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Santaquin council narrows commercial recreation parking rule, approves 1-to-4 ratio
Summary
After a two-hour discussion prompted by local gym applicants, the Santaquin City Council voted 5-1 to amend commercial recreation parking requirements from one space per two patrons to one space per four patrons (or roughly one space per 200 sq. ft.), a change proponents said will let gyms and family recreation businesses locate in town.
Santaquin’s City Council voted 5-1 on March 4 to amend the city’s commercial recreation parking rule, reducing the required parking from one space per two patrons to one space per four patrons (alternatively described as about one space per 200 square feet of gross floor area).
The ordinance change, described on the agenda as Ordinance 03-01, follows a presentation by two prospective tenants and a broader discussion about whether the city’s existing parking standard prevents gyms and other family recreation businesses from opening in Santaquin.
Proponents said the current rule, which ties required parking to maximum occupancy, effectively bars many modern recreation businesses from locating in town because they would need hundreds of stalls. “We’re asking it to be changed to a 1 to 4 parking ratio or a 1 parking spot for every 200 square feet of gross floor area,” presenter Zach Barker, a local resident, told the council. Barker and fellow presenter Caden Hartzord walked council members through case studies of regional facilities — including Vasa Fitness, trampoline parks and indoor play centers — showing that Sanquin’s existing code would require far more parking than those businesses typically provide.
City staff and planning commissioners who reviewed the item said the code has had the one-per-two ratio in place for many years and that the planning commission’s earlier recommendation was unfavorable largely because of confusion over an initial proposal that appeared to ask for a 1-to-5 ratio. “There is not an obvious easy answer to this,” Norm (city staff) said during the discussion, cautioning the council that any fixed ratio involves tradeoffs. Jason (city staff) noted the city already has administrative tools — including shared-parking agreements and case-by-case reduction provisions — that can be applied if an approved business demonstrates special circumstances.
Council members split over procedure but not the overall goal. Several said the change would align Santaquin with neighboring cities’ standards and remove a practical barrier to local businesses. “I like that. I agree,” Council Member Lynn said after staff explained square-footage approaches used in nearby jurisdictions. Council Member Art cast the lone vote against the ordinance change, saying he did not want to override the planning commission’s earlier recommendation. The motion to approve Ordinance 03-01 as amended passed 5-1.
City staff said the new rule will be applied to the commercial recreation category in the municipal code; staff also reminded the council that the city’s parking regulations include options for additional, case-by-case reductions or shared-parking arrangements if a business can justify them.
What changed: the council replaced the one-space-per-two-patrons standard with a standard closer to one space per four patrons (or the alternative square-footage formula) for commercial recreation uses. Supporters said the amendment should make it feasible for gyms, indoor playgrounds and similar businesses to locate in town without requiring oversized parking lots.
The council’s action immediately amends city code language in Ordinance 03-01; staff said they will update the written ordinance and coordinate any technical edits before the mayor signs the ordinance.
Votes at adoption: ordinance approved (yes: 5; no: 1).
