A parking requirement is the number of spaces a zoning code demands for a given use and size. It is a spatial rule with a financial consequence, because every required space consumes area that could have been leasable, and in Miami it is reduced near transit.
- Count the spaces before counting the units. On a small lot the parking layout is the design, and everything else fits around it.
- Transit-based reductions are conditional. Confirm the site qualifies before drawing a building that depends on the reduction.
- Structured parking changes the cost structure of a project entirely. Surface parking is cheap and eats land; structured is the reverse.
- Existing buildings are often legally nonconforming on parking. That status is an asset, and it can be lost by the wrong renovation.
Related terms
All termsDevelopment Envelope
The development envelope is the three-dimensional shape a parcel's rules allow: the volume left after height limits, setbacks, density caps, parking requirements, and lot coverage have each taken their bite.
DevelopmentTransect Zone
A Transect Zone is the category Miami 21 assigns to every lot, and it is the input to almost everything else.
DevelopmentLot Coverage
Lot coverage is the share of a lot that a building's footprint may occupy, stated as a percentage.
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