§ 6.03.02. Number of parking spaces required.

(a)

Requirements in matrix. The matrix in subsection (g) of this section specifies the required minimum number of off-street automobile and bicycle parking spaces, the percentage of automobile spaces that must be allotted for compact vehicles, and, in the notes, any special requirements that may apply.

(b)

Uses not specifically listed in matrix. The number of parking spaces required for uses not specifically listed in the matrix shall be determined by the development review board. The board shall consider requirements for similar uses and appropriate traffic engineering and planning data, and shall establish a minimum number of parking spaces based upon the principles of this Land Development Code.

(c)

When parking study required. For several uses, as listed in the matrix, the parking requirement is to be determined by the development review board. These uses have a large variability in parking demand, making it impossible to specify a single parking requirement. A development proposing to develop or expand one of these uses must submit four copies of a parking study, as described in section 6.03.01(c), to the town that provides justification for the requirement proposed. The development review board will review this study along with any traffic engineering and planning data that is appropriate to the establishment of a parking requirement for the use proposed.

(d)

Treatment of mixed uses. Where a combination of uses is developed, parking shall be provided for each of the uses as prescribed by the matrix, unless a reduction is granted pursuant to subsection (i) of this section.

(e)

Tandem parking spaces. The term "tandem parking space," used in the matrix, means a parking space that abuts a second parking space in such a manner that vehicular access to the second space can be made only through the abutting (tandem) space.

(f)

Other. Small camping trailers, boats and other small trailers plus recreational vehicles may be stored/parked in residential side or rear yards and not in street rights-of-way, public places or front yards. Corner lot owners require written permission of the town manager for parking on one front yard.

(g)

Matrix. The following matrix shows requirements parking and bicycle spaces and the ratio of full-size to compact cars:

Use		Minimum Off-Street Parking Requirement	Ratio of Full Size to Compact Parking Spaces (Full/Compact)	Required Bicycle Spaces	Notes
Residential
	1. Conventional detached	1, 2 and 3 bedrooms: 2 spaces per unit***	100/0	0	*If on-street parking is not permitted or is restricted on the unit's street frontage, then 1 visitor parking space shall be required. The visitor space shall be located not more than 100 feet from the unit's street frontage. **Resident parking spaces may be tandem
		4 bedrooms: 3 spaces per unit***
	2. Cluster/multifamily development
	Resident parking*	Studio: 1 space per unit	100/0	0.10 per required space	*Resident parking spaces may be tandem
		1 bedroom: 1.5 spaces per unit
		2, 3 or more bedrooms: 2.0 spaces per unit			**On-street parking; provided in accordance with the dimensions required for parallel spaces, may count toward visitor parking requirement. These spaces must be located within maximum distances as specified in section 6.03.05
	Visitor parking**	0.5 space per unit	50/50
	3. Housing for the elderly	To be determined by the development review board*			*Developer shall submit a parking study
	Model home	3 spaces per model home, plus 1 space per sales person***	100/0	0	*Salesperson space may be a vacant garage space in the model home.
All remaining development shall submit a parking study
Commercial
	1. Uses located in commercial shopping centers	1 space per 100 square feet or gross floor area	75/25	0.10 per required parking space	N/A
Commercial and service uses located independently:
	1. Auto service station	2 spaces, plus 4 for each service bay	75/25	2	N/A
	2. Barbershops or beauty parlors	2 spaces for each barber chair or each beautician station	75/25	0.10 per required parking space	N/A
	3. Bank, savings and loan	1 space per 100 square feet of first floor area, plus 1 space per 200 square feet of second floor area; excluding storage space; in addition, 2 spaces for lobby	75/25	0.10 per required parking space	N/A
	4. Offices: administrative, business, professional and government	1 space per 200 square feet of gross floor area	50/50	0.10 per required parking space	N/A
	5. All restaurants	1 space for each 4 fixed seats provided for patron use, and 1 space for each 75 square feet of floor area provided for patron use that does not contain fixed seats; provided that no use shall have less than 4 spaces	75/25	0.10 per required parking space	N/A
	6. Retail, general	1 space per 300 square feet of gross floor area	75/25	0.10 per required parking area	N/A
	7. Retail, furniture and appliances	1 space per 300 square feet of gross floor area	75/25	0.05 per required parking area	N/A
	8. Convalescent and nursing homes	1 space per 4 beds	75/25	0.5 per required parking space	N/A
	9. Medical/dental offices and clinics	1 space for each employee, and 2 spaces for each examination room	75/25	0.05 per required parking space	N/A
	10. Veterinary hospitals' and clinics	1 space for each 300 square feet of office, animal shelter and run area
Entertainment and recreation
	1. Parks (public or private)	To be determined by the development review board*
	2. Tennis, handball and racquetball	2 spaces per court, plus required parking for additional uses and facilities on the site	75/25	0.25 per required parking space
	3. Gymnasiums and auditoriums	1 space per 3 seats or 1 space per 35 square feet of gross floor area where there are not fixed seats	75/25	0.10 per required parking space	N/A
Churches and other spaces of public assembly		1 space per 3 seats and 1 space per employee	75/25	0.10 per required parking spaces	(For church office and sanctuary)
Schools
	1. Day care, church schools, nursery schools (includes those operated as church facility)	1 space per staff member, plus 1 space per 5 children	75/25	0.25 per employee	*Drop-off facilities must be designed to accommodate continuous flow of passenger vehicles to load and unload children safely. The adequacy of drop-off facilities proposed shall be determined by the transportation engineer based on standard traffic safety principles
	2. Elementary and junior high schools	2 spaces per classroom, 1 space for each employee other than classroom teacher	75/25	5.00 per required parking space*	*Bicycle spaces for teachers and visitors should be separate from spaces for students
					**On-street parking adjacent to the site's frontage may count toward fulfilling required parking if doing so does not produce a shortage of residential parking or obstruct traffic
Government
	1. Post office	4 spaces per service window	50/50	0.50 per required parking space
		1 space per government vehicle or route carrier
		1 space for each employee except route carriers
	2. Utilities	To be determined by the development review board*
	3. Libraries	1 space per 300 square feet of gross floor area	75/25	0.20 per required parking space

 

(h)

Special parking spaces.

(1)

Any parking area to be used by the general public shall provide suitable, marked parking spaces for handicapped persons. The number, design and location of these spaces shall be consistent with the requirements of F.S. §§ 316.1955, 316.1956 or succeeding provisions. All spaces for the handicapped shall be paved.

(2)

A portion of the parking spaces required by this Land Development Code may be designated as exclusively for motorcycle parking if the following conditions are met:

a.

The town manager recommends that the spaces be so designated, based upon projected demand for them and lessened demand for automobile spaces.

b.

The development review board approves the recommendation and the designated spaces are shown on the final development plan.

c.

The designated spaces are suitably marked and striped.

d.

The designation does not reduce the overall area devoted to parking so that if the motorcycle spaces are converted to automobile spaces the minimum requirements for automobile spaces will be met.

The approval may later be withdrawn, and the spaces returned to car spaces, if the town manager finds that the purposes of this Land Development Code would be better served thereby, based upon actual demand for motorcycle and automobile parking.

(3)

The following applies to bicycle parking:

a.

The town shall maintain a list of approved bicycle parking facilities. Other bicycle parking devices may be used if it is established to the satisfaction of the town that the standards in subsection (h)(3)b of this section are met.

b.

The rack or other facility shall:

1.

Be designed to allow each bicycle to be supported by its frame.

2.

Be designed to allow the frame and wheels of each bicycle to be secured against theft.

3.

Be designed to avoid damage to the bicycles.

4.

Be anchored to resist removal and solidly constructed to resist damage by rust, corrosion and vandalism.

5.

Accommodate a range of bicycle shapes and sizes and to facilitate easy locking without interfering with adjacent bicycles.

6.

Be located to prevent damage to bicycles by cars.

7.

Be consistent with the surroundings in color and design and be incorporated whenever possible into building or street furniture design.

8.

Be located in convenient, highly visible, active, well-lighted areas.

9.

Be located so as not to interfere with pedestrian movements.

10.

Be located as near to the principal entrance of the building as practicable.

11.

Provide safe access from the spaces to the right-of-way or bicycle lane.

(i)

Parking deferral.

(1)

To avoid requiring more parking spaces than actually needed to serve a development, the development review board may defer the provision of some portion of the off-street parking spaces required by this Land Development Code if the conditions and requirements of this section are satisfied.

(2)

As a condition precedent to obtaining a partial deferral by the development review board, the developer must show any one or more of the following:

a.

A parking study, as described in section 6.03.01(c), indicating that there is not a present need for the deferred parking.

b.

Public transportation satisfies transportation demands for a portion of the users of the facility that corresponds to the amount of parking sought to be deferred.

c.

The developer has established or will establish an alternative means of access to the use that will justify deferring the number of parking spaces sought to be deferred. Alternative programs that may be considered by the development review board include, but are not limited to:

1.

Private and public carpools and vanpools.

2.

Charging for parking.

3.

Subscription bus services.

4.

Flexible work-hour scheduling.

5.

Capital improvement for transit services.

6.

Ride sharing.

7.

Establishment of a transportation coordinator position to implement carpool, vanpool and transit programs.

d.

The percentage of parking spaces sought to be deferred corresponds to the percentage of residents, employees and customers who regularly walk, use bicycles and other nonmotorized forms of transportation, or use mass transportation to come to the facility.

e.

Transportation system management.

f.

Transportation demand management.

(3)

If the developer satisfies one or more of the criteria in subsection (i)(2) of this section, the development review board may approve a deferred parking plan submitted by the developer. The number of parking spaces deferred shall correspond to the estimated number of parking spaces that will not be needed because of the condition or conditions established.

(4)

A deferred parking plan:

a.

Shall be designed to contain sufficient space to meet the full parking requirements of this Land Development Code, shall illustrate the layout for the full number of parking spaces, and shall designate which are to be deferred.

b.

Shall not assign deferred spaces to areas required for landscaping, buffer zones, setbacks or areas that would otherwise be unsuitable for parking spaces because of the physical characteristics of the land or other requirements of this Land Development Code.

c.

Shall include a landscaping plan for the deferred parking area.

d.

Shall include a written agreement with the town that, one year from the date of issuance of the certificate of occupancy, the deferred spaces will be converted to parking spaces that conform to this Land Development Code at the developer's expense should the development review board determine from experience that the additional parking spaces are needed.

e.

Shall include a written agreement that the developer will cover the expense of a traffic study to be undertaken by the town transportation engineer to determine the advisability of providing the full parking requirement.

(5)

When authorized by the development review board upon a preliminary finding that the parking is inadequate, but not sooner than one year after the date of issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the development, the department shall undertake a study to determine the need of providing the full parking requirement to satisfy the proven demand for parking, again at the developer's expense.

(6)

Based upon the study and the recommendations of the transportation engineer and the town manager, the development review board shall determine if the deferred spaces shall be converted to operable parking spaces by the developer or retained as deferred parking area.

(7)

The developer may, at any time, request that the development review board approve a revised development plan to allow converting the deferred spaces to operable parking spaces.

(j)

Reduction for mixed or joint use of parking spaces. The development review board shall authorize a reduction in the total number of required parking spaces for two or more uses jointly providing off-street parking when their respective hours of need of maximum parking do not normally overlap. Reduction of parking requirements because of joint use shall be approved if the following conditions are met:

(1)

The developer submits sufficient data to demonstrate that hours of maximum demand for parking at the respective uses do not normally overlap.

(2)

The developer submits a legal agreement approved by the town attorney guaranteeing the joint use of the off-street parking spaces as long as the uses requiring parking are in existence or until the required parking is provided elsewhere in accordance with the provisions of this Land Development Code.

(k)

Reduction for low percentage of leasable space. The requirements of subsection (a) of this section ensure an average percentage of gross leasable building to total gross building area (approximately 85 percent). If a use has a much lower percentage of leasable space because of cafeterias, athletic facilities or covered patios; multiple stairways; atriums; conversion of historic residential structures to commercial use; or for other reasons; the development review board may reduce the parking requirements if the following conditions are met:

(1)

The developer submits a detailed floor plan describing how all of the floor area in the building will be used.

(2)

The developer agrees, in writing, that the usage of the square footage identified as not leasable shall remain as identified, unless and until additional parking is provided to conform fully with this Land Development Code.

(l)

Special parking districts. The town council may designate special parking districts where parking or transit facilities may be provided by the town, thus lessening the demand for on-site parking. For development proposed in these districts, the development review board may allow the developer to pay a fee in lieu of providing some or all the spaces required by this Land Development Code. The fee shall be a one-time, nonrefundable fee per parking space avoided, paid to the town prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. The amount of the fee shall be determined by the town council and shall be equal to the land acquisition, construction and maintenance cost of parking spaces that are deferred by this provision. These fees shall be used by the town solely for the purchase, construction, operation and maintenance of parking or transit facilities serving the area of the development. The town council may, at the time of accepting the fee, enter into an agreement with the developer to construct or provide parking or transit facilities.

(m)

Historic preservation exemption. The preservation of any property that has been placed on the local register of historic places, or that is located in a historic district and contributes to the historic character of the district, shall be grounds for a grant, by the development review board, of a reduction in, or complete exemption from, the parking requirements in subsection (a) of this section. The reduction or exemption needed to allow a viable use of the historic structure shall be granted unless a severe parking shortage or severe traffic congestion will result.

(n)

Increase in requirements. The number of required parking spaces may be increased by the development review board if a parking study demonstrated that the proposed use would have a parking demand in excess of the requirement in subsection (a) of this section. The development review board may require the developer to provide a parking study, as described in section 6.03.01(c), when the transportation engineer presents preliminary data indicating that an increase in the number of parking spaces may be warranted.

(Ord. No. 91-6, § 3(6.03.02), 2-11-1992; Ord. No. 98-3, §§ F, G, 3-10-1998)