BRENHAM PLANNING AND ZONING APPROVES PARKING CHANGES
The Brenham Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended adopting narrower parking spaces.
At their meeting Monday, Planning and Zoning Commissioners approved adopting a slate of changes to city ordinance. These changes call for the reduction of minimum parking space stall dimensions and establishing of minimum parking space size for compact cars.
City Planning Technician Kim Hodde said these proposed changes came after multiple requests for the city to change minimum parking space requirements for perpendicular—or 90-degree—parking spaces. The city is expecting to see an increase in the number of building permits for residential and commercial development in the next 12 to 18 months.
City staff say the city’s current minimum parking size requirements, which are 10 feet by 20 feet, are larger than average. Commissioners recommended reducing the existing parking dimensions to 9 feet by 20 feet.
Commissioners also approved a request from Blinn College to amend the zoning on seven tracts of college-owned land, totaling about 2.3 acres. The commission recommended the land be rezoned from local business/residential mixed use to commercial, research and technology use.
Also in session, commissioners approved a zoning change at 1708 Highway 105, where Circle K is planning a new convenience store. They recommended the land be rezoned to commercial research and technology use, from local business and residential mixed use.
The rezoning requests, along with the proposed parking changes, will be brought up before Brenham City Council on August 1st.
Click here to view the packet from Monday's meeting.
Bad bad decision! Have any of you taken a look at the amount of Pickups in Brenham and the County? Can’t find a decent parking place now because the spots are too narrow as it is. Not all people are driving smart cars ?! Park a new car and get dings because some of the spots are over the line parked. I don’t appreciate my doors getting dinged because of larger SUV’s or the larger trucks.
As I said this is a terrible decision. How do you people come up with these crazy ideas ?
Because the people making the decisions do not live in the city. That’s the bottom line.
After reading all of these comments, I took one poster’s suggestion and read the information packet for this P&Z meeting. What has not been made clear is that this recommendation is only for “off street” parking, not “on street’ parking. It has nothing to do with parking on downtown streets are on any of Brenham s public streets. It deals with private residential and commercial parking lots. The change is being recommended to accommodate the new Baker Katz shopping center coming to Highway 290, and any future development.
Millions of dollars of tax breaks isn’t enough. Now Brenham has to adjust and lower our city’s higher level of standards?
Respectfully, smaller parking spaces at shopping centers and commercial lots are not something I find desirable. If I cannot find a parking spot where I can safely park my car without the it getting all dinged up, I leave. Business owners and people who provide parking lots should consider this when building parking lots. Wider parking spaces are safer, they protect personal property better, and they ensure that those who may be older have an easier and safer parking experience.
I will add my voice to the comments already here, City of Brenham, hear your citizens, we DO NOT WANT SMALLER PARKING SPACES. Many people drive trucks, SUV’s and other large vehicles that are needed to live in the country. Travelers also drive large vehicles. Making small spaces even smaller is a bad idea. As someone who takes pride in my car, I don’t want my car all dinged up because the parking spaces or to small. How about using your resources on things that are a real problem instead of focusing on things like this.
Making small parking spaces even smaller is one of the stupidest things that I have hear this town even consider. We are a country town, which means pickup trucks are more prevalent than compact cars. There is already a parking problem in this town and now you want to make it even worse? Pull your heads out and spend the tax payers money on something that will better benefit the community.
I think this is a terrible idea! This would only work if people park correctly….which they don’t. When spending time in Austin parking is my main complaint. They make parking spaces for smart cars and mini coopers everyone else is out of luck. Our community has more large vehicles on average than a lot of places. I know downtown has a shortage of parking but this is not the answer.
… Reducing the width of a ninety degree parking space makes no sense … ! This should only be a consideration for angled parking spaces. The effort to park ninety degrees is already challenging for many people … but to lessen the width will not only create issues staying within the marked spaces … but will create a huge issue with backed up traffic that has to wait for the person attempting to park to make the necessary maneuvers to get into the allotted space … POOR PLANNING… ! I want names and numbers on the individuals who voted thinking this was an intelligent decision… !
Minutes of the meeting can be found on the city page for the Planning & Zoning Commission. It also lists out the members.
A solution in search of a problem. A recommendation from an unelected commission to an already bloated city administration…
BIG SUVs
Most turist that frequent down town drive big suvs for their family, please don’t do this!
We don’t want to be Houston!
I think the city should seriously reconsider this action on parking spaces. It is difficult now to park in spaces the size they are now due to other vehicles that are parked over 2 spaces or over a line. I see this every single day! It is so frustrating. Sometime s they park so over the line after I have parked that I cannot even access my vehicle and no one seems to care. If the spaces are made smaller I can guarantee you will increase the current problem by 110%. The worst offenders are the compact cars with parking on or over the line. PLEASE do not do this.
I think the city should seriously reconsider this action on parking spaces. It is difficult now to park in spaces the size they are now due to other vehicles that are parked over 2 spaces or over a lone. I see this every single day! It is so frustrating. Sometime s they park so over the line after I have parked that I cannot even access my vehicle and no one seems to care. If the spaces are made smaller I can guarantee you will increase the current problem by 110%. The worst offenders are the compact cars with parking on or over the line. PLEASE do not do this.
Has anyone looked at the number of pickup truck and large suv that are parked downtown? What percent of the spaces downtown will be changed? There are many times I am downtown driving around looking for parking space, I find the larger vehicles are either on the line on one side or over the line, with the current measurements. What I find in other cities that have compact parking only, there are lots of vehicle taking 2 spaces. You need to reconsider this issue.