Property owners likely to protest measure to widen parking stalls

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

The City Council is considering a measure that would give motorists a little more room to maneuver into compact parking stalls.

But before you trade in your subcompact for a sport utility vehicle, you should know that the city Department of Planning and Permitting will not force property owners to enlarge stalls unless they are applying for a permit to expand.

"It wouldn't be retroactive," said Eric Crispin, the department director. "All of the stalls that are undersized would be nonconforming, and before we approve new permits for a property, they would have to bring stalls into compliance."

Although it might be difficult to find a driver who would argue against making parking spaces larger, building owners likely will protest when the measure goes before the City Council Zoning Committee this morning.

Resolution 03-242 asks the Department of Planning and Permitting to increase the width of a parking space by three inches to 8 feet 6 inches, and extend the length by one foot to 19 feet.

The Building Owners and Managers Association Hawai'i has submitted written testimony opposing the measure, arguing that widening the stalls will decrease the number of stalls in a facility, leaving the public with fewer places to park.

The decrease in stalls also would negatively affect those with monthly parking permits and those who are required to provide a specific number of parking spaces, the association argues.

Jeff Dinsmore, the general manager of Victoria Ward Ltd., which has approximately 4,000 parking spaces, said most of the parking stalls in the popular restaurant, shopping and entertainment complex already are 8 feet 6. Even if the company was forced to enlarge the smaller stalls, Dinsmore does not anticipate much of an impact, but "obviously it's an inconvenience. It's unnecessary money."

Resizing the stalls could also make parking layout less efficient, he said.

Crispin said if a large shopping center like Ala Moana — with 8,000 to 9,000 spaces — wanted to expand, it would be required to re-evaluate all of its parking spaces and restripe its lots.

Widening the spaces by three inches would mean the loss of more than 250 stalls, and the mall is required to have a minimum number of stalls. That could force the center to build a structure, where stalls can cost from $20,000 to $30,000 apiece.

For a property that has 3,000 stalls, it could cost $2 million just to widen the spaces. "And that doesn't take into account all of the design and engineering costs," Crispin said.

Crispin recognizes the trend toward bigger cars and that people complain the spaces are too tight. However, from an environmental perspective, "having people drive ever-bigger SUVs and Hummers and give them the larger stalls to do that in, I don't think that's a viable model to follow," he said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.