The Lehi City Council voted unanimously to implement a new parking code for preschools that provide integrated therapeutic services, according to a October 1 report by the Lehi Free Press. The decision addresses concerns regarding parking overflow in residential areas caused by specialized educational facilities.
The code change was prompted by complaints from residents in the Foxhunt neighborhood, located at the southeast corner of 3200 North 1200 West in Lehi. Residents reported that employees of a nearby special-needs preschool used neighborhood streets for overflow parking.
Kyrk Wright, a resident of the neighborhood, told the city council in June that while he welcomes new businesses, bumper-to-bumper parking on his street posed a hazard. Wright noted that the special needs preschool employs many staff members who do not have adequate parking, resulting in 30 to 40 cars per day filling the streets of a neighborhood where many residents have young children or teenagers.
Under the new regulations, preschools with integrated therapeutic services must provide one parking stall per employee on the largest shift of the day, in addition to five visitor spaces. Alternatively, requirements may be determined by the planning commission based on a parking demand study.
This new code applies to new businesses in Lehi but does not affect facilities that are already operating in the city.
Current city code requires preschools to have one parking stall per 300 feet of gross floor area. While Fabian House, a preschool near the Foxhunt neighborhood, meets the current requirement, its staffing model contributes to the parking issue. The facility offers programs for neurotypical children and children on the spectrum from kindergarten through fifth grade, including applied behavior analysis therapy for children with autism. Fabian House employs one caregiver for every three to four children.
