Calaveras County Municipal Code § 17.22.020 Applicability

The purpose of this chapter is to provide standard parking requirements to ensure that all land uses have adequate parking, and to ensure that parking is usable and will not impede the flow of traffic or create hazards for pedestrians.

The requirements of this chapter apply to the establishment, alteration, expansion, or change in any use or structure, as provided in this section.

A. New Buildings and Land Uses. Parking in accordance with this chapter shall be provided at the time any main building or structure is erected or any new land use is established.

B. Reconstruction, Expansion, and Change in Use of Existing Non-Residential Buildings. The following apply to the reconstruction, expansion, and/or change in use of existing non-residential buildings.

1. When a change in use, expansion of a use, or expansion of floor area creates an increase of ten percent or more in the number of required on-site parking spaces, additional on-site parking shall be provided for such addition, enlargement, or change in use and not for the entire building or site.

a. Exception, Changes of Use in the HC Zone. In the HC zone, additional parking is not required for the change of use provided there is no expansion of floor area.

2. The existing parking, up to the amount of parking spaces required for the existing use and/or building before expansion, reconstruction, or change, shall be maintained.

3. If the number of existing parking spaces is greater than the requirements for such use, the number of spaces in excess of the prescribed minimum may be counted toward meeting the parking requirements for the addition, enlargement, or change in use.

4. A change in occupancy is not considered a change in use unless the new occupant's business or activity is in a different use classification than the former occupant.

5. Additional parking spaces are not required for the reconstruction of an existing building when there is no increase in floor area.

C. Alterations that Increase the Number of Dwelling Units. Unless otherwise specified, the creation of additional dwelling units through the alteration of an existing building or construction of an additional structure or structures requires parking to serve the new dwelling units. See Table 17.22.040, Required Parking Spaces.

D. When Constructed. Parking facilities required by this chapter shall be constructed or installed prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for the uses that they serve.

A. Existing Parking to be Maintained. No existing parking serving any use may be reduced in amount or changed in design, location or maintenance below the requirements for such use, unless equivalent substitute facilities are provided.

B. Nonconforming Parking. An existing use of land or structure shall not be deemed to be nonconforming solely because of a lack of currently existing parking facilities required by this chapter, provided that facilities used for parking as of the date of adoption of this title are not reduced in number.

C. Accessibility. Parking areas must be accessible for its intended purpose during all hours of operation of the use it serves.

A. Minimum Number of Spaces Required. Each land use shall be provided at least the number of parking spaces stated in Table 17.22.040, Required Parking Spaces. The parking requirement for any use not listed in Table 17.22.040 shall be determined by the director based upon the requirements for the most similar comparable use, the particular characteristics of the proposed use, and any other relevant data regarding parking demand.

TABLE 17.22.040: REQUIRED PARKING SPACES

B. Calculation of Required Spaces. The number of required parking spaces shall be calculated according to the following rules:

1. Floor Area. Where a parking requirement is stated as a ratio of parking spaces to floor area, the floor area is assumed to be total floor area, unless otherwise stated. See Section 17.02.030.F, Determining Floor Area.

2. Employees. Where a parking requirement is stated as a ratio of parking spaces to employees, the number of employees shall be based on the largest shift that occurs in a typical week.

3. Bedrooms. Where a parking requirement is stated as a ratio of parking spaces to bedrooms, any rooms meeting the standards of the building code as a sleeping room shall be counted as a bedroom.

4. Seats. Where parking requirements are stated as a ratio of parking spaces to seats, each eighty inches of bench-type seating at maximum seating capacity is counted as one seat.

C. Sites with Multiple Uses. If more than one use is located on a site, the number of required parking spaces shall be equal to the sum of the requirements calculated separately for each use unless a reduction is approved pursuant to Section 17.22.050, Parking Reductions.

The number of parking spaces required by Section 17.22.040, Required Parking Spaces, may be reduced as follows.

A. Motorcycle Parking. Motorcycle parking may substitute for up to five percent of required automobile parking. Each motorcycle space must be at least four feet wide and seven feet deep.

B. HC Zone. In the HC Zone, required parking for any use may be reduced by twenty-five percent.

C. Shared Parking. Where a shared parking facility serving more than one use will be provided, the total number of required parking spaces may be reduced up to twenty-five percent with approval of an administrative use permit or up to fifty percent with approval of a conditional use permit, if the review authority finds that:

1. The peak hours of use will not overlap or coincide to the degree that peak demand for parking spaces from all uses will be greater than the total supply of spaces;

2. The proposed number of parking spaces to be provided will be adequate to serve each use; and

3. In the case of a shared parking facility that serves more than one property, a parking agreement has been prepared consistent with the provisions of Section 17.22.070.A.1, Allowance for Off-Site Parking.

D. Other Parking Reductions. Required parking for any use may be reduced by up to twenty-five percent with approval of an administrative use permit. Additional parking reductions require approval of a conditional use permit.

1. Criteria for Approval. The review authority may approve a Use Permit for reduced parking if it finds that:

a. Special conditions exist that will reduce parking demand at the site including, but not limited to, the nature of the proposed operation; transportation characteristics of persons residing, working, or visiting the site; the location of the use in a main street shopping area in townsites, community centers, or community plan areas; or because existing development precludes the addition of parking spaces; and

b. The use will adequately be served by the proposed parking.

2. Parking Demand Study. In order to evaluate a proposed project's compliance with the above criteria, submittal of a parking demand study that substantiates the basis for granting a reduced number of spaces may be required.

If a parking In-Lieu Fee Program has been established, a fee may be paid to the county in lieu of providing required parking within the district.

A. In-lieu Fee Amount. The amount of the in-lieu fee shall be calculated and paid as set forth in a resolution of the board of supervisors which may be changed from time to time

B. Use of Funds. In-lieu fees shall be used for programs to reduce parking impacts within that assessment district.

A. On-Site Parking Required. Required parking shall be located on the same lot as the use it serves except as allowed below.

1. Allowance for Off-Site Parking. Required parking may be located off-site provided the off-site parking facility is located within five hundred feet, along a route used by pedestrians, of the principal entrance containing the use(s) for which the parking is required.

2. Parking Agreement. A parking agreement, which guarantees the long-term availability of the parking lot for the use it is intended to serve, shall be recorded with the county clerk recorder's office. The agreement shall be in a form approved by the county counsel and the planning director.

A. Access Control.

1. Parking areas shall have adequate barriers, directional signs, or curbs, to direct access from the paved parking areas to approved encroachments.

2. Curbs, bumper guards, and/or wheel stops may be installed at the option of the developer, or the requirements of any permit approval.

3. Parking areas shall be designed or set back so that no portion of any vehicle parked in the lot is able to extend onto adjoining property or right-of-way.

B. Encroachments.

1. Access to parking lots shall be designed and placed according to the requirements of the public works department for county roads, and Caltrans for state highways.

2. The use of shared driveways and parking areas are encouraged in order to reduce the number of driveways encroaching onto major and minor collectors, and minor arterials.

3. Whenever possible, shared encroachments or frontage roads should be integrated into parking area design.

C. Parking Space and Drive Aisle Dimensions. Parking lots shall be designed and constructed to the minimum dimensions in Table 17.22.080.C, Minimum Parking Dimensions, and Figure 17.22.080.C, Minimum Parking Dimensions.

TABLE 17.22.040: REQUIRED PARKING SPACES

[Figure: FIGURE 17.22.080.C: MINIMUM PARKING DIMENSIONS]

FIGURE 17.22.080.C: MINIMUM PARKING DIMENSIONS

D. Parking Lot Design and Circulation.

1. Interior Circulation. Parking lots shall be designed to ensure that no vehicle needs to use a public road to travel from one portion of the parking lot or facility to another. Dead-end aisles shall be provided with adequate paved turnaround area at the closed end.

2. Storm Water Runoff. Design of the parking lot shall include provisions for control of surface runoff waters onto adjoining property and roads as approved by the Public Works Department.

3. Emergency Access. Based on the requirements of the responsible fire protection agency, access for emergency vehicles may be required. Such access may include an alternate access for emergency use only and a fire lane.

4. Snow Storage Area. All parking lots above the four thousand foot elevation shall include an area equal to ten percent of the parking area for the storage of snow removed from the parking area.

5. Trailer Accommodations. Businesses located in areas where patron traffic is likely to include recreation vehicles, vehicles towing trailers, or other unusually long vehicles, may, at the option of the planning director, be required to provide additional parking lots for such vehicles. Driveway width and turning radii may be enlarged to accommodate the usage.

6. Drive Through Facilities. Uses with drive-through pick-up or service windows shall have circulation patterns designed to accommodate both transient parking patrons and drive-through patrons. Patrons using the parking lot shall be able to access parking spaces and exit the property without using the drive-through area. Vehicles in line at the drive-through window during peak traffic times shall be located in such a manner so that regular parking and circulation is not subjected to interference. Drive-through lanes shall be clearly marked. The above requirements shall be met if a drive-through is added to an existing use.

7. Motor Vehicle Fuel Sales. If an existing use is remodeled to include sales of motor vehicle fuels, a parking and circulation plan shall be submitted to and approved by the planning director prior to the use or occupancy of the development. Parking and access shall comply with this title, even in such cases where there is no addition to an existing structure.

8. Service Station Conversion. If an existing vehicle service station is converted to a retail use, whether the fuel pumps remain in use or service, a parking and circulation plan shall be submitted to and approved by the planning director prior to the use or occupancy of the development. Parking and access shall comply with this title, even in such cases where there is no addition to an existing structure. The fuel pump parking shall not be included as meeting the required spaces for the retail use.

E. Parking Striping. All parking spaces and, when required, aisles, pedestrian walkways and crossings, visitors' parking, fire lanes, no-parking areas and driveways, shall be striped and otherwise designated to provide for the safe loading, unloading and parking and storage of vehicles and shall be so installed as to be in accordance with the standards of the county for such improvements in accordance with this chapter and any other applicable State, federal, or other regulation.

F. Paving. Other than parking areas for single-unit residential, campgrounds, and agriculture or timber uses, parking areas shall be paved with a minimum of four inches of class 2 aggregate base and a surface minimum of two inches of asphalt concrete or equivalent durable and dust-free surface approved by the public works department.

G. Parking Lot Lighting Requirements. Lighting in compliance with Section 17.16.100, Lighting and Illumination, shall be required for areas designed to accommodate four or more vehicles, providing a minimum of one-half foot-candle and a maximum of three foot-candles of light during the hours of use from one-half hour before dusk until one-half hour after dawn.

H. Perimeter Landscaping. For all uses, except single-unit dwellings, all off-street parking lots or facilities abutting a public street or highway, excepting those portions comprising driveways or pedestrian walkways, shall be bounded on the street or highway side or sides by a minimum three-foot-wide landscaped area.

I. Alternative Parking Area Designs and Paving. Applicants may submit alternative parking area designs and paving to the planning director. If the applicant can demonstrate that variations in the requirements of this section are warranted to achieve environmental design and green building objectives, including but not limited to achieving certification under the LEED green building rating system or equivalent, an alternative parking area design or paving may be approved.

J. Maintenance. Parking lots, including landscaped areas, driveways, and loading areas, shall be maintained free of refuse, debris, or other accumulated matter, and shall always be kept in good repair.