It is the purpose and intent of this chapter that off-street parking and loading areas be provided and adequately maintained in every zoning district for the purposes of promoting safe and efficient parking of motor vehicles; to avoid unnecessary congestion and interference with public use of streets; and to provide for sound and stable environmental conditions and the prevention of future blighted areas.

(Ord. No. 346, § 2001, 6-19-2000)

1.

In all zoning districts, off-street parking and loading requirements shall be provided in amounts not less than specified for the various districts.

2.

Requirements for a use not mentioned shall be the same as for that use which is most similar to the use not listed.

3.

Additional parking shall be provided and maintained in proper ratio to any increase in floor area or building use capacity.

4.

For the purposes of determining off-street parking and loading requirements, the following provisions shall apply:

a.

"Usable floor area" as applied to offices, merchandising or service types of uses, shall mean the floor area used or intended to be used for services to the public as customers, patrons, clients, patients, or tenants, including areas occupied for fixtures and equipment used for display or sale of merchandise, but excluding floor areas used exclusively for storage, housing of mechanical equipment integral with the building, maintenance facilities, or those areas so restricted that customers, patients, clients, salesmen, and the general public are denied access. Measurement of usable floor area shall be the sum of the horizontal area of each story of a structure measured from the interior faces of the exterior walls.

b.

Where benches, pews, or other similar seating facilities are used as seats, each 24 inches of such seating facilities shall be counted as one seat.

5.

In the case of mixed uses in the same building, the total requirements for off-street parking and loading shall be the sum of the requirements for the separate individual uses computed separately.

6.

Joint or collective provisions of off-street parking for buildings or uses on two or more properties shall not be less than the sum of the requirements for the participating individual uses computed separately.

7.

It shall be unlawful to use any of the off-street parking or loading areas established to meet the requirements of this ordinance for any purpose other than the parking of licensed vehicles or the loading or unloading of necessary service trucks.

8.

All off-street parking areas, including parking aisles, shall be setback a minimum of five (5) feet from the rear and side lot lines and a minimum of fifteen (15) feet from the front lot line. The planning commission may permit parking areas to encroach within the fifteen (15) foot setback where substantial additional screening or landscaping acceptable to the planning commission is provided.

9.

When determination of the number of off-street parking or loading space required by this ordinance results in a requirement of a fractional space, any fraction in excess of one-half shall be counted as one parking space.

10.

No repairs or services to vehicles shall be carried on or permitted upon such premises.

11.

No vehicular display for purpose of sale shall be carried on or permitted upon such premises, except in licensed and approved vehicle sales establishments.

12.

Off-street parking in driveways or on nonpaved open space is prohibited, except on one-family lots. Two-family lots shall provide parking as required in section 2005 of this ordinance.

13.

The use of an off-street parking lot in a residential district by any commercial or industrial use is prohibited.

14.

Except for the BC district, off-street parking for all non-residential zoning districts and uses shall be either on the same lot or within 300 feet of the building or use it is intended to serve, measured from the nearest public entrance of the building to the nearest point of the off-street parking lot. In the BC district parking shall be provided on the same lot as the use, unless the property adjoins or has access to a community parking lot, or common parking area maintained by participating property owners.

15.

The planning commission may defer construction of the required number of parking spaces if the following conditions are met:

a.

Areas proposed for deferred parking shall be shown on the site plan, and shall be sufficient for construction of the required number of parking spaces in accordance with the standards of this ordinance for parking area design and other site development requirements.

b.

Alterations to the deferred parking area may be initiated by the owner or required by the zoning administrator, and shall require the approval of an amended site plan, submitted by the applicant accompanied by evidence documenting the justification for the alteration.

c.

The applicant has demonstrated to the planning commission's satisfaction that sufficient parking is or will be available to meet the regular demands of the use.

16.

Parking or storage of recreational vehicles in any residential zone district, as described in section 602 of the Zoning Ordinance of the Village of Fowlerville, shall also comply with the requirements of section 642 of this ordinance.

(Ord. No. 346, § 2002, 6-19-2000; Ord. No. 373, § 7, 1-24-2005; Ord. No. 440, § 2, 1-27-2014)

1.

Off-street parking, loading and access drives for all uses including new one-family dwelling units shall be paved with appropriate hard surfaced materials such as concrete and asphalt and shall be provided with adequate drainage to dispose of all surface water.

2.

Adequate ingress and egress to the parking areas by means of clearly marked and limited drives shall be provided, in accordance with the provisions of section 2004 of this chapter.

3.

Off-street parking on lots adjoining or within a residential district shall in addition conform with the following:

a.

Noncommercial vehicles may be parked in any part of the required side or rear yard except as otherwise provided in this ordinance.

b.

Where the required parking area is three spaces or more adjoining a residential district, said parking area shall be no closer to any side or rear property line than ten feet.

c.

Landscaping and buffers as per chapter 19 requirements.

4.

Off-street parking areas shall be lighted when provided for all uses, except single-family, in accord with a plan approved by the village planning commission. Lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking area shall be so located and arranged as to direct light away from the adjoining premises and shall conform to the requirements of section 2007.

5.

Where any parking area adjoins an existing or proposed sidewalk, the owner shall erect safety curbs on the private property to prevent vehicles from crossing the sidewalk, excepting in the case of a one-family lot.

6.

Minimum dimensions of parking spaces and maneuvering aisles shall be in accordance with the following requirements:

(Ord. No. 346, § 2003, 6-19-2000; Ord. No. 353, § 10, eff. 5-5-2002)

1.

It is the purpose of this section to establish standards for the location and design of driveways that can be used for new construction in undeveloped areas and for redevelopment of existing developed areas. The objectives of these requirements are to:

a

Reduce the frequency of conflicts between vehicular movements,

b.

Expand the spacing between potential conflict points,

c.

Improve traffic safety, and

d.

Provide more efficient traffic flow.

2.

General provisions.

a.

Lanes per driveway: The number of driveway lanes shall be based on analysis of expected trip generation and peak turning movements. If expected left turns exiting the subject site exceeds 100 per hour, two egress lanes (left and right/thru) shall be provided.

b.

Turn prohibition: Left turns may be prohibited at the discretion of the planning commission into or out of any driveway under the following conditions:

(1)

Inadequate corner clearance,

(2)

Inadequate sight distance, or

(3)

Inadequate driveway spacing.

c.

Relationship to opposing driveways: to the extent desirable and reasonably possible, driveways shall be aligned with driveways on the opposite side of the street.

d.

Sight distance: Adequate sight distance shall be ensured for all vehicles exiting from a proposed development. If certain movements cannot be made safely, then they shall be prohibited or joint access with adjoining properties shall be encouraged.

e.

Driveway permits: Prior to granting a building permit for any construction involving a new or expanded driveway opening to a public street, a permit for such driveway shall be obtained from the village, county, or state agency having jurisdiction over the public street and shall be submitted to the building inspector.

3.

Non-residential ingress and egress requirements.

a.

Driveway spacing: The minimum spacing allowed between a proposed driveway and all other driveways (located on the same side of the public street which the proposed driveway abuts or adjoins) or street intersections shall be in accordance with the following standards:

* Traffic speeds are based on posted speeds as of the effective date of this ordinance. In the event the posted speed limit is changed, the minimum spacing requirement in effect on the adoption date of this ordinance shall remain in force, unless amended at a later date by the village council.

** Spacing requirements are based on average vehicle acceleration and deceleration rates and are considered the minimum distances necessary to maintain safe traffic operation. The required spacing shall be measured from the centerline of the proposed driveway to the centerline of the nearest existing driveway or the edge of the right-of-way or easement of the nearest intersecting street.

b.

In the event that a particular parcel or parcels lack sufficient road frontage to meet the spacing requirement, the landowner(s) may:

(1)

Seek a variance from the zoning board of appeals, but in no case shall the variance permit less separation than permitted in the next lowest spacing requirement, as shown in the table of spacing requirements;

(2)

Obtain authorization from the adjacent property owner(s) to establish a shared driveway between the properties; or

(3)

Obtain a cross-access easement to use an existing driveway on adjacent property.

c.

Number of driveways per parcel:

(1)

A maximum of one driveway opening shall be permitted to a parcel or lot from each abutting street.

(2)

The Village Planning Commission may permit one additional driveway entrance along any street on which the parcel frontage exceeds four hundred feet.

(3)

In the case of dual one-way driveways, one pair may be used per 250 feet of frontage. Only one pair of one-way drives shall be permitted per street frontage.

d.

Property clearance: The minimum distance between the property line and the nearest edge of the driveway shall be twenty-five feet, except where the driveway provides access to more than one lot or parcel.

e.

Corner clearance: The minimum corner clearance distance between the centerline of a proposed driveway and the edge of the right-of-way or easement of an intersecting street shall be 150 feet. Traffic movements into or out of any driveway, the centerline of which is located within 250 feet of the edge of the right-of-way or easement of a signalized street intersection, shall be limited to right-turns in and right-turns out only.

4.

Residential ingress and egress requirements.

a.

Residential: All residential driveway openings onto a public street shall be constructed to the adopted standards of the Village of Fowlerville.

b.

Non-residential: All driveway openings for non-residential uses in the residential zoning districts shall be reviewed and approved by the planning commission as part of the site plan review procedures of this ordinance.

(Ord. No. 346, § 2004, 6-19-2000)

The minimum number of off-street parking spaces, including garage parking spaces, by type of use shall be determined in accordance with the following schedule:

(Ord. No. 346, § 2005, 6-19-2000; Ord. No. 447, § 3, 1-26-2015)

1.

On and after the effective date of this ordinance there shall be provided, on the same lot with all new or substantially altered uses or structures in BC, GB, LI/R or I districts, off-street loading and unloading facilities as required herein.

2.

Number of spaces. Usable floor area: 5,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet requires one space; each additional 20,000 square feet or fraction thereof requires one space.

3.

Design standards of loading/unloading spaces.

a.

Each off-street loading and unloading space shall not be less than ten feet in width and 40 feet in length.

b.

Each required off-street loading/unloading dock shall be designed with appropriate means of vehicular access to a street or alley in a manner which will least interfere with traffic movement. All open off-street loading and/or unloading spaces shall be paved.

c.

No signs shall be displayed in any loading area except such signs as may be necessary for the orderly use of the area.

d.

Off-street loading/unloading space as required shall be provided as area additional to off-street parking space as required and shall not be considered as supplying off-street parking space.

(Ord. No. 346, § 2006, 6-19-2000)

Parking area and other exterior on-site lighting fixtures shall be in accordance with the standards of section 640.

(Ord. No. 346, § 2007, 6-19-2000; Ord. No. 380, § 7, 9-18-2006)