Workshop reviews proposed off-street parking amendment; planners recommend walking-distance measurement

Dalton, planning staff, presented a proposed amendment to Gatlinburg's off-street parking regulation at a workshop, explaining planning commission recommendations to modify the distance standard and clarify how walking distance would be measured.

What staff proposed: Dalton said planning recommended changing a 75-foot standard to 100 feet, clarifying the meaning of "adjacent to" and "across the street," and specifying that the measurement be the walking distance along public thoroughfares (excluding private sidewalks). He illustrated multiple hypothetical parcel configurations to show when off-site parking would or would not comply under the proposed standard.

Why it matters: The change would affect whether hotels, tourist rentals and other principal uses may rely on off-site parking lots and garages to meet parking requirements. Staff said the proposed method would measure from public property line to public property line and include public sidewalks and crosswalks but exclude private walkways.

Public and stakeholder input

Tender Forrester, speaking on behalf of property owners, said the ordinance needs clearer language and urged consideration of operational realities in Gatlinburg, including ground leases and long-term lease arrangements. He recommended flexibility on the distance standard because block dimensions and ownership patterns in Gatlinburg differ from other jurisdictions; he said, "I just ask as part of this workshop just some considerations like that maybe to, you know, hopefully increase the distance and some consideration on distance versus adjacent adjoining."

Another local developer/representative said the primary problem historically has been ambiguity and recommended clarifying language so the rule can facilitate development while setting clear expectations.

Technical points raised in discussion

- Staff will measure walking distance only within public rights-of-way; private internal walkways will not be included. - When a property has a sidewalk connection in the public right-of-way, that walking route is what determines compliance for the 100-foot threshold. - Corner cases include when the parking deck entrance is set behind the principal lot; in such cases the walking distance from the public sidewalk can exceed the threshold and make off-site parking noncompliant. - Ownership structures (common ownership vs. long-term ground leases) prompted questions about how the ordinance should treat leased parking that may not remain under the same control over multi-decade leases.

Next steps

Planning staff told commissioners the planning commission had recommended the changes and requested the workshop; they will refine the ordinance language and return with illustrations and proposed code language. No formal action or vote occurred at the workshop.

Quotes (from meeting participants)

"This regulation was reviewed. It had a little bit of a gray area there, as well as there were some modifications to the standards associated with the ordinance itself as well," Dalton said when introducing the proposed changes.

"I just ask as part of this workshop just some considerations like that maybe to, you know, hopefully increase the distance and some consideration on distance versus adjacent adjoining," Tender Forrester said, urging flexibility and attention to leases.

Ending

Staff will return with clarified ordinance language, illustrative maps and recommended code text for commissioners to consider at a future meeting.