The Hays Planning Commission met Monday evening. Among topics was approval to set a public hearing to 
change parking regulations within city limits. Currently, regulations stipulate that any business must have parking spaces proportionate to potential facility occupancy based on square footage.
Planning Inspection Enforcement Division Superintendent Jesse Rohr presented information showing that having excess parking spaces is a national issue. According to the presentation, there are 6-7 parking stalls for every automobile in the United States.
Some of the concerns with excess parking in Hays include an increased cost to property owners. The costs stem from excessive storm water runoff (higher cost is due to the stormwater utility fee), maintenance/upkeep, restrictions that prohibit property owners from maximizing use of their land, and physical appearance of property with excess and unused parking stalls.
Rohr gave the example of the Hadley Center on 8th Street. Rohr presented data showing that the Hadley Center uses roughly 110 parking spaces Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm. Currently, the center has access to approximately 350 parking stalls in multiple lots around the property. Rohr said that per current regulations, the city would require over 400 spaces. He used this as an example of how current regulations could potentially drive new businesses away.
“In talking with the owner: in the event that they were to solicit other tenants, and the tenant strictly looked at our parking regulations, they might look out here and say ‘you don’t have enough parking’. It could be enough of a driving factor to keep them from occupying the building.”
The planning commission voted unanimously to hold a public hearing at the October 21st meeting. At the hearing, the commission will discuss and vote on making a change to parking regulations that would allow calculation of required parking stalls to be based on actual occupancy rather than expected or potential occupancy.
The public hearing will be over the following change to parking regulations in relation to parking stall requirements
“Where approved by the Planning Inspection Enforcement Superintendent, the actual number of parking spaces provided may be based on the actual number of occupants for whom each occupied space, floor or building is designed, rather than the number of spaces determined by calculation. ”
Click below for the offical Notice of Public Hearing