Loading...
All of the following standards shall apply to all off-street parking:
1. Parking Spaces Required. No structure or use shall be permitted or constructed unless off-street parking spaces are provided in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
2. Arrangement and Marking. All parking areas shall be so arranged and marked so as to provide for orderly and safe loading or unloading, parking, and storage of vehicles.
3. Use of Spaces Restricted. Required parking spaces shall be used only for the parking of vehicles for property owners, guests, renters, patrons or employees of the site. Required parking spaces shall not be used for the commercial sale, display, rental or repair of other vehicles.
4. Surfaced Areas; Private Property. All parking of vehicles, including automobiles, vans, campers, trucks, trailers, tractors, recreational vehicles, boats, construction equipment and any other mobile vehicle equipped for street and highway travel shall occur on permanent impervious surface (concrete or asphalt) areas and on private property only.
5. Fractional Spaces. Fractional space requirements shall be rounded up to the next whole space.
6. Uses with Differing Business Hours. The number of required parking spaces for uses with differing business hours that share a parking lot may be reduced by 25 percent of the total required for each use if it is determined by the administrative official that such reduction will not have a negative impact on the congestion or safety of the development.
7. Reduction In Parking Capacity Prohibited. Any required parking spaces displaced by building expansion shall be provided elsewhere on the site. No required off-street parking facility shall be reduced in capacity below the minimum requirements of this chapter.
8. Change In Building or Use; Increased Capacity. When a principal building is enlarged, increased in capacity, or when a change in use creates an increase in the amount of off-street parking space required, additional off-street parking spaces shall be required in conformity with this chapter.
9. Striping of Spaces. All parking spaces, except parking spaces for single-family attached and detached dwellings, shall be striped in accordance with approved site plan. The striping is to remain maintained in a clear and visible manner.
10. Maneuvering and Circulation Area. Off-street parking facilities, including (but not limited to) parking lots, loading zones, and residential driveways shall accommodate the maneuvering and circulation of all vehicles on site, so as not to impair the movement of vehicles on public streets. Except for attached and detached single-family dwellings and townhomes, there shall be no backing of any vehicle from an off-street parking space into a public street or alley unless otherwise approved by the City Council.
11. Security and Lighting. All parking facilities shall be designed, constructed, and maintained with security as a priority to protect the safety of the users. In all cases, lighting may be regarded as an acceptable form of fulfilling the security requirement.
12. Sanitation. All parking facilities shall be maintained free of litter and debris, potholes, broken curbs, etc.
13. Auto Repair and Car Washes. For auto repair, car wash, oil change shops, or other similar uses, lift racks shall not be considered as a required parking space.
14. Flexible Space. Buildings developed as “flexible space” shall be designed to accommodate eight spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross building area. “Flexible space” is defined as those buildings that are constructed to include multiple tenants, generally including retail users and restaurant users. In the case that a big box retailer is a tenant within a “flexible space” building, the minimum parking requirements shall be provided in accordance with the parking requirements of each use. “Big box retailer” is defined as a single tenant user with a minimum square footage of 50,000 square feet in gross floor area.
15. Queuing Space. For purposes of the requirements herein, a “queuing space” is defined as a space used for the accommodation of vehicular traffic in wait, having a dimension of 12 feet in width and 20 feet in length.
16. C-2 District Exempt. The C-2 Downtown Village District is exempt from the provisions of this chapter.
With respect to persons with disabilities parking, all of the following apply:
1. The owner, contractor, and developer shall comply with all federal, State and local laws regarding parking for persons with disabilities, including (but not limited to) Chapter 321L of the Code of Iowa and the Americans With Disabilities Act.
2. Parking spaces for persons with disabilities required by federal, State and local laws shall count toward the requirements of this chapter.
1. Driveways. With respect to driveways, all of the following shall apply:
A. An access driveway shall not be less than 10 feet in width in the case of an attached or detached single-family dwelling.
B. With the exception of attached or detached single-family dwellings, the minimum width of a one-way driveway shall be 16 feet. The minimum width of a two-way driveway shall be 24 feet.
C. Commercial uses that require the need for a drive-through lane, the minimum drive-through lane width shall be 12 feet. In cases where the drive-through lane runs adjacent with a drive-by lane, the minimum width shall be 24 feet.
2. Parking Spaces and Aisles. With respect to parking spaces and aisles, all of the following shall apply:
A. A parking space reserved for the parking of vehicles, and aisles servicing their respective parking spaces, shall have a minimum dimension based on the following table:
Angle of Parking Space (Degree) | Stall Width (Minimum) | Aisle Width (Minimum) |
Angle of Parking Space (Degree) | Stall Width (Minimum) | Aisle Width (Minimum) |
0 | 9 feet | 14 feet |
45 | 12 feet | 15 feet |
50 | 12 feet | 15 feet |
55 | 12 feet | 17 feet |
60 | 10 feet | 17 feet |
65 | 10 feet | 17 feet |
70 | 9 feet | 19 feet |
75 | 9 feet | 19 feet |
90 | 9 feet | 24 feet |
B. The minimum length of all parking spaces shall be 19 feet.
C. Any proposed parking space of an angle other than specified in this chapter shall have a sufficient width and length of no less than nine feet by 19 feet.
D. Any parking space parallel to a wall or other solid barrier shall be widened by an additional two feet.
E. All parking spaces abutting a sidewalk shall have a minimum sidewalk width of six feet. When the front of a parking space abuts open space within the perimeter of the parking lot, the minimum width of the open space shall be five feet.
F. When the front of a parking space abuts spaces as defined in Paragraph E of this subsection, the stall length may be decreased a maximum of two feet.
3. Parking Lot Setbacks. In case of any parking area within any C or M District:
A. A minimum setback of 10 feet from the public street right-of-way or public intersection shall be required.
B. A minimum setback of five feet from the side yard and rear yard setback shall be required.
C. In case of an R District adjoined to a C or M District:
(1) The parking area in an adjoining C or M District to an R District shall be set back at least 25 feet from the R District boundary line and shall be effectively screened and planted accordingly.
(2) Parking may be established in any R District that immediately adjoins a C or M District, provided such parking shall be accessory to and for the use of one or more business or industrial establishments located in the adjoining C or M District; provided, however, such transitional use shall not extend more than 100 feet from the boundary of the less restricted zone.
(3) All entrances and exits specified in Subsection 2 of this section shall be from the adjoined C or M District or an adjoining alley of both districts involved.
In case of any building, structure, or premises, the use of which is not specifically mentioned herein, the provisions for a use that is mentioned and for any use determined to be similar shall apply, as determined by the administrative official. All of the requirements listed are the minimum that must be met:
Type Of Structure | Minimum Number of Spaces |
Animal boarding/kennel | 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet |
Assisted living center | 1 space per 2 dwelling units; 1 space per staff during the shift with the largest number of employees |
Automotive repair station | 3 spaces per service bay; 1 space per service vehicle; 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of non-service area |
Automotive sales | 1 space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area plus 1 per 5,000 square feet of developed area |
Bank | 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area; 3 queuing spaces per drive-through station |
Barber/beauty shop | 1 space per chair or beautician station; 1 space per staff member |
Type Of Structure | Minimum Number of Spaces |
Type Of Structure | Minimum Number of Spaces |
Bowling center | 3 spaces per lane; 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area for associated eating and drinking places |
Cafe, coffee shop, delicatessen | 10 spaces per 1,000 square feet, plus 3 queuing spaces per drive-through lane |
Car wash, drive-through oil change | 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet Queuing capacity equal to 2 per service capacity |
Car wash -self-service | 1 space per wash bay plus 2 queuing spaces per bay |
Childcare center | 1 space per 6 children, 5 space minimum; 1 space per van or bus; 1 queue space per 6 children |
Commercial entertainment (batting cages, ice skating, mini golf, etc.) | 1 space per 1,000 square feet of outdoor area and building combined |
Consumer Fireworks Sales | 10 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Convenience store/gas station | 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Dance or assembly hall, theater, event center, auditorium or gymnasium | 1 space per 3 fixed seats or 20 spaces per 1,000 square feet if no fixed seats |
Display Fireworks Sales | 1 space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, or 1 space per 2 employees, whichever is greater |
Drinking establishment, lounge | 15 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Driving ranges | 2 spaces per tee area |
Elementary and junior high schools | 1 space per employee; 1 space per class room; 1 space per 4 seats in gymnasiums and auditoriums |
Furniture, carpet, appliance – retail | 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Funeral homes/mortuary | 1 space per 4 fixed seats in assembly area In case of no fixed seats, 10 spaces per 1,000 square feet of assembly area |
Fitness center/health club | 4 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Golf course | 6 spaces per hole |
Grocery store | 4 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
High schools | 1 space per employee;1 space per 5 students based on the maximum capacity of school; 1 space per 4 seats in gymnasiums and auditoriums |
Hotel/motel | 1 space per guest room 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet associated with eating and drinking areas |
Independent living facility | 1.25 spaces per dwelling unit 1 visitor space per 5 dwelling units |
Industrial, manufacturing facility | 1.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Medical office/clinic | 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Multi-family dwelling | 1 space per bedroom 1 visitor space per 5 dwelling units |
Professional/business office | 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Religious organization | 1 space per 4 fixed seats In cases where an auditorium is not involved, 10 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gathering space |
Restaurant (full service, fast food) | 15 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area 5 queuing spaces per drive-through lane |
Retail, general commercial | 4 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Secondary, college, university, or vocational school | 1 space per classroom; 1 space per 4 seats at capacity; Auditoriums and gymnasiums, 1 space per 4 seats |
Self-storage, mini warehouse | 1 space per 20,000 square feet of gross floor area 1 space per 50,000 square feet of vehicle or boat storage spaces Office spaces equal to specified requirement |
Single-family dwelling | 2 spaces per dwelling unit |
Townhome | 2 spaces per dwelling unit; 1 visitor space per 5 dwelling units in case of private streets |
Warehouse | 1 space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area or 1 space per 2 employees, whichever is greater |