(A)   The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) is responsible for the preparation of the Congestion Management Plan (CMP) for the County. Among the state-mandated elements of the CMP is a trip reduction and transportation demand management element that promotes alternative transportation methods, such as carpools, vanpools, transit, bicycles, walking, park-and-ride lots, improvement in the balance between jobs and housing, and other strategies, including flexible work hours, telecommuting and parking management programs. The goals and policies of the CMP also support the increased use of low- and no-emission vehicles.

   (B)   This chapter is intended to promote trip and travel demand reduction measures in the city and to meet the TDM facilities ordinance adoption requirement as set out in the CMP. The requirements of District Rule 210 are separate from this chapter and administrated by the District. This chapter sets forth the minimum requirements for meeting the CMP. Employers are encouraged to offer or provide additional inducements to use alternatives to single-occupant vehicles to their employees necessary to meet Rule 210 requirements.

(Ord. 1104, passed 7-19-04)

   Prior to approval of any development project, the applicant must make provision for, at a minimum, all the applicable transportation demand management and trip reduction measures contained in this chapter.

(Ord. 1104, passed 7-19-04)

   (A)   Nonresidential development projects: 50 to 99 employees. Nonresidential development projects serving 50 to 99 employees must provide a bulletin board, display case, or kiosk displaying transportation information located where the greatest number of employees are likely to see it. Information in the area must include, but is not limited to, the following:

      (1)   Current maps, routes and schedules for public transit routes serving the site;

      (2)   Ridesharing promotional material supplied by commuter-oriented organizations;

      (3)   Telephone numbers for referrals on transportation information including numbers for the regional ridesharing agency, Dial-A-Route, and local transit operators;

      (4)   Bicycle route and facility information, including regional/local bicycle maps and bicycle safety information; and

      (5)   A listing of facilities and services available for carpoolers, vanpoolers, bicyclists, transit riders and pedestrians at the site.

   (B)   Nonresidential development projects: 100 to 149 employees. Nonresidential development projects with 100 to 149 employees must comply with subsection (A) above and must provide all of the following to the satisfaction of the city:

      (1)   Not less than 10% of the employee parking area must be located as close as practical to the employee entrance(s) and must be reserved for use by potential carpool/vanpool vehicles, without displacing handicapped and customer parking needs. This preferential carpool/vanpool parking area must be identified on the site plan upon application for a building permit, to the satisfaction of the city. A statement that preferential carpool/vanpool spaces for employees are available and description of the method for obtaining such spaces must be included on the required transportation information board. Spaces will be signed/striped as demand warrants; provided that at all times at least one space for projects of 50,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet, and two spaces for projects over 100,000 square feet, will be signed/striped for carpool/vanpool vehicles.

      (2)   Preferential parking spaces reserved for vanpools must be accessible to vanpool vehicles. When located within a parking structure, a minimum vertical interior clearance of 7 feet 2 inches must be provided for those spaces and accessways to be used by such vehicles. Adequate turning radii and parking space dimensions (minimum 9 feet by 19 feet) must also be included in vanpool parking areas.

      (3)   Bicycle lockers or other secure bicycle parking must be provided near building entrances to accommodate four bicycles per the first 50,000 square feet of gross floor area and one bicycle per each additional 50,000 square feet. Calculations that result in a fraction of 0.5 or higher must be rounded up to the nearest whole number. Specific facilities and locations (e.g. provision of racks, lockers, or locked room) must be to the satisfaction of the city.

      (4)   Safe and convenient access from the external circulation system to bicycle parking facilities on site.

   (C)   Nonresidential development projects: 150+ employees. Nonresidential development serving 150 or more employees must comply with subsections (A) and (B) above and must provide all of the following measures to the satisfaction of the city:

      (1)   A safe and convenient zone in which vanpool and carpool vehicles may deliver or board their passengers. Passenger loading areas should be located as close as possible to the building entrance and should be designated in a manner that does not impede vehicular circulation in the parking area.

      (2)   Sidewalks or other designated pathways following, to the greatest extent feasible, direct and safe routes from the external pedestrian circulation system to, and between, each building in the development.

      (3)   If determined necessary by the city to mitigate project traffic congestion or air quality impacts, bus stop improvements must be provided. The city will consult with the local bus service providers in determining appropriate improvements (e.g. bus pullouts, bus pads, shelters, and the like). When locating bus stops and/or planning building entrances, entrances should be designed to provide safe and efficient access to nearby transit stations/stops.

      (4)   Development design must incorporate, to the extent feasible, showers, changing rooms, lockers, and the like, for employees who bicycle, jog or walk to work.

      (5)   Development design must incorporate lunchrooms, cafeterias, eating establishments, and other facilities that will reduce the need for mid-day driving.

      (6)   Development design must incorporate, to the greatest extent feasible, interconnected circulation systems, such as joined parking lots, to reduce the need for cars to travel on the street when traveling from one business to another.

   (D)   Residential development projects: 100 to 349 units. Residential development projects of 100 to 349 dwelling units must provide the following to the satisfaction of the city:

      (1)   Safe, convenient, and direct pedestrian and bicycle access from the internal circulation system to adjacent collector and/or arterial roadways.

      (2)   If determined necessary by the city, bus stop improvements must be provided. The city will consult with the local bus service providers in determining appropriate improvements.

   (E)   Residential development projects: 350+ units. Residential development of 350 dwelling units or more must comply with subsection (D) above and must comply with the following to the satisfaction of the city:

   Development design must, to the greatest extent possible and as appropriate based on adjacent land use and markets, incorporate services such as dry cleaners, eating establishments, child care facilities, grocery markets, neighborhood work centers and other facilities which will reduce home-based vehicle trips and vehicle miles traveled. Such services must, to the greatest extent feasible, interconnect to circulation systems.

   (F)   Maintenance of facilities. All facilities and improvements construction or otherwise required must be maintained in a state of good repair.

(Ord. 1104, passed 7-19-04)

   (A)   Prior to approval of any development project for which an environmental impact report (EIR) will be prepared pursuant to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) or based on a local determination, regional and municipal fixed-route transit operators providing service to the project must be identified and consulted to provide input. Pursuant to the provision of CEQA, transit operators will be sent a Notice of Preparation (NOP) for all contemplated EIRs and will, as part of the NOP process, be given opportunity to comment on the impacts of the project, to identify recommended transit service or capital improvements which may be required as a result of the project, and to recommend mitigation measures which minimize automobile trips on the CMP network. Impacts and recommended mitigation measures identified by the transit operator will be evaluated in the draft EIR prepared for the project. Related mitigation measures adopted will be monitored through the mitigation monitoring requirements of CEQA.

   (B)   Phased development projects, development projects subject to a development agreement, or development projects requiring subsequent approvals need not repeat this process as long as no significant changes are made to the project. It will remain the discretion of the lead agency to determine when a project is substantially the same and therefore covered by a previously certified EIR.

(Ord. 1104, passed 7-19-04)

   (A)   Compliance with the standards required in this chapter will be ensured by the following two methods:

      (1)   Prior to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy for projects which are newly constructed or expanded, city staff will inspect the property to ensure that all amenities, facilities and measures required in this chapter and all conditions of approval have been fulfilled; and

      (2)   Prior to the issuance of a business license, staff will inspect all projects for which amenities, facilities, and measures or conditions of approval were provided in order to comply with this chapter, to ensure ongoing compliance with the standards or conditions of this chapter. For example, if preferential parking spaces and bicycle lockers were installed on a project in order to meet the requirements of this chapter, all subsequent property owners must maintain the same amenities, facilities, or measures.

   (B)   Failure to comply with this chapter will be enforced according to applicable provisions of this Title 16.

(Ord. 1104, passed 7-19-04)

   For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.

   ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION. The use or modes of transportation other than the single-passenger motor vehicle, including but not limited to carpools, vanpools, buspools, public transit, walking and bicycling.

   APPLICABLE DEVELOPMENT. Any development project that is determined to meet or exceed the project size threshold criteria contained in § 16.108.030.

   BUSPOOL. A vehicle with at least 16 seating positions used and maintained primarily for carrying commuters to and from work.

   CARPOOL. A vehicle occupied by two or more persons aged 16 years or older commuting to or from work and/or school.

   DEVELOPER. The builder who is responsible for the planning, design and construction of an applicable development project. A developer may be responsible for implementing the provisions of this chapter as determined by the property owner if defined by a legal agreement.

   DEVELOPMENT. The construction or addition of new building square footage. Additions to buildings which existed prior to the adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter and which exceed the thresholds defined in § 16.54.030 will comply with the applicable requirements but will not be added cumulatively with existing square footage; existing square footage will be exempt from these requirements. All calculations will be based on gross square footage.

   EMPLOYEE PARKING AREA. The portion of the total required parking at a development used by on-site employees. For information purposes, based upon information developed by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), broad employee parking needs could be calculated as follows:

 

 

   NEIGHBORHOOD WORK CENTER. A location in a community where facilities are provided either by public or private means for shared employee work activities.

   PREFERENTIAL PARKING. Parking spaces designated or assigned, through use of a sign or painted space markings, for carpool and vanpool vehicles carrying commute passengers on a regular basis that are provided in a location more convenient to a place of employment than parking spaces provided for single-occupant vehicles.

   TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT (TDM). The alteration of travel behavior, usually on the part of commuters, through programs of incentives, services and policies. TDM addresses alternatives to single-occupant vehicles such as carpooling and vanpooling, and changes in work schedules that move trips out of the peak period or eliminate then altogether (as is the case in telecommuting or compressed work weeks).

   TRIP. At a minimum, the starting of an engine and the travel from an origin to a destination. If the trip is nonstop, it also means the round trip to and from an origin.

   TRIP REDUCTION. Reduction in the number of work-related trips made by single-occupant vehicles.

   VANPOOL. A group of at least seven commuters traveling to work in a vehicle designed for carrying more than six but less than 16 persons, including the driver, which is maintained and used primarily for work related transportation of adults for the purpose of ride sharing.

(Ord. 1104, passed 7-19-04)