HomeMy WebLinkAbout06254 email - CAC Recommendation re Off Street Parking MinimumsALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
City Council and Board of County Commissioners,
Please see the attached recommendation from the Climate Action Committee (CAC) regarding off street parking minimums, also copied and pasted below.
Best Regards,
Cindy Jayne, on behalf of the CAC
To: Jefferson County BOCC and County Administrator
cc: City Council and City Manager of the City of Port Townsend, and CAC Staff
From: Climate Action Committee (CAC)
Date: June 25, 2024
Subject: CAC Recommendation re Off Street Parking Minimums
At the February 13, 2024 CAC meeting, the CAC approved the following recommendation, which originated from the CAC vehicle miles traveled reduction working group:
Acknowledging that 66% of our community’s sector-based GHG emissions are from transportation sources, and recognizing that Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) are nearly directly correlated
to GHG emissions, the CAC recommends to its respective governments that they rescind their off-street parking minimum policies. Minimum Off-street parking policies create sprawling
commercial and residential development, which discourages and increases the danger of walking, biking, and use of transit, hence increasing VMT. Furthermore, off-street parking policies
have resulted in the loss of valuable CO2 absorbing native habitat. Furthermore, off-street parking policies increase development cost, and add to an excessive number of parking spaces
per vehicle, approximately 8 spaces per vehicle nationwide. Additionally, rescinding the parking minimums gives developers the flexibility to design and build the amount of parking
they feel is appropriate.
On March 4th, 2024, the City of Port Townsend City Council approved an interim ordinance of the City of Port Townsend amending Port Townsend Municipal Code Chapter 17.72 Relating to
Interim Parking Regulations, which struck parking minimums from PTMC Table 17.72.080. Instead of required off-street parking, the table will merely recommend a minimum number of parking
spaces for each different land use.
Many thanks to the city council! We understand that we are the first city in the state to make such a change. We hereby encourage the BOCC to follow suit and be the first county in the
state to do so, and for the city to make the interim regulation permanent!
Thank you for your consideration,
Kees Kolff, Chair, Climate Action Committee
Cindy Jayne, Chair, CAC Vehicle Miles Traveled Reduction Working Group