San Diego Could Expand Parking Reforms to Non-Residential Land Uses

Almost exactly two years after San Diego voted to eliminate parking requirements for new multi-family residential developments in designated Transit Priority Areas around the city, a new proposal would expand parking reform to "non-residential land uses" in those same areas.

An article by Dan Griffin provides the only existing local news coverage of the proposed change, which appeared before the city Planning Commission on June 3 and is expected for a City Council vote in July. Griffin's article mostly shares the viewpoints of local business owners about perceptions of an existing lack of parking near their neighborhoods, although one restaurant owner is quoted saying that the city's outdoor dining program allowed their café to stay in operation during the pandemic.

According to the item prepared for the Planning Commission, the parking policy reform code amendment "is complimentary to other City initiatives, such as Complete Communities and the Climate Action Plan, and is aimed at reducing dependency on single occupancy vehicle use and greenhouse gas emissions and supporting investments in transit and active transportation."

San Diego is once again carrying the banner for parking reform, but the number of cities also pursuing parking reforms is increasing almost weekly. Just in the past couple of weeks, Richmond, Virginia and Raleigh, North Carolina also took steps toward eliminating parking requirements.