Frisco Planning and Zoning Commission members discussed and ultimately recommended approving an amendment to an existing city ordinance mandating a 50% reduction of parking requirements for the OTCD’s retail spaces.
“This has been in place for about 20-plus years,” Development Services Director John Lettelleir said. “We did that to help downtown, and it's been successful.”
Keep in mind
If approved by council, the amendment would drop the existing 50% reduction to 30% for any expanding or new retail spaces, according to meeting documents.
- Any businesses not expanding or already established before the ordinance will keep the 50% reduction.
- Businesses moving into an existing space and not planning to expand will also follow the existing 50% reduction of their parking requirements.
“We’re proposing to exclude all restaurant space,” Hubbard said. “This will hopefully promote patio space and outdoor dining in the downtown.”
Some context
Often referred to as Frisco’s historic downtown, the OTCD includes Main Street and most of its surrounding streets and businesses. Discussions on whether to update the parking ordinance for those areas have been ongoing since January, according to meeting documents.
“This item has been tabled by the commission a few times now,” Hubbard said.
The amendments were last seen on the commission’s May 23 agenda but were tabled to discuss them with members of the Downtown Advisory Board and the Downtown Merchants Association, Hubbard said.
“The [Downtown Advisory] Board has voted in support of the proposed zoning ordinance amendments,” Hubbard said. “They did want it on the record that while supportive of the amendments, they still have concerns that this may potentially hinder small-business growth.”
Did you know?
City leaders have been steadily moving toward reducing surface parking downtown.
“I'm a huge proponent of reducing parking,” commission Chair Jon Kendall said. “I know there's a need for [parking], but when we can reduce it, I’m usually in favor of it.”
The city is planning to begin selling bonds for a four-story parking garage downtown as it widens sidewalks to remove street parking for a more pedestrian-friendly experience.
Amending the 50% ordinance would help the OTCD keep up with demand without creating more surface parking lots, Lettelleir said.
“The city has done a lot to provide parking, but it's a finite resource,” Lettelleir said. “Once it's used up, what we want to avoid is that parking spilling out into residential neighborhoods.”
What happens next?
Council members are expected to discuss the parking ordinance amendments during their Aug. 1 meeting. More information about upcoming city meetings can be found on the city’s public calendar.
