1 10) Chapter 18.52 – Amendments to Parking Standards
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3 Statement of Issue
4 The city’s current parking code has permeated an oversupply of parking in many parts
5 of the City of Washougal, dedicating too much of our precious land to the automobile
6 and its temporary locations.
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8 There are simply better uses for land than a parking space. Look at a grocery store for
9 example, maybe one or two days a year the lot is full. However, the other 363 days of
10 the year only ? to ? of the spaces are used. Look at all that impervious surface!
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12 Discussion 13 A green or sustainable parking code should:
14 ? Reduce impervious surface (storm water runoff)
15 ? Require that new or redeveloped sites encourage easy walking access and 16 connectivity between spaces over convenient access to auto parking (at least put 17 it under the building)
18 ? Reduce number of required parking spaces by 1/4 to 1/3 and establish a 19 maximum permitted.
20 ? Reduced parking requirements also ease entry for investors and/or developers 21 who might otherwise build elsewhere.
22 ? Provide incentive for providing bicycle parking areas.
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24 Goal
25 Environmental sustainability – potential to reduce impervious surface resulting in less
26 runoff into public storm systems, reduction of damage to watersheds (due to tainted
27 runoff), heat islands, and vehicular trips
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29 Potential Obstacles
30 Reducing parking supply could be contrary to current public sentiment. People love
31 their cars.
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34 Proposed Changes
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36 Set a maximum amount of parking spaces permitted and reduce the required minimum
37 parking by approximately1/4 to 1/3 of current requirements as follows:
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39 18.52.040 Minimum number of off-street parking spaces required.
40 The minimum number of required off-street parking spaces for each type of 41 permitted use shall be as indicated at Table 18.52-1. For uses not specifically listed, the
42 off-street parking requirements shall be those of the most similar use as determined by
43 the community development director. When the application of these parking
44 requirements results in a fractional space requirement, the fractional space requirement
45 shall be construed to mean one additional space. A lesser parking requirement may be
46 accepted by the community development director upon demonstration by the applicant
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47 that a lesser requirement is warranted and meets parking demand for the use or uses 48 designated.
49 In case of a use not specifically mentioned in this section, the requirements for
50 off-street parking facilities shall be determined by the director as applicable to the type
51 of application process. Such determination shall be based upon the requirements for the
52 most comparable use listed, or as demonstrated by the applicant that the parking
53 demand is met.
54 Whenever a building is enlarged or altered, or whenever the use of a building or
55 property is changed, off-street parking shall be provided for such expansion or change
56 of use. The number of off-street parking spaces required shall be determined for the
57 square footage of the expansion and/or the parking required for the new use. However,
58 no additional off-street parking space need be provided when the number of parking
59 spaces required for such expansion, enlargement or change in use is less than 10
60 percent of the parking space specified in the zoning code. Nothing in this provision shall
61 be construed to require off-street parking spaces for the portion and/or use of such
62 building existing at the time of passage of the zoning code.
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64 Table 18.52-1 Off-Street Parking Space Requirements
Use Required Number of Off-Street Parking Spaces
Art gallery One for each 375 300 square feet of gross floor
area
Automobile service/repair Three Four per bay
Auditorium, stadium, One space per five four fixed seats in largest
assembly hall assembly room or area
Automobile sales new/used One per 500 400 square feet of gross floor area
Auto parts store Three and one-third spaces for each 1,250 1,000
square feet of gross floor area
Bank, financial institution One space for each 500 400 square feet of gross
floor area plus one per employee
Barber or beauty shop One space for each operator or chair
Basketball, volleyball court Nine spaces per court
Bed and breakfast inn One space per guest room plus one space for
each permanent resident
Billiard hall/amusement One space for each 250 200 feet of gross floor
arcade area
Boarding, rooming house One space for each guest room plus one
additional space for each manager or resident
owner
Bowling alley Three spaces for each alley plus one space for
each employee
Church or place of worship One space per maximum fire code occupancy of
the largest assembly room for churches without
fixed seating or one space per 75 square feet of
gross floor area in the largest assembly room
with fixed seating as applicable.
Clothing store One per 500 400 square feet of gross floor area
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Community center – multi One per five four seats maximum occupancy use
Convenience store One space for each 250 200 square feet of gross
floor area
Dance hall or school, bingo One space for each employee plus one space hall, electronic game rooms, per 75 square feet of gross floor area and assembly halls without
fixed seats
Drug store First 5000 square feet = 13 17 spaces, plus one
per additional 1500 square feet Elderly housing .25 .33 per unit
(apartment/unassisted)
Funeral home, mortuary One space for each five four seats in largest
assembly room
Furniture/appliance store One per 600 500 square feet of gross floor area Gasoline service station Two spaces per gasoline pump at the pump plus
three spaces per service bay Gasoline station with mini-One per nozzle, + one/250 square ft of gross floor market area
Golf course Six spaces per hole and one per employee Golf driving range One space per tee or 15 feet of driving line,
whichever is greater
Hardware store Three spaces per 1,250 1,000 square feet of
gross floor area
Health club, spa One space for each 150 feet of gross floor area Hospital One per two beds
Hotel, motel One and one-quarter spaces for each guest room
plus one space for each two employees on
largest shift, plus spaces required for restaurants
or assembly rooms, when applicable. Industrial, manufacturing Two spaces for each three employees on largest
shift, or one space for each 625 500 feet of gross
floor area, whichever is greater Laundry, self service One space for each two washer-dryer
combinations
Library One per employee and one per 625 500 square
feet of gross floor area
Lodge, club One space for each 100 75 square feet of gross
floor area in largest assembly room Lumber yard, building One space per 275 square feet of indoor sales
material center area plus one space per 625 5,00 square feet of
warehouse/storage
Marina One space per 2 slips
Miniature golf course Two spaces per hole
Museum, art gallery One space per 625 500 square feet of gross floor
area
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Office, general or One space for each 500 400 square feet of gross professional floor area
Office, medial or dental Five Six spaces per practitioner Office park One space per 500 400 square feet of gross floor
area
Personal service One space for each 250 200 square feet of gross establishment floor area
Photographic studio One space per 1,000 800 square feet of gross
floor area
Post office One per 500 square feet of gross floor area, plus
one space per each two employees Residence See section 18.14, Table 18.14-2 Restaurant, fast food One space per 100 square feet of gross floor
area plus six stacking spaces for each drive-
through lane
Restaurant, lounge One space for each 125 100 square feet of gross
floor area, plus one additional space for every
four outside seats
Retail business enclosed One space for each 250 200 square feet of gross
floor area
Retail business unenclosed One space for each 625 500 square feet of open
sales/display area, plus one space per employee
Self service storage facility One space for each twenty stalls, plus two
spaces for resident manager’s office, when
applicable
School - One space per employee, teacher, staff and one
Elementary/middle/junior space per 15 students high school
School – senior high One space per employee, teacher and staff
member and one per 10 students School - Technical college, One space per every two employees and staff
trade school, business members and one per every full-time student or school every three part time student, which ever is
greater
School – University, college, One per every two employees and staff members
seminary and either one per every three full time students
residing on campus or one for every three part
time students, whichever is greater Sports club, health, spa, One space per 260 square feet of gross floor karate club area plus one space per employee Residential care 1 per 3 2 beds + 1 per day shift employee facility/assisted living
Shopping center One space for each 250 200 square feet of gross
floor area
Skating rink (roller/ice One space for each 250 200 square feet of gross skating) floor area
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Special uses Adequate number of spaces as determined by
the planning and development director
Stadium, sports arena One space per four seats or one for each eight
feet of bench, plus one space per two employees
Swimming club One space per 95 75 square feet of gross floor
area in largest assembly room
Theater, cinema, auditorium One space for each three seats
Tennis, racquetball, Three spaces per court or lane, one space per
handball, courts/club 325 260 square feet of gross floor area of related
uses, and one space per employee
Veterinarian, animal hospital Three Four spaces per practitioner
Warehousing, storage One per 1,250 1000 square feet of gross floor
area
Wholesale merchandise One space for each 1,250 1,000 square feet of
gross floor area
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66 18.52.045 Maximum number of off-street parking spaces 67 The maximum number of off street parking spaces shall be no more than 10% of
68 the minimum required parking space identified at Table 18.42-1. 69
70 18.52.046 Reduction of required off-street parking spaces 71 The Community Development Director may reduce the minimum off-street
72 vehicle parking spaces required in Table 18.52-1 up to 20% if the following is provided:
73 1. For every five bicycle parking spaces provided or for each bicycle locker (two-
74 bicycle capacity), the minimum motor vehicle parking requirement may be reduced by
75 one space up to 7 % of total required vehicle parking spaces. 76 2. Sites where at least 20 parking spaces are required and where at least one
77 street lot line abuts a designated arterial roadway, transit supportive plazas may be
78 substituted for up to 5% of required vehicle parking.
79 a. The plaza must be adjacent to the arterial street. If there is a bus stop
80 along the site's frontage, the plaza must be adjacent to the bus stop. 81 b. The plaza must be at least 300 sq. ft. in area and be shaped so that a
82 10 foot by 10 foot square will fit entirely within the plaza. 83 c. The plaza must be open to the public, contain a bench or other sitting
84 area, contain a shelter or other weather protection covering at least 20 sq. ft.,
85 and shall have at least 10% and no more than 25% landscaping.
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