Kitty Hawk, NC, of first flight fame, is considering changing a new ordinance that set the number of parking spaces for a restaurant. It was to be 1 per 55 square feet of serving area or 100 feet of gross floor area, which ever is greater, and then multiply by 1.15 (To accommodate employees).
Lets see — if the restaurant had 1500 square feet — about the size of a normal house, it would be required to have 17.25 spaces. Now a restaurant that size would have at a minimum of what 25 tables, so it would have at least 25 groups of people there assuming no one was in the bar — so figure 25 cars, plus what, 10 employees so that’s 35 cars. So the ordinance is only off by a factor of two. Frankly I don’t know why the city wants to get involved. Lets face it…if someone wants to open a restaurant, why not let them decide if there are enough parking spaces. If there aren’t, they probably will go out of business, or get a valet, or cut a deal with the garage down the street. It would seem to me that its their business.
At the same meeting the council tried to decide whether or not to let dogs run off the leash on the beach during non summer months. (On leash during summer months, don’t want to scare the tourists). One local commented that the dogs might chase the sea gulls. OMYGOD. Chase the sea gulls. Is Kitty Hawk going to the dogs — read all about it here.
