UKIAH, CA., 5/23/26 — The Ukiah City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance to reform rules for off-street parking to limit “nuisance parking” associated with vacant storefronts.
The vote on Wednesday, setting rules that will go into effect as soon as possible, aim to streamline getting new businesses into old sites where empty parking lots accumulate trash and debris and attract nonpermitted activities.
“Over the past few months and years, we’ve begun to see that our vacant and underutilized parking lots have become increasingly attractive public nuisances.” said Jesse Davis, the city’s chief planning manager, who presented the plan to the council.
The ordinance will update and reconcile the city’s parking standards, address surfacing and lighting of parking lots, alter the dimensions of parking spaces to optimize lot arrangements, integrate standards for bicycle sections to encourage bike use and, ultimately, bring consistency.
Davis said that the new ordinance will ensure the parking code reflects the needs of modern Ukiah. The current code relies on a guide from the 1980s that allocates parking spaces by the type of business it serves. Davis said that code hasn’t kept pace with the evolution of modern activity.
“Most of our standards from for our off-street parking, much like the rest of the country, are based on suburban peak level demand, meaning that they are made generic, so that they can fit communities that are identical across the United States and not particular to what we see here in Ukiah,” he said.
Davis said the standards have been modernized for spaces where large groups of people gather, commercial spaces and professional offices.
The new ordinance will allow city staff to determine the effectiveness of a parking standard, he said. It will also allow the zoning administrator or planning commission to evaluate new construction projects, according to Davis.
The rules take into consideration factors that have environmental impacts like surfacing, encouraging permeable paving that will allow water to be absorbed where it makes sense and making sure lights are appropriate for their surroundings and following energy requirements.
The ordinance is part of the mobility element of the Ukiah’s 2040 general plan, which requires the city to promote a balance of different forms of transportation.