Staff to propose parking-code changes after Riverside Flats site-plan issues; study to recommend new ratios

Riverdale City planning staff told the Planning Commission Feb. 25 that they will study and propose changes to the city’s multifamily parking regulations after the recent Riverside Flats/Riverdale Apartments site-plan reapproval revealed a conflict with the current parking standard.

Staff said the site plan for Riverside Flats and Riverdale Apartments — covering properties on both sides of 4400 South — had expired and the developer sought reapproval. During the reapproval process, staff found parking regulations had changed since the project’s original approval. Under the city’s current blanket standard of 2.25 stalls per multifamily unit, staff said the Riverside project would have to remove roughly 30 units to comply, a change staff described as making the project infeasible.

“That regulation is one of the highest parking requirements in the state,” staff said, summarizing their review. Staff described the problem as a broader policy issue: an across-the-board 2.25 stalls-per-unit requirement can make multifamily projects infeasible and inefficiently use land, while too-low requirements can cause spillover parking and traffic problems.

Staff said they are preparing a revamp of the parking code and consulting industry data and consultants to identify a “sweet spot” for the Wasatch Front. The study will examine differentiated ratios by unit type (for example, lower ratios for studios and one-bedrooms and higher ratios for larger units) and consider guest parking allowances and local conditions such as on-street parking availability and snow-season impacts. Staff said they are working with an industry appraiser, Jeff Neece, to inform the revision and will bring a recommendation back to the commission.

Commissioners asked for clarification about the current numbers and effects. Staff said that at the time Riverside Flats was originally approved the requirement was 1.75 stalls per unit; the project parked both north and south sides at about 1.83 stalls per unit, which exceeded the prior code but falls short of the present 2.25 requirement. Staff said the final recommendation will include data and a proposed formula rather than a single blanket number.

No formal change to the code was made at the meeting; staff said they will prepare proposed amendments for future commission consideration and that they decided not to place the developer back before the city council on the current approval as drafted.

Staff emphasized trade-offs: “If you’re over parked, then projects become infeasible and you’re not using your land wisely. If you’re under parked, it causes problems with off-site parking and traffic control,” staff said. Commissioners indicated interest in a future staff presentation on proposed changes and supporting data.

Clarifying details from the meeting: the current city standard discussed at the meeting is 2.25 stalls per unit, the prior standard had been 1.75 stalls per unit, the project parked at roughly 1.83 stalls per unit during the earlier approval, and staff estimated the current requirement would force removal of about 30 units (staff said it could not recall the exact number). Staff said the issue will be studied and a proposed code amendment will return to the commission.