Does Ferndale have a parking maximum, and is downtown exempt from parking minimums?
Yes to both. Ferndale caps parking as well as requiring it. A development may build at most 110% of its minimum required parking; one- to four-unit dwellings are exempt from this cap (Section 7.11). The intent is to prevent oversized lots, so you cannot simply add extra spaces beyond the published ratio plus 10%.
On the minimum side, several projects are exempt from parking minimums entirely (Section 7.07.B):
- Non-residential projects in the CBD
- Affordable housing units
- Businesses with an occupancy of 30 or fewer, when the use is not a special land use
For everything else, minimums come from the Parking Manual (Section 7.07.A), and an applicant may deviate by submitting a parking study reviewed by the CED Director. If your project sits near a district boundary or mixes exempt and non-exempt uses, confirm the math with CED at 248-336-4370.
Sources
Full text: Ferndale ordinance on city-hosted PDF (Municipal Code Online mirror). Applies to districts: CBD, MXD-1, MXD-2.
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