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Planning staff recommends lowering K–8 parking minimums; commission forwards amendment to council
Summary
Planning staff told the commission Smyrna's parking requirements for elementary and middle schools are substantially higher than neighboring communities and recommended a K–8 standard based on classroom counts (roughly three spaces per classroom plus visitor spaces); the commission voted to recommend the text amendment to the town council.
Planning staff presented a zoning‑text amendment proposal to change school‑parking minimums (Section 4.01.0.2.B) after reviewing requirements in nearby jurisdictions and running a theoretical K–5 school scenario. Staff observed Smyrna’s existing requirement for a comparable theoretical K–5 site would be about 128 spaces — roughly 50 more than any neighboring community sample the staff reviewed.
Kevin explained staff’s proposed approach: replace the existing piecemeal grade-band rules with a K–8 standard tied to classroom counts (three parking spaces per classroom) plus a minimum of 10 visitor spaces, and leave high‑school (grades 9–12) requirements essentially unchanged. The stated goals are to better align Smyrna with surrounding communities, avoid excessive paved area on school sites, preserve space for playgrounds and limit unused parking that is only needed for a few peak days per year (for example, the first day of school or a large event).
Commissioners asked about how staff accounted for non‑classroom employees (administrative, cafeteria, custodial) and whether the change would apply to county (public) schools or only private/charter schools. Kevin said the standard is intended primarily to govern private and charter schools that must meet town zoning; county schools commonly work with the county on parking decisions, though staff still reviews those plans.
After discussion, the commission voted to recommend the ordinance amendment to the town council.
What changes in practice: if the council adopts the amendment as recommended, applicants for new private or charter K–8 schools should plan on a parking calculation tied to the number of classrooms rather than the previous grade‑band formula; applicants will still be required to include visitor and staff parking and address operational overflow for occasional peak days.
