To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: KATHERINE BUCK, ACTING WATERFRONT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
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APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH FEHR & PEERS, INC. FOR A MARINA PARKING REQUIREMENT ADJUSTMENT STUDY IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $35,000 FOR THE TERM MAY 12, 2026 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2026
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of the City’s 2025-2026 Strategic Plan, the City Council directed staff to research the cost and process associated with conducting a Marina Parking Requirement Adjustment Study to evaluate whether the current parking requirement for marina slips in the waterfront remains appropriate. Staff conducted a request for qualifications (RFQ) process and selected Fehr & Peers, Inc. (Fehr & Peers) as the preferred transportation consultant to complete this work. The proposed Agreement would engage Fehr & Peers to conduct a marina parking study for King Harbor to provide the City with empirical data, peer jurisdiction comparisons, and analysis of existing parking conditions to inform decision-making around any potential adjustment to the City’s marina slip parking ratio requirements in the City’s Local Coastal Program (LCP).
The proposed Agreement has a not to exceed amount of $35,000 for the term May 12, 2026 through September 30, 2026.
BACKGROUND
The City’s LCP and Municipal Code (RBMC Section 10-5.1706) currently require three-fourths of an off-site street parking space per marina boat slip. This ratio is believed to be higher than most comparable marinas. To study potential changes to the requirement, staff researched the cost and process associated with hiring a transportation consultant to conduct a Marina Parking Requirement Adjustment Study, and presented the process and estimated cost to the City Council on November 4, 2025. The Council provided direction to proceed with retaining a qualified transportation consultant.
Staff subsequently issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for transportation planning consulting services related to marina parking analysis. Following the RFQ process, Fehr & Peers was identified as the most qualified firm based on their relevant experience and proposed methodology. Fehr & Peers is a nationwide transportation planning and engineering consulting firm with demonstrated expertise in parking studies, multimodal analysis, and coastal marina environments.
Fehr & Peers will inventory the current parking supply, conduct parking occupancy counts, and review the parking requirements in comparable jurisdictions. They will submit a Final Technical Memorandum that provides the data needed to facilitate staff’s determination on whether adjusting the marina slip parking ratios is appropriate. The data collection and analysis for the study is estimated to take eight weeks to complete.
Upon completion of the Final Technical Memorandum, staff and the consultant will return to the City Council to present findings. If the data supports an adjustment to the per-slip parking ratio, Council may direct staff to initiate amendments to the City’s Zoning Ordinance and LCP. Any LCP amendment would require certification by the California Coastal Commission following adoption by City Council.
Staff recommends the City Council approve the Agreement with Fehr & Peers to complete the Marina Parking Requirement Adjustment Study.
COORDINATION
The Waterfront and Economic Development Department coordinated this item with the City Attorney’s Office. The City Attorney’s Office approved the Agreement as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are sufficient funds in the FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget for the Waterfront and Economic Development Department to cover the proposed not to exceed cost of $35,000 for the Agreement.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Agmt - Fehr & Peers, Inc. with Insurance