Parking lot areas shall be designed to reduce their visual impact, production of excess heat and effect on drainage. Appropriately sized landscaped areas shall be provided within each parking lot area allowing for a variety of shade trees to be planted that will not buckle the parking lot's surface and at the same time provide shade. Therefore, all off-street parking lot areas shall be designed using the "parking bay" concept, which consists of parking spaces grouped together and each parking bay separated by landscaped tree islands.
(a) Parking Lot Location. All parking spaces, drives or other structures for vehicular parking or movement shall be located to the rear or side of the principal building with no more than fifty (50) percent of such parking area located to the side of the principal building.
(1) Buildings larger than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet or attached to existing in-line retail space shall be permitted to have parking to the front of the building if the building is located more than three hundred (300) feet from the right of way and the parking lot is located no closer than two hundred (200) feet from the right of way.
(2) If a drive thru is deemed appropriate by the Planning and Zoning Commission and designed per Section 1199.03(h) of this Zoning Code, a drive lane may be permitted to be located in front of the building. In such case, the building shall be moved the furthest away from the build-to line as indicated in Section 1199.04(a) (1) of the Commercial Development Standards.
(b) Parking Bays. No parking bay shall contain more than twenty-four (24) total parking spaces, with a maximum of twelve (12) spaces in a single row.
(c) Maximum Number of Parking Spaces. Off street parking areas shall only be permitted to have twenty-five (25) percent more spaces than stated as the applicable minimum in Section 1185.03 of this Zoning Code.
(1) Parking spaces above the maximum shall be permitted with an additional sixty (60) square feet of landscaping provided for every one (1) additional parking spaces. The provided additional landscaping shall be in addition to the minimum landscaping required in Section 1191.02(c)(2) of this Zoning Code.
(2) Additional landscaping shall include a mix of trees and shrubs and be clearly identified as additional landscaping on the site's landscaping plan.
(d) Parking Lot Islands. Each landscaped tree island in a single loaded parking stall design shall have a minimum area of one hundred and sixty two (162) square feet with a minimum width of nine (9) feet. Each landscaped island located in a double loaded parking stall design shall have a minimum area of three hundred twenty four (324) square feet, with a minimum width of nine (9) feet. The landscaped tree island(s) shall contain at least one shade tree and include at least fifty (50) square feet of other plant materials.
(e) Bio-swales. Bio-swales, also referred to as rain gardens, may be incorporated in the overall parking lot design. In addition to separating parking bays, when properly designed bio-swales/rain gardens can also assist with stormwater quality and quantity management.
(f) Intersection Site Distance. When a drive isle intersects with an internal service road, nothing shall materially impede the vision between a height of two and one-half (2½) feet and ten (10) feet for the area bounded by the intersecting street lines of those roadways and a line joining points along said roadways fifteen (15) feet from the point of intersection. (Ord. 8-12. Passed 4-2-12.)