Firebaugh City Zoning Code
§ 25-45.4
Parking Lot Design Standards and Location Criteria.
a.
Design dimensions. Parking lots shall be designed to be consistent with the standards, dimensions and requirements of the details contained in Exhibit 45-1. The construction of parking lots shall be consistent with the improvements standards contained in Firebaugh's Improvements Manual.
Exhibit 45-1: Parking Design  |
b.
Circulation.
1.
Parking lots shall be designed so that backing into a public street from a parking stall shall be minimized in order to maintain effective traffic flow along the public street. Single-family dwellings will be exempt from this requirement. The use of alleys to access parking lots shall be encouraged.
2.
Commercial parking lots shall be designed to allow for cross parcel access (to the extent practical) to preclude vehicles from having to travel onto the street to access adjacent parcels.
c.
Paving, slope and drainage. All parking lots shall be constructed with a four-inch aggregate base and a two-inch asphalt or concrete overlay, described in the Firebaugh Improvements Manual. Parking lots shall be sloped so that stormwater runoff flows towards public streets or alleys, into on-site landscape planters or bioswales or into pervious hardscape features.
d.
Curbing and wheel stops. Concrete curbing shall be provided around all parking lots and landscape planters consistent with the Firebaugh Improvements Manual. Wheel stops may be provided in parking stalls to ensure that the overhang of a vehicle does not interfere with pedestrian movements along a sidewalk, or damage landscaping adjacent to the parking lot.
e.
Striping and symbols. Parking lot stalls and travel lanes shall be clearly marked with painted strips. Parking stalls for handicapped persons shall be stripped and provided with the appropriate symbols and signage that are consistent with the American Disabilities Act[1] (see Exhibit 45-2).
Exhibit 45-2: Striping and Handicap Space Design Standards  |
[1]
Editor's Note: See 42 U.S.C.A. § 12101 et seq.
f.
Lighting. All parking lots shall have pole lighting that property illuminates the parking lot but does not cause a nuisance for adjoining properties.
g.
Driveways. Driveways from a public street or alley shall have locations and dimensions consistent with the Firebaugh Improvements Manual. For one-way driveways the width of the driveway shall be 15 feet; two-way driveways shall have a minimum width of 25 feet.
h.
Landscaping (see also Exhibit 45-3). All parking lots shall be landscaped in accordance with the requirements in § 25-43 (Landscaping, Irrigation and Grading). Trees shall be planted within all parking lots. Tree species shall be selected that will not cause damage to the parking lot or adjacent sidewalks, driveways or curbing, and will shade more than 50% of the parking lot within 10 years. Landscape planters between the parking lots and public streets shall be planted with low hedges. As an alternative, a low wall (three feet) may be constructed and shrubs, turf or ground cover may be planted between the wall and the street.
Exhibit 45-3: Typical Parking Lot Landscaping Scheme  |
i.
Location criteria. Parking lots shall be located on the same property as the building they serve, except that parking for buildings in the Central Commercial (C-2) district may be located within 300 feet of the subject property. In the C-2 district, parking lots shall be located at the rear or side of the subject building. Parking lots shall not be located on the corner where two streets intersect.
j.
Shared parking.
1.
Where two or more nonresidential uses share a single parking lot, the number of required parking spaces may be reduced by a maximum of 20%, as long as the total number of spaces is not less than the required for the use requiring the largest number of spaces.
2.
Where nonresidential uses share a single parking lot and it can be demonstrated that the uses operate at different times of the day (an evening use versus a daytime use), the required number of parking spaces may be reduced by up to 50% of the combined parking requirements of the two uses.
k.
Parking in lieu fee. For development in the downtown (generally defined as the area bounded by N Street on the west, Fourteenth Street on the south, Q Street on the east, and 8th Street on the north) the City may establish an in-lieu parking fee, whereby uses that cannot provide required parking on site can pay the City a fee for the City to use to purchase and develop public parking facilities within the area. The fee shall be established based on a study performed by the City Engineer, and adjusted annually.
l.
Bicycle parking. Commercial, industrial and public uses are subject to the following bicycle parking standards:
1.
Short-term bicycle parking. If the project will generate frequent visitor traffic (such as fast food restaurants, banks, convenience stores, supermarkets and similar uses) the project shall provide a permanently anchored bicycle rack within 200 feet of the visitors' entrance, at a ratio of one two-bike capacity rack for each 20 motorized vehicle parking spaces, with a minimum of one two-bike capacity rack.
2.
Long-term bicycle parking. Buildings with over 10 tenant-occupants or a floor area of 20,000 square feet or more shall provide secure bicycle parking at a ratio of one two-bike capacity rack for each 20 motorized vehicle parking spaces with a minimum of one two-bike capacity rack.
m.
Parking standard modifications. Parking space requirements may be modified through Firebaugh's minor deviation process. A reduction of up to 20% in a project's required parking spaces may be approved by the Planning Director if the following findings can be made:
1.
That the granting of the minor deviation will not create a safety hazard or lead to a condition where the loading of public vehicles onto public streets will interfere with the free flow of traffic on these streets.
2.
That the granting of the minor deviation will not create a safety hazard of any other condition inconsistent with the objectives of the Zoning Ordinance.
n.
Handicapped parking spaces. Handicapped parking stalls shall be provided per the Building Code. Handicapped parking stalls shall be designed consistent with the illustrations shown in Exhibit 45-2.
[Amended 12-5-2022 by Ord. No. 22-04]
o.
Loading facilities.
1.
Commercial, industrial, office, institutional, and public uses exceeding 10,000 square feet in size shall be required to install an off-street loading facility unless the Planning Director finds that due to the operational nature of the use, none or more than one off-street loading space should be required.
2.
To the extent possible, loading facilities should be located at the rear or side of the building that they are to serve.
3.
Streets and alleys shall not be used as loading or unloading areas, nor shall trucks use streets and alleys for maneuvering trailers into a loading space.
4.
Loading facilities, at a minimum, shall have a length of 25 feet, a width of 12 feet, and an overhead clearance of 14 feet. All loading surfaces shall be paved consistent with Firebaugh's Improvements Manual.
5.
Where a loading facility is near or adjacent to a residential district or other noise-sensitive land uses, noise attenuating design measures will be incorporated into the project. These design measures could include increased setback distances, the construction of a seven-foot solid block wall, landscaping or locating the loading facilities away from noise-sensitive land uses.
6.
All loading facilities shall be lighted to provide adequate illumination of the loading area for safety and security reasons. Where a loading area is near or adjacent to a residential district or other light-sensitive uses, the lighting shall be directed away from these uses.