Planning and Zoning rejects downtown parking‑requirement repeal, urges creation of committee to study alternatives

The Wimberley Planning and Zoning Commission on May 8 voted to recommend that City Council deny an ordinance amendment that would exempt the city center overlay from the city’s off‑street parking requirements.

City planning staff presented the proposal to remove parking mandates in the city center overlay — an area that covers much of downtown and portions across the river — arguing the existing code requires developers to provide one parking space per 100 square feet of seating (or one per three seats) for some uses and that enforcing that requirement is hindering small businesses and redevelopment. Nathan (city planning staff) said the downtown ‘‘was not planned. It was not developed according to this code’’ and that strict parking requirements and the fee‑in‑lieu were creating economic barriers for new and expanding businesses.

Staff and public testimony Nathan told commissioners the city has collected roughly $43,000 in fee‑in‑lieu payments over the last three years and said the fee revenue is not keeping pace with the cost of acquiring land for public parking. He described the proposed repeal as an attempt to reduce barriers for small businesses and infill development in a built, dense downtown.

Multiple business owners and long‑time downtown stakeholders opposed the change during the public hearing. Property owner and downtown business operator Chris Otto said removing requirements would not fit Wimberley’s existing physical layout and warned of rapid parking loss like that seen in larger cities. Former mayor and downtown business owner Steve Kloepfer said the overlay zoning protects downtown scale and character — ‘‘please come, but you don't get to mess it up,’’ he said — and urged a slower, more collaborative approach. Speakers raised concerns that grandfathered properties without required parking make the code appear inequitable and that a one‑time fee does not guarantee a parking space for businesses that pay it.

Commission deliberation and motion Commissioners discussed alternatives offered in previous planning efforts and asked whether the city could use hotel occupancy tax (HOT) revenue for shuttles or parking acquisition, whether the city could negotiate leases for private lots, and whether better use of existing city lots (for example the largely empty Wimberley Community Center lot) could reduce demand. The commission did not adopt the repeal as drafted. Instead Commissioner Matt Joyce moved that the commission recommend denial of the ordinance amendment and request that City Council form a committee to reassess previously considered solutions and develop a comprehensive, flexible parking plan with funding options. The motion received a second and passed.

Next steps The commission’s recommendation — denial with a request that City Council form a study committee — will be included in the commission’s report to City Council. City Council will consider the ordinance as drafted along with the commission’s recommendation to explore alternative parking solutions.