(a) Surfacing. All off-street parking areas shall be paved with a minimum of 4 inches of #304 compacted base overlain by at least 4 inches of concrete or with a comparable all-weather surface acceptable to the City Engineer. No motorized vehicles may be parked in or on any unpaved area, except as necessary or incidental to construction on the premises.
(b) Curbing. All parking lots within commercial or office zoning districts shall be separated from unpaved areas by ODOT Type 6 concrete curbing. The City Planning Commission may waive the requirement of curbing, but only where a suitable discharge point for the collected water is not reasonably available.
(c) Peripheral Landscaping Required. All open off-street parking areas shall be separated from public sidewalks and street rights-of-way by a landscaped strip at least 10 feet in width, and a 6-inch high barrier (curb) shall be provided on the parking lot side of such landscape strip.
(d) Screening. When any open off-street parking area containing more than 5 parking spaces is adjacent to a residential district, a visual mechanical barrier a minimum of 8 feet in height within side or rear yards and not more than 3 feet in height within a front yard shall be provided along the common line, to protect the privacy of the adjoining residential uses. This barrier may consist of any of the following:
(1) A solidly constructed decorative privacy fence of vinyl or similar durable materials. Note that wood materials shall not be allowed.
(2) A decorative masonry wall.
(3) A landscaped mound that is a minimum 6 feet in height with additional ground cover and/or landscaping that is a minimum of 2 feet in height. Note that a landscaped mound that is 8 feet or taller shall negate the additional ground cover/landscaping requirement.
(4) A combination of (1), (2) and (3) above, or other suitable option, as approved by the Planning Commission.
(e) Lighting. Any lighting used to illuminate off-street parking areas shall be equipped with suitable shielding or be so designed as to prevent a glare at eye level on surrounding public or private property.
(f) Interior Landscaping Required. No off-street parking areas shall be constructed or enlarged until interior landscaping has been approved by the City Planning Commission and installed.
(1) Landscape materials. The primary landscaping materials used in such off-street parking areas shall be trees which shall be 8 feet to 10 feet in minimum overall height upon planting, and which provide shade or are capable of providing shade at maturity. Shrubbery, hedges and other planting materials may be used to complement the tree landscaping. A guide of planting types deemed acceptable for landscaping purposes is on file in the office of the Zoning Administrator and should be consulted prior to design of any parking facility.
(2) Size of planting areas. The interior dimensions of any planting area or planting median shall be sufficient to protect the landscaping materials planted therein and to ensure proper growth. In those instances where plant material exists on a proposed parking facility prior to its development, such landscape material may be used to meet the requirement of this Zoning Code.
(3) Interior requirements. Within interior vehicular use areas 10,000 square feet or greater in size, and for each additional 10,000 square foot unit or a proportional fraction thereof, a minimum total of 500 square feet of landscape area shall be provided, irrespective of the peripheral requirements. For individual parking lots with more than 5 parking spaces and less than 10,000 square feet in area, 5% of the vehicular use area, irrespective of the perimeter requirements, shall be devoted to landscape. Planting which is required for screening along peripheral areas of parking facilities shall not be considered as part of the interior coverage requirement.
A. Required trees. A minimum of 2 trees, each a minimum size of 1-3/4 inches in trunk diameter, shall be provided for each 10,000 square foot unit of interior vehicular use area. The minimum distance from a tree to a vehicular use area shall be 4 feet measured from the face of the tree.
B. Location of interior landscape area. The interior landscape area and trees required for each 10,000 square foot vehicular use area unit or fraction thereof, shall be located within that vehicular use area unit or fraction thereof. In areas where the Zoning Administrator has determined that the strict application of this section will interfere with the function of a vehicular use area, the unused portion of the required interior landscaping shall be relocated, upon recommendation by the Planning Commission, elsewhere on the property so as to emphasize a landscaping feature. In order that there shall be safe access to parking spaces, landscaped strips shall be arranged so as to divide parking corridors and to limit cross movements through open parking spaces. The minimum width of any landscaped area shall be 5 feet.
C. Credit for existing trees. If in the judgment of the Zoning Administrator it is deemed appropriate, credit may be received on the interior landscaping plan by preserving existing trees capable of tolerating adjacent construction. In order to maintain any tree deemed eligible for credit, 100% of the ground area under and within the drip line of the tree shall be preserved from the trunk out to the edge of the drip line, and shall be maintained in either vegetative landscape material or pervious surface cover, except when the Zoning Administrator determines that lesser areas and other ground cover treatment will provide sufficient nourishment for the continued growth of the preserved type of tree. The required number of new trees may be reduced in accordance with the following schedule in exchange for preserving existing trees:
Diameter of Existing Crown Spread of Preserved Tree* OR | Diameter of Tree Trunk of Preserved Tree** | Number of Trees Credited
|
Diameter of Existing Crown Spread of Preserved Tree* OR | Diameter of Tree Trunk of Preserved Tree** | Number of Trees Credited
|
90 feet or greater | 36 inches or greater | 7 |
60-89 feet | 30-35 inches | 6 |
50-59 feet | 26-29 inches | 5 |
40-49 feet | 20-25 inches | 4 |
30-39 feet | 13-19 inches | 3 |
20-29 feet | 8-12 inches | 2 |
16-19 feet | 4-7 inches | 1 |
* Rounded off to the nearest whole foot | ||
** Measured at a height of 4-1/2 feet above the natural grade and rounded off to the nearest whole inch | ||
(g) Drainage. All open off-street parking areas shall be provided with adequate drainage facilities as approved by the City Engineer. This approval will not be required for off-street parking for single-family or two-family uses.
(h) Maintenance. All parts of open off-street parking areas that are landscaped shall be continuously maintained and kept in a well-manicured condition.
(i) Marking. Designated parking spaces shall be marked on the surface of the parking area with paint or permanent marking materials and maintained in clearly visible condition.
(Ord. 16-2003. Passed 5-1-03; Ord. 24-2006. Passed 9-21-06; Ord. 05-2008. Passed 6-19-08.)