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ACME seeks parking relief during rebuild; council sends long-term zoning questions to Planning Commission
Summary
ACME restaurant requested temporary use of municipal parking during construction and a permanent reduction in required parking spaces; owner proposed valet and partial use of a city lot. Council signaled support for a short-term agreement and agreed to refer longer-term zoning changes (GC3/GC2 parking rules) to the Planning Commission for impact analysis.
An owner of ACME told Isle of Palms City Council he hopes to rebuild and keep the restaurant open during construction but lacks space for required parking; he asked the city for temporary access to municipal parking and for consideration of a permanent reduction in parking requirements.
City staff explained the zoning context: the Ocean Boulevard (GC2) district prohibits private on-site parking for lots under a frontage threshold and the city's code otherwise requires one parking space per four seats plus a space for every three employees on the largest shift. Staff said the architect's concept shows 52 parking spaces, which would allow a future restaurant with about 188 seats and 15 employees — a configuration the owner says would not make redevelopment financially feasible.
Owner Bobby described a proposed temporary plan of leasing part of the city's large lot, contracting a valet service and asking for credit for whatever spaces he can provide once construction is complete. Council members urged ACME to provide quantified timelines, footprints and seating/capacity projections to the Planning Commission so the commission can analyze impacts across the zone. Several council members said the temporary arrangement (leasing city lot space during construction) is already permissible under city code and that longer-term code changes should be vetted by Planning before council action.
Planning staff indicated the item is anticipated for the Planning Commission August agenda; council agreed there was consensus to send the long-term zoning question to Planning Commission and to pursue a short-term parking agreement if the property owner and city can reach terms.
