Executive Summary
Shared parking is when two or more land uses share the same parking spaces. By taking into account different peak parking demands, shared parking areas reduce the total number of parking spaces required compared with simply adding together the parking requirements of each individual land use. The major benefit of shared parking is a reduction in the land devoted to parking, especially in the amount of paved surface, which preserves more land for green space or development density.
Metro authorized a study to identify the status of shared parking in the Portland metropolitan area. The study is designed to be a region specific resource for businesses, neighborhoods, developers, and jurisdictions to promote greater understanding and use of shared parking. Finally, the study creates model ordinance provisions and a shared use agreement that local governments can use when implementing shared parking as a growth management tool.
The study was comprised of several tasks:
Phase one:
- A review of metro area parking ordinances, as well as those of a few other jurisdictions that have notable shared parking requirements.
- A literature search for relevant reports and articles regarding shared parking.
Phase two:
- Creating a draft of model shared parking ordinance provisions and a model shared use agreement.
Phase three:
- A discussion of shared parking experiences with local stakeholders including city and county planning staff, land developers, business owners, business associations, and neighborhood associations.
- Soliciting comment on the draft model ordinance provisions from the above individuals.
Summaries of all interviews, plus the model ordinance provisions and shared use agreement, are in the appendix of this report.