City Council:
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CITY OF
MOUNT VERNON ZONING CODE TO
TEMPORARILY REDUCE IN-LIEU
PARKING FEES ASSOCIATED WITH
LAND USE BOARD APPROVALS
Whereas, in correspondence dated May 7, 2026, the Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Community Development formally requested authorization to temporarily reduce in-lieu parking fees associated with land use approvals in order to promote consistency with the City's adopted Comprehensive Plan, encourage housing development, reduce unnecessary barriers to investment, and provide interim relief while the City undertakes a comprehensive revision of its Zoning Ordinance; and
Whereas, the City of Mount Vernon has adopted a Comprehensive Plan intended to guide future land use, housing, transportation, and economic development policy throughout the City; and
Whereas, the current Zoning Code requires the payment of in-lieu parking fees when an applicant is unable to provide the full amount of off-street parking required by the zoning ordinance and receives approval for a parking variance or related relief from the Zoning Board of Appeals ("ZBA"); and
Whereas, the current parking requirements contained in the Zoning Code require two parking spaces per dwelling unit for multi-residential developments regardless of unit size, occupancy characteristics, proximity to transit, or neighborhood context; and
Whereas, the City Council has determined that the existing parking requirements and associated in-lieu fee structure are inconsistent with the goals and recommendations contained within the adopted Comprehensive Plan, including policies intended to encourage transit-oriented development, housing opportunity, and appropriately scaled residential development; and
Whereas, the City Council recognizes that Mount Vernon's current parking requirements are significantly higher and less flexible than those of neighboring municipalities, many of which scale parking...
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