A.

Applicability

1.

Accessory off-street parking and loading facilities shall be provided in accordance with the following regulations for any new structure built or any new use established.

2.

An existing structure or use shall not be enlarged and an existing use shall not be changed to another use unless off-street parking and loading spaces are provided in accordance with the following requirements for the area or capacity of such enlargement.

B.

Layout and Location

1.

Off-street parking and loading facilities required by these Regulations shall be provided on the same lot with such structure or land use, unless parking is provided on a different lot in accordance with this section.

2.

Off-street parking and loading spaces required for structures or land uses on two or more adjoining lots may be provided in a single common facility on one or more of said lots; provided said lots are in the same zoning district and are owned in common, or are subject to recorded covenants or easements for parking. For purposes of this section, lots which are divided by a public street right-of-way are not deemed to be adjoining.

3.

The location of parking for multifamily residences shall be in accordance with Section 16.120(b) of the Subdivision and Land Development Regulations.

4.

Required minimum parking may be provided on a separate lot from the principal use if:

a.

For residential uses, the location and distribution of parking spaces complies with the Subdivision and Land Development Regulations;

b.

For nonresidential uses, the major point of pedestrian access to the parking facility is within 400 feet of the entrance to the building. This requirement does not apply to Downtown Revitalization;

c.

The parking facility is within a zoning district in which the use being served by the parking facility is permitted;

d.

The parking facility is not separated from the use being served by a public street. This requirement does not apply to Downtown Revitalization;

e.

The parking facility is subject to recorded covenants or easements for parking, or other proof is provided that the continued use of the parking area is guaranteed throughout the life of the land use.

5.

In Downtown Columbia, no more than 10% of the required off-street parking shall be satisfied with surface parking. However, the Planning Board may approve exceptions for temporary parking as part of a phased development plan. The Planning Board may approve extensions upon submission of a revised phasing plan.

(Bill No. 54-2016(ZRA-170), § 1, 1-14-2017)

C.

Design and Use of Off-Street Parking Facilities

1.

Design

a.

Required off-street parking facilities may be enclosed in a structure or may be open. Structures containing off-street parking shall be subject to the structure setback requirements applicable to the district in which located. Garages and other parking structures shall not be converted to another use unless the minimum parking space requirements of this section are satisfied without the parking structure.

b.

All outdoor parking areas shall comply with the minimum parking setback requirements of the applicable zoning district unless a variance is granted. If there is no setback requirement specifically for parking, parking areas shall comply with the required setback for uses.

c.

The design of aisle widths, stall lengths and widths, entrance widths, turning radii, flow patterns, paving, etc., shall conform with standards set forth in the Howard County Design Manual.

d.

Parking provisions for the physically handicapped shall be provided pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Maryland Accessibility Code.

2.

Use of Off-Street Parking Facilities

The minimum requirements of Subsection D. below shall be provided in addition to any area used for parking of vehicles owned by or used in a business. Required off-street parking facilities shall not be used for the display or storage of vehicles which are for sale or rent or are being stored while awaiting repair.

4.

Parking Spaces in Single-family Residential Driveways

Driveways that serve individual single-family dwelling units must provide space for at least one vehicle to park without blocking the adjacent sidewalk or street. To accomplish this, driveways that provide access to an individual dwelling unit shall be at least 18 feet long as measured from the garage or end of the parking pad to the edge of the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, the driveway shall be measured to the flowline of the street curb.

D.

Minimum Parking Requirements for Specific Uses

In the following text, "sf" refers to gross square feet of floor area unless net floor area is approved by the Department of Planning and Zoning. "DPZ" refers to the Department of Planning and Zoning. The parking for multiple uses shall be calculated cumulatively unless otherwise noted or unless approved in accordance with Section 133.0.F.

1.

Accessory Uses to Residences

The following parking requirements for accessory uses shall be provided in addition to the required parking for the principal residence:

2.

Residential Uses

3.

Office Uses

4.

Commercial Uses

5.

Industrial Uses

6.

Recreational Uses

7.

Institutional and Other Uses

8.

Other Uses

Reasonable and appropriate off-street parking requirements for structures and land uses which do not fall within the categories enumerated above or parking requirements which are different from the requirements listed above may be determined in writing on a case by case basis by the Department of Planning and Zoning if a proposed use is deemed to be logically similar to one of the enumerated uses in terms of parking needs.

An applicant for a Site Development Plan for a use not included in the categories enumerated above, or for a use for which the applicant proposes a parking standard different from the requirement enumerated above, shall submit a parking needs study as part of the site development application as justification for the parking quantity proposal. The parking needs study shall include:

a.

An estimate of the parking needs for the use;

b.

A thorough explanation of the basis of the estimate;

c.

Any data used in calculating the estimate, including parking generation studies, previous experience with similar uses, or other information.

d.

An assessment of the impacts attributable to the availability of public transit, vicinal employment resources, and/or pedestrian accessibility.

(Bill No. 46-2016(ZRA-159), § 1, 10-5-2016)

E.

Off-street Loading Facilities

Off-street loading and unloading facilities as defined in these Regulations and located on the same site with the use to be served, shall be provided for retail and service business establishments, restaurants and other places serving food and beverages, manufacturing, wholesale business, storage warehouses and other commercial establishments. Loading facilities shall be:

1.

Separate from parking spaces and driveways serving parking spaces;

2.

Located and designed so as not to impede vehicular or pedestrian circulation; and

3.

Located in compliance with the structure and use setback requirements for the applicable zoning district, unless a variance is granted.

F.

Permitted Reductions in Off-street Parking Requirements

1.

Shared Parking Adjustment

a.

Two or more uses shall be permitted to share their off-street parking spaces in a common facility if the hours or days of peak parking are so different that a lower total will provide adequately for all uses served by the facility, without conflict or encroachment. To ensure that no conflict or encroachment occurs, shared parking spaces for such uses shall be provided according to the following table.

Shared parking for uses not included in categories listed above shall be as determined by the Department of Planning and Zoning, based on a parking needs study submitted by the applicant for a Site Development Plan as described in paragraph D.8 above.

b.

Method of calculation

Step 1)—For each of the 7 time periods, multiply the minimum number of parking spaces required by Section 133.0.D for each use (including any ride sharing adjustments) by the corresponding percentage in the table.

Step 2)—Add the result of each column. The required number of off-street parking spaces shall equal the highest column total.

c.

Conditions of approval

(1)

Reserved or otherwise restricted parking spaces shall not be shared.

(2)

The land uses served by the shared parking facility shall be in single ownership, or may be approved for multiple ownership by the Director of Planning and Zoning based on satisfactory guarantees for the continued operation and proper maintenance of the shared parking facility.

(3)

Penalties for non-compliance—Failure to maintain off-street parking spaces in accordance with the requirements of (1) and (2) above is a violation of these Regulations.

2.

Trip Reduction Plans

The required number of off-street parking spaces for an office or industrial use may be reduced according to either Subsection a or b below if all employers occupying a site have at least 100 employees on the site.

a.

The number of required spaces may be reduced by 20% if all employers occupying the site are subject to trip reduction plans which have been approved by the Maryland Department of the Environment.

b.

If a trip reduction plan has not been approved by the Maryland Department of the Environment, the number of required spaces may be reduced by 10% if all employers occupying the site participate in a ride sharing program which includes the following elements:

(1)

Active participation in a regional ridesharing program administered by the State of Maryland or Howard County.

(2)

Designation of an in-house Ride Sharing Coordinator to periodically interact with the regional ridesharing program and to promote the program internally to the employees.

(3)

Establishment of an in-house carpool promotion and matching program and provision of maps, displays and materials as are necessary to inform employees of its availability.

(4)

Reservation of at least 10% of all parking spaces for car pools or van pools in a location indicated on the approved Site Development Plan.

c.

The parking space reductions allowed by this section shall not be granted unless the property owner demonstrates that, in the event that a trip reduction plan or ride sharing plan becomes inoperative, it will be feasible to construct or lease the additional required spaces.

d.

If the criteria for reduction of the parking requirements are not being met, the property owner or lessee shall construct or lease additional parking spaces equal in number to the reduction granted.

3.

Downtown Revitalization

Off-street parking and loading facilities for Downtown Revitalization shall be provided in accordance with the following shared parking methodology and parking ratios:

a.

The methodology for determining the shared parking demand consists of the following steps and is described in the following paragraphs:

(1)

Determine individual weekday and weekend peak parking ratios for each land use.

(2)

Determine the number of reserved parking spaces for each use.

(3)

Select time-of-day and monthly parking variation factors.

(4)

Adjust parking ratios for modal split, auto occupancy, and captive market effects.

(5)

Calculate the hourly parking demand for weekdays and weekends for each month.

Step 1: Determine individual weekday and weekend peak parking ratios for each land use.

Table 1 presents the base parking ratios for weekdays and weekends. These ratios must be used unless the petitioner provides reasonable justification for use of alternative ratio(s) that will not be detrimental to the public welfare. A developer may submit a parking study as justification for alternative ratio(s) for approval by the Department of Planning and Zoning prior to submission of a Site Development Plan. For land uses not listed in Table 1, data from the current edition of "Parking Generation" (ITE), "Shared Parking" (ULI), the Howard County Zoning Regulations, or other applicable sources may be used.

Step 2: Determine the number of reserved parking spaces for each use.

A significant proportion of residential parking spaces are typically reserved, due to market and security requirements. Some portion of office, retail, hotel, or other uses may require reserved spaces for some portion of the day. These reserved spaces should be outlined and specified by land use on an hourly basis.

Step 3: Select time-of-day and monthly parking variation factors.

The time-of-day adjustment factors for weekdays and weekends are shown in Tables 2 and 3, respectively. Table 4 shows the monthly adjustment factors for customer and visitor parking, while Table 5 includes the monthly adjustment factors for employees. These typical factors are taken from the ULI Shared Parking Manual and may be modified based on other published data or independent studies to ensure accuracy for specific land uses or circumstances.

Step 4: Adjust parking ratios for modal split, auto occupancy, and captive market effects.

Modal split, auto occupancy, and captive market effects will be different for each Downtown Revitalization development. Modal splits and auto occupancy can be determined through U.S. Census journey-to-work data, patron surveys, or other local data, and can be adjusted to reflect future conditions.

Non-captive adjustments reflect the proportion of users that are not already parked nearby for a primary purpose. These adjustments for captive market effects should only be applied to simultaneous trips, not sequential trips. For example, an office worker who walks across the street for a snack during the day is part of the captive market, while a couple who has dinner before a movie is not. Table 6 includes sample non-captive adjustment factors for weekdays and can be modified based on the characteristics of the land use and surroundings.

Step 5: Calculate the hourly parking demand for weekdays and weekends for each month.

The individual parking demands for each land use during each time period are then computed by multiplying the parking ratios (adjusted for modal split, auto occupancy, and captive market effects) by the time-of-day and monthly variation factors. No adjustment factors or variation factors are applied to reserved parking spaces.

The sum of the adjusted parking demands for each land use are then compared for each scenario (each hour of each day of each month), and the maximum total parking demand represents the shared parking requirement for the project.

Table 1
Howard County Shared Parking Methodology
Base Parking Ratios

Table 2
Howard County Shared Parking Methodology
Time-of-Day Factors for Weekday Demand

Source: Shared Parking, Second Edition

Table 3
Howard County Shared Parking Methodology
Time-of-Day Factors for Weekend Demand

Source: Shared Parking, Second Edition

Table 4
Howard County Shared Parking Methodology
Monthly Adjustments for Customer/Visitor Parking

Source: Shared Parking, Second Edition

Table 5
Howard County Shared Parking Methodology
Monthly Adjustments for Employee/Resident Parking

Source: Shared Parking, Second Edition

Table 6
Howard County Shared Parking Methodology
Non-Captive Adjustment Factors for Weekdays

Source: Shared Parking, Second Edition

(Bill No. 54-2016(ZRA-170), § 1, 1-14-2017)