Off-Street Parking Standards for the IM: Industrial Manufacturing District

In the City of Arlington’s IM: Industrial Manufacturing district, off-street parking for commercial and industrial projects is primarily determined by specific usage ratios or a graduated scale known as Schedule B. While the IM district is intended for heavy industrial use, any multi-family residential development permitted within its boundaries is required to provide one parking space per dwelling unit plus additional designated spaces for office staff and visitors. Most industrial activities, such as warehousing and manufacturing, utilize a declining ratio where larger floor areas require fewer spaces per thousand square feet.

Residential Parking Requirements in the IM District

Under the City of Arlington Unified Development Code, residential uses within the IM: Industrial Manufacturing district are generally limited to multi-family developments or mixed-use projects as permitted by supplemental standards [Section 3.1.5]. When multi-family residential uses are established within a non-residential zoning district like IM, they must adhere to specific "Accessory Parking" rules in addition to the primary residential requirement [Section 5.4.3.A].

Residential Use Type	Parking Space Requirement
Multi-family (Primary Use)	1 parking space per dwelling unit
Multi-family (Accessory - Staff)	5 parking spaces for office staff
Multi-family (Accessory - Visitor)	1 space per 10,000 square feet of gross residential floor area

Commercial and Office Parking Requirements

Commercial uses permitted within the City of Arlington’s IM district, such as offices, medical clinics, and retail establishments, are assigned fixed parking ratios based on their Gross Floor Area (GFA) [Section 5.4.3.A].

Commercial/Office Use Type	Required Number of Spaces
Office, Business or Professional	2.5 per 1,000 sf GFA
Medical or Dental Office or Clinic	4 per 1,000 sf GFA
General Retail Store	3 per 1,000 sf GFA
Bank or Financial Institution	2.5 per 1,000 sf GFA
Restaurant (Standard)	10 per 1,000 sf GFA (includes outside dining)
Custom and Craft Work	2 per 1,000 sf GFA

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Warehouse Standards (Schedule B)

The majority of industrial and high-intensity commercial uses in the City of Arlington's IM district are subject to "Schedule B." This schedule applies a tiered requirement for indoor storage, warehousing, assembly, and manufacturing areas, where the ratio of required spaces decreases as the facility size increases [Section 5.4.3.B].

Use or Activity Type	Floor Area Tier	Required Number of Spaces
Office or Administrative Area	All sizes	2 per 1,000 sf GFA
Indoor Sales Area	All sizes	3 per 1,000 sf GFA
Storage, Warehouse, Assembly, or Manufacturing	1 - 3,000 sf	3 per 1,000 sf GFA
Storage, Warehouse, Assembly, or Manufacturing	3,001 - 5,000 sf	2 per 1,000 sf GFA
Storage, Warehouse, Assembly, or Manufacturing	5,001 - 10,000 sf	1.25 per 1,000 sf GFA
Storage, Warehouse, Assembly, or Manufacturing	10,001 sf or more	0.8 per 1,000 sf GFA
Outdoor Sales or Storage Area	3,000 sf or less	1.25 per 1,000 sf GFA
Outdoor Sales or Storage Area	More than 3,000 sf	1 per 1,000 sf GFA

General Calculation Rules

When calculating the total number of required spaces for a project in the City of Arlington, the following administrative rules apply:

Cumulative Totals: For projects containing a variety of functions (e.g., a manufacturing plant with a large office component), the total number of required spaces is the sum of the requirements for each distinct function [Section 5.4.3.B].
Fractions: When the calculation results in a fractional number, any fraction exceeding 0.5 must be rounded up to the next higher whole number [Section 5.4.4.A].
Area Measurements: Square footage-based standards are computed based on the Gross Floor Area of the use. Structured parking within a building is not included in the GFA for these calculations [Section 5.4.4.C].

Bicycle Parking Requirements

The City of Arlington requires industrial and multi-family developments to provide off-street bicycle parking to support multi-modal transportation [Section 5.4.11].

Use Category	Required Bicycle Parking
Multi-family Residential	20% of the number of units
Industrial Uses	5% of the total required automobile spaces (minimum of 2)
Commercial/Retail	5% of the total required automobile spaces (minimum of 2)

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