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RESEARCH TOOLS › MRSC INQUIRIES › Parking
MRSC Inquiries - Parking
12/14/04

MRSC Inquiries

Parking

  1. Request for information and sample ordinances on residential parking zones

    Residential parking zones (RPZ) are typically created to ease parking congestion in residential neighborhoods that are impacted by nearby businesses or institutions. An RPZ may be appropriate, for example, where the parking congestion is caused by proximity to a business district with limited parking, and/or by parking generated by visitors or employees of a nearby hospital, school or factory.

    Residential parking zones seem to be most commonly found in university communities, tourist and resort communities such as beach and ski towns, locations near major transit hubs - such as ferries or other mass transit stops, and residential areas near major employers, including businesses or major institutions.

    See the following examples from cities in Washington as well as other cities outside Washington State that address residential parking zones and residential permit parking requirements:

    Washington State Communities

    Articles and Studies

    Cities Outside Washington

  2. Request for information about parking districts and other approaches for financing a municipal parking lot or garage

    Parking and Business Improvement Districts and Local Improvement Districts

    LIDs and RIDs are special assessment districts in which improvements will specially benefit primarily the property owners in the district. They are created under the sponsorship of a municipal government and are not self governing special purpose districts. To the extent and in the manner noted in the enabling statutes, they must be approved by both the local government and benefited property owners. There are other types of districts authorized by the statutes that look like LIDs in that assessments are levied against property in a specially benefited area but whose formation does not follow LID or RID statutes. These include parking and business improvement areas (PBIAs).

    A parking and business improvement area (PBIA) is designed to aid general economic development and to facilitate merchant and business cooperation. A PBIA is a local self-help funding mechanism that allows businesses and property owners within a defined area to establish a special assessment district. Funds raised can be used to provide management, services, facilities, and programs to the district. The Washington State Office of Trade and Economic Development publication, Organizing a Successful Downtown Revitalization Program Using the Main Street Approach notes that PBIAs require a lot of effort and time to put together, and can be very politically sensitive. A number of communities have established PBIAs to accomplish a program of downtown improvements, including parking facilities. One significant difference between PBIAs and LIDs is that under the LID statutes, a lien can be placed on a property for non payment.

    MRSC has fairly comprehensive web pages with information and examples of parking and business improvement districts and local improvement districts.

    Additional examples not included on the MRSC Web pages:

    Public Development Authority (PDAs)

    As the MRSC web page explains, PDAs are quasi municipal corporations that can be used to finance a variety of public purposes, including municipal parking. However, they may be best used for unusual endeavors, (such as Seattle's Pike Place Market) which for a variety of reasons, the parent municipality would not want to undertake itself. PDAs can issue tax-exempt bonds but have no taxing authority. The bonds must eventually be paid back, of course. In most cases, parking lots do not generate revenues sufficient to pay off the bonds. We are aware that the city of Spokane has used this approach for a parking near the civic center and a downtown shopping center, but we understand the city is having problems with it. CLEAN v. City of Spokane, 133 Wn.2d 455, - P.2d - (1997), involves a challenge to the constitutionality of the city's participation in the financing of the parking garage.

    Fee-in- Lieu of Parking

    Some cities allow developers to pay a fee in lieu of providing the parking spaces required by zoning ordinances, and use this revenue to finance public parking spaces to replace the private parking spaces the developers would have provided. While this mechanism can provide flexibility and efficiency in providing parking in downtown areas and other commercial districts to meet the needs of new development, it can not be used to remedy existing parking shortfalls.

    Noteworthy Examples of Parking Programs

    Other Examples

    Library Loan Materials

    The following materials are also available on loan from the MRSC Library:

    • "Comprehensive Parking Program for Downtown Vancouver, Update" City of Vancouver, 1988
    • "Downtown Parking Made Easy: 6 Strategies for Improving the Quality and Quantity of Downtown Parking," by Mary Barr, Downtown Research & Development Center, 1997
    • KDA Proposed Parking Program, 1991-1992, Kirkland Downtown Association
    • City of Bellingham, "Parking Master Planning Study," Final Report, August 1997
    • Downtown Olympia Parking Management Strategy - Update Study - Final Report, 1998