(A) Reserved.
(B) Setbacks. All parking areas created after the effective date of this chapter must be designed and constructed so that no part of any vehicle may ever be nearer than the following:
(1) Side or rear property line adjacent to a residential use - 35 feet.
(2) All other interior side or rear property lines - 5 feet.
(3) From public rights-of-way - 15 feet.
(C) Design requirements. All new construction, expansion or modification of parking areas with more than four parking spaces must comply with the following:
(1) Each parking space and drive aisle must be unobstructed and must adhere to the design requirements included in the following table:
Figure 152.145.05 Required Length and Width of Parking Spaces | ||||||
Angle of Parking Space | Type | Minimum Width of Space at Curb (Non- Retail Uses) | Minimum Width of Space at Curb (Retail Uses) | Minimum Length of Space from Curb | Minimum Drive Aisle Width (One Way) | Minimum Drive Aisle Width (Two Way) |
90 degrees | Standard Compact | 9' 8' | 10' 8' | 18' 16' | 20' 20' | 25' 25' |
60 degrees | Standard Compact | 10' 4" 8' 6" | 11' 6½" 8' 6" | 21' 17' | 18' 18' | 25' 25' |
45 degrees | Standard Compact | 12' 7" 8' 6" | 14' 13/4" 8' 6" | 19' 8" 17' | 15' 15' | 25' 25' |
Figure 152.145.06
90 Degrees (Standard)
90 Degrees (Standard)
Figure 152.145.07
60 Degrees (Standard)
60 Degrees (Standard)
Figure 152.145.08
45 Degrees (Standard)
45 Degrees (Standard)
(2) Parking spaces for the disabled or for specially equipped vehicles for the disabled must comply with the State Building Code requirements and the Americans with Disability Act standards.
(3) Where parking spaces abut perimeter curbs, the length of the spaces may be shortened to account for the car overhang. They shall not be shorted adjacent to sidewalks.
(4) All parking spaces must be designated by clearly visible painted lines.
(5) Non-residential driveway width shall be approved at the time of site plan review.
(6) Required parking stalls may be designed and provided with electric car plug-in devices.
(D) Curbing required. Paving areas must be separated with curb and gutter from all designated landscaping areas, curb islands, and at ingress-egress locations to the traveled roadway. Curbing must be constructed of poured-in-place concrete equipped with a gutter and must be of a six inch non-surmountable design. Other curb options may be allowed as approved by the city.
(E) Paving. Storage areas and access drives for motorized vehicles or motorized recreational vehicles must be paved with a continuous impervious surface, except for properties where gravel driveways existed prior to November 10, 1989. This paving requirement includes the entire parking area including parking stalls, aisles and driveways. All areas shall be surfaced with concrete, bituminous, pavers, or pervious paving/paver systems provided appropriate soils and site conditions exist for the pervious systems to function. The City Engineer shall make the final determination if soils are conducive for use of pervious paving/paver systems. The use of pervious paving/paver systems is encouraged for pedestrian walkways, parking areas, overflow parking areas, snow storage areas, within raised medians and islands, emergency vehicle lanes and other low traffic areas. The owner shall provide soils information to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the City Engineer that appropriate conditions exist for the pervious paving/paver systems to function. Owners of property in Business, Industrial and Mixed-Use districts shall enter into a maintenance agreement to ensure ongoing maintenance and operation of all pervious paving/paver systems. This requirement also applies to open sales lots, open rental lots, and outdoor storage or display areas. Other materials such as decorative rock, gravel, sand, or bare soil are prohibited.
(1) Any parking spaces proposed in excess over minimum requirements, as listed in § 152.142, shall use a pervious paver system (provided appropriate soil conditions exist, as determined by the City Engineer), within the total square footage of excess parking proposed, as approved by the City Engineer.
(F) Drainage. Driveways shall not exceed a grade of four percent and all parking lots except those for less than four vehicles shall include a minimum of a one percent grade. Catch basins, sumps, and underground storm sewers must be installed if required by the City Engineer.
(G) Traffic regulatory signs. Stop signs are required at all driveway exits to city streets. Other signs may be required as part of the Site Plan Review process.
(H) Stacking. All drive-through service windows must contain room for a minimum stacking of six cars from the serving window and stacking must not extend into drive aisles.
(I) Demonstrated parking. The City Council may approve a “proof-of-parking” plan which allows for a portion of the required parking, but demonstrates that the minimum number of required parking spaces can be accommodated on the property and meet setback requirements. The plan must demonstrate that all other applicable ordinances can be met if the full amount of required parking were to be constructed. The area for future parking must be maintained as green space (sodded with grass or natural plant materials). Any changes to use and/or building size could invalidate the approval for “Demonstrated Parking”. Demonstrated parking may reserve the right to require installation of the additional parking spaces.
(J) Shared parking. Parking areas may be shared by uses on separate lots within 500 feet of the entrance to the use it will serve provided that the following are met:
(1) Certain uses that have their highest peak demand for parking at substantially different times of the day or week can consider a plan to provide required parking by sharing parking with adjacent uses based on the following criteria:
(a) Up to 50% of the off-street parking stalls required for a theatre, bowling alley, dance hall, bar, or restaurant may be supplied by the off-street parking facilities provided by types of uses specified as a primarily daytime use in subparagraph (d) below.
(b) Up to 50% of the off-street parking stalls required for any use specified under subparagraph (d) below as primary daytime uses may be supplied by the parking facilities provided by the following nighttime or Sunday uses: auditoriums incidental to a public or parochial school, churches, bowling alleys, dance halls, theatres, bars, or restaurants.
(c) Up to 50% of the off-street parking stalls required by § 152.142 for a church or for an auditorium incidental to a public or parochial school may be supplied by off-street parking facilities provided by uses specified under subparagraph (d) below as primarily daytime uses.
(d) For the purpose of this section, the following uses are considered as primarily daytime uses: banks, business offices, retail stores/shopping centers, personal service shops, household equipment or furniture shops, clothing or shoe repair or service shops, manufacturing, wholesale, and similar uses.
(2) The parking area must have a pedestrian connection, which includes a trail or walkway, paved with a continuous impervious surface that connects to all users of the shared parking.
(3) The parking plan for the area must demonstrate that all other applicable ordinances can be met.
(4) Any adjacent properties with approved shared parking agreements must have vehicle access between them.
(5) The agreement between all affected property owners may be approved as to content by the City Attorney and may define responsibilities for maintenance. Where shared use of parking exists within the same site or across sites, a properly drawn legal instrument, drafted and executed by the parties concerned, must be filed as a deed restriction on both properties with the records for both properties in the Registrar of Titles' or Recorder's Office of Hennepin County with proof thereof presented to the city. The intent in either case is that the agreement will be in the public record in perpetuity, and not altered unless approved by the city.
(6) Revocation. Failure to comply with the shared parking provisions of this section constitutes a violation of this Code. A shared parking agreement may be revoked by the parties to the agreement only if off-street parking is provided as otherwise set forth in § 152.142 of this Code, or if an alternative shared parking plan is approved by the city.
(L) Landscaping and screening.
(1) All landscaped areas, including parking area islands must be equipped with an underground, automatic irrigation system. The irrigation system must include a flow meter, moisture sensing devices and must be calibrated to meet all applicable City Codes.
(2) Interior parking lot area. Ten percent of the impervious, interior parking area must be landscape islands, rain gardens or other green space. The 10% is included as part of the total open space requirement.
(3) Parking area design. To break up large impervious areas and provide greater shading and reduction of heat island effect all parking lots of at least 25 parking stalls or more, in any Business, Industrial, Mixed Use, Multiple Family Residential Districts and non-residential uses in these district shall be designed with landscaped parking lot islands distributed throughout the entire parking area. To ensure adequate distribution of landscaped islands within parking lots no more than the maximum number of stalls as displayed in the table below may be installed without abutting some type of landscaped islands. Landscaped islands may be designed at the ends of stalls, in a continuous row between bays as shown in the diagram below, or in other patterns, provided that an island is abutting parking stalls based on the table below. Islands designed at the end of rows shall have a minimum size of 180 square feet. Continuous parking lot islands shall be at least nine feet in width.
Islands can be designed at the end of rows or in a continuous row to meet the maximum number of stalls between island requirements
Landscape Island Requirements | |
Use Type | Maximum Number of Stalls Between Island |
Residential - multiple family uses | 12 stalls |
Commercial, mixed use, civic and institutional uses | 22 stalls |
Industrial and business park uses | 22 stalls |
Open storage warehouse and like uses | 50 stalls |
Type and quantity of landscaping required in islands and within the parking area shall comply with landscaping standards in § 152.374. Each landscape island must be planted with a minimum of one deciduous large or two medium trees, two shrubs and pervious ground cover as required in § 152.374. Rain gardens shall be finished with hardy native plant species that will survive and remain aesthetically pleasing in wet and dry conditions. The trees and shrubs in the landscape islands and rain gardens shall count toward the overall required landscaping in § 152.374.
(4) Parking areas greater than 50,000 square feet shall be divided both visually and functionally into smaller parking courts.
(5) Screening. Screening must be required for any off street parking or loading area and may be any combination of landscaping, decorative fencing, and berms, approved through the Site Plan Review process or as required elsewhere in this chapter, unless further restricted by the following:
(a) Residential. All parking and loading areas over four spaces must be screened from adjacent residential zoning districts. Screening must be a minimum of six feet in height when installed as measured from the parking area surface to the satisfaction of the City Manager. Fences alone shall not meet this requirement.
(b) Street rights-of-way. All parking areas containing more than four stalls and all loading areas must be screened from adjacent public rights-of-way. Screening must be a minimum of three feet in height as measured from the top of the adjacent parking area surface.
(6) Perimeter parking area landscaping standards. Where a parking area serving a use abuts a street right-of-way, vacant land, or any other development (except another parking use area), perimeter landscaping strips shall be provided and maintained between the vehicle use areas and the abutting right-of-way or property line in accordance with the following standards:
(a) Location.
1. Perimeter landscaping strips shall be located on the same land where the parking use area is located.
2. Perimeter landscaping strips may not be placed within future street rights-of-way as identified on the city's transportation plans.
(b) Minimum width. When the parking use area is located within 50 feet of a street right-of-way, the perimeter landscaping shall be located within a planting strip at least six feet wide. In all other instances, the strip shall be the minimum width necessary to assure required landscaping is not damaged by vehicle or other on-site activity. In no instance shall the strip be less than three feet wide.
(c) Landscaping. Each perimeter landscaping strip shall include landscaping screening of three feet in height as measured from the top of the adjacent parking area surface or screening that is 80% opaque where a parking lot abuts a residential zoning district.
(M) Parking of motorized vehicles outside of driveway locations is only allowed on areas paved with a continuous impervious surface, or approved pervious surface, or on legal non-conforming parking areas.
(N) Pedestrian circulation. All parking lots in Business, Commercial, Mixed Use, Industrial, Multiple-Family and non-residential uses in residential zoning districts shall be subject to the following standards to provide a safe pedestrian environment:
(1) Parking areas shall include a direct and continuous pedestrian network within and adjacent to parking lots to connect building entrances, parking spaces, public sidewalks, transit stops, and other pedestrian destinations.
(2) At least one pedestrian route shall be provided between the main building entrance and the public sidewalk that is uninterrupted by surface parking and driveways.
(3) In larger parking lots or where parking lots serve more than one building or destination, designated pedestrian pathways for safe travel through the parking lot shall be provided.
(4) All pedestrian routes within a parking lot shall include a clear division from vehicular areas, with a change in grade, soft landscaping, or a change in surface materials.
(5) Where pedestrian routes cross street access driveways and other major drive aisles, crossings shall be clearly marked and sight distance for both pedestrian and vehicles shall be unobstructed.
(O) Credit for on-street parking. This subsection is intended to reduce the amount of unnecessary parking spaces and to encourage pedestrian activity as an alternative means of transportation. Credit for on street parking shall be allowed only within mixed use developments and districts. Some or all of the off street parking spaces as required in § 152.142 of this chapter may be met by the provision of on street spaces. Such credit shall require site plan review approval. Requests for on street parking shall meet the following requirements:
(1) All on street parking facilities shall be designed in conformance with the standards established by the city;
(2) Prior to approving any requests for on street parking, the development review team shall determine that the proposed on street parking will not materially adversely impact traffic movements and related public street functions; and
(3) Credit for on street parking shall be limited to the number of spaces provided along the street frontage adjacent to the use.
(P) Parking area stormwater management design requirements. Each development and redevelopment within and Business, Industrial, Mixed Use or Residential District that requires a parking lot under the code, shall incorporate a minimum of two of the follow stormwater management techniques:
(1) Rainwater and snowmelt shall be managed to encourage infiltration, evapotranspiration, and water re-uses to achieve water quality and quantity measures as required by the Watershed District in which the site is located. Design practices for managing stormwater may include, but are not limited to, the following practices:
(2) Permeable paving for parking spaces, drive aisles, overflow parking, snow storage areas, and other hard surfaces in the parking lot.
(3) Planting of trees, shrubs, and other absorbent landscaping throughout the parking lot to provide shade and places for water uptake.
(4) Creation of bio-retention areas, such as swales, vegetated islands, and overflow ponds.
(5) Inclusion catch basin restrictors and oil/grit separators as appropriate.
(6) Creation of opportunities to harvest rainwater from rooftops and other hard surfaces for landscape irrigation.
(7) Where installed, bio-retention areas shall be appropriately designed and located to filter, store, and/or convey the expected stormwater flows from surrounding paved areas.
(8) The appropriate watershed district shall have final review and permitting authority for all surface water management measures proposed.
(Q) Cart storage. Any retail commercial uses using carts shall provide ample space for the storage of customer service carts within off-street parking areas (unless all carts are stored and returned at the building entry). The need and specific amount of required cart storage space shall be determined as part of site plan review. When required, cart storage areas shall not occupy required off-street parking space, shall be clearly delineated, and include facilities for cart confinement.
(Ord. 2000-936; Am. Ord. 2003-1008, passed 11-3-03; Am. Ord. 2004-1012, passed 5-3-04; Am. Ord. 2005-1032, passed 2-7-05; Am. Ord. 2006-1059, passed 6-5-06; Am. Ord. 2010-1113, passed 4-5-10; Am. Ord. 2012-1133, passed 3-5-12)