Chapter 15.115
Off-Street Parking and Loading

Sections:

15.115.010    Requirements.

15.115.020    Minimum space requirements.

15.115.030    Standards.

15.115.040    Parking plan.

15.115.050    Parking construction.

15.115.060    Design requirements.

15.115.070    Loading facilities.

15.115.010 Requirements.

Off-street parking and loading shall be provided as specified in this chapter. [Ord. 504 § 5.110(1), 1980; 1981 Compilation § 8-5:5.110(1).]

15.115.020 Minimum space requirements.

The minimum off-street parking space requirements are as follows:

A. Residential type of development and number of parking spaces:

Single-family dwelling

2 per dwelling unit

Multifamily dwelling

3 per 2 dwelling units

Residential hotel, rooming or boarding house or club

2 per 3 guest rooms

Hotel or motel

1 per guest room or suite (plus 1 per 2 employees)

Mobile home park

1 per mobile home site plus 1 per 2 sites for guest parking at a convenient location

Planned unit development

In addition to the requirements for dwelling units, 1 per 2 units for guest parking at a convenient location

B. Commercial type of development and number of parking spaces:

General retail or personal service

1 per 200 sq. ft. floor area

Furniture or appliance store

1 per 500 sq. ft. floor area

Auto, boat or trailer sales, or nursery

1 per 1,000 sq. ft. floor area plus 1 per 2 employees

Barber shop or beauty shop

1 per 100 sq. ft. floor area

General, professional or banking office

1 per 300 sq. ft. floor area

Medical or dental office or clinic

1 per 200 sq. ft. floor area

Eating or drinking establishment

1 per 100 sq. ft. floor area

Theater, gymnasium, racetrack, stadium or similar use

1 per 4 seats or 8 ft. bench length

Bowling alley

4 per lane

Skating rink or dance hall

1 per 100 sq. ft. floor area, plus 1 per 2 employees

Amusement park

1 per 1,000 sq. ft. floor area plus 1 per 2 employees

Service station

1 per 2,000 sq. ft. lot area

C. Institutional, public and quasi-public type of development and number of parking spaces:

Child care center or kindergarten

1 per 2 employees plus 1 per 5 children

School, elementary or junior high

2 per teacher

School, high school

2 per classroom plus 1 per 10 students

College, university or trade school

2 per classroom plus 1 per 5 students

Library

1 per 400 sq. ft. floor area plus 1 per 2 employees

Church, chapel, mortuary, auditorium

1 per 4 seats or 8 ft. bench length

Nursing or convalescent home

1 per 2 beds for patients and residents

Hospital

3 per 2 beds

Golf course

4 per hole

D. Industrial type of development and number of parking spaces:

Storage, warehouse, or manufacturing establishment; air, rail or trucking freight terminal

1 per employee on largest shift

Public utility (gas, water, telephone, etc.)

1 per 2 employees on largest shift plus 1 per company vehicle

E. Requirements for a building or development not specifically listed herein shall be determined by the City Administrator based upon the requirements of comparable uses listed. The decision of the City Administrator may be appealed to the Planning Commission. [Ord. 504 § 5.110(2), 1980; 1981 Compilation § 8-5:5.110(2).]

15.115.030 Standards.

A. Parking spaces in a public street, alley or parking lot shall not be eligible to fulfill any part of the parking requirements, except that they may be considered in the OTC zone.

B. Except for residential uses, required parking facilities may be located on an adjacent parcel of land or separated only by an alley, provided the adjacent parcel is maintained in the same ownership as the use it is required to serve. In a residential zone, required parking shall not be located in a required front or side yard setback area abutting a public street.

C. In the event that several uses occupy a single structure or parcel of land, the total requirements for off-street parking shall be the sum of the requirements for the several uses computed separately.

D. Required parking facilities of two or more uses, structures or parcels of land may be satisfied by the same parking facilities used jointly, to the extent that it can be shown by the owners or operators that the need for the facilities does not materially overlap (e.g., uses primarily of a daytime versus a nighttime use) and provided that such right of joint use is evidenced by a deed, lease, contract or similar written instrument establishing such joint use.

E. Required parking shall be available for parking of operable passenger vehicles of residents, customers and employees only, and shall not be used for the storage or display of vehicles or materials. [Ord. 618 § 10, 1993; Ord. 504 § 5.110(3), 1980; 1981 Compilation § 8-5:5.110(3).]

15.115.040 Parking plan.

A plan drawn to scale, indicating how the off-street parking and loading requirement is to be fulfilled, shall accompany the application for an occupancy permit. The plan shall show all those elements necessary to indicate that these requirements are being fulfilled and shall include but not be limited to:

A. Delineation of individual parking spaces.

B. Circulation area necessary to serve spaces.

C. Access to streets, alleys and properties to be served.

D. Curb cuts.

E. Dimensions, continuity and substance of screening.

F. Grading, drainage, surfacing and subgrading details.

G. Delineations of all structures or other obstacles to parking and circulation on the site.

H. Specifications as to signs and bumper guards. [Ord. 504 § 5.110(4), 1980; 1981 Compilation § 8-5:5.110(4).]

15.115.050 Parking construction.

Required parking spaces shall be improved and available for use at the time of final building inspection. [Ord. 504 § 5.110(5), 1980; 1981 Compilation § 8-5:5.110(5).]

15.115.060 Design requirements.

Driveways and turn-arounds providing access to parking areas shall conform to the following provisions:

A. A driveway for a single-family or two-family dwelling shall have a minimum width of 10 feet.

B. Except for a single-family or two-family dwelling, groups of more than three parking spaces shall be provided with adequate aisles or turn-around areas so that all vehicles may enter the street in a forward manner.

C. Except for a single-family or two-family dwelling, more than three parking spaces shall be served by a driveway designed and constructed to facilitate the flow of traffic on and off the site, with due regard to pedestrian and vehicle safety, and shall be clearly and permanently marked and defined. In no case shall two-way and one-way driveways be less than 20 feet and 12 feet in width, respectively.

D. Driveways, aisles, turn-around areas and ramps shall have a minimum vertical clearance of 12 feet for their entire length and width but such clearance may be reduced in parking structures.

E. Service drives to public streets shall have a minimum vision clearance area formed by the intersection of the driveway center line, the street right-of-way line, and a straight line joining said lines through points 20 feet from their intersection. No obstruction over 24 inches in height that has a cross section over 12 inches shall be permitted in such an area.

F. The following off-street parking development and maintenance shall apply in all cases, except single-family and two-family dwellings.

1. Parking areas, aisles and turn-arounds shall be constructed to City standards.

2. Parking areas, aisles and turn-arounds shall have provisions made for the on-site collection of drainage waters to eliminate sheet flow of such waters onto sidewalks, public rights-of-way and abutting private property.

3. Approaches shall be constructed to City standards. In the event that a street is not paved, the approach may be maintained to the same standard as the street until the street is paved.

4. Spaces shall be permanently and clearly marked.

5. Wheel stops and bumper guards shall be provided where appropriate for spaces abutting a property line or building, and no vehicles shall overhang a public right-of-way or other property line.

6. Where parking abuts a public right-of-way, a wall or screen planting shall be provided sufficient to screen the parking facilities but without causing encroachment into vision clearance areas. Except in residential areas, where a parking facility or driveway is serving other than a one- or two-family dwelling and is located adjacent to residential, agricultural or institutional uses, a site-obscuring fence, wall or evergreen hedge shall be provided on the property line. Such screening shall be maintained in good condition and protected from being damaged by vehicles using the parking area.

7. Except for a residential development which has landscaped yards, parking facilities shall include landscaping to cover not less than seven percent of the area devoted to parking facilities. The landscaping shall be uniformly distributed throughout the parking area and may consist of trees, shrubs, ground cover or related material.

8. Artificial lighting which may be provided shall be deflected so as not to shine directly into adjoining dwellings or other types of living units and so as not to create a hazard to the public use of a street. [Ord. 504 § 5.110(6), 1980; 1981 Compilation § 8-5:5.110(6).]

15.115.070 Loading facilities.

A. The minimum area required for commercial and industrial loading spaces is as follows:

1. Two hundred fifty square feet for buildings of 5,000 to 20,000 square feet of gross floor area.

2. Five hundred square feet for buildings of 20,000 to 50,000 square feet of gross floor area.

3. Seven hundred fifty square feet for buildings in excess of 50,000 square feet of gross floor area.

B. The required loading area shall not be less than 10 feet in width by 25 feet in length and shall have an unobstructed height of 14 feet.

C. Required loading facilities shall be installed prior to final building inspection and shall be permanently maintained as a condition of use.

D. 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 a school having a capacity greater than 25 students.

E. All loading spaces shall be situated so as to minimize backing onto public rights-of-way. [Ord. 504 § 5.110(7), 1980; 1981 Compilation § 8-5:5.110(7).]