2014-006 - Santa Ana General Plan Housing Element and Public Safety Element Updates

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Parking Solutions The cost of structured parking can be detrimental to the feasibility or affordability of a proposed project, particularly with the increases in the price of construction materials. Hydraulic, stacked parking systems allow the doubling and tripling of capacity beyond that allowed by conventional concrete parking structures, significantly decreasing the cost of structured parking. These systems —which have been in use for over a decade in California —can be used for a wide range of multiple - family project and lot sizes: from a 40 -foot by 100 -foot infill parcel to 25 -story high rise. HOUSING CONSTRAINTS Certain types of residential uses, particularly those in close proximity to transit or residential/mixed use, generate less traffic and lower parking demand. Moreover, in certain areas where transit and employment potential is high, the City has reduced parking requirements to allow for greater efficiencies of land use, encourage transit - oriented development, and create vibrant activity nodes. This strategy has also been implemented to improve mobility and air quality. Table B -6 shows the parking requirements in transit - oriented districts. Recent projects that received parking standard reductions include Santiago Lofts (2.2 spaces per unit), Downtown Artist Walk (1.5 spaces per unit), Geneva Commons (2.5 spaces per unit), Skyline (2.2 spaces per unit), City Place (2.4 spaces per unit), and Cordoba (2.0 spaces per unit). Several projects are predominantly two and three bedroom units with on -site commercial space. Table B -6 Parking in Growth Areas to Address the RHNA Location of Housings Bedrooms Studio One I Two I Three • TZC Residential /Live Work 2.25 2.25 2.50 2.75 • MEMU Mixed Use 2.25 2.25 2.25 2.25 • District Centers Mixed Use 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 Density Bonus Affordable 1.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 Source: City of Santa Ana Municipal Code,2013 Notes: City parking standards and density bonus standards are inclusive of guest parking Santa Ana allows additional parking reductions for affordable housing. For projects that provide a mere 5% very low or 10% low income units and comply with State density bonus law (Government Code Section 65915), developers can receive the parking standards that are an additional 25% to more than 50% below the City's reduced standards. Finally, developers may request an exception to allow tandem and shared parking under certain conditions. Multiple - family projects, particularly those that provide affordable units, could easily qualify for these reduced parking standards, which is why the City's current multiple - family parking standards are not a constraint. The City recognizes that parking is a key issue to the development community. The Housing Plan (Program 33) thus proposes a study to evaluate parking standards for residential development, with a special focus on multifamily development. The study will compare the development costs of current parking standards, the effect of parking standards on project density, and the costs and benefits of a parking in -lieu fee option. Should parking be deemed a constraint, a program to mitigate the constraint will be presented to City Council for consideration. B -16 CITY OF SANTA ANA GENERAL PLAN HOUSING ELEMENT