Bluffton moves forward on requiring more Old Town parking

New developments in Old Town Bluffton could have increased parking requirements after the town's Planning Commission approved higher standards Wednesday.

The amendment unanimously approved Wednesday would require new businesses to provide at least two off-street parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor space and new restaurants four per 1,000 square feet. Current regulations require only one space per 1,000 square feet for all developments, a lower standard put in place to encourage retail and restaurant development on Calhoun Street.

With Planning Commission's recommendation for approval Wednesday, Bluffton Town Council will take up the parking change at its February meeting.

There are 851 parking spaces within a five-minute walk of Old Town and the Bluffton Promenade; the town's current standards would require only 155 spaces for the estimated square footage in the historic district, according to town growth management director Shawn Leininger.

Approval of the amendment is the latest step in a series of efforts to alleviate parking woes at the heart of the historic district.

Town Council first discussed a change to parking space requirements in Old Town at a workshop meeting in November and considered requiring as many as four spaces per 1,000 square feet.

Officials also floated other ideas, such as time limits on spaces and an employee-specific parking lot.

According to the Calhoun Street and Adjacent Area Study examining issues in Old Town, drivers parked as close to their destination as possible, but employees of the businesses used most of the prime parking spots, Thomas & Hutton landscape architect Bruce Boysen told Town Council in December.

Council members didn't favor building a town-owned parking lot, instead favoring a privately-owned commercial lot. The new amendment would also prohibit parking lots on the corners of most major intersections in the historic district.

Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.

Related content:

• Time limits on Calhoun Street parking recommended to Bluffton Town Council , Dec. 9, 2014
• Bluffton Town Council exploring parking changes in Old Town , Nov. 11, 2014

This story was originally published January 28, 2015 at 8:58 AM with the headline "Bluffton moves forward on requiring more Old Town parking."