WESTMINSTER : City Tightens Rules on Church Parking

Churches will have more stringent parking requirements than nightclubs or movie theaters under an ordinance the City Council has tentatively approved. In unanimously voting for the ordinance Tuesday, council members said that current parking requirements for churches are not adequate, and often result in overcrowding, affecting nearby businesses and residents.

As the number of people attending church services increases and churches expand, the parking situation has worsened, they said.

The ordinance will put churches in a separate category from auditoriums, theaters, stadiums, clubs and funeral parlors, which require less strict parking requirements.

Under the ordinance, churches must provide one parking space for every three permanent seats or one parking space for every 30 square feet of floor area in all assembly rooms. Currently, parking is determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the size and design of the church.

For auditoriums, movie theaters and clubs, one parking space will be required for every four permanent seats, or one parking space per 100 square feet of floor area.

Building and Planning Manager Michael Bouvier said the new parking requirement will apply to new churches coming into the city and those seeking to expand their facilities. He said that a survey of 21 California cities indicated that the 1-per-3-seat ratio is the most common and easiest to implement.

The Planning Commission approved the new parking requirement after a public hearing in October, Bouvier said.

If the ordinance were to be applied to existing churches, many would not be able to comply, a recent city survey indicated.

The Korean Martyr’s Catholic Church, for example, would need 186 parking spaces, more than twice the 84 that the church, 7655 Trask Ave., currently has.

The Upper Room Church of God, 14831 Magnolia, would need 912 parking spaces. It currently has 370. The Samoan Congregational Church, 13612 Hoover St., which has 136 parking spaces, would need 276 under the new ordinance.