Grain Valley City Zoning Code
SECTION 400
290 Off-Street Parking And Loading Regulations.
[R.O. 1996 § 400.290; Ord. No. 1084 § 340, 3-10-1997; Ord. No. 1203 § 1, 9-8-1998; Ord. No. 1241 § 1, 1-11-1999; Ord. No. 1506, 7-8-2002; Ord. No. 1956, 3-10-2008; Ord. No. 2469, 5-12-2025]
A.
Parking.
1.
General Statement.
a.
The purpose of this Section is to provide minimum standards for off-street parking and loading in order to lessen congestion in the streets; to insure adequate access and parking facilities for users of buildings; and to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare.
b.
For all buildings or structures hereafter constructed, reconstructed or expanded, off-street parking in the form of garages or areas made available exclusively for that purpose shall be provided. Such parking area shall be located entirely on private property, except the necessary drives may cross the right-of-way to connect the roadway with the parking area.
c.
This issuance of a building permit shall require compliance with the parking area requirements as herein provided. Improvements of parking areas [as required in Subsection (A)(5) of this Section] shall apply upon the issuance of a building permit.
d.
For the applicable regulations and definition of downtown area, see Section 400.290(C).
2.
Schedule Of Off-Street Parking.
a.
Minimum Number Required. Off-street parking shall be provided in the amount specified below for the following uses. In the case of a use which is not specifically mentioned, the off-street parking requirements for a similar use shall apply. Similarity shall be determined by the Planning Officer. These requirements shall apply to each type of use regardless of the zoning district.
USE | NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES | REQUIRED FOR EACH | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
1) | RESIDENTIAL | |||
a) | Single-family residences | 2 | Dwelling unit | |
b) | Duplexes (1 — 2 bedroom) | 2 | Dwelling unit | |
3 or more bedrooms | 3 | Dwelling unit | ||
c) | Multi-family residences | |||
Efficiency or studio | 1 | Dwelling unit | ||
1 — 2 bedroom | 2 | Dwelling unit | ||
3 or more bedrooms | 3 | Dwelling unit | ||
d) | Hotels & motels | 1 Plus number required for restaurant, if any | Room | |
e) | Fraternity & sorority houses | .5 | Member | |
f) | Dormitories | .5 | Resident | |
2) | COMMERCIAL | |||
a) | Banks | 5 | 1,000 sf of gfa | |
b) | Offices | 5.5 | 1,000 sf of gfa | |
c) | Offices — medical & dental | 1 | Employee | |
4 | Doctor | |||
d) | Restaurant | 1 | 3 seats | |
e) | Bowling alley | 5 Plus number required for restaurant, if any | Lane | |
f) | Personal services | 5 | 1,000 sf of gfa | |
g) | Retail stores | 5 | 1,000 sf of gfa | |
h) | Service stations, gas stations, auto repair shop or garage | 5 | 1,000 sf of gfa, with a min. requirement of 4 spaces regardless of size of building and 1 parking space for every service bay | |
3) | INDUSTRIAL — INCLUDING STORAGE, WHOLESALE AND MANUFACTURING | |||
a) | Brick or lumber yard or similar area | 1 | Employee, plus reqd. for retail & office space | |
b) | Open storage of sand, gravel and petroleum | 1 | Employee, plus reqd. for retail & office space | |
c) | Warehouse and enclosed storage — private | 1 | Employee | |
d) | Warehouse and enclosed commercial | 1 | Employee, plus storage — 3,000 sf of gfa | |
e) | Manufacturing operations — single shift | 1 | Employee, plus reqd. for retail & office space | |
f) | Manufacturing operations — multi shift | 1 | Employee on largest shift plus employee second shift reqd. for retail and/or office space | |
4) | INSTITUTIONAL AND OTHER | |||
a) | Hospitals | 1 | 2 beds, plus employee | |
b) | Nursing homes | 1 | 4 beds, plus employee | |
c) | Auditoriums, churches, theaters, stadiums and other places of assembly | 1 | 4 seats | |
d) | Colleges | 1 | 2 students, plus dorm requirement, if any | |
e) | Senior high schools | 1 | Employee, plus 4 students | |
f) | Elementary & junior high schools | 1 | Employee, plus classroom | |
g) | Day care facilities | 1 | 8 children, plus 1 employee | |
* Note: Abbreviations are as follows: SF — square feet, gfa — gross floor area | ||||
b.
Method Of Computation.
(1)
Gross floor area (gfa) shall be determined by using the outside dimensions of the building for each floor. The only space which may be excluded is basement storage area.
(2)
Employees shall include all persons working or serving at a place of business, including the owner, manager, doctors, nurses, technicians, teachers, kitchen workers and all other employees.
(3)
The number of employees shall be based upon the total number of employees on duty at any one time, when the maximum functional use of the building or land is being made.
(4)
A multi-shift operation shall include businesses which have more than one (1) group of employees who are on duty for different periods of time.
(5)
Where more than one (1) type of use is located either in the same building or in separate buildings in close proximity, such that a single parking area will be serving those uses, the number of parking spaces provided shall be not less than the sum of the separate requirements for each use.
(6)
When determination of the number of off-street parking spaces required by the formulas result in the requirement of a fractional space, any fraction of one-half (1/2) or less may be disregarded, while a fraction in excess of one-half (1/2) shall be counted as one (1) parking space.
(7)
Member of a fraternity or sorority shall include pledges, actives and employees, whether living on the premises or not.
3.
Joint Use Of Parking Facilities. Where more than one (1) type of use is located either in the same building or in separate buildings in close proximity, joint use of the same parking facilities will be allowed as follows:
a.
Uses normally open or operated during daytime hours, including retail stores, personal service establishments (such as beauty shops and barber shops) and business service establishments (such as banks and offices) may share parking facilities with the following uses:
(1)
Churches which have activities only on weekends or evenings may share such parking facilities to the extent of one hundred percent (100%) of the parking spaces required.
(2)
Uses normally open or operated during evening or weekend hours, such as theaters, bowling alleys, dance halls, other places of amusement and restaurants may share such parking facilities to the extent of fifty percent (50%) of the parking spaces required.
b.
A written agreement for the joint use of the off-street parking facilities shall be properly drawn and executed by the parties concerned, approved as to form by the City Attorney, and filed with the application for a building permit.
4.
Dimensions Of Parking Area.
a.
Size Of Stalls. A required off-street parking space shall be a rectangle which is a minimum of nine (9) feet wide by nineteen (19) feet deep placed at the prescribed angle so that it lies between the curb and the aisle. Except that stalls fronting on curbs with grass adjacent may be reduced to eighteen (18) feet in length.
b.
Aisle Width. Aisles shall provide access to parking spaces and shall provide the necessary space for maneuvering into and out of each space. They may serve either double or single bays of parking. The width of aisles providing access and maneuvering space shall be as follows:
Parking Angle | Stalls Serviced by Aisle | Traffic Flow | Aisle Width | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1) | 90° | One Side | One or Two Way | 24 feet |
2) | 90° | Both Sides | Two Way | 24 feet |
3) | 45° | One Side | One Way | 16 feet |
4) | 60° | One Side | One Way | 16 feet |
5) | 45° | Both Sides | One Way | 16 feet |
6) | 60° | Both Sides | One Way | 20 feet |
7) | 45° | Both Sides | Two Way | 20 feet |
8) | 60° | Both Sides | Two Way | 20 feet |
c.
Ingress And Egress.
(1)
Ingress and egress shall be by means of paved driveways not exceeding thirty-five (35) feet in width for all residential and commercial zoned areas and fifty (50) feet for heavy and light industrial zoned lots at points of connection with public streets except as approved by the Missouri State Highway Department. The minimum width of driveways for ingress and egress shall be the same as those specified above for aisles. Driveway width, for the purpose of this Section, shall include only the pavement and not the curbs and gutters. The width for measuring purposes shall include the "wings" of the driveway.
(2)
The distance of a parking area entrance drive from the intersection of two (2) streets and the distance between curb cuts shall be based on the following street design standards. All measurements shall be taken from the right-of-way lines.
Primary Arterial | Secondary Arterial | Collector | Local | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Intersection right-of-way to curb cut | 150 feet | 150 feet | 100 feet | 20 feet |
Between curb cut | 200 feet | 200 feet | 50 feet | 20 feet |
5.
Improvement Of Parking Area.
a.
Surfacing And Curbing.
(1)
All off-street parking areas, access drives and parking lots for vehicle, trailer or boat sales or rental shall be improved with a permanent dust-free surface consisting of a minimum of a six (6) inch rolled stone base overlaid with a one and one-half (1 1/2) inch asphalt surface or a four (4) inch asphalt base overlaid with a one and one-half (1 1/2) inch asphalt surface or a minimum of four (4) inches of concrete.
(2)
All new construction in "R-1," "R-1A," "R-1B, "R-1C" and "R-2" zoning that is platted after the adoption of this Chapter shall have concrete drives and parking.
(3)
In Districts "M-1" an "M-2," one (1) of the above types of surface is required for customer, visitor and all other parking areas. Storage lots must be in accordance with Section 2202 of the 1997 American Public Works Association — untreated compacted aggregate. Gravel surface must be treated as needed to keep it dust free. Storage lots must be screened on all sides with a minimum of six (6) foot tall privacy fence.
(4)
All off-street parking areas and all access drives in commercial and industrial zoning districts shall have a boundary constructed of concrete curbing or an integral concrete sidewalk and curb with a vertical face.
b.
Maintenance. Off-street parking areas shall be maintained in proper repair as required above.
c.
Drainage Facilities. For any use which will require a parking area to be newly constructed, added to or altered in such a way as to affect drainage either on or off the site, as determined by the City, stormwater drainage plans, including grading plans, shall be submitted to and approved by the City, prior to the issuance of a building permit.
d.
Permit Required. No person, firm or corporation shall initiate construction of a new parking lot or expansion of an existing parking lot without first obtaining a permit for such development from the City. Application for a permit shall be made upon the form provided and shall be accompanied by such information, plans and specifications as may be required. A permit shall not be required for resurfacing an existing parking area; and a permit shall not be required for customary driveways for single-family and duplex residential dwellings.
e.
Time Limit. All required off-street parking areas shall be ready for use, including the above surfacing requirement, before the issuance of an occupancy permit. An extension of time will be granted due to adverse weather conditions.
6.
Setback Requirements.
a.
Off-street parking for single-family and duplex residential uses shall have no setback requirements.
b.
Off-street parking for all other uses, including multi-family residential, commercial, industrial and institutional uses, shall have a setback requirement of ten (10) feet from the front property line. A five (5) foot side and rear setback shall be maintained for these uses if the lot abuts areas zoned for residential purposes.
7.
Location Of Parking Areas. Off-street automobile parking facilities shall be located as hereinafter specified; where a distance is specified, such distance shall be walking distance measured from the nearest point of the parking area to the nearest entrance of the building that the parking area is required to serve.
a.
For one- and two-family dwellings — on the same lot the building they are required to serve.
b.
For three- and four-family dwellings — on the same lot or parcel of land as the building they are required to serve. For the purpose of this requirement, a group of such uses constructed and maintained under single ownership or management that are contiguous shall be assumed to be on single lot or parcel of land.
c.
For apartment houses containing four (4) or more dwelling units — on the same lot or parcel of land as the building they are required to serve or on a separate lot or parcel of land not more than three hundred (300) feet from the nearest entrance to the main building being served, provided the lot or parcel of land selected for the parking facilities is located in an apartment district or a less restricted district.
d.
For churches, hospitals, sanitariums, homes for the aged, convalescent homes and other similar uses — the off-street parking facilities required shall be on the same lot or parcel of land as the main building or buildings being served or upon properties contiguous to that lot or parcel.
e.
For uses other than those specified above, including commercial and industrial — off-street parking facilities shall be provided on the same lot or parcel of land as the main building being served or on a separate lot or parcel of land not more than five hundred (500) feet from any entrance to the main building, provided the separate lot or parcel of land intended for the parking facilities is located in the same district as the principal permitted use or in a less restricted district.
9.
Lighting Of Parking Areas. Any lights used to illuminate the parking area shall be arranged, located or screened to direct light away from any adjoining residential use.
10.
Additional Parking Regulations.
a.
Head-In Parking. Head-in parking from any public right-of-way, which would allow traffic to back out directly into the public right-of-way, shall not be permitted. This paragraph shall not apply to single-family and duplex residential use.
b.
Off-street parking, not required under this Section, but voluntarily provided, shall comply with all the requirements with regard to location and construction.
c.
Required spaces shall not be used for storage and shall be kept available for their parking function.
d.
No trucks, tractors or trailers, excluding recreational vehicles, in excess of one (1) ton capacity shall be parked in a residential zone, except for deliveries.
e.
With the exception of Districts "M-1" and "M-2," inoperative vehicles may not be stored or repaired (other than in enclosed garages) on the premises.
f.
(1)
Parking of automobiles, trucks, boats, trailers, recreational vehicles, lawn mowers, tractors or any other motorized vehicles is not permitted on unimproved surfaces in front and side areas of a property in commercial, industrial and residential areas under two (2) acres per parcel throughout the City.
Exception: Properties with existing gravel driveways and/or gravel parking areas in the side yard, provided they are properly maintained.
(2)
No more than two (2) of the following items are allowed to park in the rear yard on property occupied with a residence in zoning R-1, R-1A, R-1B and R-1C with lots size less than three-quarter (0.75) acre:
Exception: The storage of a vehicle/item on private property so located upon the property as not to be readily visible from any public place or from any surrounding private property nor shall these subsections apply to any lot or parcel of private property three-quarter (0.75) acre or more in size.
B.
Loading. Any business or industrial building, hospital, institution or hotel hereafter constructed, reconstructed or expanded in any district shall provide adequate off-street facilities for the loading and unloading of merchandise and goods within or adjacent to the building in such a manner as not to obstruct freedom of traffic movement on the public streets or alleys.
C.
Downtown.
1.
Definition. For purposes of this Section, "downtown area" shall be defined as the area north of the railroad, south of Walnut Street, from Greg Street to the alley one-half (1/2) block east of Main Street.
2.
Parking Regulations.
a.
The downtown area shall, for the purpose of this Section, be considered as a shopping center with all existing parking at the time of passage of this Chapter being considered as meeting the number of spaces required for all existing business and commercial operations in said downtown area.
b.
The parking regulations contained in Section 400.290(A), shall, in the downtown area, apply only to new construction or building expansion. The calculation of additional parking spaces required shall be based on the table of requirements in Subsection (A)(2)(a) for the additional building area which is being constructed.
c.
New construction or expansion of an existing building will have an effect on the total parking spaces available in the downtown area. After the passage of this Chapter, any parking spaces which are eliminated by new construction or expansion must be replaced by that business or use, unless such spaces are in excess of the requirements for that business or use being served and are in the same ownership.
3.
Loading. In the downtown area, uses which are required to provide loading berths may have the option of applying for a permit for a curb loading zone.
D.
Accessible Parking Spaces Requirements. When parking lots or parking garage facilities are provided, the number of accessible parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with Table 1 and the following provisions.
1.
Location. Accessible parking spaces shall be located on the shortest possible accessible route of travel to an accessible building entrance. In facilities with multiple accessible building entrances with adjacent parking, accessible parking spaces shall be dispersed and located near the accessible entrances. When practical, the accessible route of travel shall not cross lanes for vehicular traffic. When crossing vehicle traffic lanes is necessary, the route of travel shall be designated and marked as a crosswalk.
2.
Design And Construction. When accessible parking spaces are required by this Section, they shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the following dimensions:
a.
A required accessible parking space shall be a rectangle which is a minimum of twelve (12) feet six (6) inches wide by twenty (20) feet deep placed at the prescribed angle so that it lies between the curb and the aisle;
b.
A required accessible parking space shall be constructed to the required dimensions in Subsection (D)(2)(a) of this Section with an adjacent access aisle of not less than five (5) feet wide; or
c.
Accessible parking spaces shall be located on a surface with a slope not exceeding one (1) vertical in fifty (50) horizontal.
3.
Signs. Every parking space required by this Section shall be identified by a sign, mounted on a pole or other structure between three (3) feet and five (5) feet above the parking surface, at the head of the parking space. The sign shall be at least twelve (12) inches by eighteen (18) inches.
4.
Method Of Computation. Accessible parking spaces shall be counted as part of the total minimum number of parking spaces required by Subsection (A)(2)(a) of this Section.
TABLE 1 NUMBER OF ACCESSIBLE PARKING SPACES | |
|---|---|
Total Parking Spaces Required in Lot | Minimum Number of Accessible Spaces Required |
1 – 25 | 1 |
26 – 50 | 2 |
51 – 75 | 3 |
76 – 100 | 4 |
101 – 150 | 5 |
151 – 200 | 6 |
201 – 300 | 7 |
301 – 400 | 8 |
401 – 500 | 9 |
501 – 1,000 | 2% of total spaces |
Over 1,000 | 20 spaces plus 1 space for every 100 spaces, or fraction thereof, over 1,000 |