Parking challenges are growing in California with the passage of some recent Assembly Bills, but parking troubles aren’t new here, and sometimes buyers and homeowners don’t know the impact it can have on a home’s marketability. Today we’ll touch on these new issues, mostly as they relate to residential parking and garages as well as revisit old hurdles that might surprise readers new to our area or first time buyers.

New California laws that may impact your parking

Recent and upcoming parking laws to know about include these (the 4 links go to the laws on the state’s website):

• AB 413, the “Daylighting” law, which becomes law on January 1, 2025, prohibits parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, marked or unmarked, on the vehicle approach side. Many cities are removing parking spaces near corners and painting curbs red in those areas, and some have begun to issue citations for violations. The bill is not limited to urban areas or busy streets. The goal is to improve visibility around crosswalks for pedestrian and driver safety.
  • What is an unmarked crosswalk? I looked it up and it generally applies to corners where streets intersect. You can see the state’s answer HERE.
  • The bill extends upon existing restrictions against parking in intersections and crosswalks.
  • Even without this law, we have recommended for years that people avoid parking close to a corner as we have seen some cars whip around it and nearly hit whatever is stopped there. It’s even more dangerous for people getting in or out of their cars. We usually suggest, in residential areas, parking at least 1 house in from the corner where possible.
  • Some cities, such as Berkeley, are starting to paint the curbs red in the areas impacted by this law ahead of the deadline.
• AB 2097 became law on January 1, 2023, and it prohibited municipalities from requiring parking minimums if the project (commercial or residential) within half a mile of major transit (as defined here), essentially any area with a fixed bus route that runs every 15 minutes or less during commute hours. The impact of this will be more clear over time as newer construction takes place in these corridors. The argument is that parking minimums make housing more costly and creates additional burdens for providing affordable housing.

Existing challenges compounded

Many of Silicon Valley’s most urban areas already have a shortage of places to park a vehicle, and with fewer homeowners using their garages to store vehicles we expect suburbanites to feel the impact as well.

Who will feel these changes the most? Likely corner lots and cul-de-sacs, especially on short courts. Neighborhoods with smaller lot frontage or more limited off-street parking, such as historic homes or newer townhomes  and very urban areas are also on the list.

Residents who live at the end of a cul-de-sac or corner lots where pie shaped lots narrow at the street with limited curb space may lose valuable resident and guest parking space with these changes. In some cases only one car can reside in front of a house (making it tricky for garbage collection day, too). In some, the driveway takes the entire frontage. A solution for these areas has always been to have guests park closer to the corner if the driveway is full. This will be even more of a burden on cul-de-sacs off of busy roads.

Most houses on standard lots in Silicon Valley, though, have at least a 60 foot frontage, and perhaps a 20 foot wide driveway. So in many cases corner lot homes will still be able to park at least 1 car in front of their home without having to park around the side.

Who will be most impacted?

For residential areas, I think that short cul-de-sacs, higher-density housing, and urban areas will be feeling these changes the most. Twenty feet is about the length of one parking space, so areas with plenty of street parking may not notice, while neighborhoods with limited street parking, lots of cul-de-sacs, or congested areas with a lot of cars, trucks, and other vehicles could feel it strongly. For the “Daylighting Law” I suspect we’ll hear complaints from older downtown areas like Los Gatos, Campbell, and Willow Glen where residents compete with shoppers and diners for limited street parking and congestion is already an issue.

For areas with new dense housing or commercial projects, residential areas and businesses nearby could anticipate more overflow street congestion due to the lack of vehicle parking requirements. Just because public transit is available in areas doesn’t mean that residents can rely on it for their daily needs, and if I am reading these correctly the bar for “major transit” seems to be set pretty low.

Homeowners, sellers, and buyers

Home owners, should be aware of how these situations may impact your home’s value. Streets packed with cars are never as inviting as those with plenty of room, when everything else is equal. More than once we’ve had buyers drive all the way out to a property and then cancel the showing because there was no place to park! If you foresee that parking could be a concern, keep that in mind when investing in your home – maybe don’t do a garage conversion, or consider widening the driveway.

Home buyers, be aware that these types of issues are out of your control. You can remodel a house, but you can’t remodel the street it’s on. Always buy with selling in mind and remember that location is the #1 most important factor in home value.

Business districts

It’s hard to know how businesses in urban areas will feel both of these changes. Small business owners with shops in busy areas with a shortage of car lots may see a loss of business when customers drive there but cannot find a place to leave their vehicle. That said, some highly congested downtown areas already have restricted parking for traffic calming measures, and dedicated parking lots or structures that are separate from the businesses. It’s hard to be a brick and mortar store business owner today, but if it becomes more difficult for customers to access these shops and services it will likely cause some businesses to shutter and others to move to suburban areas or places where parking isn’t an obstacle for doing business.

In San Francisco, the estimation is a loss of 14,000 parking spaces, or about 5% of the current total (ABC7).

 

Related Reading:

How Important are Parking Spaces and Garages in Silicon Valley?

Urban Living Neighborhoods in Silicon Valley and San Jose (from our Move 2 Silicon Valley Blog)