Vehicles: preferential parking: residential, commercial, or other development project.

The Planning and Zoning Law requires each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for its physical development, and the development of certain lands outside its boundaries, that includes, among other mandatory elements, a land use element, and a conservation element. Existing law also authorizes the legislative body of a city or a county to adopt ordinances establishing requirements for parking, and permits variances to be granted from the parking requirements of a zoning ordinance for nonresidential development if the variance will be an incentive to the development and the variance will facilitate access to the development by patrons of public transit facilities. Existing law prohibits a public agency from imposing any minimum automobile parking requirement on any residential, commercial, or other development project, as defined, that is located within 12 mile of public transit, as defined. Existing law, notwithstanding the above-described prohibition, authorizes a city, county, or city and county to impose or enforce minimum automobile parking requirements on a housing development project if specified conditions are met. Existing law authorizes a local authority to authorize preferential parking for designated groups to park on specified streets if the local authority determines that use of the permits will not adversely affect parking conditions for residents and merchants in the area. This bill would prohibit a local authority from issuing any permit conferring preferential parking privileges to any residents or vendors of any developments within 12 mile of public transit and exempt from parking minimums. The bill would require the local authority to revise the boundaries of any such preferential parking district to exclude those developments from its boundaries. The bill would make related findings and declarations, and state that it is the intent of the Legislature to discourage car use by incentivizing development near public transit. The bill finds that reducing greenhouse gases and dependence on car use is a matter of statewide concern and not a municipal affair, and this bill applies to all cities, including charter cities. By changing the duties of local planning officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.