Salisbury aims to curb parking lot 'dead zones'

Look at any shopping center or big box store in Salisbury and find what planning officials deem to be a problem: partially filled parking lots that they see as “dead zones.”

Now Salisbury is joining a growing movement nationwide to change decades-old zoning rules that often create surplus parking at retail stores, shopping centers and apartment complexes.

Planning experts tout the changes as a way to save money for both the developer and the city, and to promote walkability. And the reduction of paved surfaces has environmental benefits.

Mayor Jake Day called the move “significant.”

“What we’ve done over the last 60 years is mandate massive parking lots,” he said.

The amendment to the city’s zoning code that got preliminary approval by the City Council will reduce the amount of vehicle parking at buildings by limiting developers to a maximum number of spaces. The existing zoning laws require developers to create a minimum number of spaces.

The measure would reduce the number of parking spaces required at new shopping centers, restaurants, churches, group homes, day care facilities, schools and apartment complexes in Salisbury. 

As an example, the new Starbucks store that opened in August on South Salisbury Boulevard was required to have one parking space per 25 square feet of floor space, plus one space for every two employees, totaling 40 spaces, according to city planning officials. Under the changes to the code, the store would have been required to include one space per 250 feet of floor space, or just 10 spaces total.

City Council members approved the first reading of the amendment on Oct. 8 and are expected to give final approval at a future meeting. The new rules will only affect new construction within city limits.

Day said the changes will cut land and construction costs for developers. They also mean the city won’t have to spend as much money on infrastructure, such as service roads and water lines, because new development will sit closer together.

“The more you push things apart, the more it costs the city,” he said. “Parking lots are the biggest culprit we have.”

The new ordinance also will require that certain schools, libraries and commercial buildings include parking spaces or storage for bicycles.

Salisbury’s efforts mirror ones in other parts of the country, including Arlington County, Virginia, outside Washington which has adopted development standards and guidelines, including lower parking ratios, according to the Environmental Protection Agency website.

The EPA publication Parking Spaces/Community Places calls surplus parking “too much of a good thing.”

“It creates a ‘dead zone’ of empty parking lots in the middle of what ought to be a bustling commercial district or neighborhood. This dead zone means there is less room for the offices and homes that would supply a steady stream of office workers and residents who might patronize businesses in the area — and less room to cluster other businesses that will attract more foot traffic,” according to the EPA.

Additionally, paved parking surfaces have direct environmental impacts including degraded water quality, storm water management problems, exacerbated heat island effects and excessive land consumption, the EPA said.

City Council President Jack Heath said the ordinance will provide environmental benefits for Salisbury.

“Reduction of impervious surfaces is a prime concern,” he said.

Twitter: @LizHolland5

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