It is the intent of this section to prevent traffic congestion and to provide for proper traffic safety by preserving the public thoroughfares for the unimpaired movement of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The requirements of this section are minimum and in the certain uses of land, these requirements may be inadequate. Where review of the site plans and intended land use indicate through the application of proven standards or experienced statistics that the requirements herein are inadequate for the specific land use adaptation, a greater requirement for off-street parking space is justified and may be required to preserve the intent of this section.

1.   Off-Street Loading Space Required. In any district, except the “C-1” Traditional Central Business District, in connection with every building or part thereof hereafter erected, having a gross floor area of 10,000 square feet or more, which is to be occupied by manufacturing, storage, warehouse, goods display, retail store, wholesale store, market, hotel, hospital, mortuary, office buildings, dry cleaning or other similar uses which require the receipt or distribution by vehicles of material or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained on the same lot with such building, at least one off-street loading space, and for multiple tenant commercial/retail shopping centers, one additional such loading space for each 20,000 square feet or major fraction thereof of gross floor area so used in excess of 10,000 square feet, provided the total number of loading spaces is not required to be more than the total number of occupying tenants, and provided there shall not be required to be more loading spaces than the number of tenants in a building. Each loading space shall be not less than nine feet in width and 19 feet in length. Such space may occupy all or any part of any required yard or court space, except required open spaces and required planting screens under Section 165.43.

2.   Off-street Parking Area Required. In all districts, except the “C-1” Traditional Central Business District, in connection with every industrial, commercial, business, trade, institutional, or recreational use, and similar uses, space for parking and storage of vehicles shall be provided in accordance with the following schedule:

   A.   Automobile sales and service garages - one parking space for each 300 square footage of floor area and one parking space for each person regularly employed on the premises.

   B.   Banks, business and professional offices - one parking space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area.

   C.   Bowling alley - five spaces for each alley and one space for each four spectator seats.

   D.   Churches - one parking space for each three seats (one parking space for each six feet of pew space) and one parking space for each classroom.

   E.   Dance halls, assembly halls - one parking space for each 100 square feet of floor area devoted to patron use, or one parking space for each four seats of maximum seating capacity, whichever is greater.

   F.   Day nursery schools and child care centers (including day nursery for elderly) — five parking spaces, or one and one-half parking spaces for each 10 maximum client capacity, whichever is greater, plus additional spaces necessary to accommodate the parking of vans and buses used for client transport by the school or center.

   G.   Funeral homes, mortuaries - 15 parking spaces or one parking space for each four seats in the principal auditorium or four parking spaces for each service or viewing room, whichever is greater. In addition, one parking space for each two persons regularly employed on the premises shall be provided.

   H.   Furniture, appliance and other retail stores displaying large and bulky merchandise - one parking space for each 500 square feet of patron floor area.

   I.   Hospitals, sanitariums and rest homes - one parking space for each four patient beds and one parking space for each person regularly employed on the premises during the maximum working shift or change of shifts, whichever is greater, and one space for each doctor.

   J.   Hotels, motels, lodging houses - one parking space for each room or suite of rooms offered for tourist accommodations, one parking space for each two persons regularly employed on the premises during the maximum working shift, and one parking space per 100 gross square feet of associated floor area used for restaurant, tavern, night club, meeting rooms and convention facilities.

   K.   Industrial or manufacturing plants - one and one-half parking spaces for each two employees on the maximum working shift; or two parking spaces for each 1,000 square feet of gross floor area up to 10,000 gross square feet devoted to manufacturing use and then two parking spaces for each 1500 square feet devoted to manufacturing use thereafter; whichever is greater.

   L.   Restaurants, taverns, night clubs or similar places dispensing food, drink or refreshments - one parking space for each 50 square feet of floor area devoted to patron use within the establishment. In addition, one parking space must be provided for each person regularly employed or intended to be regularly employed on the premises during the maximum working shift.

   M.   Retail stores, super markets, drug and sundry stores, department stores, etc.   

      (1)   For stores over 2,000 square feet floor area - one parking space for each and every 175 square feet of gross floor area.

      (2)   For stores and shops under 2,000 square feet - one parking space for each and every 500 square feet of gross floor area, and one space for each person regularly employed on the premises; provided, however, there shall not be less than five parking spaces.

   N.   Schools and other places of education or instruction.

      (1)   Elementary, junior high and other places for under driving age students - one parking space for each and every person regularly employed on the premises. In addition, one parking space for each 10 student desks or classroom seating capacity.

      (2)   High schools - one parking space for each and every person regularly employed on the premises. In addition, one parking space for each three student desks or classroom seating facilities.

      (3)   Whichever is greater of the parking space required by (i) and (ii) above or parking space requirements for sports arenas, stadiums, auditoriums, etc. on site, shall be provided.

   O.   Shopping Centers - multiple tenant shopping centers: one parking space for each 175 square feet of gross floor area up to 10,000 square feet, and one parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area thereafter. If a multi-tenant shopping center is occupied by a tenant or tenants which collectively is determined to create a 20 percent or greater demand for parking by the shopping center in accordance with the schedule within this section, the required parking for said shopping center shall be calculated based upon the collective parking space requirements of all tenants based upon the schedule herein.

   P.   Sports arenas, theaters, auditoriums and other similar places of public assembly - one parking space for each four persons of maximum standing and seating capacity.

   Q.   Wholesale establishments or warehouses - one space for each person regularly employed on the premises, and one space for each 2,000 square feet of floor area.

In case of any building, structure or premises, the use of which is not specifically mentioned herein, the provisions for a use which is mentioned and to which said use is similar, shall apply. If no similar use is identified, parking spaces required shall be determined based upon anticipated peak usage.

3.   Parking Area Dimensions. A parking space reserved for the parking of motor vehicles shall have a dimension of not less than nine feet in stall width and 19 feet in depth for 90 degree parking without front end overhang, plus such additional parking bay stall aisle width based on proven traffic engineering standards acceptable to the City and conforming to the minimum standards necessary to afford adequate ingress and egress. Where there is front end overhang over an open space area, the minimum stall depth for a parking space may be reduced two feet. The stall depth is the distance perpendicular to the parking bay aisle from the edge of the aisle to the most distant point of the parking stall. The following dimensions are minimum standards for the design of a parking area for stalls without an overhang over an open space:

 

 

For angle parking, the minimum width of the access lane shall be 12 feet.

4.   Access Drives. Access drive requirements are as follows:

   A.   In any “R” or “E” District no parking space or access thereto, except entrance or exit drives as limited in this section, shall be within five feet of a street (public or private) or lot line. However, on pie-shaped lots located on culs-de-sac the driveway may taper from the required five-foot separation between the driveway and the side lot line to no less than one foot at the entrance to the street, so long as the five-foot separation is maintained at the entrance to the garage.

   B.   Entrance or exit drives connecting the parking area and the street shall be permitted within the five-foot strip required in Subsection A above, provided:

      (1)   Such drives shall not exceed 15 feet in total aggregate width for each 50 feet of street line abutting such lot, but in no case will exceed 40 feet in total aggregate width for each street line upon which a lot abuts.

      (2)   Such drives shall have at least 60 feet of unobstructed vision in both directions along the street into which the drive enters measured from the centerline of the drive at the point where it enters the street, and the centerline of such drive shall be at least 60 feet from the centerline of any street intersecting the street onto which the drive enters.

      (3)   Such drives shall have on each side a triangular area formed by the intersection of the driveway line, the street line and a straight line joining said lines at points 30 feet distant from their point of intersection. Within such triangular area, no parking or loading or unloading shall be permitted, nor shall there be any obstruction to traffic visibility.

   C.   In the Industrial District no parking space or access thereto, except entrance to exit drives as limited in this section, shall be within five feet of any lot line. Entrance or exit drives connecting the parking and the street shall be permitted within the five foot strip required above.

   D.   No person shall construct, reconstruct or resurface a parking space or access thereto, as described in Subsections B and C, without first obtaining a permit therefor from the Clerk. Before any permit is issued, the person who makes the application shall pay $50 to the Clerk to recover the costs of issuing the permit, supervising, and inspecting the work. However, no fee shall be charged for a person requesting a permit solely for the purpose of resurfacing a parking space or access thereto.   

5.   Surfacing Requirements. All off-street parking and loading areas and access roadways shall be paved with asphaltic or Portland cement concrete pavement. Off-street parking, except in the “C-1” Traditional Central Business District, of automobiles, vans, campers, trucks, trailers, tractors, recreational vehicles, boats, construction equipment, and any other motor vehicle equipped for street and highway travel shall be on an asphaltic or Portland cement concrete paved parking area that extends the entire length of the vehicle. Driveways for individual single-family detached or attached townhouse style residences on private property shall be asphaltic concrete or Portland cement concrete, and shall connect to the public (or private) street. The Council may waive or modify to a lesser requirement any provision or requirement contained in this subsection with respect to any new subdivision platted in an “E” District, after review by the Planning and Zoning Commission and provided such change adequately safeguards the general public and the surrounding property.

6.   Ingress/Egress Access Points. In Commercial and Industrial Districts the number and location of ingress/egress access points to the public street from off-street parking areas shall be approved by the Council and located to limit vehicular conflicts, provide acceptable location of driveway accesses to public streets, preserve proper traffic safety and, so far as possible, not impair movement of vehicular traffic on public streets.

7.   Public Street Accesses. In the “R-3”, Commercial, and Industrial Districts, and so far as possible, public street accesses shall be located in alignment with driveway approaches gaining access to the same public street from property on the opposite side of the street. The design of off-street parking and loading facilities shall provide traffic circulation for the internal forward movement of traffic within the parking lot, so designed, limiting any impairment of vehicular movement on public streets, or backing of vehicles from an off-street parking or loading area to a public street. The permitted number of ingress/egress driveway approaches to public streets for an off-street parking lot shall be based on traffic use, and as approved by the City.

8.   Persons With Disabilities Parking Requirements. The provision of parking spaces for persons with disabilities within off-street parking facilities shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Iowa.

9.   Waiver Of Requirements. The Council reserves the right to waive or modify to a lesser restriction any provision or requirement of off-street parking and loading areas contained in this section, provided a favorable report on such change is approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission, and further provided said waiver or modification does not adversely affect the intent of this chapter to adequately safeguard the general public and surrounding property. Exceptions will only be considered for those uses where special circumstances warrant a change and where the modification or waiver is determined to be in the best interest of the general public.