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Staff asks planning commission to reconsider church parking rules as city code may require excess spaces
Summary
City staff told the Planning and Zoning Commission that current off-street parking requirements for houses of worship may be excessive compared with peer cities; staff proposed reviewing parking formulas and bringing potential ordinance changes forward.
City staff on May 19 recommended a review of off-street parking standards for churches and other uses after recent site applications raised questions about whether the cityrequires more parking than comparable jurisdictions.
Sharon Williams presented a comparison showing Converse requires either three spaces per 200 square feet of floor area or one space per five sanctuary seats (whichever yields more). Staff told the commission some neighboring jurisdictions base church parking calculations solely on sanctuary seats, and staff cited an example in which a congregation of about 30 members was being required to provide 40to50 spaces under the current formulas.
Commissioners discussed whether the city should adopt seat-based standards or a different standard to reduce the frequency of variances. Several commissioners said they supported staff researching examples from nearby cities and national guides used in transportation and parking analysis.
Next steps: staff will analyze standards used in neighboring jurisdictions and technical guidance (including typical transportation/parking references) and return with recommendations and draft code amendments for the commission to consider.
