Off-Street Parking Requirements for the ME: Mixed Employment District in Reno

In the City of Reno, the ME: Mixed Employment district is classified as a Level 2 Parking District, which generally requires one parking space per 400 square feet for offices and one space per 250 square feet for retail developments. Residential uses within the ME: Mixed Employment district are restricted to a specific geographic boundary and must adhere to high-density standards, typically requiring one space per 1,250 square feet of unit area. All required parking in the ME: Mixed Employment district must be provided on-site and remains subject to strict prohibitions against using public streets for commercial vehicle staging or backing maneuvers [Section 18.04.703 and Section 18.04.1103].

Parking District Classification

The City of Reno categorizes different areas into parking districts to determine the intensity of requirements. The ME: Mixed Employment district is designated as a Level 2 Parking District [Section 18.04.705]. All calculations for the number of spaces are based on the gross floor area (GFA) of the use, though structured parking within a building is not counted toward the GFA for these calculations [Section 18.04.704].

Residential Parking Requirements in ME

Residential development, including multi-family and single-family attached dwellings, is permitted in the ME: Mixed Employment district only within a specific area bounded by Sutro Street, Valley Road, Timber Way, and the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way [Section 18.03.302]. These projects must follow the standards of the MF-30 (Multi-Family) district.

Residential Use Type	Level 2 District Minimum Requirement	Maximum Limit
Dwelling, Multi-family	1 space per 1,250 sq. ft. per unit	2 spaces per unit
Dwelling, Single-Family Attached	1 space per 1,250 sq. ft. per unit	3 spaces per unit
Dwelling, Live/Work	1 space per 1,250 sq. ft. per unit	3 spaces per unit
Group Home	1 space per 2 resident beds	N/A
Assisted Living Facility	1 space per 1.5 resident beds	N/A

Commercial and Industrial Parking Requirements in ME

As an employment-focused zone, the ME: Mixed Employment district accommodates a variety of office, service, and industrial uses. The following table outlines the requirements for typical commercial activities permitted within the district [Table 4-6].

Commercial/Industrial Use Type	Level 2 District Minimum Requirement
Office, General	1 per 400 sq. ft.
Financial Institution	1 per 400 sq. ft.
Call Center	1 per 50 sq. ft. of computer/phone bank area, plus 1 per 250 sq. ft. of other office area
General Retail (all sizes)	1 per 250 sq. ft.
Personal Service, General	1 per 300 sq. ft.
Restaurant	1 per 200 sq. ft.
Custom and Craft Manufacturing	1 per 1,000 sq. ft. of processing area
Storage, Distribution, and Warehousing	1 per 3,300 sq. ft.
Laboratory	1 per 400 sq. ft.

Accessible and Bicycle Parking

Developments in the ME: Mixed Employment district must provide accessible (handicap) parking based on the total number of spaces provided. For example, a lot with 1 to 25 spaces requires at least one accessible space, while 26 to 50 spaces require two [Table 4-7].

Bicycle parking is also mandatory for non-residential uses in the ME: Mixed Employment district. Most commercial uses require one bicycle space per 1,000 square feet of area for the first 6,000 square feet, with additional spaces required for larger footprints [Table 4-8].

District-Specific Design and Staging

The City of Reno applies specific operational standards to the ME: Mixed Employment district to ensure industrial activities do not interfere with public infrastructure:

No Backing from Streets: All maneuvers for loading and unloading, particularly for trucks, must occur entirely within the property lines. Backing from a public street into a site is prohibited [Section 18.04.1103].
Staging Prohibitions: The use of public streets for the parking or staging of trucks awaiting loading is strictly prohibited in the ME: Mixed Employment district [Section 18.04.1103].
Surface Materials: Off-street parking areas must be surfaced with at least two inches of asphaltic concrete or Portland concrete. Alternate materials like pavers may be used only with approval from the Administrator for Low Impact Development (LID) purposes [Section 18.04.707].

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