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Home My WebLink About06172025 Planning & Zoning Work Session PacketPlanning & Zoning Commission Work Session Packet Work Session Tuesday, June 17, 2025 Council Chambers, City Hall 6: 00 p.m. The City of Seward, Alaska SEWARD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION WORK SESSION AGENDA June 17, 2025 Carol Griswold Chair Term February, 2027 Brenan Hornseth Vice Chair Term February, 2028 Nathaniel Charbonneau Commissioner Term February, 2027 Vanessa Verhey Commissioner Term February, 2026 Clare Sullivan Commissioner Term February, 2026 Rhonda Hubbard Commissioner Term February, 2028 June Pemberton Commissioner Term February, 2028 Daniel Meuninck Community Development Director Courtney Bringhurst City Planner Clara Brown Executive Planning Assistant Kris Peck City Clerk 6:00 p.m. 1) CALL TO ORDER 2) STAFF COMMENTS 3) DISCUSSION ITEMS a) Training: How to navigate Title 15 Council Chambers b) Review and discuss parking requirements in Seward City Code 5 c) Supplemental Information i. Harbor parking analysis ......10 ii. Hotel parking analysis ...12 4) ADJOURNMENT 2 OUTCOME GOALS FOR WORK SESSION 1) Conduct a mini training session to explain how to navigate and utilize Title 15 — Planning and Land Use Regulations. 2) Review parking requirements in Seward City Code and discuss potential amendments. • Highlighted sections have been brought up by the Commission, public, and staff as areas that need to be addressed Background: On the list of priorities approved by City Council for the Planning and Zoning Commission is a priority to review parking requirements in City Code. The Commission had a work session on May 20, 2025 specifically focused on parking requirements. Staff provided a review of the history of parking requirements, both generally and within the City of Seward, and then the Commission discussed the current parking requirements for hotels, multi- family dwellings, and additional dwelling units. Members of the public brought up other concerns that they would like to see discussed such as parking requirements for multi -use buildings. The Commission also discussed the pros and cons of eliminating parking minimums all together, and how that could potentially address some of the issues with development and parking enforcement. The discussion at this June 17th work session will focus primarily on the current parking requirements in Seward City Code, and how they can be adjusted to encourage development. 3 Seward City Code Parking Requirements 15.10.215 Parking. A. Except in the CB and the HC districts, there shall be provided permanently maintained off-street parking for each principal business. It shall be the responsibility of the business owner to provide and maintain said off- street parking in accordance with this chapter continuously during the life of the business. B. For each principal building or use within a principal building, there shall be no less than the number of off- street vehicle parking spaces specified under this section: Land Use Minimum Number of Parking Spaces Dwellings and Lodges Single-family and 2-family dwellings and parish houses 2 parking spaces per dwelling unit Multiple -family dwellings and other places containing multiple dwelling units 2 parking spaces per dwelling unit plus 1/2 space for every unit larger than 2-bedrooms or greater than 1,000 square feet in size Hotels and motels 1 space per guest unit Lodging, rooming and boardinghouses Dwelling, accessory dwelling unit 1 space per guest room plus spaces for the principal dwelling unit 1 off-street parking space in addition to those required of the principal dwelling Dwelling, studio apartment 1 space per dwelling unit Institutions and Public Uses Churches, auditoriums, sports arenas, funeral chapels, theaters and other places of public assembly 1 space for each 4 seats maximum capacity Multi -family dwelling, institutional 1 space per unit Hospitals, group care homes, long term care facilities and other healthcare facilities 1 space per 2 beds at maximum capacity plus 1 space for each employee on duty Dormitories/Bunkhouses 1 space per 4 residents at maximum capacity Public libraries, museums and art galleries; post offices; community/senior centers 1 space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area Primary and secondary public and private schools 1 parking space for every 4 seats in the main auditorium or assembly room, or 3 parking spaces for every classroom plus 1 parking space for each staff member or employee, whichever is greater Post -secondary, vocational and music schools; dance studios and colleges 1/2 parking space for each instructor and 1/2 space for each student, based upon maximum student capacity at one time Day care, nurseries and kindergartens %2 space for each staff member and employee plus 1 space for each 1,000 square feet of gross floor area Offices Office buildings (public and private), professional center, financial institutions and other similar uses 1 parking space for each 500 square feet of gross office floor area, but not less than 2 spaces Office (medical or dental) Two spaces per treatment room and one for each doctor, dentist, hygienist or other professional practitioner on site. Entertainment and Services (Supp. No. 30-1, Upd 2) Created: 2025-06-10 14:53:25 [EST] Page 1 of 4 5 Skating rink, youth hall, fraternal and civic club, assembly hall and other similar uses without fixed seats Eating and drinking establishment 1 parking space for each 100 square feet of gross floor area 1 parking space per 200 square feet of gross floor area, or one for each 4 seats, whichever is greater Bowling alley 4 parking spaces for each alley plus 1 for each employee on duty Commercial Food store, shopping center and mall 1 parking space for each 300 square feet of gross floor area but not less than 6 spaces Barber, beauty and other personal services shop 1 parking space per 100 square feet of gross floor area Retail store or service business 1 parking space for each 300 square feet of gross floor area Service or repair shop; retail store handling exclusively bulky merchandise such as machinery, furniture, wholesale stores, appliances, carpet, showrooms, etc. Motor vehicle sales and service establishment 1 parking space for each 400 square feet of gross floor area 1 parking space for each 400 square feet of gross sales floor area plus 4 spaces for each auto service stall Laundry and dry cleaning establishment 1 parking space for each 500 square feet of gross floor area, or 1 parking space for each 4 coin -operated washing machines, dryers or dry cleaning machines, whichever is greater Gasoline service station 1 parking space for each 2 gas pumps plus 2 spaces for each grease rack, wash rack and stall for servicing vehicles Industrial Industrial, processing, manufacturing and assembling 1 parking space for each 500 square feet of gross floor area except that office space shall provide parking space as required for offices Warehousing, storage and wholesale business Marine Related Uses Harbor or marina 1 parking space for each 1500 square feet of gross floor area, but not less than 3 spaces 1 parking space for every 2 established boat stalls or equivalent berths based on an average boat length of 40 feet and, if a launch ramp is included, a minimum of 20% of the spaces will be long enough to accommodate vehicles with boat trailers Day cruise, charter boat operators licensed for 20 or more people 1 parking space per 4 people maximum capacity C. Unlisted uses. The requirements for off-street parking facilities for uses not specifically mentioned in this section shall be the same as the above -mentioned use which, in the opinion of the administrative official, is most similar to the use not specifically mentioned. D. Minimum dimensions of off-street spaces and aisles. The minimum dimensions of spaces and aisles shall be as follows: 1. Parking spaces shall be at least 9 feet wide and 18 feet long. 2. The minimum width of traffic aisles providing access to parking lot spaces shall be: (Supp. No. 30-1, Upd 2) Created: 2025-06-10 14:53:25 [EST] Page 2 of 4 6 Angle of Parking (degrees) One -Way (feet) Two -Way (feet) Parallel 12 20 30 14 21 45 16 22 60 18 23 90 20 24 E. Location. Subject to (1) and (2) of this subsection, all required parking shall be located on the lot occupied by the principal use served, or on a lot abutting the lot occupied by the principal use. 1. Required parking may be provided on a lot that is not occupied or abutting the principal use, provided that (i) there is a pedestrian route not longer than 600 feet to the lot occupied by the principal use, or (ii) access is provided by a scheduled shuttle service or a valet parking attendant. 2. Required parking may be located on a lot not occupied by the principal use served only if (i) parking is a permitted or conditional use in the zoning district for the lot, and (ii) the lot is made subject to a recorded agreement among its owner, the owner of the lot occupied by the principal use and the City that the required parking will be maintained for the benefit of the principal use served for the life of that use. F. Site plan. A site plan showing all parking areas shall accompany all applications for building permits. Said plan shall show dimensions of spaces, curb cuts and other information necessary to determine compliance with the provisions of this section. The administrative official shall approve or reject the site plan on the basis of compliance with the requirements of this section. No building permit shall be issued until the parking site plan is approved. G. Street access. All off-street vehicle parking facilities shall be designed with appropriate means of access to street, alley or other right-of-way, and will have adequate maneuvering area. No driveway or curb cuts in any district shall be less than 12 feet or more than 35 feet in width. Detailed plans for all curb cuts shall be submitted to the administrative official for approval before a building permit is issued. H. Parking lots. Every lot or parcel of land used as a public or private parking area shall be developed as follows, subject to the approval of the plans by the administrative official: 1. Lighting of all parking areas shall be arranged to reflect away from adjacent residential areas and all public streets and highways; 2. All parking spaces and lots shall be durably surfaced, free of mud and standing water, and be dust free; 3. Where such area adjoins the side of a lot in any residential district, it shall be separated from such lot by a fence or hedge not less than 4 feet or more than 6 feet in height. Such fence or hedge shall be maintained in good condition and shall not extend beyond front yard lines required in such residential district; 4. All parking (except that serving single-family and duplex residences) shall be so arranged that ingress and egress are possible without backing over a sidewalk, sidewalk area, or onto a street of collector or larger designation; and 5. Turning and maneuvering space (except that which services single-family and duplex residences) shall be located entirely on private property, provided that the usable portion of an alley may be credited as aisle space subject to safety approval by the City engineer. I. Dual use of lots. Two or more buildings or uses may collectively provide the required off-street parking, in which case the required number of parking spaces shall not be less than the sum of the requirements for the (Supp. No. 30-1, Upd 2) Created: 2025-06-10 14:53:25 [EST] Page 3 of 4 7 several individual uses computed separately. In the instance of dual function of off-street parking where operating hours of uses do not overlap, the planning and zoning commission may, by conditional use permit, reduce the required parking to any amount that meets the requirements of each use. J. Computation of numbers of spaces. In figuring the total parking requirements for a use, any fraction of % or more shall require one more space. K. Reduction of spaces. No existing parking area and no parking area provided for the purpose of complying with the provisions of this section shall, after adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter, be relinquished or reduced in any manner below the requirements of this section. L. Uses of parking areas. Required parking areas and spaces shall not be used for sales display, storage, repair work or any other purposes other than parking. All vehicles in custody of an operator of a business for service, repair, storage, sale, or other purpose shall be stored on the premises or on a separate vehicle parking lot and shall not be parked on a public right-of-way. M. Location on property. Parking spaces shall be permitted in any required yard area provided that within the residential districts no parking space shall be permitted within five feet of any side property line. N. Intersection with public street. At the intersection of any private drive or entrance or exit for a common parking area with a public street, no fence, wall, hedge, or other planting or structure forming a material impediment to visibility between a height of 2% feet and eight feet shall be erected, planted, placed or maintained, and no vehicle so impeding visibility shall be parked within triangular area defined by lines connecting points as follows: Beginning at the point where the midline of the private drive or entrance or exit for a common parking area intersects the public right-of-way to a point 35 feet along the right-of-way line in the direction of the nearer lane of approaching traffic, thence to a point 25 feet toward the interior of the property along the previously described midline, and thence to point of beginning. 0. Accessible parking requirements. All parking shall comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. P. Group use of lots. Where more than one tenant or use is included within any one building or on any one lot, the parking requirements shall be the sum total of the parking requirements for all of the various tenants or uses provided, however, that: 1. The aggregation of tenants or uses shall meet all the requirements within the definition of "shopping center" in order to become entitled to utilize the parking ratio specified in section 15.10.215(B). 2. Where a hotel or motel has other principal uses such as restaurants, bar and meeting rooms located on its premises, the principal use requiring the greatest amount of parking shall provide 100 percent of the required parking spaces and the other uses shall provide, in addition, at least 70 percent of the parking spaces which would be required if these were stand-alone uses. 3. Where a convenience store includes a self-service gas station, the required parking shall be determined by the parking ratio specified in section 15.10.215(b). No additional parking spaces will be required for gasoline service station. Commercial buildings with apartments above?? (Ord. 626, § 3, 1989; Ord. 93-06; Ord. 94-17; Ord. 96-02; Ord. 96-13; Ord. 98-06; Ord. 98-09, § 2; Ord. No. 99-13, § 1, 1999; Ord. 99-16, § 4, 1999; Ord. No. 2006-007, § 1, 9-7-2006; Ord. No. 2013-001, § 1, 1-28-2013; Ord. No. 2018- 004, § 1) (Supp. No. 30-1, Upd 2) Created: 2025-06-10 14:53:25 [EST] Page 4 of 4 8 Harbor Parking Analysis Harbor Parking Parking Lot Number of Spaces Cost North Lot 177 $10/day South Lot 178 $10/day Northeast Boat Launch 180 $10/day South Boat Launch 140 $10/day Center Lot 94 Free (2 hours) Total paid spaces: 675 10 Hotel Parking Analysis Hotel Parking Hotel / Motel Zoning District CUP Number of Rooms Required Parking Number of Parking Spaces Parking Agreement Breeze Inn HC Yes (to expand) —100 1/room 101 (on site) No Harbor 360 HC Yes 98 0.65/room 98 (66 on site) Yes (AKRR land) Hotel Edgewater CB Yes 76 1/room None on site Yes (21,000 sf of land located on Fifth Ave) Gateway AC No 74 1/room 74 (51 on site) Yes (AKRR land) Hotel Seward CB Yes (to expand) 62 0.78/room (for expansion) 28 (on site) No Harborview Inn AC No 39 1/room 28 (on site) No Murphy's Alaska Inn CB Yes (to expand) 34 0.82/room 20 (on site) No Marina Motel AC No —31 1/room —27 (on site) No Van Gilder CB No 23 None None No Saltwater Safari HC Yes 9 0.5/room 5 (none on site) Yes (Gateway Hotel property) Tides Inn CB Yes 9 None None No A Swan Nest Inn CB No 6 None 6 (on site) No 12