Plantation City Zoning Code

The purpose of this Article is to ensure provision of off-street and on-street parking and loading facilities in proportion to the generalized parking and loading demand of the different uses allowed by this Code. The standards are intended to provide for adequate parking and loading capacity, while allowing the flexibility needed to accommodate alternative solutions and adapting to societal and economic trends. The standards are also intended to achieve City policies of supporting development and redevelopment of commercial corridors known as Priority Redevelopment Areas, accommodating appropriate infill development, and encouraging pedestrian-oriented and mixed-used development, while avoiding excessive paved surface areas, promoting low-impact development, and safeguarding historic resources, existing communities and commercial/activity centers.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 16(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

(a)

New Buildings and Uses: Every building, use or structure, with the exception of an accessory structure that is not enclosed, instituted or erected after the effective date of this Article shall be provided with off-street parking facilities in accordance with the adopted provisions for the use of occupants, employees, visitors or patrons. Such off-street parking facilities shall be maintained and continued as an accessory use as long as the main use is continued.

(b)

Existing Buildings and Uses: Where a building, use or structure, existed at the effective date of this Article, such building may be modernized, altered or repaired, provided that the floor area or capacity does not increase and that the use does not change, where in doing so, would require increasing capacity, without providing additional required parking facilities.

Where a building or use, which existed at the effective date of this Article, is enlarged in floor area, volume, capacity or space occupied, by more than 10%, or dwelling units are increased by more than 5%, off-street parking facilities as specified herein shall be provided for the additional floor area, volume, capacity or space so created or so occupied in accordance with this Article.

Where a building or use, which existed at the effective date of this Article, is changed in use or occupancy, additional off-street parking facilities shall be provided to the extent that the off-street parking required by this Article for the new use or occupancy exceeds the off street parking which would have been required for the previous use or occupancy had the regulations of this Article been applicable thereto. For the purposes of this Article a change of use or occupancy shall mean a change from one category of off-street parking requirements to another such category.

It shall be unlawful for an owner or operator of any building, structure or use affected by this Article to discontinue, reserve, change or dispense with, or to cause the discontinuance or reduction of the required parking facilities apart from the discontinuance, sale or transfer of such structure or use, without establishing alternative vehicle parking facilities which meet the requirements of this Article. It shall be unlawful for any person to utilize such building, structure or use without providing the off-street parking facilities to meet the requirements of and be in compliance with this Article.

(c)

Off-Street Parking Requirements: Any change to the off-street parking requirements of this Article may cause uses to become nonconforming. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article, uses made nonconforming as a result of a change to the off-street parking requirement may continue (but may not expand or enlarge) so long as the use is not abandoned or is not discontinued for a period of six (6) months or more, and so long as there is no damage to or destruction of the structure where the use is located to an extent of more than fifty (50) percent of the structure's replacement costs at the time of its damage or destruction.

(d)

Outparcels: Outparcels, not adjacent to a common pedestrian way or common wall of a planned shopping center, and improvements thereon shall satisfy those parking requirements set forth in this section for specific use to be made of the out-parcel.

(e)

Proximity of Off-street Parking: Required off-street parking spaces shall be located on the same parcel they are intended to serve. As an alternative, they may be located on a separate parcel not more than 500 feet from the use they are intended to serve provided that a cooperative parking plan, as set forth in Section 27-124(e)(1), is approved by the City Council.

(f)

Parking Adjacent to Frontage or Service Roadways: In the event a frontage or service roadway is provided to serve a use requiring off-street parking by the terms of the ordinance and on-street parking is provided in conjunction with such a roadway, the parking spaces thus provided shall be considered as supplying the required off-street parking to the extent that they meet such requirements. Credit shall only be given for those parking spaces which are contained between the extension of the side property lines of the parcel on which the use is located.

(g)

Parking Plan Required: A parking plan shall be provided with all site plan applications which shall clearly and accurately designate the required and provided parking spaces, required and provided landscaped areas and planter islands, provided access aisles and driveways and the relationship of the parking to the uses or structures the spaces are intended to serve.

(h)

Required Accessible Spaces: Parking spaces for disabled persons shall be provided in accordance with Chapter 553, Part II, of the Florida Statutes, as amended from time to time, and shall be counted toward meeting the minimum or desired off-street parking requirements.

(i)

Size and Character of Required Parking: The following design requirements shall apply:

(1)

Size: Each angled or straight parking space shall be 9 feet in width and 18 feet in length when not adjacent to a landscape median or other pervious area and shall be 9 feet in width and 16 feet in length with a curb when adjacent to and overhanging a landscape median or other pervious area. Parallel parking spaces shall be 9 feet in width and 23 feet in length. The installation of wheelstops shall be optional for the property owner. If wheelstops are used, then they shall be in conformance with the City's established Engineering Design standards. Refer to Table 121-1 for required dimensions.

MINIMUM SPACE REQUIREMENTS AT VARIOUS PARKING ANGLES FOR
SELF-PARKING FACILITIES
Table 121-1

¹  When not adjacent to a landscaped median or other pervious area

²  When adjacent to landscape median or other pervious area

³  Dimensions are for one-way directional movement. Two-way directional movement requires a minimum of 24 feet in width, regardless of parking angle and dimensions.

Figure 121-1

(2)

Angle and Orientation: Parking stalls within the entire property shall have the same angle and orientation. Drive aisles shall be one-way only when less than 20 feet wide and have angles less than 90 degrees. Parking lots with different angles and orientation shall not be permitted on the same property.

(3)

Accessibility: Each parking space shall be directly accessible from a street, adequate drive aisle, or driveway leading to a street. In all zoning districts, the width of access aisles and driveways shall be in conformance with the standards set forth in Table 121-1. Each space shall be accessible without driving over or through another parking space. Back-out parking onto any public right-of-way is only permitted in single-family zoned properties, duplexes, triplexes, quadruplexes and townhomes if a drive-way abuts the right-of-way or when parallel parking is present.

(4)

Composition: Parking facilities, including access aisles and driveways shall be composed of a hard, dust-free surface such as brick pavers asphalt or concrete and maintained in a smooth, well-graded condition with standards set-forth according to the City Engineer.

(5)

Striping: Off-street parking facilities, including access aisles and driveways, shall be marked according to City standards. All parking spaces shall be divided with one set of painted lines except for single-family homes, zero-lot-line developments, townhouses and duplexes where the parking spaces are on-site or as otherwise permitted in this Article with standards as set forth by the City Engineer.

(6)

Drainage: All off-street parking facilities may not be drained to adjacent parcels without the recordation of appropriate drainage easements and agreements. Such drainage facilities shall be arranged for convenient access and safety of pedestrians and vehicles with standards set forth by the City Engineer.

(7)

Lighting: All parking facilities to be developed in the future that serve Group E, F, G, H, and I occupancies (as described in the Florida Building Code) which are not illuminated by Florida Power and Light Company in a form acceptable to the City shall be illuminated according to standards contained herein by the developer of such parking facilities.

a.

For the purposes of this section, parking facilities shall include the parking surface of open parking lots and access thereto, and parking areas and other non-enclosed areas at grade level that abut or lie under buildings for which the parking facilities are a requirement.

b.

The intensity of illumination shall provide no less than one (1) footcandle (fc) equal to one (1) lumen per square foot nor more than fifteen (15) footcandles at any point on the parking areas. The current edition of the IES Lighting Handbook, published by the Illuminating Engineers Society, is hereby adopted by reference. This standard shall be used as a guide for the design and testing of parking facility lighting and the standards contained therein shall apply unless standards developed and adopted by this ordinance or subsequent amendments are more restrictive, in which case the more restrictive standards shall apply.

c.

Prior to the time a parking facility lighting system is accepted, an appropriate test report shall be submitted to the City's Building Department that shows compliance with this section of the ordinance.

d.

All required illumination shall be controlled by automatic timing devices which will assure that the required illumination shall be provided at dusk until at least 9:00 p.m. each day and at least one-half (½) the required illumination from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. or thirty (30) minutes after the closing time of the establishment served by the parking facility, if later than 11:00 p.m., after which the illumination will be required in areas adjacent to buildings of the establishment and at driveways where needed for security and consistent with CPTED principles.

e.

All lighting shall be shaded, screened or aimed in such a manner that it will not be a nuisance to any residential unit. Light poles shall maintain a 15-foot distance from the trunk of any shade trees and 7.5-foot distance from palm trees to ensure that illumination is not obstructed. Furthermore, any device or light fixture shall be installed at a height not exceeding ten (10) feet above the existing grade of the surface lying immediately below the fixture, if the fixture lies within a distance of one hundred (100) feet from any building or structure used for residential purposes.

(j)

Surface Parking Setback Requirements and Access Limitations: The edge of all parking pavement and access roads (not including driveway connections to a street) shall be set back as follows:

(1)

Parking shall be at least twenty (20) feet from all major arterial roadways; and

(2)

Fifteen (15) feet from any other streets; and

(3)

Direct access shall not be allowed to any property from Sunrise Boulevard, N.W. 70th Avenue or Broward Boulevard east of Hiatus Road. However, the parking and direct access restrictions may be waived by the City Council where it deems these restrictions impractical for the proper and effective development of a parcel of land.

(k)

Landscaping: Parking structures and surface parking lots shall be landscaped in accordance with Article X of this Code.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

(a)

Each parking space shall be directly accessible from a parking aisle. Tandem spaces designed to be located one (1) space behind the other, which are accessible from only one (1) direction, are prohibited.

(b)

Two-way drive aisles shall be a minimum of twenty-four (24) feet for ninety (90) degree angle parking. A practical difficulty variance (Sec. 27-52(g)(2)) request to reduce drive aisle width below twenty-four (24) feet shall be accompanied by a study signed and sealed by a Florida registered professional licensed engineer demonstrating that, under the circumstances presented, the reduction will not result in unsafe turning movements or driving geometry, and the affected area's planned layout will comfortably accommodate movements and driving geometry.

(c)

Access aisles for sixty (60) degree angle parking shall be one-way only and shall be a minimum of twenty (20) feet in width. Access aisles for forty-five (45) degree or thirty (30) degree parking shall be one-way only and shall be a minimum of fifteen (15) feet in width.

(d)

Parking spaces next to walls or columns shall be ten (10) feet wide by eighteen (18) feet deep.

(e)

Columns shall be setback at least three (3) feet from the entrance to a parking space.

(f)

Maximum ramp grades abutting a parking space shall not exceed 6.67 percent or the maximum otherwise provided in the Florida Building Code.

(g)

Maximum speed ramp grades (not abutting a parking space) shall not exceed twelve (12) percent. A grade difference of eight (8) percent or more shall require transition slope so vehicles do not bottom out. A minimum 10′-0″ long transition slopes shall be provided at the top and bottom of the ramp. Each transition slope shall be one-half of the differential slopes of the ramp. For instance, two (2) 10′-0″ transition ramps sloped at 6.0 percent would be required at the bottom and the top of a ramp sloped at 12.0 percent. Entry/exit areas that have parking control equipment shall have a maximum three (3) percent slope.

(h)

Minimum ground floor clear vertical clearance shall be at least fourteen (14) feet when providing access to sanitation or delivery vehicles. Minimum vertical clearance shall be compliant with Accessibility Codes and the Florida Building Code when providing handicapped vehicle access. When not providing access to sanitation, delivery, or handicapped vehicles, minimum vertical clearance shall be seven (7) feet or other minimum as required by the Florida Building Code. Clear vertical clearance shall be measured from the bottom of the lowest ceiling structural member (i.e., beam), appurtenance (i.e., piping), or clearance device (i.e., marker or bar suspended to identify minimum clearance), whichever is lowest.

(i)

New garages built after the effective date of this ordinance that serve mixed-use developments within a TOD district shall incorporate smart parking system technology to enhance parking efficiency, to guide drivers to available parking spots in real time thereby reducing search traffic and automobile emissions. Property owners that have or intend to build a parking garage outside of a TOD district are encouraged to incorporate smart parking system technology.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

(a)

The Priority Redevelopment Areas, as defined in this section and shown in Figure 123-1 below, shall have a distinct set of requirements for parking, in most cases, from the rest of the City. Within the Plantation Midtown District, residential and nonresidential requirements differ from those city-wide in that the minimums are generally lower but also a maximum amount is encouraged, in order to minimize underutilized parking capacity. Within the Gateway District, including all of its subdistricts, the minimum parking requirements are hereby eliminated, in most cases, subject to a valid plan to be analyzed by the City for an appropriate amount of parking for the proposed and/or existing uses on the property, also subject to warranted variation on a case-by-case basis. Within any Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Districts, all minimums are also hereby eliminated, with a maximum amount of parking that is mandated, subject to a valid plan to be analyzed by the City for an appropriate amount of parking for the proposed and/or existing uses on the property, also subject to warranted variation on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, any residential minimum requirements are hereby reduced for residential units that meet the State's and Broward County's criteria and definitions of either Affordable or Workforce Housing, based on household income and so-designated for the long-term.

Figure 123-1

(b)

Tables 123-1 thru 123-5 below quantify the amount of off-street parking spaces required as a minimum, as a maximum, or if a minimum number is not required at all, which shall be provided and maintained for each respective use or occupancy:

PARKING TABLES

Note 1: for most uses within a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) District zone, and for certain uses within the Gateway Overlay District, there will not be any minimum parking requirements; however, the Applicant or Property Owner will have to submit a parking study to determine the appropriate amount of parking for the entire TOD property, subject to review and approval of the City.

Note 2: for affordable, or workforce housing, designated under either the Florida Housing Finance Corporation or the County's Housing Finance Corporation, the minimum requirement shall be equal to 75% of the requirement in Table 123-1 and 123-2, relative to each bedroom and shall only apply to those units that will be designated and remain affordable for the timeframe agreed to by the City Council or the State of Florida for a minimum of 30 years, unless otherwise approved by the City Council.

Note 3: The labels in each table below refer to the City's defined Overlay Districts. "Midtown" includes all properties within the City's defined Midtown District, regardless of the property's zoning designation. "Gateway" includes all properties within the City's defined Gateway Overlay District (also known as SPI-2), regardless of the property's zoning designation. "TOD" refers to all properties within designated Transit Oriented Corridors (TOC) located along major arterial roadways, that have been specifically rezoned to a Mixed-Use Transit Oriented Development (M-TOD) District.

Table 123-1 PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR RESIDENTIAL USES

¹ plus 5% of total provided for community for common space and guest parking, after effective date of this Code

² plus 10% of total provided for community for common space and guest parking, after effective date of this Code

Table 123-2 PARKING REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY FOR MULTI-FAMILY APARTMENTS

¹ plus 10% of total provided for community for common space and guest parking, after effective date of this Code

Table 123-3 PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR GROUP LIVING USES

Table 123-4 PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR MIXED AND
NON-RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL USES

³ - per square foot of area as defined herein per use, unless otherwise delineated

⁴ - as listed within Table 27-100

Table 123-5 PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR MIXED AND NON-RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL USES¹

¹ Unless the use is not permitted within certain overlay zoning districts, as indicated by "N/A".

(c)

Supplemental Parking Regulations

(1)

Single-family and duplexes (on lots under 7,500 square feet)—One (1) driveway parking space plus a carport or fully enclosed garage space designed to accommodate one (1) car.

Single-family and Duplexes (on lots 7,500 square feet or more) Two (2) side-by-side driveway parking spaces plus a fully-enclosed garage space designed to accommodate two (2) cars. Single-family and duplex subdivisions shall have at least 1 guest space per every 10 dwellings, located in common areas and/or as parallel parking spaces.

(2)

Mobile Homes—Spaces may be side-by-side or tandem.

(3)

Townhouse—One or Two side-by-side driveway parking spaces plus a fully-enclosed garage space designed to accommodate at least one (1) car.

(4)

Multi-family guest spaces—If the parking spaces used in meeting the off-street parking requirement are located in a garage, driveway, or in any other manner which would imply exclusive use by a resident or dwelling unit, guest parking shall be provided, as noted in Tables 123-1 and 123-2. Guest spaces shall not be located beyond three hundred (300) feet of the units they serve.

(5)

New and Used Car Sales - "Bull pen" parking shall not be counted towards meeting the parking requirements of customer, employee or visitor parking, and further, shall not be located, arranged, or used in such a manner as to interfere with access to the site or ingress and egress.

(6)

Planned Shopping Centers—Office use within planned shopping centers located outside of Priority Redevelopment Areas - when office use exceeds ten percent (10%) of the gross floor area within a planned shopping center, the parking required for all office space exceeding 10% of the gross floor area shall be calculated at the parking required for the individual office use as set forth in this Article.

a.

Cinemas/Theatres within Planned Shopping Centers — The parking required for a planned shopping center set forth pursuant to this Article less the area dedicated to theaters or cinemas, plus one (1) parking space for each three (3) seats.

b.

Food Sales within Planned Shopping Centers —The parking required for a planned shopping center less the gross floor area of buildings used for food sales, plus one (1) parking space for each one hundred fifty (150) square feet of gross floor area of buildings used for food sales (grocery stores).

(7)

Houses of Worship—These requirements shall apply only to auditoriums and chapels and not to rooms used only for Sunday school classes. Parking spaces for houses of worship which are not used more than three (3) times per week may be grassed for parking areas, but not for drive aisles, general access roads or circulation roads, provided the grass is planted on soil prepared and maintained according to the City's specifications.

(8)

Restaurants, fast food restaurants, bars, hotel bars, restaurant bars, etc.: The minimum parking requirements for restaurants, fast food restaurants, bars, hotel bars, restaurant bars, etc. shall be one (1) parking space per each four (4) seats, unless located within a Priority Redevelopment Area (refer to Table 123-4). If detailed floor and seating plans are not provided at the time of site plan approval for restaurant or bar uses, then one (1) parking space shall be provided for each one-hundred (100) square feet of gross floor area, as defined by Section 27-124(f)(1).

(9)

Self-Storage—Such facilities are authorized to allocated, devote and use up to thirty (30) percent of the parking area otherwise required for the use for the parking and outdoor storage of motor vehicles, watercraft and similar transportation conveyances, provided, however, that all items so stored shall be totally screened, concealed or obscured from view from any location lying outside the facilities' grounds, by landscaping, the facilities' buildings, walls, fences or any combination of the foregoing.

(10)

Office Uses within Industrial Districts - If any portion of the gross floor area (GFA) for a manufacturing, product assembly, service, or technology-based use is devoted to business or professional offices, for properties located outside of Priority Redevelopment Areas, then:

a.

Parking for that portion of office GFA which exceeds twenty-five (25) percent of the overall GFA of the manufacturing, product assembly, service, or technology-based use shall be based on the off-street parking requirement for business and professional offices;

b.

Parking for the portion of office GFA which is less than or equal to twenty-five (25) percent of the overall GFA of the manufacturing, product assembly, service, or technology-based use shall be based on the parking requirement for the manufacturing, product assembly, service, or technology-based use. Except as may be specifically provided otherwise in this section, in all other cases, parking for all portions of floor area devoted to business and professional offices shall be based on the requirement for business and professional offices.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

(a)

Uses Not Specifically Mentioned: Any unspecified uses in this section shall be determined by the Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Director with respect to a minimum or maximum requirement.

(b)

Fractional Spaces: When units or measurements determining number of required off-street parking spaces result in requirement of fractional space, any such fraction equal to or greater than one-half shall require a full off-street parking space.

(c)

Calculating Bedrooms: In addition to interior spaces of dwelling units that are bedrooms, other kinds of interior spaces shall be treated as "bedrooms" for purposes of calculating the required parking. When a room such as a den, study, library, loft, or home office is provided or designated on a plan, such room shall be considered a bedroom for purposes of calculating required parking if the room meets the following criteria:

(1)

has a minimum of seventy (70) square feet in floor area; and

(2)

is bounded along more than seventy-five (75) percent of its perimeter by vertical walls, partitions or by other types of dividers that serve to define the boundaries of the room.

(d)

Shared Parking: Parking spaces may be provided cooperatively for two or more uses in a development or for two or more individual uses, subject to the requirements of this section.

(1)

Cooperative Parking Agreements: Requirements of a given use may be met with off-site, off-street parking facilities of another use when, and if, all of the following conditions are met, and the subject property either needs extra parking to meet the Code minimum or needs to have more parking capacity due to site constraints:

a.

The off-site, off-street parking facilities are within 300 feet of the property. In assessing the feasibility of such cooperative parking, the City must find that the off-site parking facility is reasonably located in relation to the use it is intended to serve, based upon such factors as the type of facility, likely purpose of the trip to the facility, and any physical barriers which must be crossed to reach the use to be served.

b.

The parking demands of the individual uses, as determined by the PZED Director, are such that the total parking demand of all the uses at any one time is less than or equal to the total parking stalls required;

c.

A written agreement between the owners and lessees is executed and approved by the City Council, as provided in subsection d., below. The application shall be recorded at the owner's expense and a copy shall be maintained by the City. The Agreement terms shall be effective in perpetuity. Should the lease expire or otherwise terminate, the use for which the off-site parking was provided shall be considered nonconforming and any and all approvals, including conditional use approvals, shall be subject to revocation. Continuation or expansion of the use shall be prohibited unless the use is brought into compliance with the parking regulations of this article;

d.

An application for approval of a cooperative parking plan shall be filed with the PZED Director by the owner(s) of the entire land area to be included within the cooperative parking plan, the owner(s) of all structures then existing on such land area, and all parties having a legal interest in such land area and structures. Sufficient evidence to establish the status of applicants as owners of parties in interest shall be provided. The application shall include plans showing the location of the uses or structures for which off-street parking facilities are required, the location of the off-street parking facilities, and the schedule of times used by those sharing parking in common; and

e.

Pursuant to the same procedure and subject to the same limitations and requirements by which the cooperative parking plan was approved and registered, any such plan may be amended or withdrawn, either partially or completely, if all land and structures remaining under such plan comply with all the conditions and limitations of the plan, and all land and structures withdrawn from such plan comply with the regulations of this Article.

(2)

Shared Parking Methodology: Developments that contain a mix of uses on the same parcel on properties that are either located in one of the Priority Redevelopment Areas or outside of these areas, may further reduce the amount of required parking, if applicable, in accordance with the following methodology:

a.

Determine the minimum parking requirements in accordance with Table 124-1 for each land use as if it were a separate use;

b.

Multiply each amount by the corresponding percentages for each of the five time periods set forth in Columns (B) through (F) of Table 124-1;

c.

Calculate the total for each time period; and

d.

Select the total with the highest value as the required minimum number of parking spaces.

e.

The provision of this subsection shall not result in a reduction by more than twenty (20) percent of the requirement which would apply in the absence of this subsection.

Table 124-1
Shared Parking Standards

(e)

Alternative Parking Plan: The City Council may approve any alternative parking plan that proposes alternatives to providing the minimum number of off-street parking spaces required by Section 27-123, where applicable. Applicants that propose development or redevelopment on properties located within the City's Gateway District or on any property that is zoned Transit Oriented Development (TOD) for which a minimum parking amount is not required, are always required to provide a parking plan and study that determines and justifies the amount of parking proposed within the planned site plan layout. This plan shall be reviewed and approved considered by the Development Review Committee, as well as the City's Traffic Consultants, and considered by the Planning and Zoning Board and prior to City Council approval, unless the Site Plan Amendment qualifies for Administrative approval by the DRC. The Alternative Parking Plan shall be submitted with an application for site plan approval (per Section 27-50). Additional legal and traffic consulting fees shall be assessed to cover the City's additional costs in reviewing Alternative Parking Plans and any subsequent parking agreements, as per Section 27-417. Practical difficulty waivers for less than 10% over a maximum parking requirement within a TOD district are subject to the same process but may be approved by the PZED Director.

(f)

Measurements:

(1)

For the purposes of this Article, gross floor area shall mean the floor area inside of the exterior walls excluding elevators, stair wells, common corridors, trash rooms, common lobbies, common rest rooms, private restrooms, meter rooms, electrical and mechanical rooms, and ancillary power equipment rooms. For restaurants and bars, gross floor area shall include only the customer service area, kitchen food preparation area, and both indoor and outdoor seating areas. For places of assembly, including places of worship, GFA shall include the assembly area and the area of employee offices. For educational uses, GFA shall include classrooms and the area of employee offices.

(2)

In stadiums, sport arenas, places of worship and other places of assembly in which occupants utilize benches, pews or other similar seating facilities, each 20 lineal inches of such seating shall be counted as one seat for the purpose of computing off-street parking requirements.

(3)

In outdoor display areas for vehicle sales or rental, only areas designated for vehicle parking shall be measured, in order to determine parking for customers and employees. Driveway aisles and landscaped medians are not intended to be included in the measured area.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

(a)

Permitted Use: Parking spaces approved in accordance with this Article may be used for the intermittent parking of licensed motor vehicles of employees, occupants, owners, tenants, residents or customers utilizing the building or use served by said required parking space. Supplemental parking (parking facilities provided but not required) may be used for any purpose related to the use of the building it serves, subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth. Parking may be used for any purpose related to the use of the building it serves, subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth.

(b)

Limitations on Use of Parking Facilities: The following uses and activities shall not be permitted in required parking facilities:

(1)

Parking to serve an off-site building unless in accordance with a cooperative parking plan (Section 27-124(e)(1) or unity of title approved by the City in accordance with this Article.

(2)

Storage, repair or display of any vehicles, equipment or merchandise.

(3)

Parking of vehicle, which, due to its size, shape, contents or location creates an obstruction or public safety hazard, or which cannot be contained within a single designated parking space.

(4)

Vehicles shall be required to park on paved parking surfaces approved by the City Engineer. Parking shall be prohibited in all other areas, except for houses of worship as per Section 27-123(b)(7).

(c)

Commercial Vehicle Parking: Overnight parking or storage of commercial vehicles associated with an approved use shall be subject to the following:

(1)

No more than six (6) commercial vehicles may be parked on site; and

(2)

All commercial vehicles must fit within a standard 9' × 18' parking stall; and

(3)

Commercial vehicles shall be parked so as not to be visible from the public right-of-way, or on sites where this is difficult to achieve, shall be located to the rear of the building or as close to the rear as practical, and shall not obstruct traffic flow or block drive aisles or pedestrian walkways.

(4)

Commercial vehicle parking not consistent with the above standards shall require conditional use approval from the City Council.

(d)

Assigned and Reserved Parking for Mixed-Use and Non-Residential Properties¹: Reserving parking spaces oftentimes creates issues for other patrons or residents by decreasing the capacity for available spaces when a parking facility is otherwise occupied. Properties with legal, non-conforming, status (i.e., were specifically approved by the City), may continue with the existing, approved parking plan, provided that properties with any specific businesses on the subject property that have reserved parking spaces, but that do not have up-to-date business tax receipts or are no longer operational on a property, must come into compliance with this Code in terms of reserved parking, so that any reserved spaces may shall either be eliminated or re-assigned. Property owners that were not specifically approved by the City for the existing reserved parking designations for their subject properties, must come into compliance with this Code within two (2) years from the effective date of this ordinance. In an effort to be equitable and reasonable, the City will allow the following, as of the effective date of this ordinance: ^[3]

(1)

Properties consisting wholly or partially of office uses may have assigned, covered or uncovered parking spaces serving those office uses, provided that these assigned spaces do not exceed fifteen (15) percent of the required or existing parking. If the property was granted a parking waiver exceeding ten (10) percent by the City and is located outside of a Priority Redevelopment Area, then a maximum of five (5) percent of the existing parking field may be reserved for an office use. Uses other than an office use may not take advantage of this deviation.

New multi-family residential properties, whether part of a mixed-use development or as a separate entity, may have up to one (1) designated assigned parking space per dwelling unit, after the effective date of this ordinance, and it shall be part of the documentation received by the City and by the residents of the development; and

(2)

Time-limited, reserved parking shall be determined by the property owner and approved by the City; tenants may not designate spaces without property owner/manager and City approval; and

(3)

The designation shall be designated through pole signs, posted signs, pavement and / or curb markings; and

(4)

A multi-establishment commercial, office or warehouse distribution center may have a maximum of 15% of the total parking spaces designated as reserved for certain patrons and employees; and

(5)

Property owners may designate parking areas for employees only, preferably in areas that are further from the customer entrances, such as the rear or side of the building, provided there is adequate lighting and pedestrian access; and

(6)

A property owner may designate an unlimited amount of reserved spaces for electric vehicle charging stations and an unlimited amount for hybrid vehicle and two-wheeled vehicle spaces.

(7)

"Customer only" signs shall not be installed or marked on the pavement or curbs in a parking lot.

(8)

Assigned parking shall be located in a manner, which does not unreasonably restrict the use of the off-street parking facilities by occupants, employees, visitors, or patrons

(9)

The location and structures associated with assigned or reserved parking shall be reviewed at the time of initial site plan approval or through a site plan amendment or site plan modification as per the requirements of Section 27-50.

(10)

The property owner shall be responsible for enforcement of this parking restriction.

(11)

Contractual obligations that property owners have established with tenants prior to the effective date of this ordinance shall be permitted to retain the reserved parking capacity that they have in place, if such arrangement was part of a parking plan approved by the City.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2024-001, § 14(Exh. N), 1-24-2024; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

(a)

General Provisions: Adequate space for loading and unloading of materials, goods or things, and for delivery and shipping, shall be provided and maintained on the same plot as the building which it serves.

Where any structure is enlarged or any use is extended so that the size of the resulting occupancy comes within the scope of this section, the full amount of off-street loading space shall be supplied and maintained for the structure or use in its enlarged or extended size. Where the use of a structure or land or any part thereof is changed to a use requiring an off-street loading space, such space shall be supplied and maintained to comply with this section.

(b)

Dimensional Standards for Loading Spaces: For the purposes of this section, each loading space shall be of sufficient size to accommodate the types of vehicles likely to use the loading area. The minimum loading space size that presumptively satisfies loading space needs is at least 10 feet wide and 25 feet long with 14-foot vertical clearance for commercial and residential uses, and at least 15 feet wide and 45 feet long in industrial uses. The PZED Director may require a larger loading space or allow a smaller loading space on determining that the characteristics of the particular development warrant such increase or reduction and the general standard is met.

(c)

Location of Loading Areas: Where possible, loading areas shall be located to the rear of the use they serve. The loading area shall be located adjacent to the building's loading doors, in an area that promotes its practical use. The loading area shall be located and designed so that vehicles using them can maneuver safely and conveniently to it from a public street and complete loading without obstructing or interfering with any public right-of-way or any parking space or parking lot or drive aisle. To the maximum extent practicable, loading areas shall abut the building's loading doors.

Figure 126-1: Loading Area Configuration

(d)

Specifications: Table 126-1 below quantifies the amount of off-street loading spaces required as a minimum, for specific uses, which shall be provided and maintained for each respective use or occupancy:

Table 126-1
Minimum Number of Off-Street Loading Spaces

¹ fractional numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

Businesses that provide a drive-through service are required to provide drive-through service lane(s), whether for stacking or queuing, as separate and distinct lanes from the circulation lanes necessary for entering or exiting the property. Each drive-through lane shall be separated from other on-site lanes. Each such drive-through lane shall be curbed, striped, marked or otherwise distinctly delineated, including raised barriers, if needed, to prevent a vehicle from entering the drive-through ahead of another vehicle that entered before. A separate and distinct escape lane shall be provided. Neither a lane otherwise necessary for site circulation nor a public street or alley shall be counted as an escape lane. Drive-through lanes and escape lanes shall not conflict, or otherwise hamper access, to or from any parking space, including drive aisles that lead to parking spaces. Pedestrian walkways shall be clearly separated from drive-through lanes.

(a)

Specifications: Table 127-1 below quantifies the amount of off-street vehicular stacking spaces required as a minimum, which shall be provided and maintained for use as long as the drive-through is in operation:

Table 127-1 Drive-Through Service Stacking Requirements¹

¹ - A stacking space is hereby defined as being 22 feet in length. Inbound stacking requirements shall be counted from the first stopping point. Out-bound stacking requirements shall be counted from the last stopping point.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

Regulation of electric vehicle charging is pre-empted to the State of Florida and provision shall be consistent with Statutes adopted and enforced by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services per F.S. 366.94, as amended. Operators of electric vehicle charging stations must apply for a local business tax receipt in compliance with City Code Chapter 14, unless restricted for private use to employees at no cost to the employee.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2620, § 1(Exh. A), 8-24-2022; Ord. No. 2024-001, § 14(Exh. N), 1-24-2024; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

An Alternative Parking Plan may propose to use valet and tandem parking to meet a portion of the minimum or desired number of off-street parking spaces required for a development in accordance with the following:

(a)

Number of Valet or Tandem Spaces:

(1)

All uses, except hotels, may designate a maximum of 25% of the total number of required or desired off-street parking spaces as valet parking. The valet spaces may be tandem.

(2)

Hotels may designate a maximum of 50% of the total number of required or desired off-street parking spaces as valet parking. The valet spaces may be tandem.

(b)

Drop-Off and Pick-Up Areas: The development shall provide a designated drop-off and pick-up area in compliance with the following standards:

(1)

The drop-off and pickup area shall be in compliance with Table 127-1, Drive-through Service Stacking Requirements.

(2)

The drop-off and pick up area may be located adjacent to the building served, but may not be located in a fire lane or where its use would impede vehicular and/or pedestrian circulation or cause queuing in a public street or internal drive aisle serving the development.

(c)

Valet Parking Plan: The Alternative Parking Plan requesting valet shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1)

Identification of the type and nature of the use for which the valet service is being provided; and

(2)

The location of the valet parking and self-parking spaces, including how the valet parking area shall be isolated from use by the general public; and

(3)

The pick-up and drop off area(s); and

(4)

A site traffic circulation plan; and

(5)

The number of parking attendants (and any other personnel) needed to operate the valet service. service; and

(6)

Site plan modification application and fee.

(d)

Valet Parking Agreement: Valet parking may be established and managed only in accordance with a valet parking agreement. The agreement shall include provisions ensuring that a valet parking attendant will be on duty during hours of operation of the uses served by the valet parking, except for residential and hotel/extended stay uses, which shall provide valet parking attendants 24 hours a day. The agreement shall also include a legal description of the parcel where parking will be located and states the number of parking spaces utilized for valet parking. The agreement shall be submitted to the PZED Director, who shall forward it to the City Attorney for review and approval before execution. An attested copy of an approved and executed agreement shall be recorded with the Broward County Records Division before issuance of a certificate of occupancy and/or local business tax receipt for any use to be served by the valet parking. The agreement shall be considered a restriction running with the land and shall bind the heirs, successors, and assigns of the landowner.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

The minimum number of parking spaces, if required in Section 27-123, may be reduced through implementation of one or more of the following strategies for reducing parking demand.

(a)

Transit Accessibility: The PZED Director may authorize up to a fifteen (15) percent reduction in the minimum number of off-street parking spaces, when required by Tables 123-1 thru 123-5 for buildings located within 1,000 feet of a bus or rapid transit stop.

(b)

Transportation Demand Management: The PZED Director may, through approval of a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan, authorize up to a 10 percent reduction in the minimum number of off-street parking spaces, if required by Table 123-1 for nonresidential or mixed-use developments having a floor area of at least 25,000 square feet, both in Priority Redevelopment Areas and City-wide, in accordance with the standards below.

(1)

TDM Plan Requirements: The TDM Plan shall include facts and/or projections (e.g., type of development, proximity to transit and/or other multi-modal systems, anticipated number of employees and/or patrons, minimum parking requirements) and indicate the types of transportation demand management activities that will be instituted to reduce single-occupant vehicle use and reduce traffic congestion.

(2)

Transportation Demand Management Activities: The TDM Plan shall provide at least three (3) of the following transportation demand management activities:

a.

Establishment of a development-specific website that provides multi-modal transportation information such as real-time travel/traffic information, bus schedules and maps, and logging of alternative commutes (e.g., bicycle, pedestrian, carpool, vanpool, micro-transit options and ridesharing options); and/or

b.

Written disclosure of transportation information and educational materials to all employees and/or residents of the subject property; and/or

c.

Formation of transportation demand reduction programs such as carpooling, vanpooling, ridesharing, guaranteed ride home, teleworking, micro-transit and shuttle service programs; and/or

d.

Creation of a Preferential Parking Management Plan that specifically marks spaces for registered carpool and/or vanpool vehicles that are located near building entrances or in other preferential locations; and/or

e.

Institution of off-peak work schedules that allow employees to arrive and depart at times other than the "traditional" peak morning commute period (defined as 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.) and peak evening commute period (defined as 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.); and/or

f.

Establishment of an office, staffed by a transportation coordinator that makes transportation and ride-sharing information available to employees, residents, and nonresidents; and/or

g.

Any other TDM activity as may be approved by the PZED Director as a means of complying with the parking reduction provisions of this subsection.

(3)

TDM Program Coordinator:

a.

The applicant shall appoint a TDM program coordinator to oversee TDM activities.

b.

The TDM Program Coordinator shall be a licensed engineer or a traffic consultant that is also a qualified or trained TDM professional.

c.

The TDM Program Coordinator shall be appointed prior to issuance of a building permit or certificate of occupancy for the buildings to be served by the TDM program.

(4)

TDM Annual Report:

a.

The TDM Program Coordinator shall submit to PZED Director an annual report that details implementation of the approved TDM plan. The report may include, but is not limited to, the following:

1.

A description of TDM activities undertaken; and

2.

An analysis of parking demand reductions based on employee and/or resident use of ridership programs or alternative transportation options; and

3.

Changes to the TDM plan to increase transit ridership and other commuting alternatives; and

4.

The results of an employee transportation survey.

b.

A copy of the approved TDM plan shall be recorded with the Broward County Records Division before the issuance of a business tax receipt (BTR) for the development to be served by the Plan. The TDM plan shall be recorded against the property, and the applicant and/or successors of interest in the property shall be responsible for implementing the Plan in perpetuity.

(5)

Amendments: The PZED Director may approve amendments to an approved TDM plan following the same process required for the initial approval.

(6)

Parking Required if TDM Terminated: If the applicant and/or successors in interest in the property covered by the TDM Plan stop implementing the Plan or fail to submit a TDM annual report to the PZED Director in a timely fashion, the TDM plan shall be considered terminated. Any such termination of the TDM Plan does not negate the parties' obligations to comply with parking requirements and thus shall constitute a violation of this Code. Any use served by the TDM Plan may not be continued unless another TDM Plan or Alternative Parking Plan is approved or all required off-street parking spaces are provided in full in accordance with this section.

(c)

Special Facilities for Bicycle Commuters: The PZED Director may authorize up to a five percent (5%) reduction in the minimum number of off-street parking spaces, if required by Table 123-1 for developments that provide both of the following:

(1)

Enclosed (indoor or locker) and secure bicycle parking spaces equal to at least five percent of the number of vehicle parking spaces provided; and

(2)

Shower and dressing areas for employees.

(d)

Other Eligible Alternatives: The PZED Director may authorize up to a ten percent reduction in the minimum number of off-street parking spaces, if required by Table 123-1 in exchange for any other strategy that an applicant demonstrates will effectively reduce parking demand on the site of the subject development, provided the applicant also demonstrates that the proposed development plan will do at least as good a job in protecting surrounding neighborhoods, maintaining traffic-circulation patterns, and promoting quality urban design as would strict compliance with the otherwise applicable off-street parking standards.

(Ord. No. 2597a, § 3(Exh. A), 3-24-2021; Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

(a)

Design: Driveway locations, cross-sections and grades shall be in accordance with approved engineering plans, Chapter 5 of the City of Plantation Code of Ordinances, and the Florida Building Code (Broward edition), as amended from time to time. Driveway access to the street system shall be according to the subdivision design standards and street layout contained in Chapter 23 of the Code.

(b)

Minimum Size: Driveways for single-family and duplex structures in all residentially-zoned districts shall have minimum paved dimensions per parking space of nine (9) feet in width and eighteen (18) feet in length (clear of sidewalk).

(c)

Paving: Except as provided for below, driveways and parking areas shall be paved with a hard, dust-free paving material complying with the Florida Building Code. All uses shall use concrete, asphalt, or brick pavers or other pervious surface acceptable to the City Engineer.

Exception: Uses permitted to provide grass overflow parking, such as places of worship.

(d)

Clear Sight Triangles: All driveways and street intersections shall provide clear sight triangles in both directions in accordance with Chapter 23 of the Code.

(Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)

(a)

Recommended Bicycle Parking: It is recommended that short-term and long-term bicycle parking spaces be in accordance with Table 132-1:

1.

All new development; and

2.

Any individual expansion or alteration of a building existing prior to the effective date of this ordinance, if the expansion increases the building's gross floor area by 50 percent or more, or the alteration involves 50 percent or more of the building's gross floor area (including interior alterations.

(b)

Reduction Based on Alternative Bicycle Parking Plan: The PZED Director may authorize up to a 25 percent reduction in the recommended number of bicycle parking spaces required by Table 132-1, if the applicant submits an alternative bicycle parking plan that:

1.

Demonstrates the demand and need for bicycle parking on the site is less than required by this subsection because of the site's location, the site design, proximity to transit, or other factors; or

2.

Offers a strategy that demonstrates other non-auto and non-bicycle travel modes will be used by occupants and users of the development that reduces the demand for bicycle parking spaces.

(c)

Bicycle Parking Space Standards:

1.

A bicycle parking space shall be located on a paved or similar hard, all-weather surface, having a slope not greater than three percent.

2.

Lighting shall be provided for spaces that are accessible to the public or bicyclists after dark; and

3.

Bicycle parking is encouraged to be visible from the main entrance of the building it serves; however, directional signage shall be provided where a bicycle parking space is not visible from a main entrance to the building for which the bicycle parking space is provided.

4.

The minimum dimensional requirements for a bicycle parking space are:

a.

Six (6) feet long by two (2) feet wide (see Figure 132-1); or

b.

If designed for vertical storage, four (4) feet long by two (2) feet wide by eight (8) feet high (see Figure 132-2).

¹ - The number of spaces should be based on any portion of the base number rounded up (for example, a multi-family development with 16 or 17 units would have to provide 5 long-term parking spaces).

5.

A bicycle parking space shall be accessible without moving another parked bicycle.

6.

Not more than 25 percent of short-term bicycle parking spaces and 25 percent of long-term bicycle parking spaces may be vertical or wall-mounted parking.

7.

A bicycle parking rack should:

a.

Allow for the securing of the frame and at least one wheel of a bicycle in a bicycle parking space to the rack with an industry-standard U-shaped bike lock; and

b.

Provide each bicycle parking space with support for a bicycle in a stable position with direct support to the bicycle frame; and

c.

Be securely anchored to the ground or to a structural element of a building or structure; and

Figure 132-1: Example of Bicycle Parking Space and Parking Rack Dimensional Standards

Figure 132-2: Example of Vertical Bicycle Parking Dimensional Standards

d.

Be designed and located so it does not block pedestrian circulation systems and pedestrian movements; and

e.

Be constructed of materials designed to withstand cutting, severe weather, and permanent exposure to the elements, such as powder-coated steel or stainless steel; and

f.

If bicycles must be moved onto or off of the rack parallel to their direction of travel, provide an aisle having a minimum width of five (5) feet between all bicycle parking spaces served by the rack and any spaces served by another bicycle parking rack, vehicular surface areas, or obstructions, including but not limited to fences, walls, doors, posts, columns, or landscaping areas; and

g.

Be located at least three (3) feet from any vertical surface, such as another bicycle parking rack, the side of a building, a tree, or a fence or wall; and

h.

Be separated from any abutting vehicular surface area by at least three (3) feet and a physical barrier, such as bollards, curbing, wheel stops, reflective wands, or a fence or wall.

8.

Bicycle parking areas should be maintained free of inoperable bicycles (such as bicycles with flat tires or missing parts) and debris. Bicycle parking racks shall be maintained in good repair, securely anchored, and free of rust.

(d)

Short-Term Bicycle Parking Standards: A short-term bicycle parking space should:

1.

Include independent access to a bicycle parking rack for supporting and securing a bicycle; and

2.

Be located within 75 feet of a public entrance to the building for which the space is required, measured along the most direct pedestrian access route, provided that a short-term bicycle parking space located in a bicycle parking area serving more than one (1) use shall be located within 150 feet of a public entrance to the building for which the space is required, measured along the most direct pedestrian access route; and

3.

Be located to ensure significant visibility by the public and users of the building for which the space is required.

(e)

Long-Term Bicycle Parking Standards: A long-term bicycle parking space should:

1.

Include one (1) of the following features:

a.

A bicycle locker or similar structure manufactured for the sole purpose of securing and protecting a standard size bicycle from rain, theft, and tampering by fully securing the bicycle in a temporary enclosure; or

b.

A secured and dedicated bicycle parking area provided either inside the principal building on the lot, within a parking structure, or in a structure located elsewhere on the lot. The secured and dedicated bicycle parking area shall be designed to protect each bicycle from weather, theft, and vandalism and shall have a minimum of eight (8) feet of clearance above the floor or ground.

2.

Be located within 500 feet of a public entrance to the building for which the space is required, measured along the most direct pedestrian access route, provided that a long-term bicycle parking space located in a bicycle parking area serving more than one use shall be located within 750 feet of a public entrance to the building for which the space is required, measured along the most direct pedestrian access route.

(Ord. No. 2025-010, § 2(Exh. O), 11-5-2025)