On May 21st, 2009 the Kansas City, MO City Council adopted a new development code that included provisions for bicycle parking in most new developments. The full bike parking regulations are available here, and the highlights are below:
General Requirements
- Requirements apply to new development or a change in use of an existing building.
- Must be provided by most businesses, offices, public buildings, and multifamily housing.
- The number of bike racks is determined as a ratio of the automobile parking requirement
- Two types of parking are defined
- Short term parking – Customer parking on the sidewalk or near the building entrance
- Long term parking – Secure parking for employees of a business, or for tenants of apartment, condo, loft buildings. Can be in a basement, storage room, garage, or outside under a canopy or roof overhang.
- No bike parking is required for single-family houses or apartment/condo buildings with 12 or fewer units
- There are standards for the design and placement of bike racks, including dimensions and spacing.
- The “Inverted U” or “staple” type of rack is preferred.
- Parking garages must include bike racks.
Special Incentives for Bicycle Parking
Businesses that provide extra facilities like dressing rooms, locker rooms, showers, etc. may opt to reduce their automobile parking requirement by 15%. This means if a developer goes above and beyond the minimum, they can build a smaller parking lot or garage.
Traffic Impact Analysis
Projects that are required to conduct a traffic impact analysis must include an analysis of the development’s impacts on bicycle, pedestrian, and transit traffic.
Implementation
The new development code came into full force in May, 2010. Any development projects that were in progress or applied for before this date are not subject to the new code.
Applicabaility in areas with reduced parking minimums
The new code eliminated all automobile parking minimums within the Downtown Loop, and reduced the minimums in areas adjacent to rapid transit routes. The bike parking requirement is still calculated at the full parking ratio.