Marietta schedules public hearing on parking variance for senior housing at 890 Camp Road

Marietta city staff said the applicant for 890 Camp Road seeks a variance to reduce the parking requirement from the code standard of two spaces per unit to 1.25 spaces per unit because the development is intended for residents 55 and older.

At the work session, the staff representative said the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval, 5-0, and handed out a draft ordinance that lists the requested variances and related stipulations. "On each of their other developments, they have requested and received the lower parking count," the staff member said, noting an established practice of approving reduced counts for senior projects.

Council members raised questions about transit access as a factor in reduced parking requirements. One councilmember asked whether previous reductions were granted because developments were near bus stops; staff said the municipality uses a calculation that can reduce the required total when public transit or other factors apply, but that the decision in prior cases was not necessarily predicated solely on transit proximity.

The council also noted the site's proximity to medical services and the hospital, which staff and a councilmember said supports the applicant's argument that residents could walk to nearby providers. "It's close to the hospital," a councilmember said.

Staff indicated the item will be heard as a public hearing at the regular meeting; materials distributed to council include a memo of variances and the draft ordinance. The council did not reach a final decision in the work session and directed staff to present the item for the public hearing and to return with any outstanding permit or site information.

What happens next: The zoning variance and any associated stipulations will be considered at the scheduled public hearing; council members asked staff to confirm transit stops and other site-specific details ahead of that meeting.