Sacramento, Calif., officials are considering an ordinance that would ban new development of self-storage and several other business uses within a quarter-mile of its transit stations. The intent behind the possible restriction would be to incentivize pedestrian-friendly business projects and allow more space for apartments and hotels, according to the source.
The ordinance would also put a buffer on auto-service shops, drive-through restaurants and gas stations. Auto repair, car dealerships and nurseries could be allowed within the quarter-mile restriction but would require a conditional permit, the source reported.
"You wouldn't ride light rail to a gas station, but you would ride it to buy groceries, get a haircut or have a meal," planner Jim McDonald told “The Sacramento Bee.” "This ordinance addresses those uses that absolutely don't serve [transit riders].”
Proximity of business uses to transit has been a source of contention between the city and developers. Real estate developer Paul Petrovich is fighting the city in court over a proposed gas station that would be built within a housing development but sit within a quarter-mile of a transit stop. Petrovich has argued the gas station is necessary to attract a Safeway, according to the source.
The ordinance is backed by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and Sacramento Regional Transit. Reason, a free-market think tank, has questioned the logic that limiting business uses near transit stops will increase ridership. The group pointed out that ridership fell from a weekday average of 58,000 in 2009 to 44,600 in 2016, despite the addition of a new rail line.
Source:
Smart Cities Dive, Sacramento Weighs Restricting Gas Stations, Drive-Throughs Near Transit Stops