2013 2:00:00 PM

Monday, September 23, 2013 2:00 PM
Sparks Council Chambers, Legislative Building, 745 4th Street, Sparks, NV

Planning and Zoning Public Hearings and Action Items: 8.1

Title: SECOND READING of Bill No. 2661 CA-1-13 an Ordinance amending the Sparks Municipal Code, Chapter 20.49, Section 20.49.010; to change off-site parking requirements in the Industrial District and allowing Alternative Parking requirements for Nonresidential Developments and providing other matters properly related thereto.

Petitioner/Presenter: City of Sparks/Karen Melby

Recommendation: The Community Services Department recommends approval of CA-1-13; see suggested motion below.

Financial Impact: None

Business Impact (Per NRS 237):
A Business Impact Statement is not required because this is not a rule.

Agenda Item Brief: The item is a code amendment to the Zoning Code pertaining to parking (Section 20.49).

Background: In the summer of 2012, the City hired a consultant to analyze the Sparks Zoning Code and to make recommendations on how to remove barriers to development. In October and November of 2012, city staff had two workshops with the City Council to discuss the code assessment report completed by the consultant. The workshops resulted in considerable discussion and direction for staff. Parking in the industrial area was identified as one of the high priority activities. Planning Commission reviewed the proposed code amendment on July 18, 2013 and recommends approval. City Council conducted the first reading on August 26, 2013 and set September 23, 2013 as the second reading and public hearing.

Analysis: This proposal is to amend Chapter 20.49 Parking of the Sparks Municipal Code. There are two proposed changes. The first proposed amendment changes the off-street parking requirements within the Industrial (I) zoning District. The proposed change allows required parking for nonresidential uses to be located off-site within 500 feet of the use it serves except that accessible parking spaces as required by ADA Standards for accessible design shall be provided on-site. The current code requirement allows up to 40% of the parking to be off-site but this amendment will permit all the parking off-site. The required number of parking spaces shall comply with the parking requirement in Section 20.49. Documentation of the dedicated off-site parking must be approved by the administrator and must be submitted with the business license application. With the annual renewal of the business license, the documentation must accompany the renewal application verifying that the off-site parking is still dedicated for the use. If the off-site parking is no longer available when renewing the business license, the business license will not renewed. The second amendment to the parking section of the zoning code allows any nonresidential development to have an alternative parking space requirement to the approval of the administrator. This means that a developer can propose a different parking standard for their project than is stipulated in the parking code section of the zoning code. Currently, this regulation only applies to sites five acres or larger. This provision allows any site to propose a different parking requirement than provided in the parking code. The alternative parking requirement must be based on Urban Land Institute, American Planning Association, Institute of Transportation Engineers or other analytical studies approved by the administrator. This will allow more flexibility in design for projects and will address uses that do not fit directly into one of the listed uses.

Alternatives: 1. The City Council may deny the amendment to Chapter 20.49 Parking. 2. The City Council may remand the code amendment back to Planning Commission and staff with direction.

Recommended Motion: I move to approve Bill No. 2661, Ordinance No. 2480, CA-1-13 to amend Chapter 20 of the Sparks Municipal Code to permit and regulate parking.

Attached Files:

CA-1-13 Offsite Parking Requirements.pdf

Chapter 20 49 Parking(2).pdf

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