|
|
Chapter 20.126
OFF-STREET PARKING AND LOADING STANDARDSSections:
20.126.010 Purpose.
20.126.020 Off-street parking and loading spaces required.
20.126.030 General provisions.
20.126.040 Existing parking facilities.
20.126.050 Off-street parking standards.
20.126.060 Computation of required spaces.
20.126.070 Location of required spaces.
20.126.080 Schedule of minimum parking dimensions.
20.126.090 Site plan required.
20.126.100 Required landscaping of parking areas.
20.126.110 Lighting.
20.126.120 Design and construction.
20.126.130 Maintenance.
20.126.140 Off-street loading.
20.126.150 Installation time limit.
20.126.160 Compact car allowance.
20.126.170 Handicapped parking.
20.126.010 Purpose.
It is the intent of this Chapter to:
A. Assure that space is provided for the parking, loading, and unloading of motor vehicles on the site of premises or uses which attract motor vehicles;
B. Provide minimum standards of space and parking arrangements, and for the movement of motor vehicles into and out of such spaces;
C. Avoid or reduce traffic congestion on public streets by:
1. Keeping the need for on-street parking to a minimum; and
2. Controlling access to sites.
D. Enhance safety for pedestrians and motor vehicle operators;
E. Encourage the creation of an aesthetically pleasing and functionally adequate system of off-street parking and loading facilities.
20.126.020 Off-street parking and loading spaces required.
No off-street parking or loading spaces shall be placed, constructed, located, relocated, or modified after adoption of this Code without first receiving a Development Authorization. All off-street parking and loading spaces which are not themselves a principal use are accessory uses and shall be subject to the same procedures and review requirements as the principal use. All off-street parking shall be provided in conformance with the provisions of this Chapter.
20.126.030 General provisions.
A. The off-street parking and loading facilities required by this section shall be completed prior to any change in the use or structures and/or prior to the occupancy of any new or enlarged structure.
B. Required off-street parking spaces shall provide vehicle parking only for residents, customers, patrons, and employees and shall not be used for the storage of vehicles or materials, the parking of vehicles used in conducting the business, or for the sale, repair, or servicing of any vehicle.
C. Any area once designated for required off-street parking shall not be used for any other purpose unless and until equal facilities are provided elsewhere and a site plan has been approved to reflect the change, or the primary use of the property is changed to a use requiring less off-street parking.
D. The required front yard in the RM district shall not be used for off-street parking for five (5) or more cars unless the three (3) foot strip nearest the front property line is landscaped and a two (2) foot high concrete, masonry, or decorative block wall, or wood fence, or a solid landscaping screen is provided. (For corner lots, see Chapter 20.114, Clearview Triangle.)
20.126.040 Existing parking facilities.
With regard to existing parking facilities, the following shall apply:
A. An existing use which does not have sufficient parking facilities to meet the requirements of this Chapter, may continue to operate with the parking deficiency so long as no enlargement or other change is made which would require additional parking facilities;
B. When an existing use is enlarged so as to require additional parking facilities, the requirements of this Chapter shall apply only to the enlargement;
C. When additional uses are placed on the same lot with the preexisting use or an enlarged lot of which the preexisting use lot is a part, the requirements of this Chapter shall apply only to the additional use.
20.126.050 Off-street parking standards.
A. Table of Off-Street Parking Standards: The parking standards in Chapter 20.127, Table of Off-Street Parking Standards, are hereby established as the parking standards for the uses indicated. These parking requirements are based on gross floor area. For the purpose of this Chapter, gross floor area means the total square footage of all floors in a structure as measured from the interior surface of each exterior wall of the structure, and including halls, lobbies, enclosed porches and fully enclosed recreation areas and balconies, but excluding stairways, elevator shafts, attic space, mechanical rooms, restrooms, uncovered steps and fire escapes, private garages, carports, and off-street parking and loading spaces. All required off-street parking shall be subject to the procedures of this Code and the standards of this Section; provided however, that the required off-street parking may be modified by the Approving Authority when the use can be shown to generate more or less traffic than anticipated by the “Table of Off-Street Parking Standards” in Chapter 20.127. The Director shall prepare findings upon which such modification is based, and may submit a preliminary determination to the SPRC prior to issuance of a permit. A permit for modification may be conditioned on alternate means of transportation such as public or private bussing or ride sharing. A Developer Agreement stating the alternate form of transportation and means of program maintenance shall be certified by the applicant prior to issuance of a permit. The Agreement shall be binding and shall provide that the Developer will provide all necessary off-street parking as required by this Section in the event of a change of use.
B. Uses Not Specified: Off-street parking requirements for uses not specifically listed in the Table of Off-Street Parking Standards shall be determined by the reviewing official based upon the requirement for similar uses.
C. Downtown Area Exempt: A portion of the Downtown Area of Walla Walla, as shown in Figure 20.126-1 and hereby adopted as part of this Chapter, shall be exempt from the provisions of this Chapter as they relate to the number of parking spaces required; provided that all the other requirements of this Chapter shall apply to any parking provided by the applicant. (Ord. 2000-6 § 2(part), 2000).
Figure 20.126-1, Downtown Parking Exempt Area
20.126.060 Computation of required spaces.
The following rules shall apply in the determination of the number of required off-street parking spaces:
A. Fraction: If the number of off-street parking spaces required in the Table of Off-Street Parking Standards contains a fraction, such number shall be changed to the next higher whole number.
B. Mixed Uses: When different uses occupy a single structure or lot, the total required parking spaces shall be the sum of the requirements of the individual uses.
C. Shared Uses: Owners of two (2) or more uses, structures, or parcels of land within 300 feet of each other may share the same parking or loading area when the hours of operation do not overlap. The owners of two (2) or more uses, structures, or parcels within 300 feet of each other may also share facilities concurrently, however, the total parking requirements shall be the sum of the requirements for each individual use. Whenever shared parking is allowed under this Section, the parking lot shall be signed so as to reasonably notify the public of the availability of use, and spaces shall not be assigned, allocated or reserved between uses. (Also see Section 20.126.070.)
A parking agreement approved by the reviewing official shall be filed with the County Auditor whenever two (2) or more uses propose to share off-street parking facilities.
D. Storage Areas: Storage areas are included in gross floor area. However, the required off-street parking for storage areas shall be calculated at the rate of one (1) space per 500 square feet, except when the parking standard for the principal use would require fewer parking spaces.
E. Tandem Parking: Parking spaces in tandem, having a single means of ingress and egress shall not be counted as two (2) off-street parking spaces for the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of this Chapter; except that, each tandem space for single-family dwellings shall be counted as a required parking space.
20.126.070 Location of required spaces.
Off-street parking facilities shall be located according to the following:
A. For single and two (2) family dwellings, parking facilities and driveways shall be located on the same building site as the buildings they are required to serve.
B. For hospitals, convalescent, nursing or rest homes, parking facilities shall be located not more than one hundred fifty (150) feet from the buildings they are required to serve.
C. For uses other than those specified above, parking facilities shall not be located over four hundred (400) feet from the buildings they are required to serve.
D. For uses other than single-family, duplex or triplex residential, all parking spaces shall be served by a driveway so that no vehicular backing or maneuvering movement will occur within a public right-of-way other than an alley.
E. No parking lot serving a nonresidential use in a commercial or industrial district shall be located in a residential zoning district, except as approved by Level III review.
F. Recreational vehicles (campers, 5th wheelers, trailers, buses, conversions, etc.) shall be parked off-street behind the required front yard setback in all residential zoning districts at all times.
20.126.080 Schedule of minimum parking dimensions.
Driveways and parking stalls shall conform to Figure 20.126-2 and Table 20.126-1, Parking Stall Specifications, which is hereby adopted as the schedule of minimum parking dimensions.
Figure 20.126-2, Parking Stall Specifications
Table 20.126-1, Parking Stall Specifications
Angle
Dimension
On diagram
45°
60°
75°
90°
Stall width, parallel to aisle
A
12.7
10.4
9.3
9.0
Stall length of line
B
25.0
22.0
20.0
18.5
Stall depth to wall
C
17.5
19.0
19.5
18.5
Aisle width between stall lines
D
12.0
16.0
23.0
26.0
Stall depth, interlock
E
15.3
17.5
18.8
18.5
Module, wall to interlock
F
44.8
52.5
61.3
63.0
Module, interlocking
G
42.6
51.0
61.0
63.0
Module, interlock to curb face
H
42.8
50.2
58.8
60.5
Bumper overhang (typical)
I
2.0
2.3
2.5
2.5
Offset
J
6.3
2.7
0.5
0.0
Setback
K
11.0
8.3
5.0
0.0
Cross aisle, one-way
L
14.0
14.0
14.0
14.0
Cross aisle, two-way
–
24.0
24.0
24.0
24.0
20.126.090 Site plan required.
A site plan for every new or enlarged off-street parking lot or motor vehicle sales area shall be approved by the reviewing official prior to construction. The site plan shall comply with the provisions for general or detailed site plans in Chapter 20.46 and Figure 20.126-2 and Table 20.126-1, Parking Stall Specifications, and shall show the proposed development, locations, size, shape and design of the parking spaces, curb cuts, lighting, method of on-site drainage, adjacent streets, circulation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, signage, finished grade contours not to exceed one (1) foot interval, landscaping, irrigation and other features of the proposed parking lot.
20.126.100 Required landscaping of parking areas.
A. The standard for landscaping of parking lots with more than five (5) spaces shall be five (5%) percent of the total parking area, in addition to the specific screening requirements of Section 20.106.080.
B. Landscaping shall consist of combinations of trees, shrubs, and groundcover with careful consideration to eventual size and spread, susceptibility to disease and pests, durability, and adaptability to existing soil and climatic conditions.
C. Every parking area that abuts property in any residential district shall be separated from such property by a solid wall, view obscuring fence, or compact evergreen hedge at least six feet in height.
D. No parking stall shall be located more than fifty (50) feet from a landscaped area.
E. Landscaping of parking lots which border directly on a street shall include a five (5) foot wide planting area along the entire street frontage (except for driveways) between the property line and the parking area. This requirement is in addition to the five (5%) percent requirement of subsection A.
F. Landscaping shall be proportionately distributed throughout the parking area in a manner which best fulfills the objectives of the Chapter.
G. Wherever possible, landscaping of paved parking areas shall include deciduous trees in order to provide shade for up to at least 20% of the vehicle accommodation area.
H. Trees retained on the lot as allowed by Section 20.106.110(B)(4) may reduce the number of required spaces.
I. All site plans shall specifically demonstrate how each of the requirements of this section are met.
J. A bond shall be filed with the City to secure the completion of all landscaping required in this section prior to occupancy, and its survival in a healthy condition or replacement for a minimum period of 12 months from the date of completion.
K. All landscaping shall be installed prior to occupancy unless seasonally impractical, in which case the Director may grant an extension to a specified date when such installation will be practical, subject to the bonding requirements of this Section. (Ord. 2000-6 § 2(part), 2000: Ord. 95-5 § 1(part), 1995).
20.126.110 Lighting.
Lighting shall be provided to illuminate any off- street parking or loading space used at night. When provided, lighting shall be directed to reflect away from adjacent properties.
20.126.120 Design and construction.
All off-street parking, including motor vehicle sales lots, shall be constructed in the following manner.
A. Surfacing:
1. Required off-street parking, loading and maneuvering areas, motor vehicle sales lots and employee parking for industrial and commercial uses, having a capacity of more than five (5) vehicles shall have paved surfaces of asphalt cement or concrete cement. Construction shall be as follows:
a. Asphalt cement – Two (2") inches of asphalt cement over a four (4") inch select rock base on a stable substrate.
b. Concrete cement – Four (4") inches of concrete cement over a two (2") inch gravel base on a stable substrate.
2. Industrial uses in industrial zones shall have a paved area for employee parking as required in (A)(1). All other areas used for maneuvering, loading access and parking of trucks or other vehicles or equipment associated with the industrial use must be surfaced with an all-weather gravel surface on a stable substrate.
3. Off-street parking facilities providing five (5) or fewer parking spaces may be surfaced with all-weather gravel on a stable substrate, or an equivalent surfacing acceptable to the reviewing official, so as to eliminate dust or mud, provided all spaces are improved with wheel stops.
B. Grading and Drainage: Grading and drainage shall be provided so that all surface water is disposed of on-site. Grading and drainage facilities shall be designed according to accepted engineering standards.
C. Border Barricades: Any parking lot or motor vehicle sales area abutting the street property line shall provide a concrete curb or timber barrier at least six (6) inches in height and located at least two (2) feet from the street property line. The curb or barrier shall be securely anchored. No curb or barrier shall be required across a parking lot separated from the street by a fence or hedge.
D. Markings: All parking spaces (except motor vehicle sales area) shall be marked by durable painted lines at least four (4) inches wide and extending the length of the stall or by curbs or other means approved by the reviewing official to indicate individual parking stalls. Signs or markers located on the parking lot surface shall be used as necessary to ensure safe and efficient use of the parking lot.
E. Minimum Parking Area Dimensions: Minimum parking area dimensions shall be as provided in Figure 20.126-2, Parking Stall Specifications.
F. Slope: The slope of entrance and exit driveways providing access to public streets for off-street parking areas shall not exceed ten (10%) percent unless otherwise recommended by the Site Plan Review Committee and approved by the City Engineer.
G. Driveways and Maneuverability:
1. All required parking spaces shall be properly maintained and adequate ingress to and egress from each space shall be provided without the need to move another vehicle.
2. Turning and maneuvering space shall be located entirely on private property unless specifically approved by the Site Plan Review Committee.
3. All parking spaces shall be internally accessible to one another without re-entering adjoining public streets unless otherwise approved by the Site Plan Review Committee.
4. Ingress and egress to and from any off-street parking area shall not be located closer than twenty (20) feet from point of tangent to an intersection or pedestrian crosswalk unless otherwise approved by the Site Plan Review Committee.
5. The Site Plan Review Committee may require ingress separate from egress for smoother and safer flow of traffic.
6. The number of curb cuts shall be kept to a minimum whenever possible so as to reduce the potential traffic flow conflict of vehicles and pedestrians.
7. All parking areas shall have specific ingress and egress areas to the street not exceeding thirty (30) feet in width at the property line in commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential districts, and twenty (20) feet in width at the property line in single-family residential districts unless otherwise recommended by the Site Plan Review Committee and approved by the City Engineer. (Ord. 2000-6 § 2(part), 2000: Ord. 95-5 § 1(part), 1995).
20.126.130 Maintenance.
The owner or lessee of a required parking area shall maintain the paved surface, drainage facilities, landscaping, lighting, and irrigation facilities in conformance with the standards of this Chapter and the approved site plan.
20.126.140 Off-street loading.
Off-Street loading and unloading spaces shall be required for any use requiring frequent loading or unloading from trucks or other large vehicles.
A. Loading Space Size: The required loading space shall be of adequate size to accommodate the maximum number and size of vehicles simultaneously loading or unloading at the structure. Each off-street loading space shall have the minimum dimensions of twelve (12) feet in width and twenty-five (25) feet in length. On-site maneuvering space of not less than 52 feet in length shall be provided adjacent to the loading dock. This maneuvering space shall not include any area designated for off-street parking.
B. Loading Space Location: Required off-street loading and related maneuvering space shall be located only on or abutting the property served. No part of any vehicle using the loading space will be allowed to project into the right-of-way of any public or private road.
C. Off-Street Loading: School and Day Care Centers: A driveway designed for continuous forward flow of passenger vehicles for the purpose of loading and unloading children shall be located on the site of any school or day care center having a capacity of six (6) or more students or clients.
20.126.150 Installation time limit.
The installation and improvement of required off-street parking facilities shall be completed to the required standards before a Certificate of Occupancy for a building is issued unless a time limit extension to a specified date is authorized by the Director.
20.126.160 Compact car allowance.
A. A maximum of thirty (30%) percent of the total required off-street parking spaces may be permitted and designated for utilization by compact cars.
B. Each compact car space shall be designated as such.
C. Dimensions of compact parking spaces shall be at least fifteen (15) feet long and seven and one-half (7.5) feet wide.
D. Compact car spaces shall be placed together in a prime location to encourage their use.
20.126.170 Handicapped parking.
Handicapped parking shall be provided in accordance with RCW 19.27 and WAC 51-10, Section 7503.
|
|
