Subd. 1. Purposes. The purposes of this Section are to: (a) prevent a shortage of on-street parking spaces where allowed; and (b) provide a sufficient amount of off-street parking so as to utilize the streets for their primary use, which is the safe and convenient movement of traffic.

Subd. 2. Parking Spaces Defined. For purposes of this chapter, a parking space is defined according to the following table of dimensions except that a parking space in a garage or carport may not be less than ten (10) feet wide and twenty (20) feet long.

Subd. 3. Basic Requirements.

A.

Off-street parking facilities must be provided at the time of initial occupancy or enlargement of a structure as required by Subsection F.

B.

The City Manager will determine the requirements for any use not specifically required by Subsection F.

C.

Fractional numbers of spaces as per Subsection F of this Subdivision will be adjusted to the next higher number.

D.

Dimensions of parking spaces.

E.

Compact Parking Stalls. Up to 10% of the required parking spaces in a parking lot, ramp, or garage may be marked for compact cars and may be counted toward required parking counts, provided that the applicant meets the following requirements:

1.

All compact stalls must be a minimum of 8' wide and 16' in length for 90-degree stalls. For spaces that are not 90 degrees, the most recent standards issued by the Institute of Transportation Engineers will be applied.

2.

Compact stalls must be identified.

3.

All required drive aisles must comply with City Code requirements.

F.

Parking Requirement/Use.

1.

Parking requirements based on type of use are as listed in the following table. The requirements for any use not specifically mentioned shall be designated by the City Manager.

2.

For supporting minor commercial uses within office/industrial buildings providing a supplemental function to the major office and/or industrial use, the number of parking spaces for such uses shall not be less than the minimum required for such uses as provided in the table above.

3.

Specific parking requirements for the Mixed Use District, Transit Oriented Development District, and Town Center District are located in Sections 11.24, 11.26, and 11.27, respectively.

4.

An electric vehicle charging station counts as one (1) space towards parking minimums in all districts. Electric vehicle supply equipment is exempt from setbacks.

(Source: Ordinance No. 04-2025, § 14, 3-4-2025)

Subd. 4. Development and Maintenance of Parking Areas.

A.

Screening and Landscaping. Off-street parking areas containing more than five (5) stalls must be screened on each side adjoining a residential use or public street.

B.

Minimum Distance and Setback. Parking areas for five (5) vehicles or more must be at least ten (10) feet from any side or rear lot line and 5 feet from any building. Minimum distance and setbacks in the Park and Open Space District are exempt from these requirements. Parking lot setback standards for the Park and Open Space District are set forth in Section 11.37.

C.

Parking areas, loading facilities and driveways surfaces. Parking areas, loading facilities and driveways must be surfaced with bituminous, concrete, pavers of brick, natural stone, or concrete placed with gaps not exceeding one-quarter (¼) inch, turf block, or grasscrete, and graded to dispose of or infiltrate all area surface water without damage to private or public properties, streets, or alleys. The use of gravel, crushed rock, sand, or dirt is prohibited except when used as gap material with pavers.

D.

Location. Off-street parking facilities must be on the same parcel of land as the structure they are intended to serve unless there is a shared parking agreement in place between two separate lots as provided in Subdivision 6.D below. Space for the required facilities may not occupy the required front yard or on a corner lot more than one-half (½) of the required front yard closest to the street.

E.

Layout. Parking lots must be designed to facilitate pedestrian movement from their vehicles or from the public right-of-way to the building. Pedestrian walkways/corridors/sidewalks must be created at the perimeter of the parking lot and/or within the parking lot to provide connection to the primary building and, when applicable, to adjacent sites. Said sidewalks must be a minimum of five (5) feet in width. These corridors may be delineated by landscaping and parking lot islands, striping, and/or a paving material that differs from that of vehicular areas. The corridors must align with breaks in parking lot screening as required in Section 11.42, Subdivision 5.Q.1.

Subd. 5. Special Requirements.

A.

Each parking space must have an unobstructed access from a street or aisle without moving another vehicle. Exception is in an R1-44, R1-22, R1-13.5 and R1-9.5 District where parking in driveways is permitted.

B.

Bumper rails and curbs must be provided as determined by the City Manager.

C.

No servicing of vehicles may take place in any off-street parking area.

D.

The City may allow no more than fifteen percent (15%) of parking required by this section to be constructed at a date subsequent to the time at which it would have otherwise been required to be constructed under the City Code. The portion to be constructed at a later date is referred to as "Proof of Parking". Proof of parking will be allowed if:

1.

Applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the City Planner that the proposed development does not require the amount of parking required under City Code;

2.

Applicant identifies on the site and landscape plans the location(s) in which the Proof of Parking can be built in the future;

3.

Landscaping in excess of the minimum required and structures associated with landscaping are allowed in the area identified for Proof of Parking, but no other structures will be allowed in the Proof of Parking area;

4.

Applicant enters into a binding agreement recorded as a covenant against real property to construct at a later date all or a portion of the Proof of Parking spaces as required by notice in writing from the City Planner; and

5.

All proof of parking stalls are 9' by 18'.

Subd. 6. Connecting Parking Areas with Streets.

A.

Vehicular traffic generated by any use must be channeled and controlled so as to avoid congestion and traffic hazards.

B.

The adequacy of any proposed traffic pattern will be determined by the City Manager. Traffic control measures such as warning signs, directional signs, turn lanes, channelization, illumination, etc., may be required.

C.

All driveways abutting public streets are subject to the following regulations:

1.

Minimum distance between driveways - twenty (20) feet.

2.

Minimum driveway angle to street - thirty (30) degrees for one way streets and sixty (60) degrees for two way streets.

3.

Driveway widths at street curb are:

4.

Minimum Driveway Return Radius - six (6) feet.

5.

Minimum distances between the end of a driveway at the intersection of a right-of-way line and the property line - ten (10) feet.

D.

Shared Parking. Off-street parking facilities for two (2) or more uses with substantially different hours of operation may be provided in a shared facility. The off-street parking requirements for a development or redevelopment project may be reduced up to 20% if the following standards are met.

1.

Parking spaces are shared between two or more complimentary uses.

2.

A shared parking plan must be submitted whenever shared parking is proposed that requires specific analysis on the peaking characteristics of the various and future uses included.

3.

The applicant demonstrates that, because of the hours, size, and operation of the respective and future uses, there is no substantial conflict in the peak parking demands of the uses for which shared use of off-street parking facilities is proposed, and there will be an adequate amount of parking available to meet the needs for each use.

4.

A shared parking and cross access or similar agreement must be approved by the City Planner and recorded against the applicable properties in the County Registrar of Titles' or Recorder's office with proof thereof presented to the City. The City must be party to the agreement and no changes shall be made to the agreement unless all parties agree.

Subd. 7. Off-Street Loading Facilities.

A.

Purpose. The purpose of this Subdivision is to provide a sufficient number of off-street loading facilities so as to allow the safe and convenient movement of traffic along the streets.

B.

Basic Requirements.

1.

Off-street loading berths must be provided at the time of initial occupancy or enlargement of a structure. The exact number of berths will depend on the type of transport service utilized and the nature of the use itself.

2.

A loading facility includes the dock, the berth for the vehicle, maneuvering areas and the necessary screening walls.

3.

No loading facility may be located on a street frontage nor within the required side or rear yard requirements except in the MU, TOD-MU, TOD-E, TOD-R, TC-MU, TC-R and TC-C Districts.

C.

Special Requirements.

1.

All docks must be located within the perimeter of the structure housing the principal or accessory use and must be completely enclosed.

2.

All berths within the TOD and TC zoning districts must be completely enclosed and screened with a solid wall. All berths must be screened from views on the property's street frontages or from the district's boundary by solid wall earth berms or plant materials of at ten (10) feet high. Such walls must be designed so as to be harmonious with the structure having the loading facility.

3.

Each loading berth must have unobstructed access from a trafficway without moving another vehicle.

4.

Parking areas, loading facilities and driveways must be surfaced with bituminous, concrete, pavers of brick, natural stone, or concrete placed with gaps not exceeding one quarter (¼) inch, turf block, or grasscrete, and graded to dispose of or infiltrate all area surface water without damage to private or public properties, streets, or alleys. The use of gravel, crushed rock, sand, or dirt is prohibited except when used as gap material with pavers.

5.

Bumper rails and curbs must be provided at locations described by the City Manager when needed for safety or to protect property.

(Source: Ordinance No. 20-2023, 12-14-2023)