§ 20.44.030. Off-street parking—Required spaces.

The number of required off-street parking spaces shall be determined in accordance with the table below. Project applicants may request an administrative modification to increase or decrease the number of parking spaces otherwise required by this chapter. No modification is required to increase or decrease the number of required spaces by up to ten percent. Modifications greater than forty percent may only be granted by the hearing examiner and only pursuant to the criteria of TCC Chapter 14.32.

1.

The following table shall be used to determine required parking spaces:

		Required Spaces	Unit of Measurement (Square feet = gross floor area)
a.	Residential.
i.	Single-family	2	Dwelling unit
ii.	Two-family	2	Dwelling unit
iii.	Multifamily: 3 bedrooms+	2	Dwelling unit
iv.	Multifamily: 1—2 bedrooms	1-½	Dwelling unit
v.	Efficiency	1	Dwelling unit
vi.	Senior housing	1	2 dwelling units, plus 1 guest space for every 10 units
b.	Public and semipublic.
i.	Auditoriums, Churches, Theaters and Similar Uses.
(A)	Fixed seating	1	4 seats or 6 feet of bench
(B)	Without fixed seating	1	4 occupants permitted at maximum capacity or 170 square feet
ii.	Education Facilities.
(A)	High schools and higher education facilities	1	Classroom and office, plus
		1	Each 10 students of designed capacity
(B)	Day-care centers and similar uses	1	Per staff member, or
		1	Each 10 children with adequate drop off facilities
(C)	Other schools	1	Classroom and office
iii.	Hospitals	1	2 beds
iv.	Libraries	1	250 square feet
v.	Nursing homes and similar uses	1	5 beds
c.	Offices—business and professional, except as specified below:	1	300 square feet for offices with onsite customer service: or
		1	500 square feet for offices without onsite customer service
i.	Medical and dental	1	250 square feet
ii.	Banks	1	250 square feet
d.	Retail sales, personal service and similar uses, except as specified below:	1	300 square feet
i.	Furniture and motor vehicle showrooms and similar uses	1	750 square feet (4 spaces minimum)
ii.	Shopping Center	1	250 square feet, up to 200,000 square feet; and
		1	300 square feet, for additional area above 200,000 square feet
e.	Commercial Recreation.
i.	Hotels, motels and similar uses	1	Rental unit
ii.	Recreation facilities such as skating rinks and similar uses	1	200 square feet
iii.	Restaurants and similar uses, except as specified below:	1	200 square feet
a.	Drive up stands (espresso, food carts)	1	Window, plus 1 lane for each window with stacking space for 3 vehicles
iv.	Marinas	1	2 moorage spaces
f.	Industrial.
i.	Warehouse and wholesale	1	2,000 square feet
ii.	Manufacturing	1	1,500 square feet
iii.	Ministorage	1	200 storage units
j.	Mixed Use	1	Joint parking standards shall be used to calculate needed parking. This calculation is based upon the gross leasable area (GLA) for each shop or business and does not include atriums, foyers, hallways, courts, maintenance areas, etc.

 

2.

When determining the number of required parking spaces for a particular use or building results in a fractional space, any fraction less than one-half shall be disregarded and any fraction of one-half or over shall be counted as one space.

3.

The off-street parking requirements for uses not specifically mentioned in this section shall be the same as the use most similar from the standpoint of parking needs, unless the hearing examiner finds such requirements to be unreasonable as applied to the proposed use, in which case the hearing examiner shall prescribe reasonable requirements for the use.

4.

Parking requirements for disabled persons. Accessible parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with the Thurston County Building Code, Chapter 14.17. Required accessible parking spaces shall be included in the calculation of the total number of spaces.

5.

Administrative modifications.

a.

Reducing minimum requirements. A modification to reduce the number of required parking spaces within the range of ten percent to forty percent shall be considered by the approval authority when:

i.

The applicant is able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the approval authority that fewer spaces are needed based on a parking demand study prepared by the applicant or consultant; or

ii.

When on-street parking is available and approved; or

iii.

For multi-family housing, public and semipublic facilities (including schools and hospitals), offices, retail, or commercial uses where alternative transportation options such as transit are located within a one-quarter-mile walk to the development, or will be within six months; or

iv.

For joint facilities when operating hours do overlap, up to fifty percent reduction.

b.

Increasing maximum requirements. For administrative modifications of greater than ten percent, the approval authority may allow more than the maximum number of parking spaces when:

i.

Parking is contained in an aboveground or underground structure, and does not increase total impervious surfaces on the lot; or

ii.

The applicant is able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the approval authority that more spaces are needed based on a parking demand study prepared by the applicant or consultant; and

iii.

Parking spaces above the minimum are constructed of pervious paving surfaces, in accordance with the Drainage Manual, if feasible.

c.

Modifications may be denied or altered if the approval author has reason to believe based on experience and existing development practices that the proposed modification may lead to excessive or inadequate parking or may inhibit or prevent regular and intended functions of either the proposed or existing use, or adjacent uses.

(Ord. 11398 § 3 (part), 1997: Ord. 7274 § 1 (part), 1982)

(Ord. No. 15355, 1(Att. A, § TT), 10-18-2016)