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Ocean Shores planning commission debates downtown parking minimums
Summary
At its Jan. 14, 2025, meeting the Ocean Shores Planning Commission discussed whether to reduce or revise minimum off-street parking requirements downtown, weighing seasonal demand, shared-parking agreements and walkability upgrades against enforcement and future growth concerns.
At its Jan. 14, 2025, meeting at the Ocean Shores Library, the Ocean Shores Planning Commission opened a broad discussion about the city’s minimum off-street parking requirements and whether those requirements should be reduced or made advisory.
Commissioners and staff said the issue matters because downtown lots are small, many spaces sit unused much of the year, and changing requirements could free land for development or public amenities. Marshall (Planning Department staff) said the department’s current approach relies on the code’s tables and occupancy counts and cautioned against sweeping changes. “the code's written well enough in ours our situation that I'm using, you know, table count, seating count in restaurants or other types of businesses,” Marshall said.
Commissioners described two recurring pressures: large seasonal spikes in demand during summer months and property owners who buy extra land only to satisfy current parking rules. One commissioner noted that many parking lots appear empty outside peak season but fill in summer when tourism rises. Several commissioners and business owners raised shared parking and staggered hours as partial solutions; Marshall said shared agreements have worked in some cases but warned that reducing minimum standards too far could leave businesses undersupplied if owners seek to maximize leasable floor area.
Resident Jane urged more pedestrian connections as a mitigation strategy, saying, “If we had some slightly designated walking paths from, like, the extra parking with the convention and other parking areas ... walkability actually does help create more shopping.” Commissioners and staff discussed pursuing incremental changes such as lowering specific minimums for particular use types, promoting shared-parking agreements, or recommending — rather than mandating — reduced parking for selected cases while keeping baseline standards to avoid future shortages.
No formal code amendment or vote was taken. Commissioners agreed to continue the discussion at future meetings and to consider drafting specific options that could be forwarded to the City Council if the commission reaches consensus.
