RATIO OF COMPACT PARKING SPACES

Motion - All too often, mothers with baby car seats, seniors with walkers or canes, and people with disabilities face a very difficult situation when they park their cars in public parking lots and garages and there is only inches of space between their vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. Whether they drive compact cars or large sport- utility vehicles (SUVs), there is not enough room for them to access their vehicles with the current system of different-sized parking spaces designated for large and small vehicles. The City's zoning code (LAMC, 12.21.A) contains parking requirements for different types of uses, and contains requirements that project applicants have to abide by to receive any necessary land use entitlements from the Planning Department. Commercial and industrial buildings are required to provide at least one automobile parking space for each 1,000 square feet of combined floor area contained within all buildings on a lot, and one automobile parking space for each 500 feet of combined floor area contained within all manufacturing or industrial buildings on any lot. The ratio of compact parking spaces to "standard size" parking spaces in new commercial buildings needs to be reexamined to reflect the reality of current vehicle sizes. Auto industry data indicates that approximately 39%(percent) of the cars on the road, and approximately 50% of car sales in California this year, are from vans, mini-vans, SUVs, and trucks. The California vehicle code is silent on regulatory provisions for compact parking spaces. Therefore, neither parking citations nor towing are viable solutions. As such, large vehicle owners often occupy two compact parking spaces knowing that they cannot be cited. This behavior has detrimental impacts on disabled drivers who encounter difficulties getting in and out of their cars when parked next to large vehicles that don't fit within their parking space. THEREFORE MOVE that the Council instruct the Planning Department, with the assistance of the Transportation Department, and in consultation with the City Attorney, to prepare a report within 45 days that provides recommendations to revise the ratio of compact parking spaces to "standard size" parking spaces in new commercial buildings to reflect the reality of current vehicle sizes, and recommend any needed changes to the Municipal Code.

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