Chapter 10.56
TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT
Sections:
10.56.010 Intent of provisions.
10.56.050 Compliance with provisions—Prior regulations applicable when.
10.56.060 TDM facility design program.
10.56.070 Average vehicle ridership goals.
10.56.080 Applicability to employers participating in a transportation management association.
10.56.010 Intent of provisions.
In order to more efficiently utilize the existing and planned transportation system and to reduce vehicle emissions, it is the intent of this chapter to:
A. Reduce the number of peak-period vehicle trips generated in association with additional development;
B. Promote and encourage the use of alternative transportation modes such as ridesharing, carpools, vanpools, public bus and rail transit, bicycles and walking, as well as those facilities which support such modes;
C. Achieve related reductions in vehicle trips, traffic congestion and public expenditure and achieve air quality improvements through utilization of existing local mechanisms and procedures for project review and permit processing;
D. Promote coordinated implementation of strategies on a city-wide basis to reduce transportation demand; and
E. Achieve the most efficient use of local resources through coordinated and consistent regional and local transportation demand management programs. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 1 (part), 1993)
10.56.020 Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
“Alternative transportation modes” means any mode of travel that serves as an alternative to the single-occupant vehicle. This can include all forms of ridesharing such as carpooling or vanpooling, as well as public transit, bicycling or walking.
“Application project” means any development project that is determined to meet or exceed the fifty-employee threshold.
“Average vehicle ridership (AVR)” means the total number of employees assigned to a work site Monday through Friday, divided by the number of vehicles they drive from home to work. Credit may be given for employee work trips eliminated during a biweekly period due to the use of compressed workweek or telecommuting.
“Carpool” means two or more persons traveling together in a single vehicle.
“Commute” means a home-to-work or work-to-home trip.
“Commute alternatives” means any form of commute transportation except by single-occupancy vehicle.
“Commute coordinator” means an employee or contractor of an employer whose responsibility is the day-today management of any TDM program.
“Compressed workweek” means a work schedule for an employee which eliminates at least one round trip commute biweekly. For example, forty hours of work in four ten-hour days or a work plan that allows one day off every other week, known as the nine eighty plan.
“City engineer” means the chief engineer of the city or his/her duly authorized designee.
“Designee(s)” means any private entity or governmental agency designated by the city to administer all or any of the provisions of this chapter except those related to the bringing of enforcement actions under this chapter.
“Development project” means any nonresidential or mixed-use project which requires discretionary approval by the city.
“Director” means the city manager or his designee. “Employee” means one who is assigned to the designated work site. An employee works in the service of an employer for either wages or salary, as a contract employee under the direction of the work site employer or through a temporary service agency during a period of more than ninety days.
“Employer” means any public or private employer, including the city, which has a work site in the city. For the purpose of this chapter, the maximum number of employees on the day shift at the designated work site shall determine the size of the employer.
“Flexible work hours” means a variation of an employee’s work hours to provide an incentive for the employer to use commute alternatives.
“Improvement plans” means plans submitted to the city as part of an application for a building permit for the enlargement or expansion of new, existing or change of use (as defined by the Uniform Building Code) of any nonresidential building or use.
“Mixed-use development” means the development of a parcel(s) or structure(s) with two or more different land uses such as, but not limited to, a combination of limited residential, office, commercial retail, public or entertainment in a single or physically integrated group of structures.
“Peak period” means the hours from seven a.m. to nine a.m. and four p.m. to six p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Peak period trips means employees’ commute trips to the work site where the employees’ work day begins.
“Person” means an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, corporation, partnership, association or other business entity, city, county, district, the state, any department or agency thereof, or the United States, to the extent authorized by law.
“Property owner” means the legal owner of the applicable development project who serves as lessor to an employee or tenant. The property owner shall be responsible for complying with the provisions of this chapter either directly or by delegating such responsibility as appropriate to an employee or tenant.
“Single-occupancy vehicle” means a motor vehicle occupied by one employee for commute purposes.
“Site development plan” means a plan of development that is subject to public hearing before the planning commission, city manager or city engineer.
“Telecommuting” means a system of either working at home or at an off-site work station with computer facilities that link to the work site.
“Transportation demand management (TDM)” means the provision of information, assistance, incentives or other measures designed to meet an average vehicle ridership (AVR) and which is intended to reduce the number of motorized vehicles driven to the work site.
“Transportation facility design” means a plan implemented by an employer designed to carry out TDM.
“Transportation management association (TMA)” means an organization through which developers, employers and/or local governments cooperate in designing, implementing and evaluating a TDM program.
“Transportation system management (TSM)” means low-cost improvements to the transportation system (roads and transit) which increase the operational efficiency and/or capacity of the system.
“Trip reduction” means reducing the number of work-related trips taken during workweek hours in single-occupancy vehicles.
“Vanpool” means a van occupied by five or more persons traveling together.
“Work site” means a building or group of buildings which are in actual physical contact or separated solely by a private roadway or easement and which are owned and operated by an employer. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 13, 1993)
10.56.030 Administration.
A. This chapter shall be adopted and should be implemented and enforced in accordance with customary methods and procedures of the city regarding developments.
B. The provisions of this chapter will be administered by the city, or by any designee authorized by the city council to administer the provisions of this chapter on behalf of the county/city to seek compliance to any provision of this chapter. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 5, 1993)
10.56.040 Applicability.
A. This chapter shall apply to all new development projects within the city with fifty or more employees that are estimated to generate, either in the project itself or as a result of adding the project to an existing development, the employment of the minimum number of persons, as determined by using the methodology set forth in subsection (B) of this section.
B. For the purpose of determining whether a new development project is subject to this chapter, the total number of employees which the project is estimated to generate will be determined by the city as follows:
1. Employment projections developed by the project applicant, subject to approval by the city engineer or responsible staff; or
2. a. Employment projections developed by the city engineer or responsible staff using the following employee generation factor by type of use:
|
Land Use Category |
Number of Employees |
|
Commercial |
1/500 gross sq. ft. |
|
Office/professional |
1/250 gross sq. ft. |
|
Industrial |
1/550 gross sq. ft. |
|
Hotel/motel |
0.9/room |
|
Suite motel |
1.2/room |
b. The employment projection for a multi-use development shall be calculated on a case-by-case basis upon the proportion development devoted to each type of use.
c. The employment projections for land use not identified in this subsection shall be determined pursuant to subsection (B)(1) of this section.
C. The legal owner of the property on which the new development project is planned shall be responsible for encouraging compliance with the provisions of this chapter. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 3, 1993)
10.56.050 Compliance with provisions—Prior regulations applicable when.
A. All projects which are determined to be subject to this chapter should conform to facility standards imposed by the city engineer pursuant to this chapter.
B. To the extent that any provision(s) of this chapter would otherwise apply to the development of property and said provision(s) (new regulations) contain restrictions or limitations on the development of property greater than the provisions which existed immediately prior to the time the ordinance codified in this chapter became effective (prior regulations), said prior regulations will apply (and said new regulations shall not apply) to the construction, development or establishment of the following projects:
1. Any project (a) not otherwise subject to the provisions of this chapter for which building plans were initially submitted to the county/city for plan check (the initial plan check) prior to April 1, 1993, for purposes of obtaining building permit approval, and (b) for which a building permit is (was) subsequently issued pursuant to either the initial plan check or any subsequent plan check for any substantially similar building plans, and (c) for which construction is commenced within one year following the date of issuance of said building permit;
2. Any project (a) for which specific plans for development were finally approved by the zoning administrator, planning commission or county board of supervisors/city council pursuant to a zone reclassification, conditional use permit or zone variance (discretionary approval) prior to April 1, 1993, and (b) for which a building permit is issued pursuant to and in accordance with such discretionary approval and (c) for which construction is thereafter commenced and completed pursuant to and in accordance with said discretionary approval. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 7, 1993)
10.56.060 TDM facility design program.
As a condition of approval of any development project covered by the provisions of this chapter, the approving authority shall encourage the preparation, adoption and compliance with a TDM facility design program which will encourage increased ridesharing and alternative transportation modes, applicable to the specific development project. The components of a TDM facility design program may include any of the following standards and such other TDM facility strategies as may be appropriate to encourage and facilitate TDM opportunities or related air quality requirements:
A. Carpool/Vanpool Parking. A percentage of parking spaces, located as close as is practical to each entrance of the use such spaces are intended to serve or at other preferential locations within the employee parking area, may be reserved for use by carpool and vanpool vehicles, as determined by the approving authority. These spaces may be reserved and designated for carpool/vanpool parking by marking such spaces “Carpool Only.”
B. Bicycle Parking. An area where bicycle racks should be provided for use by employees and tenants who commute to the site by bicycle may be designated. The bicycle parking area may be established in a secure location and be in close proximity to employee entrances.
C. Pedestrian Access. Sidewalks and other paved pathways may be provided on-site to connect off-site external pedestrian circulation systems (planned or existing) to the building site. Sidewalk locations may integrate existing and planned waiting shelters with building entrance(s).
D. Joint Access and Shared Parking. For applicable developments designed as a work site, provision of joint access and shared parking across multiple parcels may be incorporated into project design to facilitate integration of TDM facility strategies.
E. Miscellaneous Optional Requirements. The following additional TDM mechanisms may be incorporated into the project design, taking into consideration project use(s), size and building size layout:
1. A commuter information area should be located within the central building, to provide employees with information on alternative transportation modes. This area should be centrally located and accessible to all employees or tenants and shall be of sufficient size to provide and display information on alternative transportation modes, such as current maps, routes and schedules for public transit.
2. Shower and locker facilities should be provided on-site for use by employees or tenants who commute to the site by bicycling or walking.
3. Rideshare vehicle passenger loading and unloading areas should be to provide employees who vanpool or carpool to embark or disembark from rideshare vehicles, to and from the building site. The design and location of such loading areas should consider on-site circulation characteristics, pedestrian access and building site entrances to provide for employee access.
4. On-site day care facilities should be considered.
5. On-site lunch rooms/cafeterias should be provided.
6. On-site commercial services such as banks, restaurants and small retail uses should be provided when practical.
7. Parking spaces designated for park-and-ride users should be incorporated into the site design. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 4, 1993)
10.56.070 Average vehicle ridership goals.
The following average vehicle ridership (AVR) goals are established in order to achieve and measure progress toward a net increase in the use of commute alternatives and a reduction in vehicle trips to the work site:
A. By July 1, 1994, AVR goal shall be 1.3;
B. By July 1, 1997, AVR goal shall be 1.3;
C. By July 1, 2000, AVR goal shall be 1.3. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 2, 1993)
10.56.080 Applicability to employers participating in a transportation management association.
Purpose: To waive the requirements of this chapter for those employers which participate in a transportation management association (TMA). The established TMA must meet the intent of this chapter. Should an employer no longer participate in a TMA, this chapter shall be applicable to his/her development immediately. As a result, the affected employer must comply with all sections of this chapter. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 12, 1993)
10.56.090 Exemptions.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this code, the following uses and activities shall be specifically exempt from the provisions of this chapter:
A. Development projects expected to employ fewer than fifty persons;
B. Temporary construction activities on any affected project, including activities performed by engineers, architects, contract subcontractors and construction workers;
C. Other temporary activities as defined in this code or as authorized by the city when such temporary activities shall discontinue at the end of the designated time period. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 11, 1993)
10.56.100 Enforcement.
For purposes of ensuring that applicable developments comply with the provisions of this chapter, the city shall, following written notice to subject property owner(s), initiate enforcement action(s) against such property owner(s) or designee(s) which may include, but not be limited to, the following:
A. To encourage compliance with the facilities standards under this chapter, the city staff shall work with the developer in the site review process to incorporate the needed standards in the project and provide development fee credits if appropriate for facilities that enhance the capacity of the city’s transportation system. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 10, 1993)
10.56.110 Appeals.
An appeal may be made by the owner of any property on which an applicable development is planned of any decision made by the city pursuant to this chapter. Such an appeal should be made pursuant to the procedures set forth in this code, as applicable. (Ord. 93-5 Ch. 6, 1993)