Agenda - Planning Commission - 06/07/2018

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Off-street parking requirements put space for cars ahead of housing for people by making it difficult to convert garages into apartments. Instead, cities should remove off-street parking requirements for houses within RPP districts and limit the number of on -street parking permits at any address where a garage has been converted to hous- ing. Limiting parking permits will prevent on -street parking congestion and help make garage conversions politically feasible. By increasing both home values and the supply of affordable housing, this parking reform can achieve individual and collective benefits of converting garages into housing without cre- ating costs to neighboring home owners. Parking reform for garage conversions can be offered first as a pilot program in one district. If the first district where garage conversions are allowed is successful, the ABOUT THE AUTHORS Figure i An example of a two story garage to ADU r conversion in Portland Oregon'sliiistonc Irvington neighborhood. policy can be offered in other parts of the city. Because they offer flexibility and may be adopted on a piecemeal basis, the park- ing reforms can allow residential districts to implement gradual change at the neighbor- hood level. The policy can also be expanded to allow other kinds of second units such as new detached structures, additions to the main house, or carve -outs in the main house, such as basement apartments. Parking reform can reduce the barriers to all forms of second units in both old and new housing while removing concerns about on -street parking congestion Parking reforms offer a simple solution to encourage the addition of affordable housing while also providing home owners with improved choice and opportunities for mortgage financing and home equity loans. While parking Anne Brown is a PhD candidate in the Department of Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles and a graduate student researcher in UCLA's Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies. Her research examines the intersection of transportation equity, finance, and travel behavior. Brown's dissertation research investigates the equity implications of ride -hail services. Vinit Mukhija is a professor and department chair of urban planning in the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA. His research focuses on informal housing and slums in developing countries and "Third World -like" housing conditions (including colonias, unpermitted trailer parks, and illegal garage apartments) in the U.S. He is particularly interested in understanding the nature and necessity of informal housing, and strategies for upgrading and improving living conditions in unregulated housing. His work also examines how planners and urban designers in both developing and developed countries can learn from the everyday and informal city. Donald Shoup, FAICP, is distinguished research professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA. His research has focused on how parking policies affect cities, the economy, and the environment. Shoup is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners and an Honorary Professor at the Beijing Transportation Research Center. In 2015, he received APA's National Excellence Award for a Planning Pioneer. regulations will change, other city regula- tions for second units, particularly building and safety codes, can remain the same. Existing garage conversions can be grand - fathered if they are brought up to code, as is often done with other nonconforming land uses. New houses can also be built with second units or designed with garages and other spaces that are ready for conver- sion to second units. The most appropriate method of man- aging on -street parking for houses with second units will depend on the nature of the neighborhood. In older neighborhoods with narrow lots, for example, only one on - street parking permit may be possible for a house with a second unit. In newer neigh- borhoods with wider lots, several parking permits for a house with a second unit may not crowd the street. Even in the densest neighborhoods, cities can allow second units such as basement flats if they manage the on -street parking properly. In this way, relatively minor parking reforms can allow home owners to create second units and adapt the urban landscape to a new future, one garage at a time. Note: This article is condensed from "Converting Garages into Housing," in the Journal of Planning Education and Research. Cover: ©iStockphotos.com VOL. 35, NO. 5 Zoning Practice (ISSN 1548-0135) is a monthly publication of the American Planning Association. James M. Drinan, JD, Chief Executive Officer; David Rouse, FAICP, Managing Director of Research and Advisory Services; Joseph DeAngelis and David Morley, AICP, Editors. Subscriptions are available for $95 (U.S.) and $12o (foreign). 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