Beverly Hills : New Restaurant Parking Rules

Parking requirements for restaurants would be based on the square footage of the total facility rather than just the dining and bar area, and would be different for restaurants inside the Business Triangle under changes approved on Monday by the Planning Commission.

Currently, one parking space is required for each 45 square feet of dining and bar area, but credits are allowed for restaurants in large commercial buildings and those which are primarily used at night. Also, restaurants with less than 1,000 square feet of dining and bar areas are exempted from the parking requirements.

The new parking requirements, which must be approved by the City Council, would require restaurants in the Business Triangle--bounded by Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards and Crescent Drive--to provide one space for each 150 square feet of total restaurant space and eliminate the credit. Restaurants in other areas would have to provide one space for every 75 square feet of total floor space.

Smaller restaurants would continue to be exempt, but the square footage would be based on a total floor are of 1,500 square feet.