09/21/2004 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 9/21!2004 ~ developments. Planning Director Kim Wenger discussed the ordinance. The ordinance r as proposed would reduce pazking requirements for commercial projects over 12,000 square feet. Current regulations establish a parking requirement of 6.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor space. Ms. Wenger reported that the result of our current code and pazking standazd was an inordinate amount of unused parking spaces at the expense of vegetation, trees and perhaps additional landscaping. She pointed out that the mall as currently developed has received variances over the years to permit 4.5 spaces per 1,000 squaze feet of floor space, which is an amount less than what we aze currently proposing in this ordinance. The calculation that is used by the Building Dept. is 80% of the total squaze footage of the building from the outside wall. The 80% standazd takes into consideration things like storage and actual wall space. This is what is known as a rough equivalent to the industry standard of gross leasable azea. Ms. Wenger referred to a May 5, 2000 memo from then Assistarrt City Engineer Larry Griffith. The memo dealt with this exact topic. As a source for the memo, he drew upon several authorities. There were two Urban Land Institute publications and a publication from the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Mr. Griffrth's memo also did an analysis of the Strongsville Southpazk Mall and how they addressed pazking. It was noted in the memo from Mr. Griffith that the mall in Strongsville currently uses 5.0 space per 1,000 squaze foot of gross leasable azea for the first one million squaze feet and then it drops to 4.5 for the gross leasable azea above one million. A portion of the memo reads: "Based on the discussion and reference materials, a pazking space ratio of 5.5 spaces per 1,000 squaze feet of gross leasable azea would be a conservative value. At this ratio, Great Northern Mall would have empty pazking spaces available at all times, even during the day after Thanksgiving. However, 5.0 spaces per 1,000 squaze feet of gross leasable azea would probably be a more realistic value. Even at this level, there would be spaces empty and available." With that, Ms. Wenger made a recommendation, as is referenced in the ordinance of a range of potential parking spaces between 5 and 6 spaces per 1,000 squaze feet, again using the 80% figure that we use for buildings. This would apply only to buildings in excess of 12,000 square feet. She believes this will give the Planning Commission flexibility to work with the developer and to advance those other interests concerning landscaping and green space and to avoid additional blacktop or paved azeas that may be unnecessary. Building Commissioner Conway said he agreed with the proposal. When he was asked about the percentage of buildings that seem to come in at that level, he said that quite a few of them are actually in excess of 12,000 squaze feet. Mr. Miller did note that under the current standard developers aze permitted to landbank pazking spaces, that is they aze allowed to leave them green with the expectation in the future that they would use that green space for additional pazking. Mr. Conway remarked that landbanking at the time it was brought forwazd was a result of a desire to find additional green space, and it was put in place to give the Planning Commission flexibility in reviewing individual projects. Mr. Conway noted that landscaping would still be permitted even with the change as proposed in this particular ordinance under 1161.09, and that being said, you could actually have less than the current range of 5 to 6 spaces as proposed-it could still drop beneath with landbanking. Mr. Conway gave several examples of pazking areas where the spaces don't seem to be used completely: Tops pazking lot, Wal-Mazt, Water Tower Squaze, Seazs hazdwaze store at McCormick '~`° Place on Lorain Road to the east of Claque. In addition to the City Planner and the 7