(a) Standards and Definitions. The following standards and definitions shall be used to determine accessory off-street parking requirements.
(1) "Accessory parking space" means an open or enclosed area (garage) directly accessible from a public street for parking of motor vehicles of owners, occupants, employees, customers or tenants of the main building or use. Each space shall be directly accessible from a drive or aisle, and shall have a minimum rectangular dimension of not less than nine feet in width and eighteen feet in length for ninety degree parking; nine feet in width and twenty two feet in length for parallel parking; ten feet in width and eighteen feet in length for sixty degree parking and twelve feet in width and eighteen feet in length for forty-five degree parking, exclusive of all drives, aisles, ramps and other circulation areas, and determined from an accurate plan of the area.
(2) "Employees" wherever the parking requirement is based on employees, means the maximum number of employees on duty on the premises at one time or on any two successive shifts, whichever is the greater.
(3) Required minimum parking spaces. Where the computation results in a fractional unit, one additional off-street parking space shall be provided.
(b) Minimum Required. Off-street parking spaces may either be provided in an enclosed garage or in an open lot and, except as otherwise provided by any statute, code, law, rule or regulation specifically applicable to the development project, shall be provided in accordance with the following schedule:
(1) One parking space for each dwelling unit, plus one parking space for each person employed at the development.
(2) When a multi-purpose senior center is developed as a main use rather than as an ancillary facility, the number of off-street parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with Section 1137.12
(a).
(c) Location of Off-Street Parking Facilities. Off-street parking shall be provided for the entire building or use on the same lot or under an adjoining lot under the same ownership whenever a building is constructed or new use established or whenever an existing building is altered, resulting in an increase of the number of dwelling units, seating capacity or other measurement criteria. Accessory parking facilities shall not be permitted in required front yards. Driveways shall not be used for permanent overnight parking within required front yards.
(d) Separate or Combined Use of Facilities. A building containing one use shall provide the required off-street parking spaces as required for the specific use. A building or group of buildings, containing two or more uses which have different off-street parking requirements shall provide parking spaces for not less than the sum required for each use.
(e) Accessways to Parking Areas. The location and width of entrance and exit driveways to parking facilities shall be planned as to interfere as little as possible with the use of nearby property and with pedestrian and vehicular traffic on the adjacent streets. Whenever possible, the center line of the access driveways on the frontage streets shall be at least forty feet from the right-of-way line of the nearest intersecting street and spaced at not less than 120 foot intervals, measured from the center line of the driveways.
Parking areas shall be designed so that vehicles may be driven forward into the street. Those of fifteen spaces or less shall have at least one single-lane driveway with a maximum of two single-lane or one two-lane driveway; those parking areas of sixteen spaces or more shall have two single lane driveways or one two-lane driveway; and each accessway shall be limited to two lanes.
The width of such entrances and exits, measured at the setback line, shall conform to the following schedule:
Lanes | Minimum Feet | Maximum Feet |
One | 10 | 12 |
Two | 18 | 24 |
The angle of intersection between the driveway and the street shall be between sixty degrees and ninety degrees. The radius at the edge from the apron shall be at least twelve feet, twenty feet recommended, so that a motor vehicle entering or leaving may not obstruct vehicles in other traffic lanes in the driveway or in the curb lane of the street.
(f) Improvements to Parking Areas.
(1) Proposed and existing parking areas and access driveways shall be improved with asphalt concrete or Portland cement concrete or other impervious surface and shall be so graded and drained into proper inlets so that all water is drained within the lot on which the parking area or driveway, is located in such manner that water shall not drain across other public or private property.
(2) Parking areas shall be so arranged and marked as to provide for orderly and safe parking and storage of vehicles in accordance with the design standards in this chapter, and shall be improved, except at entrances and exits with guardrails, curbs or other devices to define parking spaces or limits of paved areas, so as to prevent encroachment of vehicles into adjacent areas or public ways, yards or setbacks required by the Zoning Code, and so as to regulate the flow of traffic within the lot.
(Ord. 84-99. Passed 12-16-85.)
(3) The Planning and Design Commission may require landscape buffering or landscape screening to be provided on the parking area property to insulate the parking areas and driveways from a side or rear lot line of other property in Residential Districts or any other Zoning District with an existing residence thereon. Landscape buffering may include, but shall not be limited to, evergreen trees and bushes, compact hedges, shrubs, earth berms or a combination thereof. Landscape screening shall include plant materials or other nonliving durable material, including, but not limited to, walls, berms or substantially solid decorative wood fencing. Where trees and shrubs are used to provide a landscape buffer, such shall provide a year-round state of being substantially impervious to rays of light. It shall be acceptable to incorporate fencing as part of the landscape buffer where noise and lights create a need that such landscape buffer include fencing. Fencing may also be used to provide landscape screening. Whenever used, fences shall be of a decorative style and type. Walls and berms shall be used only in the most unusual cases. The desired buffering or screening effect shall be achieved not later than twelve months after the initial installation. The Planning and Design Commission may extend this twelve month period of time when a hardship would be created because of expected growth or material shortages, but such extension shall not be for more than two years from the time the initial installation was to have been or has been installed. All buffering and screening requirements imposed under the provisions of this subsection shall be installed and constructed before a certificate of occupancy is issued for a new building or structure.
No existing building, structure or vehicular use area adjoining a Residential District or any other Zoning District with an existing residence thereon shall be expanded, altered or modified until the plans are submitted by the owner or developer to the Planning and Design Commission for its determination as to whether the change adversely affects any properties in a Residential District or any other Zoning District with an existing residence thereon. The Commission, after its review, shall require, where necessary, the establishment of a landscape buffering area or the installation of landscape screening, or a revision of a previously established buffered area or screening. The width and height of the landscape buffer or landscape screening shall be determined by the Planning and Design Commission provided, however, that the maximum height of fencing, whether incorporated as part of the landscape buffer or whether used as a landscape screen, which may be permitted shall be seven feet above finished grade. The owner, tenant and developer shall be responsible for the maintenance and replacement, if necessary, of the landscape buffer or landscape screening. Owners or developers of off-street parking areas shall be required to include a plan for buffering or screening the parking areas and driveways, including a detailed description and sketch of the landscape buffer or landscape screening which visually and verbally outlines the nature and the effect of the proposed landscape buffer or landscape screening. A certificate of occupancy shall not be granted until the buffering or screening requirements have been completed. If completion, in the case of living materials, is delayed because of the growing season, a temporary permit to occupy may be granted by the Building Commissioner. Such delay shall not extend beyond the next growing season following the date upon which the certificate of occupancy is requested.
(Ord. 95-72. Passed 10-16-95.)
(4) In order to carry out the objectives of this Zoning Code and to preserve the use and enjoyment of adjoining property not less than five percent (5%) of an off-street parking area of a lot with twenty or more off-street accessory parking spaces shall have landscaping islands to break up the expanse of pavement. Each landscaping island shall not be less in size than the required area of one off-street parking space, shall be interspersed throughout the entire off-street parking area and shall have trees and such other landscaping as may be required by the Planning and Design Commission. Areas of landscaping surrounded by at least three sides by accessory off-street parking areas or accessories to parking areas may be considered a landscaped island. (Ord. 98-38. Passed 7-6-98.)
(g) Approval of Parking Plans. Detailed drawings of off-street parking facilities shall be submitted to the Planning and Design Commission for review and approval in accordance with all the provisions of this chapter before a building permit or certificate of occupancy may be issued. Such drawings shall show the number of spaces and locations, dimensions and descriptions of all features as set forth in this chapter.
(h) Required off-street parking facilities, including access driveways, accessory to an existing use, and those required as accessory to a use created or a building constructed or altered hereafter, shall be continued and maintained in operation, and shall not be reduced below the requirements during the period that the main use is maintained. In the event any such senior citizen development should cease to be occupied by at least seventy-five percent (75%) of persons sixty-two years of age or older, the off-street parking requirements would be at the rate of two spaces per dwelling unit. Failure by the owner or owners to supply such off-street parking shall cause the Building Commissioner to revoke the occupancy of a sufficient number of the dwelling units or seating capacity in order to bring the facility into conformity with parking requirements. Accessory off-street parking facilities shall not be used for the rebuilding, overhauling or dismantling of any vehicle as defined in Section 301.51 or for the storage of motor or body parts. Accessory off-street parking facilities may be used for minor repair services on passenger vehicles of an occupant or tenant only. Permitted minor repair services shall be completed within forty-eight hours; otherwise such repairs shall be performed within a permitted building.
(i) Areas used to provide required off-street parking, and accessways thereto, shall be illuminated whenever deemed necessary by the Planning and Design Commission to protect the public safety. Lighting fixtures shall be so designed and located so as not to reflect direct rays of light upon adjoining residential properties, occupants of the buildings and streets or cause a glare hazardous to pedestrians or drivers of motor vehicles on adjacent public streets, and shall be subject to the approval of the Commission.
(Ord. 84-99. Passed 12-16-85.)