The primary purpose of these provisions is to reduce traffic congestion on public streets of Clanton by requiring certain minimum parking and loading areas be provided off-street. Further, these provisions insure safe and convenient access to and from each site, insure safe and efficient on-site traffic circulation, and encourage the design of attractive and harmonious facilities.

The following off-street parking and loading terms when used In this article shall have the meanings defined by this section:

Access Driveway. That portion of the parking area that consists of a travel lane bounded on either side by an area that is not part of the parking area.

BR. Bedroom or guest accommodations.

DU. Dwelling unit.

Employee. The maximum number of persons employed at the facility regardless of the time period during which this occurs or whether the persons are full-time employees. The major shift may be a particular day of the week or a lunch or dinner period in the case of a restaurant.

GLA. Gross leasable area. The total floor area of a building designed for both tenant occupancy and exclusive use. GLA includes both owned and leased areas but does not include shared or common areas among tenants. Where the total floor area of a building is occupied or where a building has no shared or common area, GLA is the gross floor area measured by taking the outside dimensions of the building at each floor level intended for occupancy or storage.

Inoperative Motor Vehicle. Any motor vehicle, which due to the results of an accident or due to owner neglect of maintenance or repair, is incapable of being driven under its own power.

Loading Area. That area used to satisfy the requirements of this ordinance for truck loading and unloading.

Loading Space. An off-street space or berth used for the unloading or loading of commercial vehicles.

Occupancy Load. The maximum number of persons which may be accommodated by the use as determined by its design or by fire code standards.

Parking Aisle. That portion of the parking area consisting of lanes providing access to parking spaces.

Parking Area. An improved area on a lot exclusively used or designed for use as a temporary storage area for motor vehicles, containing access driveways, parking aisles, and parking spaces.

Parking Space. That portion of the parking area set aside for the parking of one vehicle.

SF. Square feet.

Stacking Space. An off-street space for the temporary stacking of vehicles with an aisle intended to serve a drive-in teller window, take-out food window, dry cleaning/laundry pick-up window, day care center drop-off/pick-up or similar type activity station.

Unless otherwise provided for, all uses shall conform with the minimum parking space requirements outlined below. In situations where the required number of parking spaces is not readily determinable by the below table, the building inspector is authorized to determine the parking space requirements using the table as a guide.

A.

The minimum parking space dimensions are as follows:

1.

Each parking space shall contain a minimum rectangular area of 9 feet width and 19 feet length except as provided in A.2 and A.3 below.

2.

In large parking areas of 20 or more parking spaces, up to 20 percent of the parking spaces may be reserved for compact cars. Such spaces shall contain a minimum rectangular area of 8 feet width and 16 feet length. These spaces shall be conspicuously marked for compact cars only.

3.

Parallel parking spaces shall contain a minimum rectangular area of 9 feet width and 22 feet length.

4.

Stacking space shall contain a minimum rectangular area of 10 feet width and 20 feet length and be separated from parking aisles and spaces.

5.

Handicapped parking spaces shall be designed in accordance with the Standard Building Code.

B.

Parking areas shall be designed so that vehicles may exit such areas without backing onto a public street. This requirement does not apply to parking areas that serve one or two dwelling units, although backing onto arterial streets shall be prohibited.

C.

All parking areas, when adjoining a street right-of-way between adjoining lots shall be physically separated from the right-of-way.

D.

All lighting fixtures used to illuminate parking areas shall not direct lights on adjoining streets or properties.

E.

Parking areas for all developments shall be so designed so that sanitation, emergency, and other public service vehicles can serve such developments without the necessity of backing unreasonable distances or making other dangerous turning movements. Fire lanes may be required by the fire code.

F.

All parking areas shall be surfaced with dust-free materials (asphalt or concrete) in conformance with Clanton Street Department standards.

G.

Parking spaces (except those serving one or two dwelling units) shall be demarcated with painted lines or other markings.

H.

All parking areas shall be maintained in good condition, i.e., free of pot holes, weeds, trash, etc.

I.

Large parking areas of 20 or more spaces shall provide 16 square feet of landscaping within the parking area interior for each parking space.

J.

Drainage in parking areas shall direct storm water back into the site from adjacent properties toward adequate drainage channels. Large parking areas of 20 or more spaces shall provide on-site storm water detention to retard the sudden discharge of high volumes of storm water into the public drainage system. The quantity and rate of runoff after development shall not exceed the quantity and rate of runoff before development, based on a 25-year storm frequency. Drainage plans shall be subject to the City Engineer's approval.

All required parking spaces shall be located on the same lot as the use served by the parking, except as provided below:

1.

Required parking within planned residential developments may be provided in common parking areas.

2.

If the number of required parking spaces cannot reasonable be provided on the same lot as the served use, satellite parking may be provided on an adjacent lot. The satellite parking spaces shall be located within 400 feet of the nearest public entrance to the building housing the served use, if the use is not housed within a building, satellite parking spaces shall be located within 400 feet of the lot. A satellite parking exception requires satisfactory written legal documentation that the user of such satellite spaces has the right to such spaces.

3.

A joint parking area may contain required parking spaces for more than one use, provided the combined number of spaces complies with the required parking for all uses. If, however, the combined uses wish to make use of the same spaces at different times, the same spaces may be credited to each separate use. The applicant for a combined use facility must present satisfactory legal documentation of a combined parking agreement, and if sharing the same spaces, a time schedule for allocation of such spaces.

A.

The keeping of an inoperative motor vehicle in a residential district shall be within a fully enclosed building or structure or be completely screened or shielded from public view, moreover, no inoperative motor vehicle shall be parked on any public street.

B.

No vehicle exceeding 7,500 pounds gross weight and no boats, trailers, recreational vehicles, campers, and similar equipment, regardless of weight, shall be kept on any lot within any residential district except in a private garage, carport, or entirely within an enclosed building. Special exceptions may be granted in cases where such structures are not available and rear yard space is adequate to provide parking space for such items. However, such shall not be connected to utilities nor be used for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes. In special exception cases, screening may be required by the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

C.

The open storage of inoperative or wrecked vehicles which are stored temporarily in any district prior to obtaining insurance estimates subsequent to towing to a destination of repair shall be limited to 96 hours and such shall not be parked on any public street.

A.

Access to streets within the City shall be approved by the City Engineer. The proposed location, width, drainage structure, traffic conditions, site distances, and surfacing shall be addressed in the request for approval.

B.

Entrances shall be held to a minimum and be located at points affording maximum sight distances, minimum grades, and maximum separation, Combined or shared driveways and entrances or marginal access streets may be required for highway service uses along major streets.

C.

Entrances to detached residential lots shall not be less than ten feet nor more than twenty feet in width. Entrances to all other developments shall be no more than thirty-five feet or eighteen feet per lane of travel nor less than twenty-four feet or twelve feet per lane of travel in width measured at the right-of-way line. The radius to increase the opening shall not be less than fifteen but not more than twenty-five feet. A larger radius to accommodate truck traffic may be required by the City Engineer.

D.

The maximum number of entrances for each site shall be limited on the basis of street frontage as follows:

E.

Property which has frontage on two or more streets may be allowed entrances on each street in accordance with the above criteria.

F.

The distance between openings shall be 125 feet, except for single-family detached lots.

G.

Entrances shall be located so that the curb openings are a minimum of five feet from the nearest edge of a street drainage inlet and fifty feet from the corner radius.

H.

Turning lanes or pavement widening at approaches to entrances may be required if deemed necessary by the City Engineer to provide safe turning movements.

I.

Each parking area on a lot shall be physically separated from an adjoining street right-of-way by a curb or equivalent barrier to control vehicular access to and from the lot. Such barrier shall be located at or along the front lot line, unless suitable barriers are located within the street right-of-way. Except for permitted access ways, such barriers shall be continuous.

A.

Any use with a gross leasable area (GLA) of 6,000 square feet or more which requires deliveries and shipments must provide off-street loading spaces in accordance with the following table. In situations where the required number of loading spaces is not readily determinable by the table, the building inspector is authorized to determine the loading space requirement, using the table as a guide.

Every retail establishment, industrial or manufacturing use, storage warehouse, freight terminal, hospital, nursing home, or similar use shall provide off-street loading spaces, as follows:

Every public assembly use, auditorium, convention hall, exhibition hall, stadium, office building, funeral home, multi-family apartment buildings of 20 or more units, restaurants and hotels of 30,000 square feet or more, and similar uses shall provide off-street loading spaces, as follows:

A.

Each loading space shall have a minimum rectangular area of 12 feet width and 55 feet length, exclusive of driver and maneuvering space. Each space shall allow vertical clearance of 14 feet height.

B.

No loading space shall be located within the required front yard or within five feet of any property line.

C.

No loading space shall be used to meet the parking space requirement, interfere with the on-site circulation of traffic, nor allow a truck to extend into any right-of-way or over any property line.

D.

All lighting fixtures used to illuminate loading areas shall not direct light on adjacent streets or properties.

E.

All required loading spaces shall be located on the same lot as the principal use served by the spaces, unless a satellite or joint use loading facility is secured in equivalent as satellite or joint use parking facilities, as provided by Section 5.0, Location of required parking.

Whenever there is an alteration of a structure, an expansion of a use, or a change in use which increases the parking and loading requirements, the use shall conform with the off-street parking and loading standards of this ordinance to the furthest practicable extent.