Office Parking Incentives

The City and Chamber of Commerce believe that there is a demonstrated need for office space in Downtown Delray Beach. In an effort to promote and enhance office development within the City’s Downtown core, various incentives have been recently passed by the City Commission.

LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS (LDR) AMENDMENTS ADOPTED BY THE CITY COMMISSION

Changes in the Measurement Basis for the Parking Requirements for Business and Professional Offices from Gross to Net Floor Area (Adopted January 20, 2009)

The change in measurement for parking requirements at business and professional offices from gross to net floor area results in a reduction in the overall parking requirement by eliminating the area calculations for spaces such as public lobbies, public exit corridors, public stairs, public mechanical/electrical rooms, public restroom facilities and public elevators from the parking requirement.

It also promotes corporate office development by allowing larger public areas, such as atriums and lobbies, to be constructed without incurring the additional expense of providing parking for those areas.

To take advantage of the elimination of parking requirements for public spaces in smaller office buildings and additions, it was also necessary to modify the methodology for rounding fractional spaces. The previous code provision stated “if the total number of parking spaces required results in a fraction, it shall be rounded up to the next highest figure.” The amendment changes how fractions are rounded to allow them to be rounded down to the nearest whole number (if the fraction is below one-half space) and any fraction of one-half space or more to be rounded up.
 
Expansion of the area where the Parking Requirement is 1 Space per 300 Square Feet for all Uses, Except Restaurants, Hotels and Motels within the Central Business District (Adopted January 20, 2009)

This second change expands the area in the Central Business District (CBD) where the parking requirement is 1 space per 300 square feet for all uses (except restaurants, hotels and motels) from NE 1st Street to NE 2nd Street on the north and from SE 1st Street to SE 2nd Street on the south. The parking requirement for business and professional offices within this expansion area before the change was 4 spaces per 1,000 sq. ft. of net floor area up to 3,000 sq. ft. and then 3.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of net floor area over the initial 3,000 square feet.  With the new regulations, the parking requirement of a 10,000 sq. ft. office building is reduced by 4 spaces (from 37 to 33 spaces).

 It is anticipated that this change will begin to encourage additional development beyond the Atlantic Avenue corridor. The decrease in the off-street parking that will be provided for new development in this area, as a result of this amendment, will be offset by use of the Downtown Roundabout shuttle and the new Old School Square and Federspiel parking garages. Additionally, in recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the total number of on-street parking spaces throughout the Downtown area. This amendment expands upon the approach of utilizing shared parking for uses in the Downtown area.             

Expansion of the area where the Parking Requirement is 1 Space per 300 Square Feet for Business and Professional Offices within the Central Business District (Adopted March 3, 2009)

This change provides a further expansion of the area with the CBD where the parking requirement for business and professional offices is 1 space per 300 square feet of net floor area; this area is expanded from NE 2nd Street to George Bush Boulevard on the north, and from SE 2nd Street to SE 10th Street on the south.  The parking requirement for business and professional offices within this expansion area was previously 4 spaces per 1,000 sq. ft. of net floor area up to 3,000 sq. ft. and then 3.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of net floor area over the initial 3,000 square feet (the same as the amendment described above before the change). 

It is anticipated that the decreased costs associated with the reduced parking requirements will help to encourage additional office development in this area. As an example, the parking requirement of a 10,000 sq. ft. office building will be reduced by 4 spaces (from 37 to 33 spaces) under the new regulations.

Although this change will result in a reduction in the total parking requirements for business and professional offices of all sizes, the highest percentage reductions will occur for buildings under 3,000 square feet. It is also noted that small additions to existing buildings may be possible without the requirement for any additional parking with the adoption of this amendment.

Overall, it is anticipated that the combination of the above changes will promote additional office development throughout the City. The immediate targets for this development are the Downtown, the Congress Avenue corridor, the Four Corners area and the Federal Highway corridor.

For more information, please contact the Planning & Zoning Department at (561) 243-7040.