To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
Through: Bill Detweiler, Director, Development Services
From: Julie Kirkpatrick, PLA, ASLA, Long Range Project Manager
Title Ordinance Amending Chapters 17.42 and 17.54 of the Castle Rock Municipal Code Concerning Parking Requirements for Development in the Downtown Overlay District (Second Reading - Approved on First Reading on May 1, 2018 with a vote of 5-0)
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Executive Summary
On May 1, 2018, staff presented the first reading of the Downtown Overlay District Parking ordinance for Council consideration. Town Council approved the ordinance on first reading, as presented, with a vote of 5-0.
Following a discussion session, Town Council directed staff to prepare amendments to the Town’s Code related to parking requirements for newly-constructed multi-family residential and commercial uses within the Downtown Overlay District, which currently has no parking requirements.
After receiving input from downtown property owners and businesses, Town Council amended the code in 2012 to create the Downtown Overlay District (DOD). The intent of the DOD was to encourage quality design while continuing to support economic development opportunities within our downtown area. The DOD currently has no parking requirements. As part of the Town’s recent Downtown Parking Study and after hearing public and business concerns over parking in the downtown related to new development projects, Town Council directed staff to draft an ordinance to require downtown parking for new, multi-family residential projects. Staff researched other communities’ parking codes and is recommending a requirement of one parking space per newly constructed multi-family dwelling and requirements for new non-residential developments within the Downtown Overlay District.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
Staff worked with the Downtown Parking Group, consisting of members from various Town departments and the Downtown Development Authority, throughout this process for input and recommendations. Additionally, staff presented research and recommendations to the Downtown Development Authority Board in the summer of 2017, November of 2017, and in February and April 2018 for their input. Staff also discussed potential downtown parking requirements with the Design Review Board during a study session last summer. On March 1, 2018, staff held a Downtown Parking Open House to discuss several items relating to parking in the downtown area, including these proposed downtown parking requirements. Approximately 26 community members attended, the majority being Downtown business owners. The attendees provided positive feedback on the proposed parking requirements with one stating that the residential requirement should be based on number of bedrooms rather than just one parking space per unit. Some felt that the parking requirement is long overdue.
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
Town Council directed staff to research downtown parking requirements last May. Since then, staff has reached out to the Downtown Development Authority, Design Review Board, and the Downtown Parking Group to gather input. At their March 22, 2018 meeting, the Planning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend that Town Council approve the draft ordinance as it was presented. Since that meeting and based on further analysis, the proposed ordinance has been revised to remove a variance process to reduce the number of required parking spaces through the Design Review Board and applies the administrative variance process for the entire Downtown Overlay District area, not just for the South Non-Residential Parking Area as previously drafted. Two Commissioners questioned whether the proposed residential requirement be based on number of bedrooms. Staff explained the research process and that staff felt that one parking space per newly-constructed dwelling unit was appropriate.
Discussion
Chapter 17.42 of the Town Code regulates the Downtown Overlay District. Specifically, Chapter 17.42.080.B.7.a states that there are, “No parking space requirements,” within the DOD. The Off-Street Parking requirements in Chapter 17.54, such as design and layout, only apply within the DOD when an applicant proposes parking.
Staff researched downtown parking standards for other municipalities within Colorado. Most require less parking in their downtowns than within their suburban developments. Of the municipalities that had a separate downtown parking requirement, the parking space ratio varies from no parking requirement to 0.75 spaces per dwelling unit (regardless of bedroom size) to as many as 2 spaces per unit (based on one or more bedrooms per unit). Most had a downtown parking requirement of 1 parking space per unit. The majority also include a mechanism to reduce the parking requirements further within their downtown, historic, TOD (transit oriented development) or infill areas.
As part of the Downtown Parking Study, the consultant included parking standards recommended by national parking references sources. For multi-family residential uses, the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) recommends providing 1.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit, regardless of the amount of bedrooms provided per unit. The Urban Land Institute (ULI) recommends 0.5 spaces per unit while the Parking Consultants Council (PCC) recommends 1.85 space.
Staff and Planning Commission Recommendation
Based upon input from the Downtown Alliance and recommendations outlined in the Downtown Parking Study, Planning Commission and staff recommend the following as detailed in the proposed ordinance (Attachment A):
• Proposed Non-Residential Parking Requirements:
o Downtown Overlay District would be divided into two Non-Residential Parking Areas, defined by current character of uses (Attachment A, Figure 4).
o Parking requirements for the North Non-Residential Downtown Parking Area, as depicted on Attachment A, Figure 4 shall be as follows:
§ One parking space per 500 square feet of new construction. The first 2,000 square feet of new non-residential construction shall be exempt from parking requirements. Interior tenant finishes or remodels are exempt from this parking requirement.
§ Existing building square footage, whether remaining or to be demolished, shall be excluded from the required parking calculation.
§ Hotel use shall comply with the standard Town off-street parking standards set forth in Chapter 17.54. (1.2 spaces for each guest room plus required spaces for all accessory uses, such as restaurants)
o Parking requirements for the South Non-Residential Downtown Parking Area shall be in accordance with the standard Town off-street parking requirements set forth in Chapter 17.54. This area of Town is more “suburban” in feel and layout. Therefore, the existing parking requirements used throughout the rest of Town would apply.
• Reduction of Required Non-Residential Parking Spaces:
o As currently permitted in the Municipal Code, the Director of Development Services may grant a parking reduction, not to exceed twenty-five percent of the required parking for commercial, institutional, industrial and mixed-use developments based on the following criteria:
§ The nature of the use, the size of the site or other physical constraints, or location of the site within the Downtown or the Historic District result in a situation where the parking requirements cannot be met on site without unnecessary hardship, practical difficulties or negative impact on the visual character of the site or neighborhood;
§ The applicant can satisfactorily demonstrate by means of a parking study that the parking needs of the use will be adequately served, and, if the reduction is due to the nature of the use, the applicant shall provide assurance that the nature of the use will not change;
§ A mix of uses is proposed and the parking needs of all the uses can be accommodated through joint use of parking spaces with varying time periods of use; or
§ The applicant provides an acceptable proposal for an alternate mode of transportation program, including assurances that the use of alternate modes of transportation will adequately supplant the need for on-site parking on an ongoing basis.
§ For each parking space eliminated as a result of a reduction in parking requirements granted by the Director of Development Services within the North or South Downtown Non-Residential Downtown Parking Area, the property owner/developer shall pay to Town $10,000 for each parking space eliminated. Such payment shall be paid to Town prior to and as a condition to recordation of the applicable Site Development Plan.
• Proposed Residential Parking Requirement:
o One parking space per newly constructed dwelling unit within the Downtown Overlay District.
Proposed Motion
I move to approve the Ordinance as introduced by title.
Attachments
Attachment A: Ordinance