Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Off Street Parking topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission considers allowing tandem parking in small developments, weighs safety and threshold limits
Summary
Planners discussed an amendment to permit tandem (stacked) on‑site parking for constrained small residential and small commercial sites, and debated thresholds, safety, and whether to extend the allowance beyond residential uses.
Planning staff proposed a narrow amendment to the off‑street parking chapter that would permit tandem parking (two spaces end‑to‑end or stacked) for small developments where independent access to each space is difficult. Staff said the amendment would be targeted at constrained lots and would include a threshold below which tandem parking could count toward the required parking total.
Commissioners and attendees discussed use cases (student housing, small businesses where owners park in front and customers behind, and multiunit garage configurations) and raised safety and enforcement concerns for large parking lots. "It makes sense when you have a unit with parking underneath it," a commissioner said, noting tandem arrangements work when occupants coordinate. Staff suggested setting the threshold by the number of required parking spaces for the development; commissioners asked staff to return with a numeric proposal.
The commission also considered mechanized stacked systems and valet parking but generally ruled them impractical or too expensive for Grand Junction. No final decision was made; staff will draft specific threshold language and return with proposed code text before the hearing process.
