City Rules Out New Compact-Car Spaces

Calabasas has revised its parking ordinance to prohibit the creation of compact-car spaces in all parking lots in the city.

The spaces are impractical because they are too small for the increasing number of mid-sized cars on the road, particularly in Calabasas, where many people drive bigger cars, city officials said.

Robert Yalda, the city’s traffic and transportation engineer, said a city study showed that in busy parking lots, motorists often park carelessly in spaces reserved for compacts and encroach on adjoining spaces. As a result, according to the study, 30% of available parking space is being wasted.

The revision, approved last week by the City Council, will be included in the city’s first-ever development code, now being drafted. While the revised ordinance applies to future construction, Yalda said, applicants who want to redesign existing parking lots will also have to comply.

The council also revised the parking ordinance to increase the number of visitor parking spaces required in multifamily dwellings, such as apartment buildings. Officials said the move was aimed at eliminating parking congestion on streets near apartment buildings. Previously, one visitor space was required for every four units; in the future, one visitor space will be required for every three units.