Given the fact that the City of Mill Valley’s parking regulations have not been updated in decades, and were increasingly out of alignment with the Mill Valley General Plan goals related to housing, economic development, and climate action, it became quite clear that our parking regulations could use a bit of a spritz.
Led by Director of Planning & Building Patrick Kelly, along with guidance from the Mill Valley Planning Commission, as well as stalwart data collection and support from Walker Consultants., including an inventory of parking uses and locations within city limits.
City officials have recognized the need to modernize the parking regulations, identifying a parking ordinance update as a priority in its 2024 Work Plan. In August 2024, the City retained Walker Consultants to conduct a citywide parking study with a focus on updating parking regulations. In addition, the study included a high level assessment of parking management strategies.
The latest discussion focused on presenting a breakdown 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.
“This is so exciting,” Councilmember Katherine Jones said. “I think that removing parking mandates in downtown Mill Valley is a basic step toward a more vibrant, walkable and economically more vibrant community.”
The policy change was one of several directives the council gave city planners Monday to revise parking ordinances for the first time in 40 years.
Current code requires new businesses to provide four to 10 parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet occupied. Under the revisions, new businesses occupying less than 5,000 square feet would not have to provide any parking.
“Most of our businesses in our downtown are within that,” Vice Mayor Max Perrey said. “So many countless opportunities in our downtown that folks have sought to bring really something cool to Mill Valley were stymied through the process by outdated rules.”
The policy changes came after an exhaustive look at the city’s parking patterns and Planning Commission review of the study’s findings.
Mill Valley’s hub and nearby Miller Avenue have 212 public and 345 private parking spaces. Downtown is busiest on Friday nights around 7 p.m. Miller Avenue is busiest on Wednesday afternoons. At the peak, less than 85% of parking spaces are occupied.
The city’s consultants found that every 1,000 square feet of commercial space should have three parking spaces. That ratio was what downtown Mill Valley already has. That assessment led council members to conclude the city did not need a parking requirement for all but the handful of properties that are larger than 5,000 square feet. Those old theaters and banks would face extensive reviews if remodeled.
“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.
The council reviewed a range of reforms prepared by staff and the Planning Commission. It discussed and rejected imposing fees on new businesses in lieu of creating parking. It directed planners to slightly shrink spaces to fit today’s cars. Residential requirements will match the city’s housing element. Shared parking also will be encouraged.
During the public comment period, Kevin Skiles, chair of the Planning Commission, and former chair Greg Hildebrand supported the council’s response.
“We have the parking we have. We have the buildings we have. Nothing is likely to significantly change,” Skiles said. “Let’s not burden these businesses with going through the theatrics of saying those are my two spaces there, and one space here, and I’ve got this space behind my building. Because it’s a little silly and that’s not how reality works.”
Mark Jones suggested city planners work with the owners of private parking lots to install EV parking chargers.
The council’s policy directives are the first stage in revising the parking code. The next stage concerns parking management, which includes allocating spaces to residents, visitors and employees, as well as determining parking meter times, fees and enforcement.
“The lack of available parking continues to be a persistent, aggravating and daily issue,” said Bruce Tremayne, who, like more than a dozen of his neighbors, lives in a 19th-century home with no garage. “We hope you will consider including reserve spaces for homes without off-street parking.”
“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.
HERE’S A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INITIAL PLANNING COMMISSION CONVERSATION.
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 team, planning commissioners, and council also also raised the prospect of an alternative option of eliminating non-residential parking requirements altogether.
The density of downtown Mill Valley makes it difficult and developmentally prohibitive.
Residential permits also come into play and suggest the need for more enforcement.
If one of the goals is to expand and stretch the landscape of parking and specifically employee parking, could the City and the Chamber create incentives that would possibly move the needle and make it more advantageous to walk a bit further than the closest parking space to your business.
There is a perception that parking is challenging, but there are specific hot spots during peak time in the evening and on weekends.
The Walker team noted that there was some interest in re-determining parking density based on slighting smaller cars than large SUVs.
“Mill Valley is already ahead of the curve,” the Walker team noted. They did note, however, the the Mill Valley Chamber’s Employee Parking Program could benefit from spreading the program outside the immediate downtown corridor. The consultants indicated that it would be wise to incentivize those spaces.
When asked by Councilman Max Perrey how Mill Valley’s parking updates would fit in the larger Bay Area and beyond, Kelly said, “Mill Valley would be in something of the forefront. The Walker team added, “Mill Valley really has the parking management bones already. There are parking meters. You have an employee parking program in place – definitely ahead of the curve.
The consultants also noted that in-lieu of heavily focusing on in-lieu fees, city officials could focus toward on investing more on bike parking, more bike lanes, additional enforcement as needed,
Councilmember Joachim mentioned possible underutilized parking lots, particularly the private lot adjacent to the Depot Plaza. “Requires a willing property owner,” she noted. “We do have these private lots that are underutilized.
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.
THERE WILL BE ANOTHER HEARING IN THE COMING MONTHS.
For questions or more information, contact: Steven Ross, Senior Planner, sross@cityofmillvalley.gov
