Purpose. The regulations establish standards for the functional design of parking facilities. These regulations are intended to accommodate vehicles in a functionally satisfactory manner and to minimize external effects on neighboring properties.

Application. Parking, loading, and site access shall be provided for any new building constructed, for new uses or conversions of existing buildings, or for enlargements of existing structures.

Exemptions. Any use within the C-3 Central Business District is exempt from the off-street parking requirements. Any off-street parking facility constructed in the C-3 District after the effective date of this Zoning Ordinance must comply with the design standards set forth in this section.

Parking Requirements. Parking facilities for each use shall be provided in accordance with the minimum requirements set forth in Table 165.07.03.01, Minimum Parking Requirements. Parking shall be calculated separately for each use on a property, unless allowed according to shared parking regulations.

Computation. When a computation of required parking results in a fraction of 0.5 or greater, the requirement shall be rounded up to the next whole number. Unless otherwise indicated, parking requirements are based on gross floor area. When parking requirements are computed based on capacity, capacity shall be determined by the building code or other official determinations of occupancy in effect for the City at the time the use is established.

 

Shared Parking. Sharing parking spaces is allowed and encouraged when uses on the same lot or development site have different parking needs at different times of the day. A reduction in parking requirements is permitted based on the following standards:

Required parking for persons with disabilities cannot be shared or count in the reduction calculations

Shared parking can be located on-site or off-site, subject to the off-site parking allowances in Section 165.06, Site Development Regulations.

Shared parking is permitted between different property owners when a shared parking agreement is executed by the parties involved and submitted to the Administrator that identifies the shared parking area permission of each party to share their parking area.

Reductions are allowed according to 165.07.03.01 Shared Parking Allowances determined by:

Multiply the minimum parking required for each individual use, as set forth in 165.07.03.01, Minimum Parking Requirements by the percentage identified in 165.07.03.01 Shared Parking Allowances for each of the 6 designated time periods.

Add the resulting sums for each of the six (6) columns in 165.07.03.01 Shared Parking Allowances.

Select the time period with the highest total parking requirement and use that total as the shared parking requirement.

 Shared Parking Allowances

 

Uses Not Listed. Upon receiving a development or permit application for a use not specifically listed in an off-street parking schedule, the Administrator is authorized to apply the off-street parking ratio specified for the listed use that they deems most similar to the proposed use or based on parking data provided by the applicant that documents the source of all data used to calculate needed parking.

Exceptions to Parking Requirements. The Commission may approve a reduction in the number of required parking or loading spaces if the applicant demonstrates that such a reduction is appropriate and warranted based on specific parking demand forecasts made by a qualified traffic engineer based on accepted peak parking demand analysis of comparable uses. The City may retain a qualified, certified traffic engineer, at the applicant's and/or owner's expense, to review the parking demand forecast and provide recommendations to the City.

Parking for Persons with Disabilities. Parking spaces that are accessible to persons with disabilities (accessible parking space") shall be provided as set out below. Such spaces shall be counted towards the total number of spaces that are provided for compliance with Table 165.07.03.01, Minimum Parking Requirements . 

Each off-street parking facility shall provide the number of parking spaces set forth in Table 165.07.05.01, Accessible Parking Requirements, designed and designated for use by people with disabilities. Every eighth (8th) parking space shall be van-accessible. Design criteria and dimensions shall be in accordance with Federal Register, Volume 56, No 144. Parking facilities for single-family, duplex, two-family, and mobile home residential uses are exempt from this requirement.

Spaces designated for people with disabilities shall have a minimum width of twelve (12) feet. Each handicapped space shall provide a barrier free route to an accessible building entrance, which shall not require users to walk or wheel behind parked cars. Such spaces shall be designated with an upright sign exhibiting the universal symbol for accessibility by the handicapped. All such spaces shall be designed in compliance with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 

 

Purpose. The purpose of this section is to set out standards for the design, use, and appearance of off-street parking areas to achieve well-designed parking areas that are safe, accessible, and attractive.

Application. The objectives and standards of this section are to be used in the review and approval of onsite parking areas for all uses that have on-site parking, whether required by Table 165.07.03.01, Minimum Parking Requirements   or not.

No part of any parking space shall be closer than five (5) feet to any established street right-of-way, or alley line.

With the exception of Downtown Residential uses, off-street parking for single family and two family residential uses shall be located on the same lot or site as the use.

Off-street parking areas for multi-family or group residential uses shall:

Be at least six (6) feet from any main building;

Not be located within a required front yard or street side yard;

Not use separately leased detached garages to satisfy parking requirements for such use. Parking incorporated into the design of multi-family buildings, or within parking structures, shall be counted toward fulfillment of parking requirements.

Off-street parking for non-residential uses shall be located on the same lot or site as the use, or within 600 feet of that use if the parking site is within a zoning district that permits parking lots or garages. Control of ownership or use rights to the remote off-street parking must be demonstrated as a condition of permission.

Public Access Drives. Where a lot does not abut on a public or private alley or easement of access, there shall be provided an access drive not less than eight (8) feet in width in the case of a dwelling, and not less than twenty-four (24) feet in width in all cases leading to the loading or unloading spaces and parking or storage areas required.

Parking facilities other than driveways for single-family, duplex, two-family, or mobile home residential uses must permit vehicles to enter streets in a forward position.

Head-in parking from any public right-of-way shall be permitted only in the C-3 district, or as part of a specific Planned Unit Development design.

Where sidewalks cross driveways, the sidewalk pavement scoring, pattern, and color, shall continue through the driveway, prioritizing the pedestrian path over the vehicular path.

Lots that front on arterials and collectors, other than single-family detached, duplex, or single-family attached dwellings shall provide cross-access to each other to reduce the number of driveway access points from the street to at most one per 200 feet measured from the interior driveway curb, unless cross-access is demonstrated as infeasible.

Parking lots providing over 200 stalls shall be divided into smaller parking fields not exceeding 100 stalls to reduce the visual impact of large parking expanses. Divisions shall be made with landscape strips, peninsulas, or grade changes.

Divisions of parking lots over 200 stalls shall include protected pedestrian accessways by means of a curb and 10 foot sidewalk leading to the building entrance.

Sidewalks and walkways in commercial developments should link to the City sidewalk and trail system where available and shall provide a safe pedestrian route from adjacent public sidewalks and trails.

Standard parking stalls shall be at least nine (9) feet wide and eighteen (18) feet long.

Where parking stalls are located adjacent to landscaped areas, the paved depth of such stalls may be decreased by two (2) feet to provide for a vehicle overhang area. The vehicle overhang area may not encroach into a required landscaped area or public sidewalk or right-of-way.

Materials. All off-street parking and drive areas, including any commercial parking lot and residential driveway, shall be surfaced with concrete, asphalt, asphaltic concrete, or brick to provide a durable surface.

Sites within the A-1, A-2, and I-3 Districts are exempt from this requirement.

Drainage. Off-street parking facilities shall be designed and built to prevent the free flow of water onto adjacent properties. Parking lot design which discharges water onto public right-of-way is subject to review and approval by the Administrator. Storm drainage improvements shall conform to Section 170.07 (2)(G) of the Dyersville Code of Ordinances.

Landscape and Screening. Landscaping requirements for off-street parking facilities are set forth in Subsection 165.08.05, Parking Lot Landscaping.  

Circulation and Module Dimensions. Parking facilities shall be designed to provide visibility of and between pedestrians and vehicles when circulating within or entering or leaving the facility and shall not create blind, hidden, or hazardous areas. Circulation patterns and module dimensions shall be designed in accordance with the Iowa Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS) Design Manual.

Maintenance. All parking facilities shall be maintained to assure the continued usefulness and compatibility of the facility. Acceptable maintenance includes keeping the facility free of refuse, debris, and litter, maintaining parking surfaces in sound condition, and sustaining the appearance and health of landscaped areas.

Loading Requirements. In any district with every building, or part thereof hereafter erected, having a gross floor area of ten thousand (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, laundry, dry cleaning, or other uses similarly requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicles of material or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained on the same lot with such building loading spaces in accord with the minimum requirements set forth in 165.07.07.01, Off-Street Loading Requirements.

 

 

Loading Design Standards.

Space Standards. Each loading space shall be at least twelve (12) feet wide by forty (40) feet long, with a vertical clearance of at least fourteen (14) feet.

Material. All loading areas shall be surfaced with concrete, asphalt, asphaltic concrete, or brick to provide a durable surface.

Sites within the A-1, A-2, and I-3 Districts are exempt from this requirement.

Landscaping. Off-street loading areas are subject to the landscaping and buffering requirements for parking facilities set forth in Section 165.08, Landscaping and Screening.

Bicycle Parking. Each parking facility providing 25 spaces or more shall provide parking accommodations for bicycles as follows.

Required Spaces. At least two (2) spaces shall be provided, plus two (2) additional spaces for every 25 parking stalls.

Design. Bicycle parking facilities shall include bicycle racks secured to the pavement to prevent easy removal, bicycle lockers, or bicycle posts or bollards expressly designed for the secure storage.

Location. The location of bicycle parking facilities shall be at least as convenient to the main entrance of the primary use as the most convenient automobile parking along a paved route to the entrance and not obstruct pedestrian walkways to less than five (5) feet wide.

Lighting. Any lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking area, including any commercial parking lot, shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises in any residential district.

Deferred Parking. The Commission may approve a reduced number of parking spaces for a specific project after receiving the recommendation of the Administrator, provided that the applicant presents a plot plan demonstrating that an area on site is reserved for the designated number of spaces as required by this Zoning Ordinance and agrees to improve that area for parking within sixty (60) days of the time the Commission deems such parking shall be improved.

Drive-Through Services. Commercial establishments providing drive-in or drive-through services shall provide minimum on-site stacking distance as provided by Table   165.07.10.01, Off-Street Stacking Requirements.

All drive-through services must provide a ten (10) foot alternative runaround access for vehicles not in a drive-through queue.

Stacking spaces shall be nine (9) feet wide by twenty (20) feet long.

 

 

Recreational Vehicle Parking and Storage. Recreational vehicle parking shall be governed as follows:

No front yard parking or storage is allowed exceeding forty-eight (48) hours. However, recreational vehicles can be parked on a paved driveway for longer than forty-eight (48) hours for seasonal use between the dates of April 1st and October 31st provided that the vehicle does not encroach into public rights-of-way or pedestrian routes.

Storage or parking of recreational vehicles is allowed in the rear yard. If the rear yard is not accessible, the recreational vehicle can be stored in the side yard but must not encroach into the zoning side yard required area or into the front yard required area applicable for principal buildings in Section 165.06, Site Development Regulations.

Any recreational vehicle which exceeds forty (40) feet in length or fourteen (14) feet in height shall not be stored in any residential area.

Recreational vehicles must have current registration.

Equipment may not be permanently connected to utility lines, including sewer, water, gas, or electricity. Equipment may be connected to electrical supply temporarily to charge batteries.

Vehicle Storage. Storing or displaying materials, boats, campers, or inoperable vehicles, or parking trucks or trailers is prohibited in parking areas unless the use of vehicle storage, outdoor storage, or junk yards is permitted in the applicable zoning district and complies with the associated standards of the permitted use.