Chandler considering zoning amendments for autonomous vehicles

PHOENIX — Chandler is preparing to vote on zoning amendments in preparation for more autonomous vehicles.

Now that ride-sharing and autonomous vehicles are gaining in popularity, parking demand will be reduced, planning experts said.

They also said the demand for drop-off and pick-up areas will increase.

And yet, no one is able to predict what that exact demand could be.

“An autonomous vehicle takes an individual from point A to point B and it goes to point C,” Chandler’s master planner David Delatorre said. “(It) keeps on going from one location to another without ever needing to park.

“That’s going to reduce parking quite a bit.”

The proposed zoning amendments allow parking reductions based on parking demand studies.

Under this provision, the zoning administrator could reduce up to 40 percent of parking at a particular location. The ordinance also proposes standards for passenger loading zones, such as staying about 50 feet from the main entrance and providing pedestrian amenities like shade and benches.

The amendments will be voted on by the Chandler Mayor and Council for final adoption on May 10, and once approved, will take effect on June 9.

“We don’t know exactly how many people are going to use autonomous vehicles in the future, but this prepares the city for the future,” Delatorre said.

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