County make reduce parking space requirements

Trend is toward less pavement

By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

In a move spurred by environmental concerns, the Fayette County Planning Commission will consider reducing the number of required parking spaces for several categories of development.

For instance, under the commission’s proposed changes, parking spaces required for an apartment complex would be reduced from three to two spaces per dwelling unit.

Commissioners will hear public comment and plan to vote on the changes at their Sept. 7 meeting, 7 p.m. in the commission meeting room at the County Administrative Complex.

If the Planning Commission approves the changes, they’ll go next to the county Board of Commissioners for final action.

The proposed changes are a first step in a complete reevaluation of the county’s laws involving pavement. The Board of Commissioners recently directed the Planning Commission to look into the matter after Commissioner Glen Gosa pointed out that county laws restrict the amount of impervious surface — pavement and buildings — allowed in shopping centers and businesses, but at the same time the laws require a minimum number of parking spaces and minimum widths of driveways and roads.

“My concern is that we have parking regulations that say you have to have X number of parking spots because that’s what the regulations call for,” he said.

Among changes the Planning Commission is still considering are new types of pavement that allow water to soak through into the ground rather than running off into storm sewers and local streams and lakes.

But there are concerns about setting the proper standards for the alternative types of pavement, and about making sure the porous pavement is properly maintained. Coming up with rules will take some time.

“It’s a complex process and there’s no simple answer,” said commission Vice Chairman Fred Bowen.

And it may be better if the county waits awhile before getting too specific in its regulations, said acting county engineer Dave Borkowski. “We may be a little bit ahead of the curve on this,” he said.

New regulations are working their way through state and federal channels and soon the county will be required to regulate the collection and treatment of rainwater runoff, to prevent pollution from being washed into lakes and streams, Borkowski said.

“The county must be ready to apply for a permit to regulate this in 2003,” said Borkowski. “We have to have ordinances in place before then.”

“I don’t know how far we can go with this until those regulations come out,” said commission Chairman Bob Harbison.

The new regulations may provide incentives to entice developers to use the porous paving products, which often are more expensive than traditional asphalt or concrete, Borkowski said. For instance, he said, developers who reduce rainwater runoff may be allowed to build smaller detention ponds.

“In another year or so, or maybe even less, we’ll be rewriting this whole storm water thing in painstaking detail,” he said.