With an updated General Plan, the City of Sacramento wanted to fundamentally reform how it managed its parking resources. The city’s traditional zoning code required excessive amounts of parking, which not only created large swaths of vacant spaces but also posed a tremendous economic burden to the city and development community.
Nelson\Nygaard developed a code incorporating innovative and creative solutions to common and long-standing parking challenges. The new code stimulates economic development by right-sizing standards to meet actual demand, allows for more effective use of existing and future facilities through flexible requirements, and promotes a context-sensitive approach that takes into account the City’s various districts. The updated code more effectively manages Sacramento’s parking resources while minimizing impacts on residents and creating a regulatory environment in which developers are empowered to use proven and creative tools to manage parking.
The updated code, which received widespread support from diverse groups, represents one of the most comprehensive parking reforms in the country.