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I would like to know how many square feet you would need for a parking lot if you had a double plex theatre with a total seating capacity 600?

Strangely enough most building codes don't measure your parking needs by the type of business you are or by the number of people you expect to have in the evening. Most building codes measure your parking need by retail square footage. We twinned a theatre that had 733 seats. In the twinning we lost about 100 seats but just in front of the balcony where we put the screen we moved the screen away from the front row of the balcony. In moving the screen forward we created 200 square feet of new floor space. Now this 200 square feet was behind a railing and not accessible to the public. Nor were there seats there. But in creating this space we triggered the need for a new parking space. Denver's building code for retail stated that you need one parking space for every 200 square feet of space. So we restriped the lot and gained another space.

So I would ask how big is the theatre along with the lobby and bathrooms included? Figure one space for every 200 square feet.

Most zoning bylaws in major urban areas specify parking spaces based on seating capacity for cinemas, not based on sqaure feet, as in retail space. These standards generally range from one parking space for 3 seats up to one car for seven seats. This ratio depends on wheter the site is close to mass transit, whwther it is in the core of a city where other parking may be available, or if it is in a suburban area and depends on car access. So, for 600 seats, you could require anywhere from 85 cars up to 200 cars. Figure that you average 100 cars per acre (43,560 square feet) will allow you to calculate roughly the area you would need for parking.

I just purchased two dilapidated buildings across the street from my theatre and plan to tear them down and put in a parking lot. One building is condemned and the other one should be. Total lot size is 80 X 140. (Mesbursmith: Will my dream triplex fit in there?)

What kind of insurance do I need for a parking lot? I asked my insurance agent, but she didn't get back to me yet.

I talked to the planning people today and the guy thought I could get the permits without much hassle as long as it is paved to keep down the dust and CalTrans agrees to put in a crosswalk. I didn't think of it then, but when I go back to talk to planning, I think I will remind them that their alley beside the theatre is not paved and gets a lot more traffic than my overflow parking ever will. Seems like they would just be happy someone is taking an interest to rid the town of its eyesores.

My 80' X 140' parking lot will begin to become a reality tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. The demolition crew will demolish the two buildings I bought a few months ago. Yesterday I closed a deal for the adjacent property, which is 100' (frontage) by 140'. That eventually (hopefully) will be the site of my new theatre. Before that happens (while I hope to save some cash) I plan to refurbish the old gas station that is currently on the lot and open a drive-in restaurant that will sell regular coffee and donuts in the morning, hot dogs and coney dogs with chips and soda during the lunch hour, and hard packed ice cream treats through the evening.

Mesbursmith or anybody: Is 100' X 140' big enough for a fourplex or will I need to use part of the other 80'?

[This message has been edited by BurneyFalls (edited May 20, 2003).]

My rural community bases its parking requirements on the number of seats in the theatre: one parking space for every three seats.

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Bob Allen
The Old Showman

If you plan on fixing up that old gas station, you should visit the forums at www.oldgas.com for ideas. Several people there are doing the same thing.