It’s critical that you have enough parking spaces to accommodate your expanded church facility. Relying upon the municipal code is not practical. It won’t be enough. You need to plan the number of required parking spaces based upon your church building’s occupancy.
Here is the way that we figure how may parking spaces you will need; or perhaps how many seats you should design for your auditorium based upon the number of spaces you already have.
Cars. On a typical weekend (not Christmas or Easter!), count the number of vehicles both on-site and off-site, that are likely to contain people inside your building, after your peak service has begun.
People. You will need to account for every person in the building at your peak service based upon the building being “fully utilized” which means approximately 85% of total capacity. Therefore, you will need to determine the capacity of the worship auditorium, the children’s classrooms, the youth area{s}, the adult bible study rooms (if occupied on Sunday during this peak service), those hanging out in the lobby between services, and finally all of your staff and volunteers present on site.
Calculations
Average Occupants per Car. We need to know, based on your demographics, how many people, on average, arrive in one car. We have seen this range from 1.8 occupants to 2.7 occupants per vehicle. How many kids can you stuff into one car?
Required Parking Spaces. Now take the total count of “people” occupying the building (at peak) and divide by the average occupants per car. This is the number of parking spaces you will need access to. Most, if not all of the parking spaces, should be under your church’s complete and unlimited control. This can be a combination of spaces on-site and spaces on the street, adjacent to the church, but only provided that they will always be available.
Never plan for parking by using another owner’s property, unless you have a long-term lease. We can share stories that you wouldn’t believe.
If you are thinking of expanding your church facility, then your next step will be to complete a strategic plan and financial feasibility before you start planning the building and the site. We don’t recommend that you hire an architect until you have a clear view of your future total project costs.
CFS is a full-service commercial real estate development organization committed to serving churches. This vision aligns with our principals’ personal values as followers of Jesus Christ. CFS provides A to Z services including strategic planning, financial feasibility, site or building selection, capital campaign, financing (as owner’s representative), project team selection, project and construction management (also as owner’s representative), furniture, fixtures, equipment, audio, visual, light procurement, and relocation coordination.
For more information about Church Facility Solutions, check out us out at https://churchfacilitysolutions.com or contact us at info@churchfacilitysolitions.com.