Pismo Beach Municipal Code Ch. 17.34 Parking and Loading

The off-street parking and loading standards of this chapter are intended to:

A. Provide sufficient parking facilities to meet the needs generated by the proposed use;

B. Provide accessible, attractive, secure, properly lighted, and well-maintained and screened off-street parking and loading facilities;

C. Reduce traffic congestion and hazards;

D. Encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation by providing for safe, adequate and convenient bicycle and carpool parking;

E. Protect neighborhoods from the effects of vehicular noise and traffic;

F. Ensure access and maneuverability for emergency vehicles; and

G. Provide loading and delivery facilities in proportion to the needs generated by the proposed use.

Every permanent land use (including a change of use), and every structure shall be provided permanently maintained off-street parking and loading areas, in compliance with this chapter.

A. Location of Parking and Loading Areas. All parking and loading spaces, areas, and their accessways shall be located on the site of a proposed land use, outside of the public right-of-way, in compliance with Section 17.34.070 (Development Standards for Off-Street Parking). Off-site spaces may be used to satisfy the parking requirements of this chapter as follows.

1. The director or commission may authorize a portion or all of the required parking to be located on an adjacent parcel or on a non-contiguous parcel, provided that all required parking spaces will be within three hundred feet of the use requiring the parking; and

2. Off-site parking may also be authorized in compliance with Section 17.34.050 (Reduction of Off-Street Parking Requirements).

B. Maintenance of Parking and Loading Areas. All covered or uncovered off-street parking and loading facilities required by this chapter shall be permanently reserved for parking and loading purposes, without any fee or charge to patrons of the site requiring the parking. All parking facilities, including but not limited to curbs, directional markings, disabled symbols, landscaping, pavement, signs, striping, and wheel stops, and other facilities, shall be permanently maintained by the property owner/tenant in good repair, free of litter and debris, potholes, obstructions, and stored material.

C. Residential Guest Parking. Required guest parking in residential zoning districts shall be designated and restricted for the use of guests.

D. Recreational Vehicle Parking--Residential Areas. The storage (parking for any period longer than seventy-two hours) of recreational vehicles and boats on private property in residential zoning districts shall be allowed only within driveway areas, within interior side setbacks, and rear setbacks.

1. All vehicles stored in areas other than driveways that may be visible from the public view of the front, or street-side areas of the site shall be screened by a combination of fencing, walls, and/or screening landscaping as determined by the director.

2. Stored vehicles shall be solely for the personal use of the property owner or residents of the site intended for accessory storage. Recreational vehicles shall not be used for living, sleeping, or housekeeping purposes when stored on a residential lot, or in any location not approved for these purposes.

E. Commercial Vehicle Parking--Residential Areas. No commercial vehicle exceeding eight feet in height and/or twenty feet in combined total length, or towed equipment, shall park between the hours of six p.m. and six a.m. on private property or public rights-of-way within residential zoning districts. This prohibition shall not apply to construction sites during the construction process or to vehicles in the process of making deliveries or pickups. Additional requirements for the parking of commercial and oversize vehicles are provided by Chapter 10.08 (Stopping, Standing, and Parking) of the Municipal Code.

All proposed land uses shall be designed and constructed to provide the minimum number of off-street parking spaces required by this Section, except where a greater number of spaces is required through land use permit conditions of approval.

A. Expansion of Existing Structure, Change in Use. When a structure is enlarged or increased in capacity, or when a change in use is required by this section to have more parking than the former use, the additional off-street parking spaces required by this Section shall be provided on the site, except where a reduction in parking space requirements is approved in compliance with Section 17.34.050 (Reduction of Off-Street Parking Requirements).

B. Alteration of Existing Structure, Change in Use--CD Districts. The use of any structure which existed within the CD zoning district as of December 14, 1983, may be changed without providing the parking spaces required by this section, except as follows.

1. Change of Use from Residential to Commercial. Additional parking spaces shall be provided where a change of use from residential to commercial is proposed, and the commercial use would be required by this section to have more than fifty percent more parking spaces than the former residential use. The number of spaces provided shall be the number required by this section for the new use, minus two spaces, and minus the number of spaces required for the residential use.

2. Reconstruction or Structural Alteration. Reconstructions or major structural alterations (not including seismic retrofitting) which exceed fifty percent of the assessed value of the existing improvements, and do not increase floor area shall provide one-half of the number of spaces required by this section for all uses within the structure and on the parcel.

3. Additions within CD-C Zoning District. Additions to structures within the CD-C zoning district shall be required to provide parking in compliance with this section for the area of the addition only.

C. Multiple uses on a Single Site. A site or facility proposed for multiple tenants or uses (for example, a building with ground-floor shops and second-floor offices) shall provide the aggregate number of parking spaces required by this section for each separate use; except where shared parking is allowed in compliance with Section 17.34.050 (Reduction of Off-Street Parking Requirements).

D. Parking Required by Development Agreements and Specific Plans. Parking requirements established by applicable development agreements or specific plans supersede the provisions of this section.

E. Parking Districts. The parking requirements of this section do not apply to any use proposed within a parking district established by the council after the effective date of this section, except for hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns, and other transient lodging facilities.

F. Parking Requirements by Land Use. Each land use shall be provided the minimum number of off-street parking spaces shown in Table 3-2.

1. Additional Requirements. Additional spaces may be required by the review authority through land use permit conditions of approval, where applicable.

2. Uses Not Listed. Land uses not specifically listed by Table 3-2 shall provide parking as required by the director. In determining appropriate off-street parking requirements, the director shall use the requirements of Table 3-2 as a general guide in determining the minimum number of off-street parking spaces necessary to avoid undue interference with public use of streets.

3. Rounding of Quantities. Where the number of required parking spaces results in a fraction of 0.50 or higher, the requirements shall be rounded up to the next whole space.

TABLE 3-2 REQUIRED NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES

(Ord. O-2018-011 § 5, 2018: Ord. 05-10 § 2 (Exh. A (part)), 2005; Ord. 03-04 § 2 (Exh. B (part)), 2003; Ord. 03-03 § 2 (Exh. B (part)), 2003)

The number of off-street parking spaces required by Section 17.34.040 (Number of Parking Spaces Required) may be reduced as provided by this section.

A. General Shared Parking Reduction. The total number of parking spaces required for multiple non-residential uses sharing a single parking facility may be reduced by the commission through site plan and architectural review, or conditional use permit approval.

1. Allowed Reduction. The commission may reduce the number of parking spaces required by up to fifteen percent of the sum of all parking requirements computed separately.

2. Required Findings. The granting of a parking reduction shall require that the commission first find that:

a. Some of the uses sharing the parking facility generate parking demands primarily during hours when the remaining uses are not in operation (for example, if one use operates during evenings or weekdays only); or

b. The parking demands for the individual uses vary substantially during a typical day; or

c. Patrons are likely to visit more than one business establishment on a single trip.

B. Downtown Area Parking Reductions. Within the CD zoning district, the number of parking spaces required may be reduced as follows.

1. Multiple Use Shared Parking. The total number of parking spaces required for multiple non-residential uses sharing a single parking facility may be reduced by the commission through conditional use permit approval. The aggregate total number of parking spaces required for each use by Section 17.34.040 (Number of Parking Spaces Required) may be reduced by twenty-five percent for the first five thousand square feet of building area on the site, and by two percent for each additional one thousand square feet of building area, up to a maximum reduction of sixty percent.

2. Off-Site Shared Parking. Where approved by the commission, parking required for a use proposed within the CD-C zoning district may be located in a common or shared parking facility away from the site of the proposed use, including outside of the CD-C district. In reviewing a request for shared off-site parking, the commission shall consider how the distance between the parking area and the proposed use may affect whether the off-site facility will satisfy the parking needs of the proposed use.

3. Joint Use of Existing Parking Facilities. The joint use of existing parking facilities by multiple uses may be authorized through conditional use permit approval as provided by this subsection.

a. Applicability. If a parcel or building has more on-site parking spaces than the number required by Table 3-2, the number of excess spaces may be made available to serve a use on another site, provided that the parking site is within five hundred feet of the use to be served.

b. Allowed Parking Reduction. Up to seventy percent of the parking spaces required by Table 3-2 for a use determined by the review authority to be primarily a daytime use may be provided by the parking facilities of a use determined to be primarily a nighttime use, in compliance with the following standards.

(1) Typical daytime uses include: banks, business offices, retail stores, personal service shops, and similar uses. Typical nighttime uses include theaters and restaurants.

(2) The applicant shall be required to show that:

(a) There is no substantial conflict in the principal operating hours of the building or uses for which the joint use of off-street parking facilities is proposed; and

(b) The proposed joint use parking area is conveniently located to serve both uses, and generally not a greater distance from those uses than five hundred feet.

c. Required Agreement or Covenant. A parking agreement or covenant in a form approved by the city shall be recorded against the property which is the site of the parking referenced in subsections (B)(3)(a) and (B)(3)(b) above. The agreement or covenant shall contain the following stipulations:

(1) The owner of the parking facility shall continue to maintain and make the parking facility available to the use as long as the use continues;

(2) The owner of the business or use receiving the parking shall discontinue the use requiring the parking upon revocation of the agreement or covenant;

(3) The agreement or covenant shall not be revoked without the prior notification and approval of the city; and

(4) If the parking site is owned by the developer of the proposed uses, the covenant shall stipulate that the title to and right to use the site upon which the parking is to be provided will be subservient to the title to the site upon which the building is to be developed, and that it is warranted that the site is not and will not be made subject to any other covenant or contract for use without prior written consent of the city.

4. Payment of Fees In Lieu of Providing Parking. The parking space requirements of Table 3-2 may be satisfied through the payment of an "in-lieu" parking fee subject to the following requirements:

a. Applicability. This provision shall apply to commercial uses and development within the CD zoning district, as follows:

(1) Within the CD-C district, up to one hundred percent of the parking requirement for new development, additions or renovations may be satisfied by the payment of in-lieu fees.

(2) Within the CD-M, and CD-V districts, up to one hundred percent of the parking requirement generated by new development, additions or renovations on sites of less than four thousand square feet may be satisfied by the payment of in-lieu fees, and up to fifty percent for parcels or sites larger than four thousand square feet.

(3) The payment of in-lieu parking fees shall not be used to satisfy the parking requirements of any transient lodging or residential use.

b. Establishment of Fee. The city council shall adopt a resolution setting the amounts of the in-lieu parking fees to be paid. The resolution may be amended from time to time as conditions change. The amounts of the fees shall be based on the following, which shall be included in the resolution:

(1) The estimated total cost of providing one off-street parking space in a surface parking lot located within the downtown, including the costs of land and all improvements.

(2) Within the CD-C district and on sites smaller than four thousand square feet in other CD districts, the amount of the in-lieu fee for parking requirements caused by additions or renovations to existing buildings shall be sixty percent of the total cost established in compliance with subsection (B)(4)(b), above.

(3) Within the CD-C district, the amount of the in-lieu fee for parking requirements caused by new development, other than additions, shall be eighty percent of the total cost established in compliance with subsection (B)(4)(b), above.

(4) In all other instances, the amount of the in-lieu fee shall be one hundred percent of the total amount per space established in compliance with subsection (B)(4)(b), above.

c. Commission Approval Required. Any request to pay an in-lieu parking fee to satisfy the requirement for off-street parking shall be subject to review and approval by the planning commission.

d. Timing of Payment. Any approved in-lieu parking fees shall be paid to the city prior to issuance of a building permit for the project.

e. Deposit and Use of Funds.

(1) The city shall establish a special restricted fund within which all in-lieu parking fees collected by the city shall be deposited.

(2) The in-lieu parking fund shall be used only for the purchase of additional land for public parking facilities and the construction of improvements to accommodate public parking, within the CD district.

Parking areas shall include parking spaces accessible to the disabled in compliance with this section.

A. Number of spaces, design standards. Parking spaces for the disabled shall be provided in compliance with Uniform Building Code (UBC) Section 1129B, which incorporates the requirements of California State law. State law may be amended from time to time, so reference should be made directly to State law for standards on the required number, dimensions, and location of handicapped parking spaces, signage, and related facilities. See Figure 3-7.

FIGURE 3-7 DESIGN OF DISABLED ACCESSIBLE SPACES

[Figure]

B. Reservation of Spaces Required. All disabled accessible spaces required by this section shall be reserved by the property owner/tenant for use by the disabled throughout the life of the approved land use.

C. Upgrading of Markings Required. If amendments to State law change State standards for the marking, striping, and signing of disabled parking spaces, all handicapped spaces within the city shall be upgraded in compliance with the new State standards. This upgrading shall be completed by affected property owners within sixty days of their being notified in writing by the city of the new State standards.

Off-street parking areas shall be provided on the subject site, outside of any public right-of-way, in compliance with this Section. See also Section 17.34.080 (Parking Design Guidelines).

A. Access.

1. Driveway Location and Design. Site access driveways shall be located and designed in compliance with Section 17.34.090 (Driveways and Site Access).

2. Internal Maneuvering Area. Parking areas shall provide suitable maneuvering room so that all vehicles may enter an abutting street in a forward direction. Single-family homes and duplexes are exempt from this requirement and the director may approve exceptions for other residential projects.

3. Parking Space Location. No parking space shall be located so that a vehicle will maneuver within twenty feet of a vehicular entrance to the site, measured from the property line.

4. Residential Garage Location. Residential garage entrances shall be set back a minimum of twenty feet from any public or private street right-of-way.

5. Tandem Parking. Tandem parking shall only be used as follows.

a. Residential Districts. The review authority may authorize the use of tandem parking spaces in residential zoning districts only, where the spaces are:

(1) On single-family lots, when the planning commission or director finds that:

(a) Existing conditions or terrain on the property present unusual circumstances justifying the approval of tandem parking,

(b) The tandem space(s) is (are) appropriately located on the site,

(c) The use of tandem spaces will not jeopardize the health, safety, or welfare of persons in the neighborhood,

(d) The use of tandem spaces will result in a better project than would otherwise be feasible,

(e) Any two spaces in tandem are under the control of one person or group living together.

b. CD Zoning Districts. Tandem parking may be permitted to satisfy off-street parking requirements within the CD-C and CD-V zoning districts, for transient lodging uses, only where valet service is provided at all times when the parking spaces are available for public use.

B. Adjacent Site Access. Non-residential developments should be designed and constructed to provide cross-access to adjacent non-residential properties for convenience, safety and efficient circulation of motor vehicles. A mutual access agreement should be executed where cross-access is provided.

C. Parking Lot and Space Dimensions:

1. General Requirements. Parking stalls, aisles, bays, and other parking lot features shall be designed and constructed with the minimum dimensions indicated in Table 3-3, and as illustrated by Figure 3-8.

2. Compact Car Spaces. A maximum of thirty-three percent of the total number of required parking spaces may be compact spaces, in compliance with the minimum dimensions shown in Table 3-2 for compact cars.

3. Dimensions for Private Garages or Carports. The following minimum unobstructed inside dimensions shall be provided for private garages and carports:

4. Parallel Parking Spaces. Parallel parking spaces shall have a minimum width of nine feet and a minimum length of twenty-four feet.

5. RV Spaces. Parking spaces for recreational vehicles shall be a minimum of twelve feet wide by twenty-two feet deep.

D. Drainage. All off-street parking/loading areas shall be designed and constructed:

1. So that surface water will not drain over any sidewalk or adjacent site (drainage from a site to a street across a driveway may be approved), or adjacent parcels;

2. In compliance with the city's best management practices, adopted in accordance with the requirements of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

3. To include facilities for the sub-surface filtering of oil and grease contaminants, in new or reconstructed non-residential parking lots with five or more parking spaces.

TABLE 3-2 REQUIRED PARKING STALL AND PARKING LOT DIMENSIONS REQUIREMENTS FOR STANDARD SIZE CARS

REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPACT CARS

FIGURE 3-8 PARKING LOT DIMENSIONS

[Figure]

E. Landscaping. Required parking area landscaping shall be provided as follows, unless otherwise specified in this chapter, and except where all parking spaces are entirely within a building or in a subterranean parking lot.

1. Minimum Area for Landscaping. A minimum of thirty percent of the area within the perimeter of all parking lots shall be designed, constructed and maintained as landscaped areas.

2. Perimeter Landscaping:

a. Adjacent to Streets. Parking areas adjacent to a public right-of-way shall be designed to provide a three-foot wide landscaped planting strip between the right-of way and parking.

b. Adjacent to Residential Use. Parking areas for nonresidential uses adjacent to residential uses shall be designed to provide a landscaped planting strip a minimum of three and one-half feet in width between the parking area and the property line bordering the residential use. A screening wall shall also be provided in compliance with subsection H of this section.

3. Interior Landscaping:

a. Planting Strips Between Parking Aisles. Parking areas with multiple parking aisles shall be designed to provide a continuous planter strip between each aisle. The planter strip shall be six feet wide. Adequate pedestrian paths shall be provided throughout the landscaped areas. The planting strips shall include at least one twenty-four-inch box shade tree for every five parking spaces; appropriate clustering of trees may be approved by the director.

b. Projecting Islands. Planting strips between aisles in parking lots with more than fifteen parking spaces shall include projecting islands to accommodate additional trees and other landscape materials. Islands shall be provided between every 10 parking spaces, and shall be a minimum of six feet wide.

c. Required Shading. The landscaping program (including tree species selected) shall be designed to provide shading for fifty percent of the parking lot area within fifteen years.

d. Bumper Overhang Areas. To increase the parking lot landscaped area, a maximum of two feet of the parking stall depth may be landscaped with low-growth, hearty materials in lieu of asphalt, allowing a bumper overhang while maintaining the required parking dimensions.

e. Areas Not Used for Parking. Areas in a parking lot not used for driveways, maneuvering areas, parking spaces, or walks, shall be landscaped and permanently maintained, in compliance with a program submitted by the applicant and approved by the director.

4. Curbing, Irrigation. All areas containing plant materials shall be bordered by a concrete curb at least six inches high and six inches wide, and provided with an approved automatic irrigation system.

F. Lighting. Parking areas shall have lighting capable of providing adequate illumination for security and safety. Lighting standards shall be energy-efficient and in scale with the height and use of the on-site structure(s). Any lights, including security lighting, shall be directed downward, away from adjoining properties and public rights-of-way, and shall provide no less than 0.3, and no more than 1.0 foot candles of illumination. (See Figure 3-9.)

FIGURE 3-9 PARKING AREA LIGHTING

[Figure]

G. Location of Required Parking. All required parking spaces shall be located on the same parcel as the primary structure or use, unless approved otherwise by the director. The director may approve a portion or all of the required off-street spaces to be located on an adjacent parcel; or on a non-contiguous parcel, provided that all required parking spaces will be within three hundred feet of the use requiring the parking.

The applicant shall provide evidence, to the satisfaction of the director, that a suitable long-term lease or other binding agreement can be executed and recorded which would guarantee that the parcel containing the primary structure or use has an irrevocable right to utilize the adjacent parcel for parking.

H. Paving. All driveway, parking and maneuvering areas shall be paved with concrete in compliance with ASTMC-143; or asphalt surfacing compacted to a minimum thickness of two inches, laid over a base of crushed rock, gravel, or other similar material compacted to a minimum thickness of four inches, or as otherwise required or approved by the city engineer.

I. Screening. Commercial/industrial and public parking areas abutting residentially zoned parcels shall provide a six-foot high wood or decorative masonry wall at the property line adjacent to the residential zoning district, to properly screen the parking area(s), subject to approval by the director. The director may waive or modify this requirement to protect the views of adjacent residences. All decorative wall features shall occur on both sides of the wall.

J. Striping. Parking stalls shall be identified with double, four-inch wide paint stripes, or other durable striping material approved by the director, on the parking lot surface, in compliance with Figure 3-10 (Parking Stall Striping). Parallel spaces may be marked with single lines.

FIGURE 3-10 PARKING STALL STRIPING

[Figure]

K. Wheel Stops/Curbing. Continuous concrete curbing at least six inches high and six inches wide shall be provided for all parking spaces located adjacent to walls, fences, property lines and structures. All parking lots shall have curbing around all parking areas and aisle planters in compliance with Subsection E above. (Ord. 05-10 § 2 (Exh. A (part)), 2005)

A. Purpose. The parking design guidelines of this Section are intended as a guide to assist property owners and project designers in understanding the general plan's goals for attaining high quality development that is sensitive to the city's unique character.

B. Applicability. These guidelines will be utilized during the site plan and architectural review process as criteria against which to review projects requiring design approval.

1. The provisions of this chapter apply whenever access and/or parking are provided for a project regardless of whether or not the access or parking are required by this Zoning Code. Any addition, relocation, or construction requiring site plan and architectural review approval in compliance with Section 17.42.030 shall comply with these guidelines where applicable.

2. These guidelines may be interpreted with some flexibility in their application to specific projects as not all design criteria may be workable/appropriate for each project. In some circumstances, a guideline may be relaxed in order to accomplish another, more important guideline. The overall objective is to ensure that the intent and spirit of the design guidelines are followed. The ultimate goal of the design review process is to attain the best possible design within reason.

C. General Guidelines.

1. Aside from concerns for traffic safety and efficiency, the visual impacts of parking lots is an important concern. Projects should be laid out so that parking lots are not the dominant feature of the development when viewed from the street. Generally, it is not advisable to place the parking area along the front of the site because it creates a negative visual impact that detracts from the project's architectural image. Parking placed along the side or to the rear of a site allows the architectural significance of the buildings and the beauty of the landscaped open space to take precedence.

2. Providing an excessive amount of paved parking areas (beyond what is required) is strongly discouraged. The city requires significant landscaping adjacent to the perimeter of the parking area and along the street frontage to diminish the appearance of paved areas.

D. Access and Circulation.

1. Primary project entries should be designed as special statements reflective of the character of the project. The goal should be to establish a distinctive and inviting image for the project. Textured paving, flowering accents, low walls, shrubs, and the use of specimen trees (forty-eight inch box or larger) should be used to generate visual interest at entry points to commercial centers.

2. Entry drives on larger projects (two hundred or more parking stalls) should include a minimum five foot wide landscaped median to separate incoming and out-going traffic. See Figure 3-11.

FIGURE 3-11

[Figure]

3. The first parking stall that is perpendicular to an entry driveway or the first aisle juncture that is perpendicular, should be a minimum of forty feet back from the curb to provide adequate vehicle queuing distance off the street. With larger centers, a longer setback distance may be required. See Figure 3-12.

FIGURE 3-12

[Figure]

4. Nonresidential developments are encouraged to provide cross-access to adjacent nonresidential properties for convenience, safety, and efficient circulation of vehicles. A mutual access agreement shall be executed where cross-access is provided. A parking reduction for shared parking may be allowed in compliance with Section 17.34.050 (Reduction of Off-Street Parking Requirements).

E. Parking Lot Design.

1. Parking lots should be designed with a hierarchy of circulation: major access drives with no parking; major circulation drives with little or no parking; and parking aisles for direct access to parking spaces. Small projects may need to combine components of the hierarchy. See Figure 3-13.

FIGURE 3-13

[Figure]

2. Parking lots should include landscaping that accents the importance of the driveways from the street, frames the major circulation aisles, and highlights pedestrian pathways.

3. Drop-off points (i.e. wider aisles) located near entrances to major buildings and plaza areas should be provided for projects over two hundred fifty thousand square feet of building area.

4. Parking areas should be separated from buildings by either a raised walkway or landscape strip at least four feet wide. Situations where parking aisles or spaces directly abut the building are strongly discouraged. See Figure 3-14.

FIGURE 3-14

[Figure]

5. Intersections should be kept to a minimum and dead-end aisles should be avoided unless absolutely necessary and when proper backup areas are provided.

6. Parking lots should be designed so that pedestrians walk parallel to moving cars. This will minimize the need for pedestrians to cross parking aisles and landscape areas. See Figure 3-15.

FIGURE 3-15

[Figure]

7. Where parking lots accommodate over one hundred cars, they should be broken up into segments or modules of less than fifty spaces each by means of intervening landscaping, access driveways, or structures to avoid large unbroken expanses of paved area.

F. Pedestrian Connections.

1. Pedestrian and bicycle access should be designed to physically and visually link the site to the public sidewalk and bikeway system as an extension of the project's circulation system and to separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Direct pedestrian links between the project and adjoining projects and residential areas should be provided whenever appropriate.

2. Projects should include a system of pedestrian walkways that interconnect business entries with each other and with parking areas. Walkways should connect individual structures within a project directly without forcing pedestrians to mix with vehicular traffic. See Figure 3-16.

FIGURE 3-16

[Figure]

3. Walkways should be well marked by means of low-level directional signs, lighting, distinctive paving, and landscaping. Where feasible, trellises, arbors, arcades, or similar features should be used to cover walkways and provide clear identification of facilities. Where textured paving is used, it should not be so rough or irregular as to make walking difficult, or discourage the use of baby strollers, or wheelchairs.

Driveways providing ingress and egress to off-street parking spaces shall be designed, constructed, and maintained as follows.

A. Number of Access Points. One driveway access point per ownership shall be permitted unless the city engineer determines, based on a development/circulation plan submitted by the applicant, or recommendations from the fire department, that more than one access is required to handle traffic volumes or specific designs, such as residential circular driveways. Additional access shall not be permitted if it is determined to be detrimental to the traffic flow and the safety of adjacent public streets. Whenever a property has access to more than one street, access shall generally be limited to the street with the lowest traffic volume, where the impact of a new access will be minimized. All access from private property to a public street shall require an encroachment permit.

B. Location of Access.

1. Distance from Street Intersections. No portion of a driveway access shall be permitted within curb returns. The edge of the access shall not be less than 10 feet from the end of curb returns for single-family residential developments. For all other developments, this distance shall not be less than one hundred fifty feet. Where the lot size does not permit the access to be located one hundred fifty feet from the end of curb return, the access shall be located the maximum distance possible from the end of the curb return. This distance does not include the three-foot transition or wing sections on each side of the driveway.

2. Driveway Spacing. Two or more driveway access points on a public street shall be separated as follows.

a. Single-Family Residential Development. Where two or more accesses serve adjacent single-family residential parcels, the minimum distance between the nearest points of the two accesses shall be at least twenty feet, unless a shared, single driveway access is approved by the director. The twenty-foot separation does not include the three-foot transition or wing sections on each side of the driveway, and may be reduced by the director for a cul-de-sac street.

b. Multi-Family and Nonresidential Development. Where two or more accesses serve the same or adjacent non-single-family residential development, the minimum distance between the centerline of accesses should be preferably at least two hundred feet on streets with design speeds below thirty mph and three hundred feet on streets with design speeds above thirty mph.

c. Corner and Double Frontage Lots. For corner and double frontage residential lots, one access on each frontage may be permitted if it is determined by the city engineer that two driveways are needed to provide safe access for traffic entering and leaving the lot because of site distance and geometric design considerations.

C. Driveway Width and Length.

1. Driveway Width Requirements. Driveways shall be designed and constructed to the widths specified by Table 3-4.

TABLE 3-4 MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM DRIVEWAY WIDTH

Notes:

(1) The review authority may modify the maximum or minimum width when the proposed width is adequate and where needed for safety or accessibility.

(2) When redevelopment or rehabilitation occurs, existing driveways shall be modified or eliminated to conform to these standards.

2. Driveway Length--RSL and RSM Zoning Districts. The minimum length of a single-family driveway shall be twenty feet measured from back of the sidewalk to the front of the garage, to permit vehicle parking in the driveway without blocking the sidewalk. Where access to a garage, carport, or open parking space is perpendicular (ninety degrees) to the driveway, a minimum twenty-four-foot deep unobstructed back-out area shall be provided.

D. Driveway Alignments--Commercial Development. Where commercial parcels are not large enough to allow accesses on opposite sides of the street to be aligned, the center of driveways not in alignment will normally be offset a minimum of one hundred fifty feet on all collector roads, and three hundred feet on all major and arterial roads. Greater distances may be required if needed for left-turn storage lanes.

E. Driveway Slope. Driveway and parking lot slopes shall not exceed twenty percent. For commercial development and multi-family development, entrance and exit areas shall not exceed three percent within the first thirty feet from the street right-of-way, except where the city engineer may approve an alternate standard that provides an adequate landing area adjacent to the sidewalk.

F. Clearance from Appurtenances. The nearest edge of any driveway curb cut shall be at least three feet from the nearest property line (except where the review authority has approved a shared driveway between two parcels), the centerline of a fire hydrant, utility pole, drop inlet, and/or appurtenances, traffic signal installations, or light standards. The nearest edge of any driveway shall also be at least five feet from the nearest projection of the installation. Street trees shall be a minimum of ten feet from the driveway access.

G. Sight Distance at Driveways. Each point of access from a parking area to a street right-of-way shall be constructed and maintained so that any vehicle entering or leaving the parking area shall be clearly visible at a distance of not less than ten feet to a person approaching the access point on a sidewalk or other pedestrian path, or from an approaching vehicle, based on the criteria in Figure 3-17.

FIGURE 3-17

[Figure]

H. Temporary Access. The director may grant temporary access to underdeveloped property prior to approval of all development permits required by this Title, or completion of development, if access is needed for construction. Temporary accesses are subject to removal, relocation, or redesign after all permits are approved. (Ord. 03-04 § 2 (Exh. B (part)), 2003)

A. Number of Loading Spaces Required. Unless modified/adjusted by the director in compliance with Section 17.42.030 (Site Plan and Architectural Review), off-street freight and equipment loading spaces shall be provided for all non-residential uses, except hotels and motels. The minimum number of loading spaces shown in Table 3-5 shall be provided for each use.

TABLE 3-5 REQUIRED NUMBER OF LOADING SPACES

Requirements for uses not specifically listed shall be determined by the director based upon the requirements for comparable uses and upon the characteristics of the proposed use, in compliance with Section 17.34.040 (Number of Parking Spaces Required).

B. Location. Loading spaces shall be located to:

1. Be at the rear of the structure being served, consistent with the other provisions of this subsection;

2. Ensure that truck parking and loading activities shall not be visible from any major public rights-of-way, or from any residential use;

3. Ensure that all loading and unloading takes place on-site, and in no case within adjacent public rights-of-way, or other traffic areas on-site;

4. Ensure that all vehicular maneuvers occur on-site; and

5. Avoid adverse noise impacts upon any neighboring residential properties.

C. Development Standards for Off-Street Loading. Off-street loading areas shall be provided in the following manner:

1. Dimensions. Required freight and equipment loading spaces shall be not less than fifteen feet in width, forty-five feet in length, with fourteen feet of vertical clearance. Loading spaces designed to allow a truck to back up to a loading dock shall also be provided a clear maneuvering aisle (apron) of forty-nine feet between the loading space and the nearest obstruction;

2. Lighting. Loading areas shall have lighting capable of providing adequate illumination for security and safety. Lighting standards shall be energy-efficient and in scale with the height and use of the structure(s). Any illumination, including security lighting, shall be directed away from adjoining parcels and public rights-of-way;

3. Screening. All loading areas shall be screened from public view by walls and/or landscaping. Where loading areas on a site cannot be feasibly accommodated in a location other than adjacent to residentially zoned parcels, the loading area shall either be entirely enclosed, or shall be screened by a solid, architecturally treated decorative masonry wall, as approved by the review authority. All decorative treatments shall occur on both sides of the wall;

4. Loading Doors and Gates. Loading bays and roll-up doors shall be located on the rear of the structure only. Bays and doors may be located on the side of a building away from a street frontage where it can be demonstrated that the bays, doors, and related trucks will be adequately screened from public view from any street or public right-of-way; and

5. Striping. Loading areas shall be striped indicating the loading spaces and identifying the spaces for "loading only." The striping shall be permanently maintained by the property owner/tenant in a clear and visible manner at all times.