(A) Parking area design. To break up the appearance of large impervious areas, all parking lots in business, commercial, industrial and multiple-family residential zoning districts and non-residential uses in residential districts shall be subject to the following design standards.
(1) Parking lot islands shall be required at the beginning and end of each parking row to break up longer rows.
(2) Continuous landscaped medians shall be provided every 3 (or fewer) banks of parking. Medians shall have a landscaped area at least 9 feet in width. Type and quantity of landscaping shall comply with § 153.232.
(3) Parking spaces shall not be located between the front facade line of buildings and a street edge.
(4) Parking areas greater than 50,000 square feet shall be divided both visually and functionally into smaller parking courts.
(5) Parking spaces and rows shall be organized to provide consolidated soft landscaped areas and opportunity for on-site storm water management.
(6) Parking rows shall be limited to a maximum length of 22 spaces. Longer rows shall include landscaped breaks, such as islands, with shade trees.
(7) The total area calculated for landscaping within the parking lot is calculated as part of the overall landscape requirements of the site. In the event that a parking lot may not have adequate space for landscaping islands, the landscaped areas internal of the parking area and adjacent to the building may be counted towards the required landscaped percentages within a parking lot.
(B) 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 1 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 1 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.
(6) Parking area island landscape standards. All parking lot islands or medians in business, commercial, mixed use, industrial, multiple-family and non-residential uses in residential zoning districts shall be landscaped in accordance with § 153.230.
(C) Parking area storm water management design requirements.
(1) Rainwater and snowmelt shall be managed to encourage infiltration, evapotranspiration, and water re-uses to achieve water quality and quantity measures specified in the Surface Water Management Plan. Design practices for managing storm water may include, but are not limited to, the following practices:
(a) Permeable paving for parking spaces, drive aisles, overflow parking, snow storage areas, and other hard surfaces in the parking lot;
(b) Planting of trees, shrubs, and other absorbent landscaping throughout the parking lot to provide shade and places for water uptake;
(c) Creation of bio-retention areas, such as swales, vegetated islands, and overflow ponds;
(d) Inclusion catch basin restrictors and oil/grit separators as appropriate;
(e) Creation of opportunities to harvest rainwater from rooftops and other hard surfaces for landscape irrigation;
(2) Where installed, bio-retention areas shall be appropriately designed and located to filter, store, and/or convey the expected storm water flows from surrounding paved areas.
(3) The appropriate Watershed District shall have final review and permitting authority for all surface water management measures proposed.
(Ord. 537, passed 11-8-2004; Am. Ord. 596, passed 2-8-2010)