. |
0 |
" |
|
Increased walking. |
0 |
" |