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Commission Debates Draft Ground‑Floor Parking Option; Staff to Return with Refined Language
Summary
The Planning Commission discussed draft language allowing ground‑floor parking in CC and CMD districts if at least 50% of the ground floor is parking, in exchange for an additional story within height limits and required shared open space; commissioners asked staff to refine numeric minimums for required open space and first‑floor heights.
Clawson — The Planning Commission spent significant time on June 10 reviewing draft ordinance language that would permit ground‑floor parking in portions of the city center (CC) and mixed‑district (CMD) zoning districts. Under the draft, when at least 50% of a building's ground floor area is parking, a developer could add one additional floor within the district height limit (42 feet in CC, 35 feet in CMD); the ground‑floor ceiling‑height minimum could be waived so developers can stack floors to meet the same overall height.
Staff said the option would require developers to provide a shared open space on site for residents (minimum elements suggested: a lawn area, seating and one canopy tree), provide a liner use where needed to screen parking, and ensure the parking area "shall not be used for the storage of any item other than motor vehicles and bicycles." The planner noted a parking space is 180 square feet and suggested square footage could be the unit for any required open space calculations.
Commissioners debated whether to adopt a fixed minimum open‑space amount (one suggestion was 360 square feet, equal to two parking spaces), a proportional approach tied to the number of parking spaces, or a tiered system based on building size. Several commissioners said they do not want the ordinance to reduce on‑street parking availability, while others emphasized encouraging meaningful green space for residents in multifamily developments.
The commission also discussed minimum finished floor heights for the first floor. Staff reminded the commission that the building code imposes minimums (roughly 80 inches in some contexts) and several commissioners proposed a higher finished minimum for first‑floor habitability and vehicle clearance, with 9 feet raised as a possible standard for finished first‑floor height. Staff agreed to rewrite the draft to specify that the minimum applies to the first floor and to produce visuals showing how different allocations of ground‑floor parking and open space would look.
No motion was taken; staff will return with refined language and examples for the commission to consider.
