Ms. Goodwin reviewed the subject meeting last week at which she obtained the |
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communications mentioned at the beginning of the meeting. The documents are really |
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intended for storm water management and reducing the amount of impervious surfaces |
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which then reduces the amount of runoff into the streams and lakes, etc. Another |
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reason for looking at ways to do that would be lowering parking lot standards. The |
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Planning Department conducted a parking survey in December 1998 and counted the |
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actual number of cars in local strip centers. The city may need to consider revising the |
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parking requirements and the number and dimension of parking spaces. This relates |
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to the proposed widening of Rochester Road in that the way to achieve the required |
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180 feet of right-of-way along some of the existing shopping centers could involve the |
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elimination of at least one row of parking spaces which is approximately 20 feet. |
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Although this is no longer an era of compact cars but rather sport utilities, 9-by-18 |
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parking spaces may not be the most practical; but there may be opportunities for land |
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banking. The parking survey was done on a Saturday two weeks before Christmas, |
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and many of the centers had less than 50 percent of the parking spaces filled. |
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