Councilmembers, Planning Commissioners, Staff and Residents Continue Their Efforts to Dive Deeply Into a Reconsidering of Up Dated Parking Regulations – MV Will Eliminate Parking Requirements for New Businesses Downtown
Over the course of many months, dating back to at least 2023-2024, the Mill Valley Valley City Council, Planning Commissioners, business owners and myriad community members, not to mention local residents, have focused deeply on identifying clarity for business and residents across a range of subjects, such as parking requirements, regulations, heightened parking enforcement and, most recently, after a lengthy period of time in which parking enforcement has been minimal.
Led by Director of Planning & Building Patrick Kelly, along with guidance from the Mill Valley Planning Commission, there was a focus on the different types of parking types– street parking, lots, private lots, underutilized lots, as well as traffic patterns, specifically on Miller Ave. corridor, which overall had significantly lower use.
There has also stalwart work in recent months, on “removing parking mandates in downtown Mill Valley as a basic step toward a more vibrant, walkable and economically more vibrant community.” It was one of several directives the council gave city planners Monday to revise parking ordinances for the first time in 40 years. “The top line conclusion from all of this work is that there is no parking supply issue in the city of Mill Valley,” Councilmember Urban Carmel said. “I want to thank the public who have registered a number of tremendous suggestions and thoughts that tie into the next phase of the effort here, which is around parking management, which is a Rubik’s Cube in its own right,” Mayor Stephen Burke said at the time.
HERE'S A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INITIAL PLANNING COMMISSION CONVERSATION.
In the months since,
The parking update mainly focused on commercial parking regulations, which at times have hindered changes in uses, infill development, and broader economic development.
"3 per 1000 for parking" refers to a parking ratio. This means there are 3 parking spaces available for every 1,000 square feet of a property. The conversation noted that there were certain exceptions to the formula, such as hotels, large restaurants and event spaces.
The discussion concluded until later in the fall, but teased the possibility of dealing with formula businesses by identifying businesses above the 5,000 foot threshold, which applies to the larger buildings that are part of the downtown core area – not Miller, not Safeway. You could apply for a conditional use permit to have no parking if you are doing a non-expansion renovation or change of use to a building that was more than 5000 sq feet.
For questions or more information, contact: Steven Ross, Senior Planner, sross@cityofmillvalley.gov
There have been additional follow-ups in recent weeks,