Othello garage sizes remain the same

Code reduces number of vehicles parked on streets

OTHELLO - The Othello City Council kept the same minimum size for garages at their Monday meeting.

The council discussed changing the municipal code to require garages to be 20 feet wide by 22 feet long. The code already requires any building in a single-family or a two-family residential zone to have a two-car garage. The code defines the size of a parking space as 8.5 feet wide by 18 feet long.

The issue arose after a duplex was built in the Roberts addition area of Othello, City Administrator Ehman Sheldon said. The area's zoning allowed for duplexes, but there were supposed to be a restriction on the area. Sheldon said the paperwork which would have prevented the duplex from being built was not on file with the city when the permit for the building was issued.

Mayor Shannon McKay said the council instituted the garage requirement to decrease the amount of people parking on the street and the current requirement wasn't large enough. It also means builders could be inconsistent about how large they build a garage.

"It allows for a 20 -by-20 (garage) over here and a 17-by-18 (garage) over there," he said. "I drove through where (Pete) Olsen is building and I think the 20-by-20 garages are adequate. I don't think the 17-by-18 garages are adequate."

Brent Giles, a builder from Othello, said the industry standard for a two-car garage is 20 feet by 20 feet and he wouldn't recommend building it any larger. If builders are required to make garages larger, it would increase housing prices.

"The market wins out," Olsen said. "That's why I build 20-by-20-(foot) garages."

Councilmember Ken Johnson said there wasn't any problem with the current law.

"(The size of the garage) is an issue (buyers) need to look at before they buy the house," he said. "It is unfortunate this came up. I know city staff has spent a lot of time looking at this."

If developers want to have a minimum garage size for their development, Councilmember Tim Wilson said they could file paperwork requiring builders to do that.

While the council decided not to set garage sizes, they changed other portions of the code including eliminating the garage requirement for multi-family residences.