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INTRODUCTION
Santa Rosa’s Downtown Specific Plan calls for a more walkable and transit accessible downtown, with new and denser development. Parking and access play a critical role in the success of downtown. Downtown Santa Rosa is served by Santa Rosa CityBus, Golden Gate Transit, Sonoma County Transit, and Mendocino Transit as well as the SMART Train. In terms of public parking, the City owns 14 public parking lots and garages, some of which need significant maintenance, repairs, and investment.
In 2019, Walker prepared the memorandum titled Downtown Santa Rosa Current Parking Conditions, which quantified parking conditions in Downtown Santa Rosa based on 2018 and 2019 parking data. The City implemented numerous recommendations from that effort, including permitting vertical development on several sites previously set -aside for parking and establishing other time limitations and use controls. The City asked Walker to update the 2019 study in 2022 to document changing parking conditions and utilizat ion, and Walker prepared the memorandum titled City of Santa Rosa 2022 Parking Study . Walker’s 2022 analysis of downtown parking utilization found excess parking capacity during the design day, which is defined as a typically busy day in Downtown Santa Rosa (3,245+ empty parking spaces).
Consistent with the Downtown Specific Plan and the interest expressed by developers to build housing and commercial uses downtown, and recognizing the significant excess parking capacity, the City is considering whether it can sell several parking lots and garages to facilitate new development. If the City chooses to develop these parcels, it may lose, move or reconfigure public parking spaces. Though there is currently excess parking capacity, as parking garages and lots are developed, the City will lose supply and create more demand for parking, especially in the most central locations. Given the opportunity around these land use changes, future development considerations, and long-term parking needs, the City asked Walker to:
• Determine future parking demand given new and denser development, as part of the update to the Downtown Specific Plan for near term opportunity parcels including Lot 7 (3rd and E Streets), Lot 11 (5th and B Streets), and all or a portion of Garage 5 (3rd and D Streets). • Determine the extent to which the current downtown parking surplus can accommodate a decrease in parking supply to accommodate current and future demand as development occurs. • Determine the extent to which the future downtown parking surplus, given the removal of public parking on Lots 7 and 11, and Garage 5, could accommodate future demand as development occurs. • Determine whether the existing parking surplus is sufficient to accommodate future parking demand and how this changes with the removal of the parking supply given potential development. • Determine whether there are specific locations that may have a parking deficit, whether or not there is an overall surplus of downtown parking. For example, in the f uture as parking lots and garages are developed, is surplus parking only available on the periphery? DATE: November 15, 2022
TO: Chad Hedge
COMPANY: City of Santa Rosa
ADDRESS: 90 Santa Rosa Avenue
CITY/STATE: Santa Rosa, CA
FROM: Chrissy Mancini Nichols, Tania Schleck
PROJECT NAME: City of Santa Rosa Future Demand Parking Study PROJECT NUMBER: 39-002408.00
Attachment 2
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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Walker’s key findings from the analysis are as follows:
• A substantial amount of public parking is currently sitting empty in Downtown Santa Rosa. Using data collected from October 1, 2021 through April 30, 2022, Walker found that 3,245 + empty public parking spaces during design day parking conditions, which is defined as a typically busy day in Downtown Santa Rosa. In total 30 percent of public parking spaces were occupied during this time. Even when adjusting parking demand up to pre -pandemic conditions, there would still be an estimated 2,585 public parking spaces available.1
• Several development projects are proposed downtown that wi ll need off -site parking . Based on development data provided to Walker from the City of Santa Rosa, 8 development projects are proposed in or adjacent to the paid parking study area. While many of these developments are providing on -site parking, Walker projects that 480+ spaces will be needed off-site to accommodate the demand from these development projects.
• Overall parking permit sales are projected to increase since design day parking conditions. Since design day parking conditions, some parking facilities have had higher permit sales and some facilities have had lower permit sales. For the parking facilities tha t have had higher sales, there is a projected increase of 171 parking permits.
• Existing public p arking facilities can accommodate the demand projected from future development.
Walker projects that the 480+ off-site parking spaces needed to serve the future developments can be accommodated in nearby public parking facilities including Lot 10, Garage 1, Garage 3, and Garage 12. • Existing public parking facilities can accommodate the demand from the loss of parking from the three opportunity parcels. The City is considering selling three parking facilities (Lot 7, Lot 11, and Garage 5) to allow for future development. Walker projects that the parking demand currently generated by these three facilities during design day parking conditions (182+ vehicles) could be accommodated in Lot 2 and Garage 9.
• The study area is projected to have capacity with future development and the removal of the three public parking facilities. In looking at the study area overall, future parking utilization study area-wide is projected to be 48 percent (up from 30 percent). Projected parking utilization is relatively spread out throughout the study area, and there are few locations that are projected to exceed 85 percent utilization.
1 See Walker’s report titled City of Santa Rosa 2022 Parking Study for more information on calculating parking from pandemic to typical conditions.
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
In August 2022, Walker completed a parking conditions analysis in Santa Rosa based on parking occupancy data received from the City , which was collected October 1, 202 1 through April 30, 2022. From the data received, Walker identified “design day” parking conditions for the public parking facilities, which is the recommended supply for the parking system to accommodate a typical busy parking day in the downtown area, outside of major holidays or events.
Walker found significant parking capacity in Downtown Santa Rosa:
• Only 30 percent of public parking spaces were utilized during design day parking conditions, which is defined as a typically busy day in Downtown Santa Rosa. o There were 3,245+ empty public parking spaces during this time:
▪ On-street street smart parking meters had the highest utilization at 43 percent, with 504+ parking spaces unoccupied and available.
▪ On-street coin parking meters were utilized at 13 percent, with 223+ parking spaces unoccupied and available.
▪ Public parking lots were utilized at 35 percent, wi th 427+ spaces unoccupied and available.
▪ Public parking garages were utilized at 26 percent, with 2,091+ spaces unoccupied and available.
• A substantial number of off-street private parking spaces (3,218+) were also empty. • Even when adjusting parking dem and up to pre -pandemic conditions, there would still be an estimated 2,585 public parking spaces available.2
Figure 1 on page 4 displays parking utilization of the public parking by location. Most of the parking facilities are less than 50 percent occupied.
2 This does not include coin-operated parking meters.
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Figure 1: Parking Utilization – Design Day – Public Parking Facilities *The design day for
smart parking meters,
public parking lots and
public parking garages
occurred on March 11,
2022. Since data was not
available for the coin
parking meters, Beaver
Street, or Lot 6, parking
occupancy for these
facilities was observed on
June 24, 2022.
Source: Data- City of
Santa Rosa, Base Image –
Google Earth
Professional, Map –
Walker Consultants,
2022.
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PARKING NEEDS ANALYSIS OF FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
To calculate how future development would affect parking demand, Walker first analyzed the parking needs for the future development projects proposed in Downtown Santa Rosa. Walker utilized a shared parking approach through Walker’s shared parking model to evaluate the parking needs for the future development , as discussed further in the following section.
THE BENEFITS OF SHARED PARKING
Shared Parking is fundamentally defined as the ability to use the same parking resource by multiple nearby or adjacent land uses without conflicts and encroachment, including spill over onto adjacent properties and streets.
For the analysis herein, Walker employed the use of a shared parking model to project “parking demand” for each future development project. In accordance with economic theory, “demand” is defined as the quantity of goods or services needed under a specific set of circumstances. Like all zon ing requirements for parking, it is the recommended supply based on industry standards and not necessarily a projected maximum accumulation of vehicles, and particularly not over the life of a project. All land use developments experience variations in parking demand as tenants and parking characteristics change.
Shared parking methodology was developed in the 1980s and has been a widely accepted industry standard for rightsizing parking facilities over the past 30+ years. Accepted by cities throughout the U.S. and codified in some zoning ordinances as THE acceptable practice, this shared parking analysis using Walker’s shared parking model considers the types, quantities, and user groups of land uses for the development, as well as site -and market- specific characteristics of parking and travel behavior in Sunnyvale. Walker’s shared parking model is based on the Urban Land Institute (ULI) , th e International Council of Shopping Center’s (ICSC) , and the National Parking Association’s (NPA) third edition of its Shared Parking publication3. The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) has also endorsed it as an acceptable method of parking planning and management; it recognized the 2nd edition as the outstanding parking innovation in 2005 and collaborated with the development of SP3. Walker led a team of consultants in writing the updated Shared Parking Third Edition and features the most up -to-date parking demand model. The model is designed to project the parking needs of various types of development from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight on a typical weekday and a weekend for every month of the year.
Shared parking allows for the sharing of parking spaces among uses in a mixed -use environment — in lieu of providing a minimum number of parking spaces for each individual use. Shared parking commonly results in a reduction of required parking spaces. This reduction, which is sometimes significa nt, depends on the quantities and mix of uses.
The key goal of a shared parking analysis is to find the balance between providing adequate parking to support a development from a commercial and operational standpoint, while minimizing the negative aspects of excessive land area or resources devoted to parking. We like to describe this as just enough parking for commerce to thrive.
It allows tighter, denser connections between land uses, improving walkability and reducing vehicle trips between land uses. It also avoids burdening a development with excessive paved areas and parking spaces.
Allowing multiple land uses and entities to share parking spaces has led to the creation of many popular real estate developments and districts, resulting in the combi nation of office, residential, retail, hotel, and entertainment districts that rely heavily on shared parking for economic viability. Traditional downtowns in large and small cities have depended on shared parking since the time of the horse and buggy, in order to be compact, walkable, and
3 Shared Parking (Third Edition), 2019, The Urban Land Institute, Washington, D.C.
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economically viable. In the same way, mixed-use projects have also benefited from the shared-parking principle, which offers multiple benefits to a community, not the least of which is lesser environmental impact due to the reduction in required parking needed, as well as the ability to create a more desirable mix of uses at one location.
Shared parking is thus a key to smarter growth, reducing the environmental and social impacts of underutilized parking.
SHARED PARKING METHODOLOGY
Shard Parking Volume 3 considers the parking demand for more than 55 different land uses including base parking ratios and default values for daily, hourly, and seasonal variations. The methodology further requires consideration of the availability and use of alternative modes of transportation and captive market effects. In the case of the project, a shared parking analysis recognizes the interrelationship of parking among residents, and on- site, accessory uses such as proposed retail and food and beverage space as well as the adjacent office uses. The SP3 model generates 494 parking demand computations as follows:
• 19 hours during a day, beginning at 6 a.m. and concluding at midnight • 2 days per week, a weekday, and a weekend day
• 13 months of the year (including late December as a separate retail month) • 19 x 2 x 13 = 494 different calculations
The recommended parking demand is derived based on the highest figure generated from these 494 computations. The model projects the demand on a “design” day, which is typically an activity level based on the parking demand at the 85th percentile level relative to similar properties, including office and residential. It is neither the maximum spaces that might be needed by an unusually successful development (ALL tenants at 100th percentile) nor those used by an average project.
A shared parking analysis begins first by taking the land use quantities of the project, e.g., number of residential units, and multiplying by a base parking demand ratio and monthly and hourly adjustment factors. All base ratios and hourly and monthly adj ustments in SP3 are on industry standards that have been vetted by leading parking consultants and real estate professionals.
Two additional adjustments are also applied to the base parking demand ratios, one to reflect an estimate of the local transport ation modal split through the application of drive ratios and another to account for the best estimate of captive market effects, as discussed later in this report.
Figure 2 provides an illustrative view of the steps involved in the shared parking analysis.
Figure 2: Steps of Shared Parking Analysis
Source: Walker Consultants, 2022.
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STEP 1 – LAND USE PROGRAM
Walker received land use program data from the City of Santa Rosa for proposed and/or permitted new developments within the parking study area, as summarized in Table 1 on page 8. Each development is given a number ID that corresponds with Figure 3 on page 9.
Walker analyzed developments within the paid parking study area from Walker’s 2019 and 2022 studies, as well as developments within one block of the study area, as those developments are most likely to utilize Santa Rosa’s paid parking spaces. For residential developments, Walker only analyzed developments resulting in more than six units, as those are the developments with the most material impact on parking demand.
Walker made the following assumptions in the analysis, including:
• The existing business/use for each site is currently vacant and no parking demand is being generated. • One of the developments (888 4 th Street Apartments) is providing one- and two-bedroom units, but the breakdown in the number of one- and two-bedroom units was unavailable. Therefore, Walker assumed that 50 percent of the units are one-bedrooms and 50 percent are two-bedrooms. • Because the majority of the developments are providing a relatively small number of parking spaces , Walker assumes the on-site parking provided is not automatically assigned to individual units, but rather available to residents to purchase on an as-needed basis.
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Table 1: Downtown Santa Rosa Proposed Future Development
Development Name
(ID for Map)
Development
Address
Residential Units
(# units) Commercial Square Feet
Studio 1-bdr 2-bdr Retail Childcare Sit-down
Restaurant
1 Santa Rosa Ave (1) 1 Santa Rosa Ave 52 40 28
420 Mendocino Apartments (2) 420 Mendocino Ave 24 69 68 1,815 Ross Street Development (3) 556 Ross St 68 37 13 585 2,590 425 Humboldt St Apartments (4) 431 Humboldt St 14 64 10 The Flats at 528 B Street (5) 528 B St 20 4
891 3rd St Multi-Family Housing 6) 891 3rd St 2 16
888 4th St Apartments1 (7) 888 4th St 45 45
Caritas Homes - Phases I and II (8) 340 7th St 62 45 21 Total 241 422 327 585 2,590 1,815
1 Breakdown of 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units not available; therefore, it is assumed to be 50/50.
Source: City of Santa Rosa
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Figure 3: Future Development in Paid Parking Study Area
Source: Data-
City of Santa
Rosa, Base
Image –
Google Earth
Professional,
Map – Walker
Consultants,
2022
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STEP 2 – BASE PARKING RATIOS
The base parking demand ratios represent how many parking spaces should be supplied if the spaces are unshared, and the project is in a suburban context where the driving ratio, or the number of people driving to the site, is at or near 100 percent. Table 2 displays the base parking demand ratios used f or this analysis. The base ratios are the published rates in the Third Edition of Shared Parking, and Walker’s Shared Parking Model , both created in partnership with the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The base ratios are informed by thousands of field parking occupancy studies performed by parking and transportation professionals over decades.
Table 2: Base Parking Ratios
Land Use Base Ratio
Residential, Suburban Weekday Weekend
Studio Resident 0.85 0.85
1-bedroom Resident 0.90 0.90
2-bedroom Resident 1.65 1.65
Resident Guest 0.10 0.15
Retail (<400,000 square feet)
Visitor 2.90 3.20
Employee 0.70 0.80
Restaurant (Fine/Casual Dining)
Visitor 13.25 15.25
Employee 2.25 2.50
Day Care Center
Visitor 1.75 0.00
Employee 2.00 0.00
Source: Walker Consultants, 2022
STEP 3 - DRIVING RATIO
A driving ratio is the percentage of patrons and employees that are projected to drive to the development site in a personal vehicle expressed as a ratio. This excludes all non -driving travel including shuttle busses and other public transportation, taxi, ride-hailing (Lyft/Uber), walking, and bicycling.
To develop the driving ratios for the shared parking analysis, Walker consulted Replica data, a proprietary data set that provides data related to mobility, land use, people, and economic activity from location-based mobile apps, connected vehicles, and demographic data from public and private sources. Replica tracks origin/destination behaviors by land use and travel mode.
Because the study is focused on Downtown Santa Rosa , Walker isolated the data based on the census tract covering Downtown Santa Rosa (Tract 1520), shown in Figure 4 on page 11.
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Figure 4: Replica Downtown Census Tract (1520)
Source: Replica.
Walker collected Replica data showing commute patterns for different land uses and trip types. Walker analyzed trips that end in Santa Rosa to understand typical commute patterns for different land uses. Walker utilized the multi-family commute data only to inform the resi dential guest driving ratio, as the resident driving ratio is dependent on vehicle ownership. To understand travel for non-residential land uses, Walker analyzed how people travel to Santa Rosa for shopping, eating, and work trips. Table 3 summarizes the Replica data analysis by land use/destination.
Table 3: Commute Mode Data based on Land Uses/Destination Land use/Destination % Commute by auto travel*
Multi-family residential 89%
Trips to Eat in Santa Rosa 91%
Trips to Shop in Santa Rosa 85%
Trips to Work at a Retail/Restaurant Establishment in Santa Rosa 92% *Includes trips made by drivers in private auto vehicles and passengers in private auto vehicles.
Data Source - Replica, Analysis - Walker Consultants, 2022.
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As mentioned above, the resident drive ratio is more dependent on vehicle ownership than trip commute. For example, residents may bike or walk for a portion of their trips, but still own a car and require a parking space.
For the Downtown census tract, 92 percent of the population have one or more vehicles.4
Based on the commute data and vehicle ownership data, Table 4 shows the driving rati o Walker applied to the analysis. Replica data is not available for a day care use specifically. Walker assumes that all visitors picking up and dropping off children at the day care use will drive, but that the employee driving ratio is consistent with th e retail/restaurant employee driving ratio.
Table 4: Driving Ratios
Land Use
Residential, Suburban Downtown Census
Tract
Studio Resident 92%
1-bedroom Resident 92%
2-bedroom Resident 92%
Resident Guest 89%
Retail (<400,000 square feet)
Visitor 85%
Employee 92%
Restaurant (Fine/Casual Dining)
Visitor 91%
Employee 92%
Day Care Center
Visitor 100%
Employee 92%
Source: Walker Consultants, 2022.
STEP 4 - NON-CAPTIVE RATIO
A shared parking analysis recognizes that people often visit two or more establishments within the same development site, without increasing the on -site parking demand. The noncaptive ratio is an estimate of the percentage of parkers at a land use who are not already counted as being parked at another of the land uses. The term "captive" has been borrowed from market researchers to describe people who are already present in the immediate vicinity and are likely patrons of a second use. Traffic engineers also make captive adjustments to account for people visiting multiple venues on one trip. However, the parking adjustment will not be precisely the same as the captive adjustments for either market researchers or traffic engineers.
The shared parking model has a subroutine that calculates the potential patronage of various destinations based on the populations of employees and residents present in the development. We have used the default values verbatim.
4 Source: Replica
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STEP 5 - PRESENCE FACTORS
Adjustments are made to the shared parking model to account for parking demand variability by hour of day and month of year. These time-based adjustments are referred to as a “presence” adjustment. Presence is expressed as a percentage of the peak hour dem and on a design day (a typical day) for both time of day and month of the year. The Third Edition of Shared Parking provides these presence factors for all land uses . Walker used the presence factors recommended in Shared Parking Third Edition.
PARKING NEEDS ANALYSIS RESULTS
Based on the analysis described in Steps 1-5, Table 5 summarizes the number of parking spaces that are projected to be needed to serve each of the future developments. The table also shows how many on -site parking spaces are proposed for each development. Considering the parking needs and on-site parking provided, the right-most column shows the number of parking spaces that are projected to be needed off -site. The new developments have proposed to build a total of 351 new parking spaces will be built to accommodate these sites. This leaves a total of 480+ off-site parking spaces projected to be needed to serve the future development projects.
Table 5: Projected Off-Site Parking Needs for Future Development Projects
Development
ID for Map
(Figure 5)
Development Name
(ID for Map)
Total
Number of
Residential
Units
Commercial
Spaces
Square
Footage
Projected
Parking
Needs
On-Site
Parking
Provided
Off-Site
Parking
Needed
1 1 Santa Rosa Ave 120 125 0 125
2 420 Mendocino Apartments 161 1,815 210 100 110
3 Ross Street Development 118 3,175 112 0 112
4 425 Humboldt St Apartments 88 86 69 17
5 The Flats at 528 B Street 24 25 0 25
6 891 3rd St Multi-Family Housing 18 17 N/A2 17
7 888 4th St Apartments1 90 113 128 0
8 Caritas Homes - Phases I and II 128 128 54 74
Total 351 480
1 Breakdown of 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units not available; therefore, it is assumed to be 50/50. 2 On-site parking count not available; therefore, for the purposes of this analysis it was assumed that no on-site parking will be provided.
Source: On-site Parking Provided - City of Santa Rosa, Table and Analysis- Walker Consultants, 2022.
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FUTURE DOWNTOWN PARKING CAPACITY
Three major changes are proposed that would influence the future parking capacity in Downtown Santa Rosa:
1. The City anticipates that the sale of parking permits in certain parking facilities has increased since March 2022, when the design day was calculated in Walker’s 2022 parking study.
2. Off-site parking needs for future development projects in the paid parking study area.
3. Proposed removal of public parking facilities including Parking Lot 7, Parking Lot 11 and Garage 5.
INCREASE IN PARKING PERMITS
The City of Santa Rosa provided Walker with parking permit data for the public parking facilities. Walker used this data to evaluate the extent to which demand for parking permits has increased since the design day parking demand was calculated (March 2022) and as a result how that would impact parking demand in Downtown Santa Rosa. Some facilities have seen an increase in permits issued and some facilities have seen a decrease in permits issued for a total net increase of 69 permits issued.
Table 6: Projected Parking Demand with Permit Sales Changes
March 2022 Permits Issued
(Design Day Parking)
October 2022 Permits Issued
+ Additional Permits
Requested in Lots 2 and 6
Increase (+)/Decrease (-) in
Permits Issued between
March 2022 and October
2022
Garage 1 142 146 +4
Garage 3 477 413 -64
Garage 5 35 45 +10
Garage 9 171 169 -2
Garage 12 205 297 +92
Lot 2 65 113 +48
Lot 6 37 53 +16
Lot 7 51 37 -14
Lot 10 1 1 0
Lot 13/14 111 90 -21
Lot D 0 1 +1
Morgan St 1 1 0
Employee Street 67 66 -1
Total 1,363 1,432 +69
Source: Data- City of Santa Rosa, Table and Analysis – Walker Consultants, 2022.
Even though the overall number of parking permits issued has decreased, the permit s issued have increased for certain parking facilities. For the purposes of this analysis, Walker assumed:
• Design day parking demand (March 2022) will increase by the number of additional permits sold, which is a conservative assumption, because it is unlikely all permit holders will use their permit every day.
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• For the parking facilities that had a decrease in permit sales, no changes to the parking demand from design day parking conditions. This is also a conservative assumption because it is likely a decr ease in permits issued would result in a decrease in parking demand.
Table 7 summarizes the projected parking demand for each of the public parking facilities that had an increase in permit sales between March 2022 and October 2022 (including in-progress sales).
Table 7: Projected Parking Demand Increase with Permit Sales Increase by Parking Facility
Increase in Permits Issued
(Mar 2022- Oct 2022)
Design Day Parking Demand
(2022 Walker Study)
Projected Parking Demand w/
changes in Permit Sales
Garage 1 4 123 127
Garage 5 10 107 117
Garage 12 92 70 162
Lot 2 48 44 92
Lot 6 16 9 25
Lot D 1 28 29
Total 171 381 552
Source: Walker Consultants, 2022.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
As shown in Table 5 on page 13, approximately 480 parking spaces are projected to be needed off -site to accommodate the parking demand for the future developments proposed in Downtown Santa Rosa. This section describes where parking demand is anticipated to be accommodated for each of the future developments. Walker utilized the City of Santa Rosa 2022 Parking Study design day parking utilization data to determine which public parking facility could accommodate off-site demand from each future development. Figure 5 on page 16 shows the location of the future developments in context of the design d ay parking utilization from the 2022 Walker study. Walker made the following assumptions on this analysis:
• In Walker’s 2019 and 2022 parking analyses, Walker identified the design day parking conditions occurring during the weekday at approximately 1:00 p. m. The vast majority of the future development proposed consists of new residential units. Residential uses typically have the highest parking demand in the late evening, when residents are home for the day. However, Walker did not receive or collect overn ight parking demand. Walker assumes that overnight parking demand is lower than daytime parking demand because most businesses downtown close overnight. However, for the purposes of this analysis, Walker conservatively assumes that daytime parking demand is equal to overnight parking demand. • Walker evaluated the parking needs for each future development individually and where off-site parking demand for each development could be accommodated. Walker identified public parking facilities within three blocks of each development project, or about a four minute and approximately 1/8th mile walk, and prioritized off-street parking facilities over on-street parking facilities. • Walker sought to redistribute parking demand such that no public parking facility would exceed 85 percent parking occupancy.
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Figure 5: Design Day Parking Utilization (March 2022)
The design
day for smart
parking
meters,
public
parking lots
and public
parking
garages
occurred on
March 11,
2022. Since
data was not
available for
the coin
parking
meters,
Beaver
Street, or Lot
6, parking
occupancy
for these
facilities was
observed on
June 24,
2022.
Source: Data-
City of Santa
Rosa, Base
Image –
Google Earth
Professional,
Map and
Analysis–
Walker
Consultants,
2022.
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1. 1 SANTA ROSA AVENUE
The 1 Santa Rosa Avenue development is projected to need 125 + off-site parking spaces. Accordi ng to data from the City of Santa Rosa, 90 parking spaces are to be reserved at Garage 12 , which is approximately one block from the development. During design day parking conditions, 657+ spaces were available in Garage 12, which could accommodate all 125+ of the off-site parking spaces.
2. 420 MENDOCINO APARTMENTS
The 420 Mendocino Apartments development is projected to need 110 + off-site parking spaces. The development is within two blocks of Garage 1, which had 633+ spaces available during design day parking conditions. Walker assumes that 110+ spaces could be accommodated in Garage 1.
3. ROSS STREET DEVELOPMENT
The Ross Street Development is projected to need 112+ off-site parking spaces. According to data from the City of Santa Rosa, nine off-site parking spaces will be provided, but no information about the location of these spaces was included. The development is within approximately one block of Garage 1, which had 633+ spaces available during design day parking conditions. Therefore, Walker assumes the 112+ spaces could be accommodated in Garage 1.
4. 425 HUMBOLDT ST APARTMENTS
The 425 Humboldt St development is projected to need 17+ off-site parking spaces. The development is within approximately two blocks of Garage 3, which had 421+ spaces available during design day parking conditions. Therefore, Walker assumes the 17+ spaces could be accommodated in Garage 3.
5. THE FLATS AT 528 B STREET
The Flats at 528 B Street development is projected to need 25 + off-site parking spaces. According to the City of Santa Rosa, the application narrative discusses parking permits in Garage 1 and that 36 parking spaces are required for the residential use. However, Walker projects that only 25+ spaces will be needed to serve the development. The development is adjacent to Garage 1, which had 633+ spaces available during design day parking conditions. Therefore, Walker assumes the 25+ spaces could be accommodated in Garage 1.
6. 891 3RD ST MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING
The 891 3 rd St Multi-Family Housing development is projected to need 17 + off-site parking spaces. Data provided by the City of Santa Rosa indicates that on -site parking will be provided, but the number of spaces provided is not available; therefore, for the purposes of this analysis, Walker assumes no on -site parking will be provided. The development is within approximately two blocks of Lot 10 , which had 36+ spaces available during design day parking conditions. Therefore, Walker assumes the 17 + spaces could be accommodated in Lot 10. However, since the development is located on 3rd Street, on a block that has free parking, it is likely residents and guests would park on 3 rd Street before parking in a paid off -street lot.
7. 888 4TH ST APARTMENTS
The 888 4th St Apartments development is projected to accommodate its parking needs on-site.
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8. CARITAS HOMES - PHASES I AND II
The Caritas Homes - Phases I and II development is projected to need 74 + off-site parking spaces. The development is approximately two blocks from Garage 1, which had 633+ spaces available during design day parking conditions. Therefore, Walker assumes the 74+ spaces could be accommodated in Garage 1.
REMOVAL OF PARKING LOTS 7 AND 11 AND GARAGE 5
The second major factor that would impact downtown parking capacity is the possibility of selling Parking Lots 7 and 11, as well as Garage 5 to allow for future development. This section demonstrates how parking demand in these three facilities could be accommodated in other public parking facilities in Downtown Santa Rosa.
PARKING LOT 7
Parking Lot 7 had 27+ parked cars during design day parking conditions. Lot 7 is approximately one block from Garage 9, which had 293+ available spaces during design day parking conditions. Therefore, Walker assumes the 27+ vehicles from Lot 7 could be accommodate in Garage 9.
PARKING LOT 11
Lot 11 had 48+ parked cars during design day parking conditions. Lot 11 is across 5 th Street from Lot 2, which had 100 + spaces available during design day parking conditions. Therefore, Walker assumes the 48+ vehicles from Lot 11 could be accommodated in Lot 2.
GARAGE 5
Garage 5 had 107 + parked cars during design day parking conditions . As shown in Table 6 on page 1 4, Garage 5 has an additional 10 permits issued since March 2022 . Garage 5 is approximately two blocks from Garage 9, which had 293+ available spaces during design day parking conditions. Therefore, Walker assumes the 117+ vehicles from Garage 5 could be accommodate in Garage 9.
SUMMARY OF FUTURE PARKING AVAILABILITY
Table 8 on page 19 summarizes how off-site parking needs from the increase in parking permit sales in certain parking facilities, from the proposed development projects and from the removal Lot 7, Lot 11, and Garage 5 could be accommodated in Santa Rosa’s existing public parking system.
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SANTA ROSA FUTURE DEMAND PARKING STUDY
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Table 8: Additional Parking Demand with Future Development and Potential Loss of Lot 7, Lot 11, and Garage 5
Development Name/Parking Facility Name
Additional Future Demand – New Development and Removal of Lot 7, Lot 11, and G5 Lot 2 Lot 10 Garage 1 Garage 3 Garage 9 Garage 12
1) 1 Santa Rosa Ave 125
2) 420 Mendocino Apartments 110
3) Ross Street Development 112
4) 425 Humboldt St Apartments 17
5) The Flats at 528 B Street 25
6) 891 3rd St Multi-Family Housing 17
7) 888 4th St Apartments
8) Caritas Homes - Phases I and II 74
Lot 7 removal 27
Lot 11 removal 48
Garage 5 removal 117
Total Additional Demand 48 17 321 17 144 125
Source: Walker Consultants, 2022.
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SANTA ROSA FUTURE DEMAND PARKING STUDY
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Table 9 displays the parking utilization of each public parking facility that is projected to increase in parking demand and Figure 6 on page 21 shows visually future parking utilization in Downtown Santa Rosa based on the study methodology. As shown in the figure, while demand increases downtown, very few parking facilities are projected to exceed 85 percent occupied. A widely recognized best practice in parking management involves the comparison of actual parking utilization rates with an 85 percent occupancy threshold. When parking is 85 percent occupied, spaces are well-used, but it also is still possible for drivers to find a space without cruising around waiting for another driver to leave, which results in increased emissions and traffic congestion.
The City of Santa Rosa has accepted this parking utilization targe t for the Premium and Value parking zones .
According to the City’s website, “The Parking Division’s goal is to set the lowest possible price to achieve 85% occupancy in the Premium and Value Zones. An occupancy rate of 85% means each block has a couple of open spaces at any given time, giving parkers the choice to park close or park a few blocks away and save some money.
Occupancy data is collected and twice per year is evalu ated to determine if price adjustments are needed to achieve 85% occupancy at peak times.”
Table 9: Projected Future Parking Utilization for Parking Facilities Projected to increase in Parking Demand
Lot D Lot 2 Lot 10 Lot 6 Garage
1 Garage
3 Garage
9 Garage
12 Current Design Day Parking Occupancy
with increases in Permit Sales 29 92 37 25 127 287 155 162 Additional Demand - Future
Development and Loss of Lot 7, 11, & G5 0 48 17 0 321 17 144 125 Total Future Occupancy 29 140 54 25 448 304 299 297
Parking Inventory 39 144 73 43 756 708 448 727
Future Number of Spaces Available 10 4 19 18 308 404 149 440 Future Parking Utilization 74% 97% 74% 58% 59% 43% 67% 39% Source: Walker Consultants, 2022.
In reviewing the paid parking study area overall, even with the future demand proposed, projected parking utilization downtown would be less than 50 percent, as shown in Table 10.
Table 10: Projected Future Parking Utilization – Paid Parking Study Area
Public Parking Study Area
Current Design Day Parking Occupancy 1,386
Additional Demand – Increased Permit Sales 171
Additional Demand - Future Development 480
Additional Demand - Loss of Lot 7, 11, and Garage 5 182 Total Future Occupancy 2,219
Parking Inventory 4,631
Future Number of Spaces Available – Paid Parking Study Area 2,412 Future Parking Utilization – Paid Parking Study Area 48% Source: Walker Consultants, 2022.
MEMORANDUM
SANTA ROSA FUTURE DEMAND PARKING STUDY
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Figure 6: Projected Future Parking Utilization Map
*No changes
in on-street
parking
demand are
assumed.
Source: Data-
City of Santa
Rosa, Base
Image –
Google Earth
Professional,
Map and
Analysis–
Walker
Consultants,
2022.