(A)

Off-street parking.

(1)

Provision of off-street parking required. The off-street parking facilities herein required shall be provided and maintained in the manner herein set forth.

The B-3 Central Business District, the East Florence Historic District, and the North Florence Business District as shown on the Official Zoning Map, are exempt from these off-street parking requirements. Where off-street parking is provided, it shall be constructed, surfaced and landscaped in accordance with these regulations.

(2)

Size and location. Each off-street parking space shall be an area of appropriate dimensions of not less than one hundred eighty (180) square feet net, exclusive of access or maneuvering area, ramps and other appurtenances. Except as otherwise permitted under a parking plan which has been approved for locating or sharing of facilities, off-street parking spaces shall be located on the building site on which the use or structure for which they are provided is located. Maneuvering area, ramps and other appurtenances shall be located off the street right-of-way and, except for one-family and two-family dwellings, facilities shall be so planned that vehicles do not back into the roadway.

(3)

Dwelling uses. Required off-street parking spaces shall not occupy any part of a required front yard. In addition to the required off-street parking area, parking of passenger vehicles may occupy a driveway or other space of not more than twenty-five (25) percent of the required front yard, provided the driveway or space is surfaced with an all-weather surface so as to prevent erosion and also mud flow into a public right-of-way. Driveway or parking space must be arranged so as not to obstruct vision along the street or roadway. In no case shall parking be permitted in grassed or other areas of the required front yard, in an unimproved or grassed area of the public right-of-way, or over any public sidewalk.

For the purpose of this section, an improved or all-weather surface is defined as concrete, asphalt, brick, stone, rock or similar materials; maintained in good condition free of weeds, trash and debris. If crushed stone or rock is used, it must be properly bordered and contained to prevent the stone or rock from spreading into the yard or public right-of-way.

(4)

Construction and maintenance. Except for one-family and two-family dwellings, off-street parking facilities shall be constructed, maintained and operated in accordance with the following specifications:

(a)

Drainage and surfacing. They shall be properly graded for drainage, surfaced with concrete, asphaltic concrete, or asphalt and maintained in proper condition, free of weeds, dust, trash and debris.

(b)

Vehicle extension. They shall be constructed so that no part of parked vehicles will extend beyond the parking facility.

(c)

Lighting. If they contain ten (10) or more parking spaces, lighting shall be provided and maintained during their operation and shall be so arranged that the source of light does not shine directly into adjacent residential properties or traffic.

(d)

Entrances and exits. They shall have entrances and exits provided and located so as to minimize traffic congestion and to prevent vehicles backing from the area into the roadway.

(e)

Layout of grade level facilities. If the total number of parking spaces in a grade level facility is more than two hundred (200) and the public is required to park its own vehicles (self-parking), blocks of parking spaces shall be established, each containing not more than two hundred (200) parking spaces.

The limits of such blocks shall be defined by a raised curbed area six (6) inches in height and twelve (12) feet in width running the entire length of the block which shall be improved with either planting, concrete sidewalks or both. A raised curb shall also be constructed along the side of a block feeder roadway (one which feeds vehicles into blocks of parking spaces) at the head of and for the full width of every parking group.

Roadways within parking facilities composed of blocks of parking spaces shall have minimum width of twenty-four (24) feet, except as follows:

1.

A block feeder roadway which feeds vehicles into blocks of parking spaces along both sides of such roadway shall have a minimum width of thirty-six (36) feet;

2.

A store roadway (one which runs parallel and adjacent to the fronts of stores or other buildings having pedestrian access) shall have a minimum width of thirty-six (36) feet;

3.

A group feeder roadway (one which feeds vehicles directly into parking spaces) shall have a minimum width of twenty-four (24) feet for ninety (90) degree parking, seventeen (17) feet for sixty (60) degree parking, eleven (11) feet for forty-five (45) degree parking, or ten (10) feet for thirty (30) degree parking;

4.

A major roadway (one that provides the major circulation within a parking facility) shall have a width of thirty-six (36) feet or of forty-eight (48) feet, as required by the volume of traffic.

Parking facilities composed of blocks of parking spaces shall be accessible from group feeder roadways and from no other type roadway.

(f)

Screening and landscaping. All parking facilities within the city and the extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction shall be landscaped and screened in accordance with provisions outlined in Section XI of this ordinance.

(g)

Prohibition of other uses. Required off-street parking areas shall not be used for the sale, repair, dismantling, or servicing of any vehicles, equipment, materials, or supplies.

(h)

Limitation on size of vehicles. Vehicles, weighing more than fourteen thousand (14,000) pounds, GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating), are prohibited from parking in Single-Family (R-1 and R-2) zones, with the exception of motor homes which shall be allowed, in compliance with Section V(A)(3).

(i)

Multiple-level parking facilities. Parking facilities on more than one level shall be designed in accord with those standards set out herein for grade level parking facilities insofar as they are reasonably applicable.

(5)

Number of spaces required. At least the following number of off-street parking spaces shall be provided. The classifications of uses shall be deemed to include and apply to all uses, and if the classification of any use for the purpose of determining the number of parking spaces to be provided is not readily determinable hereunder, the classification of the use shall be fixed by the board of adjustment.

(6)

Special plan for location of off-premises parking or sharing of off-premises parking facilities. Under the foregoing provisions of this ordinance, off-street parking spaces are required to be provided individually for each use or structure. Pursuant to the procedure hereinafter set forth and subject to certain limitations, the location of an off-premises parking facility or the sharing of off- premises parking by two (2) or more uses may be permitted, is encouraged and, in some cases may be required.

(a)

Limitations on sharing facilities. No use shall be considered to have individually provided off-street parking facilities where such facilities are shared with one (1) or more other uses unless the schedules of operation, taking into account peak requirements of all such uses, are such that none of the uses sharing the facilities require the off-street parking facilities at the same time as any other uses sharing them.

(b)

Application for approval of parking plan. An application for approval of a parking plan hereunder shall be filed with the building official by the owner or owners of all land and structures for which off-premises or shared off-street parking spaces are to be provided. The application shall contain such information as is required by the building official and shall include plans showing proposed off-premises or shared facilities in relation to the uses for which they are to be provided.

1.

Review standards. Required parking for a development may be located off site under certain circumstances. Requests for off-site parking must meet the following requirements:

(a.)

The off-site parking shall be located so that it will adequately serve the use for which it is intended. In making this determination the following factors, among other things, shall be considered:

(1.)

Proximity of the off-site parking facilities;

(2.)

Ease of pedestrian access to the off-site parking facilities;

(3.)

The type of use the off-site parking facilities are intended to serve, i.e., off-site parking may not be appropriate for high turnover uses such as retail;

(4.)

Such space shall be conveniently usable without causing unreasonable:

a)

Hazard to pedestrians;

b)

Hazard to vehicular traffic;

c)

Traffic congestion;

d)

Detriment to the appropriate use of business property in the vicinity;

e)

Detriment to any residential neighborhood.

(b.)

A written contract among the parties that will share the parking shall be drawn to the satisfaction of the city attorney and executed by all parties concerned assuring the continued availability of the off-site parking facilities for the use they are intended to serve.

(c.)

The location of off-site facilities in relation to the use served shall be governed by the following provisions:

(I)

Commercial uses. Parking facilities accessory to nonresidential uses may be located on other than the same site as the use served (off-site) if approval is obtained from the building official. All required parking spaces shall be within four hundred (400) feet of the use served. No parking spaces accessory to a use in a commercial district shall be located in a residential district.

2.

Where required parking facilities are provided on land other than the site on which the building or use served by such facilities is located, they shall be and remain in the same possession and ownership as the site occupied by the building or use to which the parking facilities are accessory except that building official may authorize the use of leased, off-site land for the provision of required parking in either of the following cases:

a.

The term of the lease approximates the expected life of the building or use to which the parking facilities are accessory; or

b.

The number of required spaces leased for a short term does not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of total number of required parking spaces, and the applicant acknowledges in writing that a failure to continuously maintain the total number of spaces required will compel the immediate reduction of the intensity of the use served to the extent necessary to bring it into full conformance with the parking requirements of this chapter.

c.

Review of applications. Applications hereunder shall be reviewed by the building official and either approved or disapproved within forty-five (45) days; approval may establish conditions and limitations.

d.

Filing of special plan. Upon approval of a special plan, a copy of such plan shall be filed in the records of the building official and shall thereafter be binding upon the applicants, their heirs, successors and assigns; shall limit and control the issuance and validity of permits and certificates; and shall restrict and limit the use and operation of all land and structures included within such special plans to all conditions and limitations specified in such plans and the approvals thereof.

e.

Amendment or withdrawal of special plan. Pursuant to the same procedure and subject to the same limitations and requirements by which the special plan was approved and filed, any special plan may be amended or withdrawn, either partially or completely, if all land and structures remaining under such special plan comply with all the conditions and limitations of the special plan and all land and structures withdrawn from such special plan comply with all regulations established by this ordinance and unrelated to the special plan.

(B)

Off-street truck loading.

(1)

Provision of off-street truck loading required. The off-street truck loading facilities herein required shall be provided in at least the amount and maintained in the manner herein set forth; provided, however, that off-street truck loading facilities in excess of the amounts heretofore required by law need be neither provided nor maintained for structures annually used, occupied, and operated on the effective date of this ordinance unless, after the effective date of this ordinance, such structures are enlarged or expanded, in which event the structures hereby excluded shall not be used, occupied, or operated unless there is provided for the increment only of such structures, and maintained as herein required, at least the amount of off-street truck loading facilities that would be required hereunder if the increment were a separate structure.

(2)

Size and location. For the purposes of this ordinance, there shall be considered two sizes of off-street truck loading spaces, "large" and "small." Each "large" space shall have an overhead clearance of at least fourteen (14) feet, shall be at least twelve (12) feet wide, and shall be at least fifty (50) feet long, exclusive of access or maneuvering area, platform, and other appurtenances; each "small" space shall have an overhead clearance of at least ten (10) feet, shall be at least ten (10) feet wide, and shall be at least twenty (20) feet long, exclusive of access or maneuvering area, platform, and other appurtenances. Off-street truck loading facilities shall be located on the same building site on which the structure for which they are provided is located. Access, maneuvering area, ramps and other appurtenances shall be furnished off the street right-of-way and so arranged that vehicles are not required to back from the street into the area, nor required to back from the area into the street.

(3)

Construction and maintenance. Off-street loading facilities shall be constructed, maintained and operated in accordance with the following specifications:

(a)

Drainage and surfacing. They shall be properly graded for drainage, surfaced with concrete, asphaltic concrete, or asphalt and maintained in good condition, free of weeds, dust, trash, and debris;

(b)

Lighting. Lighting facilities shall be so arranged that the source of light does not shine directly into adjacent residential properties or traffic;

(c)

Entrances and exits. They shall be provided with entrances and exits so located as to minimize traffic congestion or backing from the street into the area;

(d)

Circulation. Where access and drives to off-street loading facilities occur in conjunction with off-street parking facilities that provide parking at street level for more than six hundred (600) cars, provision shall be made to maintain separate circulation routes within such facilities.

(4)

Number of loading spaces required. At least the following amounts of off-street truck loading facilities shall be provided for all structures containing uses devoted to commerce, business, industry, manufacturing, storage, warehousing, processing, offices, professional purposes, hotels, hospitals, airports, railroad terminals and similar purposes; provided, however, that structures, other than structures in the Retail Core of Florence as shown on the Official Zoning Map, required to provide and maintain less than five (5) off-street parking spaces shall be exempt from these requirements:

(5)

Cooperative establishment and use of facilities. Requirements for the provision of off-street truck loading facilities with respect to two (2) or more structures may be satisfied by the permanent allocation of the requisite number of spaces for each use in a common truck loading facility, cooperatively established and operated; provided, however, that the total number of spaces designated is not less than the sum of the individual requirements unless, in the opinion of the building official, a lesser number of spaces will be adequate, taking into account the respective times of usage of the truck loading facilities by the individual users, the character of the merchandise, and related factors. In order to eliminate a multiplicity of individual facilities, to conserve space where space is at a premium, and to promote orderly development generally, the building official is hereby authorized to plan and group off-street truck loading facilities cooperatively for a number of truck loading generators within close proximity to one another in a given area, and especially in the general business districts, in such manner as to obtain a maximum of efficiency and capacity, provided consent thereto is obtained from the participants in the cooperative plan.

(Ord. No. 2015-20, 9-15-2015)