Title
First Reading of an Ordinance Amending the Zoning Code to Modify Off-Street Parking Regulations and Establish Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Regulations Related Primarily to New Development
Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITY
• Housing and Homelessness
• Economic Development
SUMMARY and Recommendations
In San Leandro’s adopted 2023-2031 Housing Element, Program 14, Action 14.1, the City committed to addressing parking-related constraints to housing production, specifically by hiring transportation consultants to analyze and make recommendations for parking reform. In response, the City contracted with two transportation consulting firms, W-Trans and Nelson Nygaard, to prepare a Parking and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Study (Attachment C). The Study makes recommendations on all of the City's minimum parking requirements, both residential and non-residential, so that the resulting amendments would be comprehensive and internally consistent. Proposed Zoning Code Amendments have been prepared based on the recommendations in the Parking and TDM Study.
Staff recommend the City Council adopt an Ordinance amending the Zoning Code to 1) repeal and replace Zoning Code Chapter 4.08 (Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations) (Attachment A, Exhibit A); and 2) adopt Zoning Code Chapter 4.10 (Transportation Demand Management) (Attachment A, Exhibit B).
BACKGROUND
In the adopted 2023-2031 Housing Element (HE), the City identified current parking minimums as a “constraint to housing production” (Housing Element, page 3-25), citing that several housing developments utilized parking exceptions or planned development entitlements to incur fewer parking-related construction costs and thereby make their projects financially feasible.
The Housing Element concluded that parking minimums “add time and uncertainty, which can impede housing development” and committed the City, through HE Action 14.1, to analyzing and removing these constraints to make housing production more financially feasible. Per HE Action 14.1, a third-party consultant would be retained to analyze and identify the appropriate parking code modifications and further consider adoption of TDM regulations to encourage reduction in vehicle trips and reliance on automobile parking.
In 2025, the City contracted with two transportation consulting firms, W-Trans and Nelson Nygaard, who have conducted the analysis and prepared a Parking and TDM Study (Attachment C) that recommends certain Zoning Code amendments responsive to HE Action 14.1. The consultants surveyed existing City, regional, and state codes and plans related to parking and TDM; analyzed parking data for 25 recently entitled residential and non-residential development projects; conducted six virtual stakeholder focus groups and a public workshop in August and September 2025; and reviewed best practices for parking reform and TDM regulations.
Although HE Action 14.1 focuses on residential parking, Staff directed the consultants to review all of the City's minimum off-street parking requirements, both residential and non-residential, so that the resulting amendments would be comprehensive and internally consistent. Staff also identified several existing provisions in the Parking Chapter of the Zoning Code that warranted clarification or updating, including the maximum impervious surface standard for required front yards.
Analysis
Key Findings from Parking and TDM Study
Key findings from the Parking and TDM Study are summarized below.
• Vehicle and bicycle parking ratios in the Zoning Code are presented in complex formats. This creates uncertainty during development review and can make it difficult for applicants to determine applicable requirements.
• Recently adopted state laws related to parking have not been incorporated into the Zoning Code.
• Of 25 recently entitled development projects (2019-2025), seven residential projects averaged 1.24 vehicle parking spaces per unit, which is substantially below current Zoning Code minimums of up to 2.5 spaces per unit.
• Affordability level of housing projects affects the amount of parking provided, with fully affordable residential projects averaging approximately 1.0 space per unit.
• Eighteen non-residential projects averaged 1.26 spaces per thousand square feet for industrial uses, 2.11 for commercial, and 2.39 for office, each well below current Zoning Code minimums for their land use types.
• Several Specific Plans and Area Plans dating back to the early 1990s call for TDM regulations, but the City has no formal TDM requirements for new development.
• The City currently lacks dedicated funding and staff resources to support a complex TDM program, which informed the consultant’s recommendation for a streamlined, low-burden framework calibrated to current staff capacity.
• There are several regional agencies that provide resources for implementing TDM measures. Employers with 50 or more employees are required to meet the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Commuter Benefits Program, which includes TDM requirements.
Recommended Parking Code Reforms (Zoning Code Chapter 4.08)
Vehicle Parking Minimums. Consolidate requirements into fewer land use categories and reduce ratios to better reflect actual and observed demand in recently entitled projects. Establish lower ratios for deed-restricted affordable housing to reflect lower vehicle ownership rates in affordable units. Single-family and two-family use requirements would remain unchanged.
No Minimum Parking Near Major Transit Stops. Codify AB 2097’s prohibition on parking minimums within one-half mile of a major transit stop, which encompasses a significant portion of the City, due to the location of the San Leandro and Bay Fair BART Stations and the East 14th Street corridor. Most of the City’s future growth is anticipated in these areas in the General Plan.
Shared Parking. Increase the maximum off-site parking distance from 200-400 feet to 2,000 feet, consistent with the requirements of AB 894, which would more efficiently utilize existing parking supply.
Bicycle Parking. Establish use-specific ratios independent of vehicle parking, new standards for cargo and adaptive bicycles, e-bike charging outlets, and shower and locker requirements for employment-generating uses.
Unbundled Parking. Generally require that parking be leased or sold separately from dwelling units for residential projects of three or more units and from leasable space for non-residential projects over 10,000 square feet. “Unbundling” parking is the practice of keeping the price of parking separate from the price of purchasing or leasing property or units to limit excess new parking.
Lighting Standards. Raise the fixture height limit from 12 feet to 25 feet (15 feet adjacent to residential uses) and establish a full cut-off fixture requirement to limit light spill over onto adjacent properties.
Front Yard Paving. Clarify that impervious surfaces are those which prevent or significantly impede the infiltration of water, and that they shall not collectively occupy more than 50 percent of the front yard. Require the rest of the front yard to be landscaped with living plant material, organic mulch, or other permeable ground cover acceptable to the Zoning Enforcement Official.
Recommended Transportation Demand Management Framework (Zoning Code Chapter 4.10)
New TDM Regulations for Certain Projects. The proposal establishes TDM requirements for new non-residential development of 50,000 square feet or more, new residential developments of 25 units or more, and certain renovations, significant additions, and/or changes of use. One-hundred percent deed-restricted affordable housing developments would be exempt. Each qualifying project would be required to:
• Submit a TDM checklist at time of application.
• Implement four mandatory TDM measures (biennial commute survey, commute education and information, TDM-supportive parking management, and provision of a bicycle repair station).
• Implement at least one optional TDM measure from a menu of TDM Strategies.
• Submit an annual self-certification letter.
Staff would maintain Administrative TDM Program Guidelines, which provide implementation guidance and include a TDM Strategy Toolkit that describes each mandatory and optional TDM measure. Staff would update the TDM Program Guidelines periodically.
Applicable General Plan Policies
The proposed project is consistent with numerous goals and policies of the General Plan, as discussed in Attachment D - General Plan Goals and Policies.
Environmental Review
This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) based on the following:
• California Public Resources Code Section 21080.25(b)(11), as this project is a planning decision carried out by a local agency to reduce minimum parking requirements and implement TDM requirements; and
• CEQA Guidelines Section 15183, as the project is consistent with the Housing Element of the General Plan.
Planning Commission Action
On May 7, 2026, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing and voted 5-0 (2 absences) to recommend City Council adoption of the Zoning Code amendments, with some additions to 1) clarify which types of renovations would be subject to the TDM ordinance, 2) add a Mandatory TDM measure requiring a bicycle repair station, 3) add an optional TDM measure for implementing electrical vehicle supportive amenities, and 4) modify the TDM Strategy Toolkit to add greater detail to the optional TDM measure for implementing flexible work arrangements.
During deliberations, Planning Commissioners expressed strong support for the proposal, citing its streamlining of development review and its advancement of the City's housing, economic development, and climate goals, and describing it as an example of "good government."
Summary of Public Outreach Efforts
In addition to the focus groups and general public workshop facilitated by W-Trans and Nelson Nygaard, the City also maintains a project webpage (www.sanleandro.org/parkingstudy <http://www.sanleandro.org/parkingstudy>) to keep the public informed and allow anyone to subscribe to a mailing list for updates or contact staff through an online contact form.
A notice of public hearing was published in the East Bay Times Daily Review newspaper and members of the public who participated in the focus groups and workshop were notified of the public hearing as well via the automated mailing list and with updates to the project website.
Financial Impacts
There will be no fiscal impact to the City’s General Fund. Development project review is funded through application and review fees. Staff time and costs associated with monitoring TDM requirements is anticipated to be minimal.
ATTACHMENTS
• A: Draft Ordinance adopting Zoning Code Amendments
o Exhibit A: Amendments to Zoning Code Chapter 4.08 (Clean Version)
o Exhibit B: New Zoning Code Chapter 4.10 Transportation Demand Management
• B: Summary of Amendments to Chapter 4.08 (Redline-Strikethrough Version)
• C: Parking and TDM Study (with Updated TDM Guidelines)
• D: General Plan Goals and Policies
• E. PowerPoint presentation
PREPARED BY:
Lourdes Juarez, Associate Planner, Community Development Department