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Commission considers reducing parking requirements to spur downtown reinvestment
Summary
The planning commission reviewed proposed parking-code changes that would reduce residential minimums (e.g., one space for ADUs), base commercial requirements on square footage rather than changing seat counts, and allow in-lieu fees and off-site parking to encourage redevelopment and simplify enforcement.
Goodland's Planning Commission on May 27 discussed a set of staff recommendations to revise local off-street parking standards with the stated goals of encouraging reinvestment along downtown corridors and simplifying code administration.
Staff summarized four numbered recommendations from a Community Matters review: update parking standards, reduce residential parking minimums (for example, require one space for accessory dwelling units), base parking for commercial uses on square footage instead of variable seating counts, and permit in-lieu fees with reasonable off-site parking distances. Staff noted current code includes multiple, sometimes inconsistent metrics (for example, retail measured per 200 square feet, restaurants by seating, and specific minimums for drive-ins).
Commissioners broadly supported reducing minimums to avoid creating parking as a redevelopment barrier. "If we reduce the requirements for parking, you actually encourage economic development," one commissioner said during the discussion. Several members recommended using square footage as a stable metric that is hard to change after construction, which would reduce administration burdens tied to changes in seating or employee counts.
Members raised implementation questions: which office would verify compliance, how to handle trailers and boats, and whether all-weather parking-surface standards (for example, 2 inches of 3/4-inch rock or asphalt) should be required. Commissioners singled out plumbing as a trade that could be difficult to staff for volunteer-assisted rehabilitation projects, and they asked staff to draft clearer language about special uses such as daycares and schools.
The commission directed staff to return with draft code language for further review, including standardized metrics and options for in-lieu fees and off-street parking solutions. No ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting.
