The Suffolk Planning Commission voted 8–0 on Sept. 16 to recommend approval of an ordinance text amendment that would permit gravel parking where the city or a nonprofit athletic organization operates parks or athletic fields. Staff said the change is intended to lower construction cost and preserve flexibility for park projects.

Meg Pittenger, assistant director of planning, told commissioners the UDO currently requires most required parking to be paved with asphalt or concrete. She said staff is proposing to add specific language allowing gravel for required parking in public parks and in athletic facilities owned or operated by nonprofit organizations, and to clarify that outside those specified cases, required parking must be asphalt or concrete.

Pittenger noted the amendment builds on a prior code change that allowed gravel in certain low-volume agricultural situations and that the proposed language is narrowly tailored to parks and nonprofit athletic facilities.

Action: The commission approved the text amendment recommendation 8–0; the item will go to City Council on Oct. 15 with the commission recommendation for approval.

Ending: If city council adopts the change, parks and some nonprofit athletic facilities would be able to provide required parking as compacted gravel subject to design standards and site plan review.