ABSTRACT
Redwood City needed to change the way its zoning ordinance dealt with parking for private development. Like most cities, Redwood City requires private development to provide on-site parking. One of the most dramatic downtown comeback stories is taking place in Redwood City, California. This dynamic district, once ridiculed as Deadwood City, has seen an amazing turnaround due to zoning reform, effective investments in public spaces, and smart parking strategies. As revitalization efforts began to move forward, the downtown parking system was a mess. Despite the area's sluggish activity levels, prime on-street parking spaces were consistently crowded. While removing off-street parking requirements is an excellent strategy when combined with effective management of public parking, some in the group were reluctant to do so. Everyone involved, however, agreed that lowering and simplifying the requirements was essential and that parking rules had to be modified in order to encourage dense, mixed-use development.
