Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Parking topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board reviews targeted parking-code changes for medical offices and salons
Summary
Planning staff proposed text amendments to the parking standards, including a new category for beauty salons/barbers (two spaces per workstation plus allowance) and lowering the medical-office requirement from one space per 250 sq ft to one per 200 sq ft to reduce variance requests and better match tenant models.
Planning staff presented a data-driven set of modest text amendments to the city's parking table during the Sept. 11 Planning Advisory Board meeting, aiming to reduce variance requests and align requirements with market realities. Margaret Pearson of the planning department advised adding a specific category for beauty salons and barbers and said most surveyed cities require "2 spaces per workstation." She recommended aligning the medical-office standard to "1 space per 200 square feet" rather than the city's existing 1 per 250.
Pearson used a recent Baptist Medical Office application as an example: under current city calculations the office would be allowed 42 spaces (47 with the 10% flexibility), but the applicant's model suggested 57 spaces would be appropriate. "So that's just one recent example that we've seen in the medical area," Pearson said, arguing the change would reduce repeated variance requests. Board members supported targeted changes for medical offices and beauty salons while asking staff to prepare alternatives and a more aggressive option for later review.
