High parking ratios are typically aligned with high parking
problems. With standard medical office
parking ratios currently at (or above) 5 parking stalls per every 1,000 square
feet of gross leasable area, you really don’t think parking will ever be an
issue. This is rarely the case. Parking tends to be a concern at medical
office campuses across the country, and is often one of the most important
issues to a patient. Further, the
availability of open and convenient parking spaces is usually below the
patient’s tolerance threshold.
Parking ratios are dependent on the average frequency and density
of customers at any given property type.
Restaurants have the highest parking need and ratio, with medical office
being second on the list. When compared
to standard office parking, which typically has requirements of 3 – 4 spaces
per 1,000 Sq Ft, medical space demands a higher count of parking stalls. The dense office environment of medical suites
creates a need for a higher parking ratio.
When visiting their doctor, one does not want to walk across
a large lot, and can get upset if it takes more than a few minutes to reach the
office lobby. As with any building, the
handicapped parking spaces are adjacent to the front doors, with the rest of
the stalls further away. The above
average congestion in medical offices parking lots creates parking lot
frustration across the country. People
don’t typically allot enough time to find available parking spaces when they
visit the doctor, and when in a hurry, this can cause serious frustration.
As higher parking ratios are needed, building subterranean
or above ground parking structures causes the development costs to skyrocket. To keep development expenses down, parking is
usually allocated at the bare minimum requirement. Until we start building more parking stalls than
the required bare minimum, we will always be placing ourselves below the future
need.
