Parking spaces may be getting bigger

Barbara Diamond

[City to consider change in size of parking spaces]

SUVs, vans and trucks take up more space than is allotted for compact

cars, but that hasn’t stopped drivers of the bigger vehicles from parking

in compact car spaces.

It’s legal, but it makes it tough sometimes to open the doors of cars

parked in the adjoining space. The city code specifies a measurement of

8-by-15 feet measures compact spaces, compared to other spaces that

measure 8-feet-4 inches by 18 feet.

The City Council recently directed the Planning Commission to study

the possibility of changing the code to a mid-range uniform size.

Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman proposed the study. The change would apply

only to new parking spaces, public or private, she said.

“The code section needs to be updated to correspond more closely to

the type and size of vehicles driven today,” Kinsman said.

Uniform-sized spaces are being used in other cities, according to

Kinsman.