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administering such a system. A parking permit system requires administration, enforcement, signage <br />and court costs. Setting a fee at a level that would be sufficient to defray the capital costs of <br />providing new parking facilities is unprecedented in a downtown of this size and would likely be a <br />burden to many who work downtown. <br />The City calculates the number of spaces required based on floor area. City zoning code defines <br />floor area as "the area included within the outside walls of a building or portion thereof including <br />habitable tenant houses and attic space. but not including vent shafts. courts or uninhabitable areas <br />below ground level or in attics The parking code defines floor area as "primary to the functioning <br />of the particular use of property and shall exclude stairwells; elevator shafts; hallways; ornamental <br />balconies; space occupied by heating, air conditioning or other utility equipment; space devoted <br />exclusively to storage; and space devoted to off street parking or loading The parking code makes <br />those exemptions to the floor area definition in the zoning code. The CDDSG defined floor area as <br />gross floor area (no exemptions) in an attempt to simplify the definition of floor area and therefore <br />the manner in which floor area was calculated. <br />This Ordinance clarifies that the exemptions provided in the zoning code definition of floor area will <br />now apply to the CDDSG. This was done in conjunction with this parking improvement fee <br />Ordinance in order to reconcile the definitions. Therefore, the section of the CDDSG establishing <br />parking ratios is amended to +strike "gross building" from floor area. At the direction of Council <br />provided at first reading, for calculating required parking for development downtown, the definition <br />in the parking code that exempts certain areas within a building will apply. Subsequent discussions' <br />during the work session on November 10 have resulted in a second version of this Ordinance that <br />would calculate floor area based upon the zoning code definition (less exemptions). <br />Staff recommends that Council adopt the version of this Ordinance that applies the zoning code <br />definition to calculating floor area. It is important to consider that the parking generation rate study <br />performed by Staff was based on gross floor area. Subtracting the exemptions proposed in the first <br />reading version of the Ordinance will result in the provision of parking downtown that is inconsistent <br />with the results of this study. Secondly, the exemptions provided in the parking code are more <br />appropriate to industrial buildings which have larger amounts of storage and utility spaces. Finally, <br />verifying and administering such exemptions is exceedingly difficult and is prone to abuse by those <br />seeking to avoid providing and paying for their share of parking. <br />The areas impacted by this Ordinance are the "CC" and "CB" zoning districts downtown. Within <br />a portion of the CC district is an area defined by the zoning code as the Central Business District <br />(CBD). The CBD is bounded by South Street on the north; the railroad tracks on the east; Elm Street <br />on the South; and the alley between Main Street and Lafarge Avenue on the west. Properties within <br />the CBD were previously exempt from off -street parking requirements (except for off-street loading <br />requirements). The adoption of the CDDSG imposed parking requirements set forth in the CDDSG <br />for downtown. Other properties within the downtown area CC and CB zoning districts are not part <br />of the CBD. These areas have always been required to provide off street parking at standard <br />commercial ratios. This Ordinance will reduce the parking requirements presently in place for the <br />5 <br />