Planning staff seeks favorable recommendation for updated parking standards in UDO Chapter 7

Planning staff presented proposed updates to Chapter 7 (parking standards) of Whitestown’s Unified Development Ordinance, and the commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to the Town Council.

Staff described several substantive edits since the prior presentation: electric vehicle charging text retained, revised landscape/parking provisions allowing a maximum parking increase up to 125% in some circumstances, clarified bicycle parking rack types (with some racks requiring administrator approval), and adjusted bicycle parking ratios to provide consistent standards (for example, several square‑foot‑based ratios were revised to 1 rack per 10,000 square feet for certain uses). Staff also explained a change treating multi‑tenant centers with an embedded 25% increase to account for higher‑intensity uses (for example, restaurants) rather than requiring a separate adjustment for shopping centers.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about how the new maximum and landscaping options interact and whether the change could leave multi‑tenant buildings short on parking for employees. Staff said the revision does not increase the absolute maximum arbitrarily but allows increases tied to additional landscaping or other criteria; staff offered to return with further drafts if the commission wanted to explore higher maximums.

After discussion, the commission voted to give a favorable recommendation for the Chapter 7 parking standards update. Staff will forward the draft ordinance language to the Town Council and continue refining definitions and table entries based on commission feedback.