In all zoning districts, off-street parking spaces for the storage and parking of motor vehicles for the use of occupants, employees, and patrons of the buildings hereafter erected, or enlarged after the effective date of these regulations, shall be provided as herein prescribed.
(A) General. The following parking requirements represent minimum standards.
(1) Variances. When it can be clearly shown that an intended use shall require less parking than that which is required by this section because of significant variation in operation or activity, the Planning Commission may grant a reduction in the parking requirements.
(2) Multiple uses on site. For sites with more than one use, the parking requirement shall be the sum of spaces required for each use, except as adjusted pursuant to division (F) of this section.
(3) Exemptions. Any off-street parking facility constructed after the effective date of this section must comply with the design standards set forth in this section.
(4) Surface. All parking lots containing at least four spaces shall be constructed of a durable, dust-free material, unless otherwise approved by the Planning Commission.
(B) Design approval. All lots or portions of lots being developed for vehicular parking which contain at least four spaces shall have the design approval of the Planning and Zoning Administrator and the County Road Engineer prior to issuance of a building permit. Those administrative officials shall ensure that the intent and specific provisions of this section are observed.
(C) Off-street parking requirements for residential land uses.
Housing Type and Requirement | Parking |
Housing Type and Requirement | Parking |
Single-family: | |
3 bedrooms or less | 2 per unit |
4 bedrooms or more | 3 per unit |
Duplexes, triplexes, apartment buildings: | |
2 bedrooms or less | 2 per unit |
3 bedrooms or more | 3 per unit |
Mobile homes | 2 per unit, plus 1 per 5 units guest parking |
(D) Off-street parking requirements for nonresidential land uses. GFA:Gross floor area measured in square feet; GLA: Gross leasable area measured in square feet.
Use | Parking Requirement |
Assembly operations | 1 per 800 GFA |
Auto sales: | |
Outdoor display | 1 per 3,000 sq. ft. |
Indoor display/office | 1 per 750 GFA |
Repair facilities | 1 per 300 GFA |
Use | Parking Requirement |
Use | Parking Requirement |
Bars and lounges | 1 per 300 GFA |
Bowling alley | 1 per alley |
Car wash | 10 per tunnel (parking and stacking) |
Day care facilities | 1 per 400 GFA; and a paved, unobstructed pick-up space with adequate stacking areas (as determined by the Planning and Zoning Administrator) shall be provided in addition to the standard parking requirements; and a safe pedestrian walkway system (as approved by the Planning and Zoning Administrator) through the parking areas to the building entrance, with a minimum 15-foot safety zone between the parking spaces and the front building entrance. |
Financial institutions | 1 per 300 GFA |
Finishing operations | 1 per 800 GFA |
Golf courses | 50 per 9 holes |
Group homes | 1 per 600 GFA |
Hotel/motel | 1 per room, plus 1 per additional 100 GFA of ballrooms/banquet rooms/meeting rooms and similar spaces |
Hospitals | As determined by the Planning Commission |
Industrial | 1 per 800 GFA |
Library | 1 per 300 GFA |
Manufacturing | 1 per 800 GFA |
Medical centers/offices | 1 per 200 GFA |
Offices: | |
Under 50,000 GFA | 4.5 per 1,000 GFA |
50,000 to 100,000 GFA | 4 per 1,000 GFA |
100,000 + GFA | 3.5 per 1,000 GFA |
Places of worship | 1 per 3 seats |
Receiving | 1 per 5,000 GFA |
Research | 1 per 1,000 GFA |
Use | Parking Requirement |
Use | Parking Requirement |
Restaurant: | |
Quick style | 1 per 30 GFA (of the public dining area) |
Drive-through | 8 stacked spaces (per window) |
Sit-down style | 1 per 3 seats |
Food truck | 8 per truck if parked in a vacant lot |
Retail stores | 1 per 300 GFA |
Schools: | |
Elementary | 2 per classroom |
Intermediate | 1.5 per classroom |
Secondary | 1 per 1,000 GFA |
Higher or vocational | 10 per classroom, plus: (a) 1 per campus vehicle (b) Additional visitor parking to be 25% of total parking (c) Parking must be in reasonable proximity to destination points |
Service stations | 4 per bay or work area |
Shipping facilities | 1 per 5,000 GFA |
Shopping centers: | |
Under 400,000 GLA | 3.5 per 1,000 GLA |
400,000 + GLA | 4 per 1,000 GLA |
Storage areas/facilities | 1 per 5,000 GLA |
Theater: | |
Freestanding | 1 per 3 seats |
In shopping center | 1 per 4 seats |
Warehouse | 1 per 5,000 GFA |
When computing number of seats and GFA or GLA for parking, where no individual seating (such as and like sports facilities and places of worship) is provided, every 24 inches will be considered a seat. | |
When calculating the required parking for a specific intended use that does not appear in this section, the Zoning Administrator shall make a determination of a similar use that does appear in this section. | |
(E) General design and handicap parking.
(1) Traffic visibility sight triangle required. All points of ingress and egress shall maintain seven-foot sight triangles. Landscaping shall not exceed 24 inches in height above grade.
(2) Parking lots shall provide handicap parking as may be required by Kentucky Building Code or the American Disabilities Act, whichever is more stringent.
(F) Adjustment for mixed use developments. The Planning Commission may authorize an adjustment in the total parking requirement for separate uses located on the same site or for separate uses located on adjoining sites and served by a common parking facility. An application for such an adjustment must include a site plan, showing the location of parking and extent of various uses, the requested reduction in the parking requirement, and supporting data addressing why such a reduction should be permitted.
(G) Landscaping.
(1) General requirements. All landscaping materials shall be installed in a sound manner and according to accepted good construction and planting procedures. Any landscape material, which fails to meet the minimum requirements of this chapter at the time of installation, shall be removed and replaced with acceptable materials. The person in charge of, or in control of, the property, whether as owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or otherwise, shall be responsible for the continued proper maintenance of all landscaping materials, and shall keep them in a proper, neat and orderly appearance, free from refuse, debris, noxious weeds and unwanted grass at all times. All unhealthy or dead plant material shall be replaced within four months or by the next fall or spring planting season, whichever comes first. Other defective landscape material shall be replaced or repaired within two months. Plant material shall not be severely pruned such that the natural growth pattern or characteristic form is significantly altered. Topping or heading back trees, as defined by the International Society of Arboriculture, is prohibited. The severe cutting of limbs to stubs larger than three inches in diameter is prohibited. Utility companies are exempt from this requirement.
(2) Regulations for the overlay district along commercial corridors.
(a) These regulations apply only to the overlay district along the commercial corridors of US Highways 45, 60 and 62 from the Paducah city limits to:
1. The US Highway 45 and Old US Highway 45 intersection on the south side of Lone Oak;
2. The US Highway 60 and Fisher Road intersection by Barkley Regional Airport; and
3. The US Highway 62 and McCracken Boulevard intersection.
(b) All parking lots of more than four parking spaces shall include planted trees in accordance with Schedule 1, below:
SCHEDULE 1
| |
Number of Spaces | Number of Trees Required |
SCHEDULE 1
| |
Number of Spaces | Number of Trees Required |
1 to 4 spaces | No trees required |
15 to 30 spaces | 1 tree for each 6 spaces or fraction thereof, up to 30 spaces |
31 to 100 spaces | 5 trees for the first 30 spaces, plus 1 tree for each additional 7 spaces or fraction thereof |
101 to 196 spaces | 15 trees for the first 100 spaces, plus 1 tree for each additional 8 spaces or fraction thereof |
197 to 304 spaces | 27 trees for the first 196 spaces, plus 1 tree for each additional 9 spaces or fraction thereof |
305 to 504 spaces | 39 trees for the first 305 spaces, plus 1 tree for each additional 10 spaces or fraction thereof |
505 or more spaces | 59 trees for the first 505 spaces, plus 1 tree for each additional 11 spaces or fraction thereof |
(c) Trees shall be at least one and one-half inches in diameter at a point six inches above the ground, when planted. The tree type shall be approved by the Zoning Administrator. Trees shall be protected from potential damage by vehicles. Thirty percent of required trees shall be placed within the perimeter of the actual parking surface area in those parking lots of over 20 spaces.
(d) Interior landscaping for vehicular use areas (VUAs). Landscaping shall include trees, shrubs, flowers, or other living matter. Landscaping shall be provided for vehicular use areas in accordance with the following standards.
1. A minimum of 5% of the total VUA shall be landscaped and the landscaping shall be dispersed throughout the paved area. VUA landscaping shall only be required for uses that have more than 20 parking spaces. This section shall not apply to parking lots that are used for the sole purpose of selling vehicles.
2. VUA landscaping shall contain a variety of trees and be dispersed in the form of planting islands or peninsulas throughout the VUA. The minimum size of planting areas shall be 200 square feet, with the minimum dimensions of ten feet by 20 feet.
3. No more than one tree shall be planted per 200 square feet of islands of peninsulas.
4. Per Illustration #1, below, planting islands within the VUA shall be required at the end of every other parking row, when parking rows are provided in the interior portions of the parking lot.
Illustration #1
a. All planting islands shall be planted with grass, low ground cover, shrubs, flowers, or any combination of these. Hard surfaces or gravel are not permitted in lieu of plant materials.
b. All planting islands shall have a minimum of six-inch curbs installed to protect the planting area from vehicular traffic.
c. All plant material (other than grass, or ground cover), located within landscape islands where vehicle overhangs are needed, shall be setback a minimum of two feet, six inches from the edge of the pavement or the face of the curb.
d. Sign landscaping. Landscaping shall be located around the base of freestanding signs. The landscaping shall be ornamental in nature, with shrubs, flowers and other ornamental plant materials. Sign landscaping is not required for freestanding signs permitted before the adoption of Ordinance 2022-11. The amount of landscape area required shall be one square foot of landscape area per one square foot of sign area. At least 50% of the required landscaping area shall be planted with trees and/or shrubs.
e. Building landscaping. Any blank facade or portion of a facade of a building that is not used for outdoor display, storage or loading and unloading shall be required to provide the following landscaping, if the wall is visible from a public right-of-way. BLANK FACADES shall be classified as any wall that does not have windows used for display or entry doors for employees or general public. Building that are 10,000 square feet or smaller shall be exempt from the requirements of this section.
i. Trees shall be provided on an average of at least one tree per 40 linear feet of blank facade, as defined above, and shrubs shall be provided on an average of at least one shrub per ten linear feet of blank facade. This landscaping is not required to be placed in a linear design, but shall be required to be dispersed throughout the length of the building facade.
ii. Facades that abut VUAs shall have a minimum-eight-feet-wide planting area. This planting area can be reduced by four feet if sidewalks arc installed.
(H) Enforcement.
(1) To assure compliance with the submitted and approved site plan, inspections will be conducted by the County Planning Office after the installation of landscaping.
(2) The removal or destruction of landscape material previously approved by the county shall constitute a violation of the zoning ordinance. Replacement of landscape material shall be of like size as that which was removed or destroyed.
(3) Violation of this chapter shall be grounds for the refusal of a certificate of occupancy, require replacement of landscape material, and/or will subject those in violation to established fines and penalties of the zoning ordinance.
(I) Waiver of requirements. The Planning Commission shall have the authority to grant a waiver of any of the requirements in this section upon written request, which outlines the rationale for the waiver. The Planning Commission shall review each written request and grant a waiver only under: unusual or extreme circumstances that cause an unreasonable hardship such as the size of the lot; or when an innovative or alternative approach can be made that still meets the intent and purpose of this section.
(Ord. 2017-07, passed 11-27-2017; Ord. 2022-11, passed 1-9-2023)