(A) Purpose.
(1) To reduce traffic problems and hazards by eliminating unnecessary on-street parking and loading. Every use of land, except those located in the UB District, must include on-premises parking and loading sufficient for the needs normally generated by the use, as provided by this section.
(2) Off-street parking spaces shall be used only for the parking of vehicles of occupants, patrons, visitors or employees and shall not be used for any kind of loading, sales, servicing or continuous storage of vehicles for more than 48 hours.
(3) Automotive vehicles or trailers of any type without plates in an inoperable condition so as to be deemed dead storage shall be prohibited in residential districts other than in completely enclosed buildings and shall not be parked or stored in any district unless specifically authorized under the terms of this chapter.
(4) Space allotted to loading berths and loading areas shall not be used to satisfy parking space requirements.
(B) Non-conforming parking, enlargement or alteration of existing structure.
(1) No use lawfully established prior to the effective date of this section shall be required to provide and maintain the parking and loading requirements of this section, provided that parking and loading spaces required by any previous ordinance pursuant to state statutes shall be continued and maintained.
(2) For any nonconforming use which is hereafter damaged or partially destroyed, and which is lawfully reconstructed, re-established or repaired, parking and loading facilities equivalent to those maintained at the time of the damage or partial destruction shall be restored and continued in operation, provided, however, it is not necessary to restore or maintain parking or loading facilities in excess of those required by this chapter for equivalent new uses.
(3) When the intensity of use of any building, structure or premises shall be increased through the addition of dwelling units, floor area, beds, seating capacity or other unit of measurement, parking and loading facilities shall be provided for such increase in intensity of use.
(4) When the existing use of a building, structure or premises shall be changed or converted to a new use permitted by this chapter, parking and loading facilities shall be provided as required for the new use.
(5) Parking and loading facilities in existence on the effective date of this section shall not be reduced below or if already less than, shall not be further reduced below, the requirements for a new use under this section.
(C) Design flexibility.
(1) Due to particularities of any given development, the inflexible application of required parking spaces may result in parking and loading spaces in excess of need. Upon the written request of the applicant, the Director may authorize a reduction of required parking spaces not to exceed 10%. Approval of reduction of required parking spaces by the Director shall be in writing and shall include justification for allowing the reduction.
(2) Upon written request by the applicant, up to 25% of the dedicated parking area may remain unpaved and in greenspace until such time as the need for maximum parking is determined. This decision and determination shall be at the discretion of the Director. The decision shall be ratified by or appealed to the APC. The greenspace shall not be counted toward required parking landscaping or bufferyards.
(D) Required parking spaces.
(1) In determination of required parking spaces, any fraction of less than 1/2 shall be disregarded, while a fraction 1/2 or greater shall be counted as one parking space.
(2) For uses not specified in this section or the instance requirements for an adequate number of spaces is unclear, the number of spaces shall be determined by the administrative official on the basis of similar requirements, the number of persons served or employed and the capability of adequately serving the visiting public. The determination may be reviewed by the APC or appealed to the BZA.
(3) Unless noted in accordance with this section, the number of required automobile parking spaces shall be considered the minimum allowable number of spaces for any particular use.
Use | Required Parking |
College, university, trade or business schools | 1 per 3 students and employees |
Elementary or junior high school | 3 per classroom |
High school | 6 per classroom |
Government uses, library, information center | 1 per 250 square feet |
Commercial greenhouse | 1 per 3 employees, plus 1 per 125 square feet of sales area |
Veterinary animal hospital, kennel | 1 per 3 animal spaces (cages or pens) |
Automobile sales, repair or service station | 1 per 200 square feet of gross floor area, plus 1 per employee, plus 1 per 1,000 square feet |
Commercial facility for raising non-farm fowl and animals | 1 per 3 employees, plus 1 per 125 square feet of sales area |
Industrial uses, confined feeding, slaughter house, warehouse, wholesale | 1 per 2 employees |
Golf and country clubs | 3 per golf hole |
Outdoor recreation facility | 5 per acre |
Non-profit membership organizations, stadium, coliseum, theater | 1 per 5 seats |
Hotel, motel, bed and breakfast | 1 per sleeping room |
Bowling alleys | 4 per lane |
Lodge or private club | 1 per 800 square feet of gross floor area |
Stable, public | 1 per 5,000 square feet of lot area |
Day care center | 1 per 6 children, plus 1 per 2 employees |
Residential dwellings | 2 per dwelling unit |
Group residential facility, nursing home | 1 per 4 residents |
Retail trade: eating and drinking establishments | 1 per 3 seats |
Retail trade: general merchandise, services: general, medical and personal | 1 per 200 square feet of gross floor area |
Trailer or farm implement sales area | 1 per 1,000 square feet of lot and floor area |
Convalescent home | 1 per 4 residents |
Hospital | 1 per 4 beds, plus 1 per doctor, plus 1 per 3 employees, plus 1 per hospital vehicle |
Medical office, clinic | 1 per 2 employees, plus 3 per doctor |
Cemetery, crematory or mortuary | 1 per 2 employees, plus 1 per 6 seats |
Mass transit station | 1 per 2 employees, plus 1 per 4 public seats |
(E) Joint use. Nonresidential uses, within the same and/or separate structures, may provide joint parking provided the total number of spaces is not less than the sum of requirements for the various uses. To the extent that developments with joint parking operate at different times, the parking spaces may be credited to both uses.
(F) Satellite parking.
(1) Parking shall be required on site, except as provided in this section; however, the BZA may grant satellite parking to any non-residential use by special exception. At least part of the parking must be within 300 feet of the proposed use.
(2) A site development plan must accompany any such application for special exception and must include the following:
(a) Adjacent streets, alleys and lots;
(b) All uses to be served including the location, use and number of parking spaces provided;
(c) A layout drawn to scale indicating aisles, driveways, entrances, exits, turn-off lanes, parking spaces, setbacks, drainage facilities, landscaping, lighting, pavement and identification signs including location, size and design;
(d) All satellite parking shall be developed, maintained and used in accordance with the approved site development plan and all other requirements; and
(e) Any change or other modification of uses served or number or parking spaces shall require amendment and re-approval by the BZA.
(G) Bicycle parking. Nonresidential uses located in the LB, GB or PD Districts containing 30 or more automobile spaces shall provide bicycle parking facilities at the rate of one bicycle parking space per ten parking spaces, up to a maximum of 20 bicycle parking spaces. Bicycle racks shall be installed to support the frame of the bicycle.
(H) Dimensions of parking spaces.
(1) Each parking space shall contain a rectangular area nine feet wide and 19 feet long, exclusive of pedestrian passageways, access drives, aisles, ramps or landscaped areas.
(2) In parking areas containing ten or more parking spaces, up to 20% of the spaces may contain a rectangular area only 7-1/2 feet wide and 15 feet long. The spaces shall be conspicuously designated as reserved for small or compact cars.
(3) Parking areas set aside for parallel parking shall contain a rectangular area nine feet wide and 22 feet long.
(4) Parking aisle widths shall conform to the following table.
Aisle Width | |||||
Parking Angle | 0° | 30° | 45° | 60° | 90° |
One-Way Traffic | 13' | 11' | 13' | 18' | 24' |
Two-Way Traffic | 19' | 20' | 21' | 23' | 24' |
(5) Each loading space shall be of a size not less than that required for parking space, but scaled larger to delivery vehicles expected to be used.
(6) Driveways shall be a minimum ten feet for one-way traffic and 18 feet for two-way traffic, except that a 10-foot driveway is permissible for two-way traffic when the driveway is not longer than 50 feet and provides access to a maximum of five parking spaces.
(I) General design.
(1) Nonresidential parking or loading areas along the street-front should be minimized. When possible, parking or loading areas should be placed to the rear of the structure. All parking or loading areas shall be designed with appropriate means of movement and shall be so arranged that movement can proceed safely without posing a danger to pedestrians or other vehicles. No parking area shall be so designed as to require backing into a public street, public or private pedestrian access way or from a public alley.
(2) All parking or loading spaces shall be designed, arranged and regulated as to open directly upon an aisle or driveway without obstruction.
(3) All parking areas shall be striped and channelized as appropriate. Parking spaces shall be marked and access lines clearly defined, including directional arrows to guide internal movement and directional signs as necessary.
(4) All parking or loading areas shall be maintained in good condition and free of weeds, dirt, trash and debris.
(5) Parking spaces shall be provided with bumper guards or wheel stops so located that no part of a parked vehicle will extend beyond the boundary of the parking area.
(6) No more than 15 parking spaces shall be permitted in a continuous row.
(7) All parking areas consisting of more than 60 spaces shall provide separate pedestrian walkways. The walkways should generally be oriented perpendicular to and between parking bays.
(a) One walkway can serve as a collector for up to four rows of parking spaces.
(b) The walkway should be a minimum of four feet wide, allowing an additional 30 inches on each side for overhanging of vehicles.
(c) All walkways should be constructed to be clearly defined through the use of material, landscaping or other form of delineation.
(8) Any use which fronts upon and utilizes access to a primary or secondary arterial shall provide and utilize a common frontage or access lane for the purpose of access, parking and loading.
(9) Required parking spaces may be open to the sky or enclosed in a structure. Parking structures shall be treated as any major structure and shall be subject to all applicable structural requirements of this chapter and the issuance of an improvement location permit.
(10) Parking structures shall be designed to be architecturally compatible with their surroundings, including appearance, size, scale, building materials and bulk.
(11) All parking areas shall conform to state and federal requirements regarding handicap accessibility.
(J) Surface. All parking or loading areas for five or more automobiles shall be developed in accordance with the following standards:
(1) Parking and loading areas shall be graded and surfaced with an all weather paving material such as asphalt, concrete or other material that will provide equivalent protection against potholes, erosion and dust. However, a gravel surface may be used for a period not exceeding one year after the date of granting the occupancy permit where ground conditions are not immediately suitable for permanent surfacing as specified in this section.
(2) All areas shall be striped and channelized as appropriate. Parking stalls shall be marked and the access lines clearly defined, including directional arrows to guide internal movement.
(K) Landscaping. Parking lots should be effectively landscaped with trees and shrubs to reduce the visual impact of glare, headlights and parking lot lights from the public right-of-way and from adjoining properties. In addition, parking lots should be adequately shaded to reduce the amount of reflected heat.
(1) Perimeter bufferyard. Parking or loading areas abutting any street-front or residential use shall provide a perimeter Bufferyard E for parking and Bufferyard G for loading areas or that required for the proposed use in the bufferyard section of this chapter, whichever is greater.
(2) Interior landscaping. Interior landscaping shall be comprised of one canopy tree and three shrubs for every 2,000 square feet of parking area. The following alternatives may be considered in design of the parking area.
(a) A continuous landscape strip between every four rows of parking. The strip should be a minimum of eight feet in width to accommodate a row of shrubs and canopy trees.
(b) Large planting islands of greater than 600 square feet to be located throughout the parking area and planted with canopy trees, shrubs and ground cover. The islands may be located at the end of parking rows.
(c) Planting islands a minimum of nine feet wide between every ten to 15 spaces. Each planting island should include a minimum of one canopy tree.
(d) Planting islands along pedestrian walkways. The plantings should serve to clearly delineate the pedestrian access and provide for adequate shade along the walkway.
(3) Maintenance. Maintenance of landscaping for parking and loading areas shall be in accordance with the bufferyard section of this chapter.
(4) Lighting. Lighting provided to illuminate off-street parking areas shall be so arranged, shielded and directed upon the parking area in such a manner as to not reflect or cause glare into adjacent properties or interfere with street traffic.
(5) Loading and unloading.
(a) Uses, except those that do not receive or transport goods in quantity by truck delivery, shall be provided loading berths. Each loading and unloading berth must include a 12-foot by 45-foot loading space with a 14-foot height clearance.
(b) Loading and unloading berths must he a minimum distance from the nearest residential use in accordance with the following table.
Required Berths | Berth Distance from Residential Uses (feet) | |
Required Berths | Berth Distance from Residential Uses (feet) | |
Retail department store, wholesale storage, warehousing or other business use | ||
—3,000 to 15,000 square feet gross floor area | 1 | |
—Each 15,000 square feet or additional fraction of gross floor area | 1 additional | |
Office building | ||
—25,000 to 100,000 square feet gross floor area | 1 | |
—100,000 to 550,000 square feet gross floor area | 2 | |
—Each 200,000 or additional fraction of gross floor area | 1 additional | |
Industrial use | 100 | |
—Less than 15,000 square feet gross floor area | 1 | 100 |
—15,000 to 40,000 square feet gross floor area | 2 | 100 |
—40,000 to 100,000 square feet gross floor area | 3 | 100 |
—Each 40,000 or additional fraction of gross floor area | 1 additional | 100 |
Commercial facility for breeding and raising non-farm fowl and animals | 1 | 100 |
Commercial greenhouse (15,000 square feet or less) | 1 | 50 |
Commercial greenhouse (more than 15,000 square feet) | 2 | 50 |
Hospital (200 beds or less) | 1 | 50 |
Hospital (200 to 500 beds) | 2 | 50 |
Hospital (more than 500 beds) | 3 | 50 |
Stadium or coliseum | 2 | 50 |
Airport | Same as “Industrial” | 100 |
Mineral extraction, borrow pit, topsoil) removal and their storage areas | Same as “Industrial” | 300 |
Outdoor commercial recreational enterprise | Same as “Industrial” | 50 |
Truck freight terminal | Same as “Industrial” | 100 |
(Ord. 98-25, passed 12-21-1998)