3.8.061: PARKING AND INTERNAL CIRCULATION DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS:
   (A)   Purpose: To minimize the visual impacts of off-street parking and loading areas, to discourage large expanses of pavement, and to reduce the conflicts between different circulation needs, especially pedestrians.
   (B)   Location:
      1.   On-site parking shall be located so that it does not dominate the streetscape and views from surrounding properties.
      2.   When parking lots occur on sloping terrain, the parking lots shall be stepped to follow the terrain rather than allowing the lot surface to extend above natural grade.
      3.   In the CC, CBD, NC,BP and CV Zones, multi-family residential uses in any zone, and conditional use permits for new uses in residential zones, all on-site parking shall be located on the side or behind the structure facing the primary street.
   (C)   Landscaping And Screening:
      1.   Parking lot landscaping shall meet the objectives of reducing the visual and noise impacts from vehicles, softening the expanse of hard surface areas, reinforcing circulation, and providing stormwater benefits.
      2.   For parking lots over fifty thousand square feet (50,000 sf) in size, a minimum of ten percent (10%) of the site shall be in interior parking lot landscaping. Public art, decorative paving, kiosks, green infrastructure or parking lot configurations that break-up the expanse of pavement may be substituted for interior landscaping.
      3.   Landscaped areas shall be consolidated to enhance tree and plant material growing conditions that reflect the natural growing patterns of the native landscape, and to provide locations for snow storage, natural drainage, light fixtures and other utilities.
      4.   Landscape materials shall consist of native trees, vegetation, including grasses, hardy shrubs, or evergreen ground cover, and maintained in good condition. (See City of McCall publication, "Native and Suitable Plants".)
      5.   Where parking areas adjoin or face any residential property, the parking lot shall be effectively screened by an acceptably designed wall, fence, hedge berm or planting screen.
         a.   Fence or wall screens shall be not less than four feet (4') or more than six feet (6') in height except in street setback areas where it shall not exceed four feet (4').
         b.   Planting screens shall not be less than four feet (4') in height.
         c.   In the event that terrain or other natural features are such that the erection of such fence, wall or planting screen will not serve the intended purpose, then with the approval of the Administrator, in writing, no such fence, wall or planting screen and landscaping shall be required.
         d.   The use of chain link fencing in any residential zone, CBD and CC zones is prohibited. In all other zones, approval by the Administrator is required.
   (D)   Parking Access:
      1.   Access driveways for parking areas or loading spaces shall be located in such a way that any vehicle entering or leaving such area shall be clearly visible by a pedestrian or motorist approaching the access or driveway from a public or private street.
      2.   Any parking area (except approved residential driveways) shall be designed in such a manner that any vehicle leaving or entering the parking area from or onto a public or private street shall be traveling in a forward motion.
      3.   Parking design that uses the street frontage as the access for an individual parking stall is prohibited.
   (E)   Surfacing:
      1.   In the CC, CBD, NC, BP, I, AP and CV Zones, parking and loading spaces and driveways shall have an improved surface including asphalt, concrete, paving stones, grasscrete pavers bricks, or in the I Zone, other material that does not generate significant dust or other particulate matter in the air during ordinary use by wheeled equipment/vehicles.
         a.   Any parking or loading area that is found to generate significant dust shall be required to mitigate by resurfacing and/or implementing a dust abatement program that is approved by the City Engineer.
         b.   All parking or loading spaces or driveways accessing a public/private roadway shall include a formal approach apron consisting of asphalt, concrete, paving stones, or bricks. The apron shall extend entirely from the property/right-of-way line and connect to the adjoining roadway and shall not be less than fifteen feet (15') in length.
      2.   In the AF, RR, RE, R1, R4, R8, and R16 Zones, and residential uses in any zone, parking and loading spaces may use other materials (such as gravel) that provide a stable driving surface under all weather and moisture conditions and during ordinary use by wheeled vehicles which prevents the raising of road dust or other like particulate matter into the air.
   (F)   Internal Circulation: The design of internal circulation shall be integrated with the overall site design and adjacent properties, including the location of structures, pedestrian walkways and landscaping.
      1.   Pedestrian circulation shall be clearly identifiable using continuous sidewalks, separated walkways within parking areas and well-designed pedestrian crossings.
      2.   Driveways, aisles and turnaround areas shall meet the standards for fire and refuse access.
      3.   Bus pullouts may be required when a development is adjacent to an existing or planned bus stop.
   (G)   Drainage: All parking and loading areas shall provide for proper drainage of surface water so as to prevent the drainage of such water onto adjacent properties or walkways.
   (H)   Lighting: Any lights used to illuminate a parking lot shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from the adjoining property. See chapter 14, "Outdoor Lighting", of this title. (Ord. 923, 5-22-2014; amd. Ord. 973, 11-29-2018, eff. 1-1-2019; Ord. 998, 1-14-2021)