County planning groups tackle parking issues

A new set of rules for parking and alleys in Tuolumne township will continue to work its way toward final approval over the next two weeks.

A number of Tuolumne County planning commissions will review proposed changes to the county’s Ordinance Code that would redefine downtown parking policies and set new standards for alleyways, according to multiple meeting agendas.

The commissions are scheduled to make recommendations for the county Board of Supervisors at a series of early-February meetings before the supervisors take a final vote.

The revisions are meant to relax parking regulations in Tuolumne and make the community more business friendly. County officials have said the county’s parking restrictions don’t make sense for the town’s unique abundance of on-street parking and wide streets.

The changes would require only newly constructed buildings or expanded buildings to provide parking and provide a three-space credit off the standard, off-street parking requirements to every multi-family residential unit in the area.

They would also establish a program that would waive county requirements for new buildings for a per-spot fee, as well as include new guidelines for improving alleyways.

The changes are based on a 2009 study that examined how to change the community’s parking rules to the town’s unique layout.