What is the purpose of the Parking Facility rule?

The purpose of the Parking Facility rule is to promote and support long term development planning while protecting air quality and public health. Vehicle emissions generate over 50% of air pollution in Broward County, and motor vehicles, as well as the number of vehicle miles traveled are expected to increase in the future. It is the responsibility of the County to provide the tools to protect air quality while supporting economical development

What are the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Carbon Monoxide?

There are two National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for CO. The 1-hour standard is 35 parts per million (ppm) and the 8-hour standard is 9 ppm. The CO standard which is most likely to be exceeded in the case of a parking facility is the 8-hour standard.

3)

What are the sources of CO?

There are both natural and man-made sources of carbon monoxide (CO). The natural emissions are widely distributed and result in a relatively low global background CO concentration. On the other hand, man-made emissions tend to be concentrated in local, mainly urban areas, and are responsible for the high CO concentrations associated with adverse health effects. The major man-made source of CO is motor vehicles - primarily automobiles and light trucks with gasoline burning internal combustion engines.

4)

Why did the Broward County Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department (EPGMD) establish the requirement to review a parking facility with a design capacity of 400 or more parking spaces?

Parking facilities with 400 or more parking spaces, depending on location, capacity and levels of service of surrounding roads and intersections, impact air quality by generating CO emissions that might cause an exceedance of the CO standard. The parking facility Air Quality Impact study will provide information on the project's air quality impact.

In the last 18 months, the Pollution Prevention, Remediation and Air Quality Division has reviewed projects where the proposed number of parking spaces was less than 750, which resulted in estimated CO concentrations that were either at or exceeding the eight-hour CO standard. The reasons were: location of the project, high number of parking facilities located within 1/4 of a mile of the project, over capacity roads, and surrounding streets and intersections with levels of service (F).

5)

What should the applicant do if complete information on all phases is not available?

The ordinance is flexible in allowing submittal of partial information for review. Usually, applicants submit information estimating the total number of parking spaces for the entire project. If the applicant can't use best estimates at the time of analysis, then the applicant can submit that information and apply only for the known number of parking spaces. The applicant should submit an additional application for the other phases at the time that information becomes available.

6)

Does the ordinance provide the methodology to perform the Air Quality Impact study?

The ordinance lists the information needed to perform the Air Quality Impact study providing detailed procedure and review parameters. Also, the Pollution Prevention, Remediation and Air Quality Division provides an informational package and technical support to the applicants when they prepare an application required to get a parking facility license.

7)

What happens if the Parking Facility license expires and the facility is not completed and operational (facility has not received the Certificate of Occupancy)?

The revised ordinance provides the owner/applicant with two options:

8)

Will EPGMD provide a list of proposed mitigation measures?

EPGMD can provide examples of mitigation measures. EPGMD will not make recommendations.

9)

What happens if the applicant does not follow the Parking Facility licensing requirements?

The owner/applicant would be subject to the provisions of Chapter 27, Article I, General Violations and Prohibitions.