A. Purpose and Intent. The purpose of this Section is to ensure the City is served by adequate parking and loading facilities proportional to market demands and generalized need for parking and loading. This Section intends to:
1. Provide for adequate parking, loading and unloading, and safe movement of vehicles and pedestrians through off-street parking areas;
2. Recognize parking and loading demands of permitted uses and provide a flexible range of adequate parking and loading, receptive to market demand;
3. Allow for alternative parking options in certain defined circumstances;
4. Reduce the aesthetic impacts of parking areas;
5. Avoid excessive areas of impervious surfaces dedicated to parking;
6. Provide for compatibility between uses; and
7. Provide for high quality, safe designs that will add to the aesthetic well-being of the City.
B. Applicability. Parking must be provided in accordance with this UDO. Off-street parking shall be maintained and continued. No permit for construction or addition may be permitted until the parking requirements of this UDO have been met. Off-street parking shall be located on the same plot or parcel of land it is intended to serve, unless specifically permitted otherwise.
C. Renovations and Repairs. A building or site may be renovated or repaired without providing additional parking, providing there is no increase in floor area unless the addition in area meets the requirements set forth in this UDO. If there is an increase in floor area, the requisite number of parking spaces shall be provided per requirements of this Section. If additional parking cannot be provided consistent with this Section, the Planning and Development Director may request an Alternative Parking Plan (see Sec.8.4.2.H: Alternative Parking Plan).
D. Change in Uses. A change in use in a building shall meet the parking requirements for that new use. If the parking requirements of this UDO cannot be met for the new use, the Planning and Development Director may make a determination as to whether or not the current parking can sustain the new proposed use. The Planning and Development Director may request additional information regarding the proposed use, but if such a determination cannot be made with the information provided, the Planning and Development Director may request an Alternative Parking Plan (see Sec.8.4.2.H: Alternative Parking Plan).
E. Unlisted Uses. In those situations where a proposed use is not identified in Table 8.4.1, the Planning and Development Director may apply an alternative off-street parking standard based on the use determined to be the most similar to the proposed use. A parking study or similar analysis prepared by a Professional Engineer or Certified Land Use Planner with experience in parking studies may be provided to the Planning and Development Director which can be used in applying an alternative parking standard.