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County Administrator's Office

Exhibit B for Ordinance 6064

County Administrator's Office

26-86-010 Required Parking Standards

26-86-010 Required Parking

  1. In most cases where mixed uses are proposed, the required parking for the use with the most restrictive parking standard may be utilized to meet the above standards; provided, that the applicant can demonstrate the effectiveness of the parking plan in relation to the proposed uses, and provided that future changes in the use of the property are subject to review by the decision-making body so as to maintain the effectiveness of such plan. Otherwise, each proposed use shall be required to meet its applicable parking standard.
  2. The above parking standards may be reduced when it has been satisfactorily demonstrated to the planning director or applicable decision-making body that fewer spaces will adequately serve the specific use or that the applicant has encouraged transit opportunities through one or more of the following:
    1. Participation in a comprehensive travel demand management (TDM) program including, but not limited to, provision of flex-time, carpooling, and transit passes such that VMT generated by the project is reduced
    2. Provision of transit stops and/or turnouts developed in cooperation with and approved by Sonoma County Transit
    3. Provision of amenities for bicyclists, bus riders, carpoolers and pedestrians beyond those required by this section. including, but not limited to shower/ locker room facilities, additional bicycle parking spaces and covered bicycle parking.
  3. The parking standards may be increased when it is determined that employee parking substantially reduces the number of spaces needed for customer use.
  4. The director may waive the requirement for parking to be covered, subject to administrative design review in accordance with Article 82, only where consistent with the neighborhood character and where either: (1) topographic conditions and/or small lot size make the provision of covered parking infeasible; or (2) the parking area will be visually screened from adjacent lots and from the common roadway(s) serving the property.
  5. An exception to the required parking may be made in cases of re-use of existing buildings located within urban service areas or unincorporated communities where it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the decision-maker that the provision of parking meeting the above requirements is not feasible, and the use is of the same or less intensity than the previous use.
  6. The parking required may be reduced by up to 20% of total required spaces when it has been satisfactorily demonstrated to the planning director or applicable decision- making body that: 1) adequate parking for the projected use is provided such that the public health and safety is not compromised; and 2) that such design provides greater sustainability through the incorporation of amenities to encourage alternative modes of transportation and VMT reduction to offset GHG emissions from vehicle trips; and/or that 3) the reductions are required in order to implement Low Impact Development (LID)parking lot design, including onsite retention and treatment of stormwater. Examples include the provision of covered secured bike parking or bike lockers, showers and changing areas for employees, vegetated swales, and connections to Class I facilities. The parking required may be reduced by 10 percent when at least 10 percent of the total spaces are provided as covered by solar panels. These reductions may be combined but the total reduction in the required number of parking spaces may not exceed 20 percent.
  7. The decision maker may increase the allowable percentage of compact spaces to not more than 50% of the total number of required spaces when the increase is needed to facilitate the provision of solar panels, EV charging stations, LID provisions, covered bike parking, connecting trails and the like.
  8. For the purpose of establishing minimum dimensions for parking spaces, a solar covering shall not cause the “covered parking space requirements” to be triggered in an existing parking lot in order that solar panels may be installed over existing spaces. For new parking areas, dimensions for parking spaces to be covered by solar panels shall be of adequate width to allow doors to open freely.
  9. Notwithstanding, the allowable modifications to required parking spaces and dimensions outlined above do not apply to accessible spaces otherwise required by Code.

26-86-020. Bicycle Parking and Support Facilities.

  1. For non-residential projects with 50 or more employees, covered bike parking or bike lockers shall be provided at the rate of 1 secured, covered space or bike locker for every 8 employees. Each covered bicycle space shall be a minimum of three feet in width and six feet in length, and have a minimum of seven feet of overhead clearance. For each 3 covered bicycle spaces or bike lockers provided, the required on-site parking requirement may be reduced by 1 space. For each shower and changing area provided as set forth in the Table below, the required parking may be reduced by 3 spaces.
  2. In addition to the bicycle parking requirements set forth in 26-86-010 (a), the additional support facilities shown in the Table below are recommended for nonresidential projects with 50 or more employees that are located both within a designated Urban Service Area and within 1/2 mile of a Class 1 bikeway:

Recommended Shower and Changing Facilities

Type of Land Use - Commercial, Industrial, or Mixed Use (non-residential portion only)

Number of Showers with Changing Area Required for Specified Building Floor Area in Gross Square Feet
  • 50,000 to 150,000 gross square feet - 1 Shower for each Gender
  • Each 100,000 gross square feet over 150,000 - 1 Additional Shower for Each Gender