A parking count is not a parking plan.
Parking is both a regulatory calculation and a geometric problem. The requirement tells you what to investigate; a workable layout shows whether vehicles, pedestrians, services, and the building can share the site.
Twenty stalls.
One part of the site.
5,400 square feet in this simplified module—before access connections, landscape, accessible-space adjustments, and other site needs.
Establish the applicable parking rule
Find the adopted requirements for the proposed use and location. Record the unit of calculation: dwelling units, seats, floor area, or another basis. Check rounding, mixed-use provisions, overlays, and any applicable reductions or maximums. Do not assume a parking minimum exists everywhere or that a reduction available in one district applies to another.
Keep required and provided counts separate
As a hypothetical calculation, 24 units at an assumed 1.25 spaces per unit gives 30 spaces before any separately applicable requirements. If a scenario lays out only 27, the numerical difference is three. That result calls for investigation of the layout or entitlement assumptions; it does not by itself establish that a variance or shared-parking arrangement is available.
Test a module, then the site
Assume only for a geometric exercise that two 18-foot-deep stall rows share a 24-foot aisle: the module is 60 feet deep. Ten assumed 9-foot-wide stalls per row produce a 90-foot-long module, or 5,400 square feet for 20 spaces. This excludes access connections, landscape areas, accessible-space adjustments, setbacks, and other design conditions. It is not a recommended stall standard or a site-wide area-per-space rule.
Design the accessible connection
Accessible parking involves spaces, access aisles, slopes, signs, vertical clearance where applicable, and a route to the entrance. The Access Board’s ADA parking guide explains the relationship between parking facilities and accessible routes. Coordinate these features with the actual entrance location, not just the closest point on the building wall.
Reserve room for the things that move
Draw access drives, turning movements, service and loading areas, refuse collection, pedestrian crossings, and any required emergency access. A diagram that counts painted rectangles but omits maneuvering is not a test fit. Separate a daily passenger-vehicle movement from the occasional service vehicle that governs a tight corner.
- Confirm curb-cut and driveway assumptions with the responsible authority.
- Check how grades and drainage affect the layout.
- Coordinate landscaping and stormwater areas with circulation.
- Re-test the arrangement when the building footprint or unit count changes.
Primary references
Use these sources as a starting point, not a project-specific determination. Check the full context, applicable rules, and current project assumptions before using a result.