Clawson council approves first reading of ordinance offering incentives for ground-floor parking

Clawson — The Clawson City Council approved on first reading an ordinance amendment on Feb. 3 that would let developers obtain incentives for providing ground-floor parking under certain conditions.

Planning staff described the amendment as a way to encourage development flexibility downtown while preserving the city’s height limits. Under the proposed change, when at least 50% of a building’s ground-floor area is dedicated to parking, a developer may add an additional floor within the district’s existing height limit (42 feet in the City Center District; 35 feet in the CMD District). The ordinance reduces the minimum ground-floor height to 9 feet and waives the minimum upper-floor height in such cases. It also requires that developments using the option provide a shared open space equal to at least 5% of the gross lot area, including basic amenities such as lawn, seating and a canopy tree.

Planner Nick (planning staff) explained the tradeoffs: reducing ground-floor height allows an additional story to be provided within the same overall building height, potentially making three-bedroom units more feasible by easing parking constraints. Some council members said 5% open space was a modest trade for the added residential capacity; one planning-commission member previously voted against the measure on that basis.

The ordinance also includes design requirements: ground-floor parking that is not fully enclosed cannot be used for storage other than motor vehicles and bicycles, and parking cannot be exposed on street-facing sides. Where required, a liner use (commercial frontage) must be provided. The planning commission reviewed and approved the amendment in January after about 10 months of work.

The council approved the ordinance on first reading and asked staff to include illustrations and a memo from consulting firm Kiffels Webster in the packet for the next steps. The item will return to council for subsequent readings as required by ordinance procedures.

Quote

"When a minimum of 50% of the ground-floor area of the building is proposed to be occupied by parking, one additional floor shall be permitted within the height limit of the district," said planning staff during the presentation, summarizing the text of the amendment.

Details

- Height limits remain unchanged; reduction of first-floor height (from 15 feet to 9 feet) is the mechanism that allows an extra story within the same maximum height. - Required shared open space: minimum 5% of gross lot area (excluded buffer areas). - The planning commission recommended the ordinance after several months of review.

(Reporting based on the Feb. 3, 2026 Clawson City Council meeting and presentation by planning staff.)