Fairfax County is considering tweaking its zoning ordinance to ensure that last year’s parking requirements overhaul doesn’t lead to a decrease in accessible spaces.
Because developers build accessible parking in proportion to total parking, the number of accessible spots could go down if overall parking is reduced.
After the Parking Reimagined zoning changes that took effect on Jan. 1 lowered minimum parking standards in the county’s more urban areas, county staff are recommending that the Board of Supervisors shift the ratio of required accessible to non-accessible parking spaces from 1:25 — the ratio the Virginia building code requires — to 1:15.
Michael Davis, parking program manager for the Fairfax County Department of Land Development Services, shared the recommendation in a presentation to the board’s Land Use Policy Committee on Tuesday (July 23).
With the proposed ratio, a 5,000-square-foot restaurant would be required to have three ADA spaces instead of the two currently mandated by the zoning ordinance, according to Davis’s example.
When it adopted the Parking Reimagined changes in September, the board directed county staff to investigate the standards for Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking spots in the context of the new rules, which included language to preserve “a stable amount” of accessible parking even if general parking is reduced.
“Fairfax County needs to continue to be an inclusive community that provides for the amount of accessible parking that meets the needs of our community,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said at the time.
A field survey that staff conducted between January and May determined that accessible parking is generally available in high-demand locations, such as grocery stores, restaurants and public facilities.
According to Davis, an accessible space was available 92% of the time at the surveyed sites during times identified as “peak demand” or “general demand.”
The result of an online survey conducted between March 1 and April 15 “minimally supports maintaining accessible parking supply stability,” according to the presentation.
The survey included feedback that went beyond the accessible parking ratio, Davis said. For instance, some respondants raised concerns about how accessible parking spaces are designed. Staff could look to address other issues with changes to the county’s public facilities manual.
Members of the board were supportive of the recommendations. Board Chairman Jeff McKay recognized advocacy from the county’s Disability Services Board on the topic.
Ultimately, the staff’s recommended change to the accessible parking ratio could be passed by the board as an amendment to the zoning ordinance.
“Our hope would be that the board supports this initiative and wants staff to move forward with it, and with that, we would expect that it would be another six months or so to get back to the board with a proposed ordinance amendment for consideration,” Davis said.
