Planning commission recommends city code changes to comply with new Utah parking and garage rules

Tooele City planning staff presented proposed text amendments to multiple sections of the city code on May 14 to align local parking and garage rules with recent changes in Utah law, and the Planning Commission voted 6-0 to forward a positive recommendation to the City Council.

Community Development Director Andrew Agard told commissioners the state changed definitions and restrictions that affect local parking standards, including a provision he cited as Utah Code 10-9a-534. Agard summarized the state-directed changes the city must reflect in its ordinance: a new definition of “affordable housing” tied to 80% of county median home price for certain exemptions; limiting required garage length to 20 feet for unobstructed enclosed spaces; counting unobstructed tandem or two-car garages toward minimum parking requirements; and exempting owner-occupied dwellings that meet the affordable-housing threshold from mandatory garage requirements.

“Number 2, the state is saying we cannot require the dimension of a single parking space for 1 or 2 family dwelling or townhome to be more than 20 feet long,” Agard told the commission. He said the city’s current code requires a 20-foot-wide by 22-foot-deep garage, which the state now restricts to 20 feet depth for counting toward required parking.

To address the changes, staff proposed multiple edits including: amending code to allow enclosed garage spaces to count toward parking requirements; changing credited parking tables so a two-car garage plus a two-car driveway can yield four credited parking spaces; increasing guest parking from one space per four units to one per three (a staff-initiated change, not required by state law); and adding an exception to the garage mandate for owner-occupied affordable units that meet the state’s 80% threshold.

Commissioners asked about enforceability of an exception that depends on a home remaining owner-occupied at the qualifying price point; Agard said such enforcement would be “virtually unenforceable” and staff lacks the capacity to police future changes in ownership or rental status. Commissioner Anderson commented on the policy intent, saying the state's move was meant to help home affordability and that a driveway could replace the need for an attached garage.

Commissioner Proctor moved to forward a positive recommendation to the City Council for the proposed amendments (Tooele City Code sections enumerated in the staff report). Commissioner Hammer seconded; the commission voted 6-0 to send a positive recommendation to the council.