Smart growth could create ongoing parking conflicts.

And in the case of the neighborhood market/office/apartment complex project at Davis Street and Walnut Avenue that received final approval from the Manteca City Council Tuesday, it could mean tenants parking in nearby commercial parking lots.

It is because there is only 1.25 parking spaces being provided for each of the 24 planned apartment units.

In the best case scenario, the two bedroom, two bathroom apartments will likely have a minimum of two adults residing in them.

That’s based on the established trend that two bedroom and two bathroom apartments — of which all 24 units will be — typically have two adults not in a relationship per se renting them at one time.

And if each of those adults drive, there would be 48 cars.

That means once you excluded spaces set aside for the market and offices, there could be roughly an 18 parking space shortage.

Councilman Charlie Halford, who voted against the project due to parking issues he believes it will create, indicated the most likely thing to happen is those tenants using off-street parking spaces elsewhere, possibly to the detriment of various businesses, when there are no available spaces on surrounding streets to park.

And while it is possible, he doubts the problem will be overflow DMV parking using the proposed complex’s parking lot given it is out of view of the street thanks to the positioning of envisioned budlings.

There may not be much the city can do to prevent such a parking situation from being created.

That’s because allowing high density in established areas through redevelopment, converting existing single family homes into multiple living units, and adding accessory dwellings is a trend that the California Legislature has determined — through a series of adopted zoning mandates for housing and density — is the wave of the future.

The project approved Tuesday involves demolishing a triplex, a commercial building, and shuttered children’s daycare facility on the northwest corner of Davis Street and Walnut Avenue.

In its place will be a three-story apartment building with 24 units attached to a two-story structure that will have a neighborhood market on the ground floor and offices in the second floor.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com