AGENDA #4i
memorandum
to: Mayor and Town Council
from: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
subject: Sykes Street Police Substation Parking Requirements
date: January 9, 2006
The purpose of this memorandum is to request that the Council make a finding that minimum parking requirements may be reduced for the Sykes Street Police Substation.
Adoption of the attached resolution would affirm that the minimum parking requirements for the Sykes Street Police Substation may be reduced based on the Land Use Management Ordinance Section 5.9.7(a).
BACKGROUND
On January 3, 2006, the Planning Board approved a Site Plan Review application for 501 Sykes Street authorizing a Police Substation. The proposal will allow the house to be used as a Police Substation for two or three years, after which time it will sold to a low income family through the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust and converted back into a Single Family home. The subject property is located between Craig Street and Nunn Street in the Northside Neighborhood (Attachment 1). The lot is located in the Residential-3 (R-3) zoning district and is in the Northside Conservation District-1 (CD-1) zoning overlay.
As part of the application, the applicant, the Town of Chapel Hill, requested a reduction in the minimum parking requirements from three (3) off-street parking spaces to two (2) on-street parking spaces. On January 3, the Planning Board approved the reduction and supported the on-street parking, but stipulated that the applicant must 1) Obtain a finding from Council that, in accordance with the Section 5.9.7 of the Land Use Management Ordinance, the conditions under which the reduction may occur have been met; and 2) Seek approval from the Town Council for two (2) on-street parking spaces as proposed on the submitted site plan. A copy of the Planning Board Resolution approving the Site Plan Review application is attached (Attachment 2).
APPLICANT’S REQUEST
Section 5.9.7 of the Land Use Management Ordinance, entitled, “Minimum Off-Street Parking Requirements” provides the minimum parking requirements for zoning districts and land uses. According to this Section, a Public Use Facility is required to provide one parking space per 350 square feet of floor area. This requires 501 Sykes Street, with 843 square feet of floor area, to provide three (3) parking spaces.
Because the site does not contain adequate area for three (3) off-street parking spaces, and adjacent properties are not available for increasing the size of the site, the applicant is seeking approval from the Town Council for an alternate parking arrangement as provided in Section 5.9.7 of the Land Use Management Ordinance.
In lieu of providing the minimum number (3) of off-street parking spaces, we propose two (2) on-street parking spaces. One of the parking spaces to be located in front of the house and one is located across the street from the house at the north end of the 500 Sykes Street lot. The parking space in front of the house will be designated as a handicapped space.
Based on the pattern of use observed in the existing three police substations, we believe that the Sykes Street Substation will not generate more than a few automobile visits per week from neighboring residents. The Sykes Street Substation will only be open if a patrol officer is using the building.
The following excerpt from Section 5.9.7 outlines the conditions under which minimum parking requirements may be reduced:
“Minimum parking requirements for an individual site may be reduced by the Town Council in the context of a Special Use Permit approval, or the Planning Board in the context of a Site Plan Review approval, if evidence is submitted to demonstrate and the Town Council finds that:
(a) Sidewalks, bicycle facilities, transit service and transit amenities are in place such that, together with the number of parking spaces that are proposed, transportation needs are adequately served; or
(b) The particular use that would be specified in the Special Use Permit is of a nature that generates lower-than-average trips, and that the Special Use Permit would limit use of the property to what is specified; or
(c) Arrangement for shared parking with nearby facilities is ensured.”
We believe that transportation needs for the Sykes Street Substation are adequately served with the two (2) proposed on-street parking spaces instead of three (3) off-street parking spaces. Sykes Street is two blocks from East Rosemary Street, which is served by the Chapel Hill Transit System. In addition, Sykes Street is one of the major corridors into the Northside Neighborhood, and is heavily traveled by pedestrians. We believe that visitors to the Substation will most likely be made by immediate neighbors who can easily access it on foot.
If the Council finds that the minimum parking requirements may be reduced, it will be necessary for us to return to the Council with a request to designate two (2) on-street parking spaces as shown on the site plan (Attachment 3). We anticipate reporting to the Council on this request at a future Council meeting.
Manager’s Recommendation: We recommend that Council adopt the attached Resolution, which finds that the minimum parking requirements for the Sykes Street Police Substation may be reduced based on the Land Use Management Ordinance Section 5.9.7(a).