[ihc] RE: Parking lots? Yeah, right...

["Peter Shubin" <pshubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Parking regulations with rare exceptions are based on the square footage and
use of the proposed development, say 4 parking stalls per 1000 square feet
of floor space.  Retail uses usually require more stalls than general office
uses which require more spaces than industrial uses.  Restaurants usually
require the largest number of parking stalls.  The number of stalls in
restaurants are usually based on table and seat counts rather than square
footage of the built structure.  

The size of parking stalls and the widths of the drive isles are municipal
code requirements that are rarely deviated from.  A notable exception is
developments for highly competitive businesses like supermarkets.  Most
large supermarket chains have their own parking requirements that will
require more stalls than the local government regulations.  I found that it
causes just as many problems to propose extra parking stalls as it does to
provide too few.  If you provide too few you don't meet the code and don't
get approved.  If you provide too many you better have a damn good reason
because the government will try to turn it into landscaping, questions your
proposed use of the property, regulate the proposed uses more than the
municipal code already does, or simply suspect that you are stupid.

The bottom line is don't blame the developer for the parking situation.
They are just meeting the code.  Considering that most jurisdictions require
10-15% of the outdoor square footage (after dedications) to be landscaping
there is not a lot of land left for parking.  The first thing you do in a
development pro forma these days when you have a piece of land is determine
your proposed use and play with the code requirements to see if it is even
viable after you give away most of the land.  

I bet if John looked into his Murphy's example he will find a redevelopment
zone, historic district, economic enterprise zone, or some other plan that
allowed the municipality to exempt the area from the standard regulations to
attract a certain desired type of use.

Sorry for ranting.  I have a utility project right now that is caught right
in the middle of a parking issue generated by the differences in the
County's code definitions of "Tea House" as opposed to "Bakery".


-----Original Message-----
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Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2004 07:53:27 -0700
From: "Jim Grammer" <jgrammer@domain.elided>
Subject: [ihc] RE: Parking lots? Yeah, right...

>Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 18:58:08 -0700
>From: Eighteen Rabbit <thor7358@domain.elided>
>Subject: [ihc] Possibly Too Much Truck

>Considering how many large pickup drivers have yet to master the relatively
>simple task of parking between lines in a parking lot,

Have you ever actually *driven* something like a crew cab dually?

And speaking of 'exacerbate', somehow real estate developers(in CA
anyway)have convinced city/county planners that 2 lines 8-9' apart
constitute a parking space for purposes of fulfilling the space count
required by planning standards. This in the face of laws that pretty much
nationwide allow vehicles to be 102" wide.

You should see how many parking spaces I take up with my Travelall pulling
an 18' flatbed ;P

Jim