The regulations of this article are intended to ensure provision of off-street parking and loading facilities in rough proportion to the typical parking and loading demands of different land uses. By requiring such facilities, it is the intent of this article to help avoid the negative impacts associated with excessive spillover parking (into adjacent neighborhoods), while at the same time avoiding the negative environmental and urban design impacts that can result from an over-supply of parking spaces and other vehicular use areas.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Existing parking and loading spaces may not be reduced below the minimum ratios established in this article or increased above any maximum parking ratios established in this article.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Except as otherwise expressly stated, off-street parking space for motor vehicles must be provided in accordance with the following minimum ratios. In lieu of complying with these minimum ratios, applicants may apply for approval of an alternative compliance parking plan, in accordance with 30-11-13. See also 30-11-4 for allowed exemptions and reductions. More specific use categories can be found in the district use requirements in Article 8.

(Amended by Ord. No. 11-82 on 5/17/11, Ord. 13-51 on 5/7/13, Ord. 14-48 on 4/15/14, and Ord. 17-25 on 3/21/17)

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Uses with drive-through facilities must provide vehicle stacking space in accordance with 30-8-10.4(I).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Vehicle loading and unloading areas must be provided in sufficient number to provide for safe and efficient operation and vehicle circulation as reviewed and approved by the Transportation Director.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, the parking and loading standards of this article apply to all new buildings constructed and all new uses established in all zoning districts.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the parking and loading standards of this article apply whenever an existing building or use is enlarged or expanded to include additional dwelling units, floor area, seating capacity, or other units of measurement used for establishing off-street parking and loading requirements.
2. In the case of enlargements or expansions triggering requirements for additional parking or loading, additional off-street parking and loading spaces are required only to serve the enlarged or expanded area, not the entire building or use. In other words, there is no requirement to address lawfully existing parking or loading deficits.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Unless otherwise expressly stated, when the nonresidential use or nonresidential occupancy of property changes, additional off-street parking and loading facilities must be provided to serve the new use or occupancy only when the number of parking or loading spaces required for the new use or occupancy exceeds the number of spaces required for the use that most recently occupied the building, based on the standards of this development ordinance. In other words, “credit” is given to the most recent lawful use of the property for the number of parking spaces that would be required under this development ordinance, regardless of whether such spaces are actually provided. A new nonresidential use is not required to address a lawful, existing parking deficit. The provisions of this section do not apply to residential uses or occupancies. If a residential use is established in a building formerly used for nonresidential purposes, required parking spaces must be provided for the residential use.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

No off-street parking is required for properties in the CB district.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

No off-street parking is required for:

1. rehabilitation or reuse of a National Register site or locally designated landmark;
2. rehabilitation or reuse of a contributing building within a National Register district or local historic district overlay;
3. rehabilitation or reuse of a structure included in the city’s inventory of historic architecture or a structure that is at least 50 years old and is of equal architectural or historical significance to structures included in the city’s inventory as determined by the Greensboro Historic Preservation Commission.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The minimum parking ratios of 30-11-5 are reduced by 25% for uses in the TN district.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nonresidential uses on lawfully established lots with less than 60 feet of frontage are not required to provide parking unless such use exceeds 3,000 square feet of gross floor area, in which case parking must be provided for the floor area in excess of 3,000 square feet. In the case of a corner lot, this exemption applies if any street frontage is less than 60 feet.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The Planning Director is authorized to approve a Type 1 Modification for a reduction in the minimum parking ratios of 30-11-5 for buildings in existence before July 1, 2010 when it is determined that the parking reduction will facilitate compliance with landscaping, open space, or dumpster/recyclable storage area requirements. The amount of such reduction may not exceed 33% or 25 spaces whichever is less.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The minimum parking ratios of 30-11-5 are reduced by 25% for all development in MU-M, MU-H and CN districts. Further parking reductions in these districts may be approved in accordance with 30-11-13.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Parking in any historic overlay district shall comply with the requirements of 30-4-12.4(I).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Parking in other overlay districts with parking standards shall comply with the requirements of the appropriate design manual.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Mixed Use Development Credit
   Mixed-use developments shall receive a parking credit of 10% of the total spaces required. No parking study shall be required unless this credit is combined with another credit request.
2. Adaptive Re-Use of Historic Structure Credit
   Developments that incorporate the adaptive re-use of a historic structure shall receive a credit of 10% of the total spaces required. No parking study shall be required unless this credit is combined with another credit request.
3. Demonstrated Parking
   Developments that incorporate demonstrated parking shall receive a credit up to 30% of the total spaces required and in accordance with the following:
   1. Upon receipt of an application for demonstrated parking, the Planning Director is authorized to apply the parking credit on the basis of parking demand data provided.
   2. Parking data and studies must include estimates of parking demand based on reliable data collected from comparable uses or on external data from credible research organizations. Comparability will be determined by density, scale, bulk, area, type of activity and location. Parking studies must document the source of all data used to develop recommended requirements.
   3. The applicant must establish a “reserve area” which is clearly designated on all plans and of a size and shape sufficient to provide the number of parking spaces equal to the credit granted.
   4. Upon a determination by the Planning Director that additional parking is needed, it must be installed within 30 days or be subject to the enforcement procedures of Article 5.

4. The minimum parking ratios of 30-11-5 are altered, as indicated on the table below, for the residential portions of mixed use developments in AO, NS, and UMU districts.

  (Amended by Ord. 13-147 on 11/19/13, Ord. 14-13 on 1/21/14, and Ord. 18-23 on 3/20/18)

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The minimum parking ratios of 30-11-5 are reduced by 25% for all mixed-use context developments meeting the standards of Section 30-8-10.1 (H) 1) c) ii) in the C-M, C-H and BP districts.  No further parking reductions in these districts may be approved in accordance with 30-11-13.

(Amended by Ord. 16-019 on 2/16/16)

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Unless otherwise expressly stated, all area-based (square footage) parking standards must be computed on the basis of gross floor area.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. When measurements of the number of required spaces result in a fractional number, the result is rounded down to the next lower whole number.
2. For the purpose of calculating parking requirements based on employees, students, or other occupants, calculations must be based on the total persons and employees present or on duty at the time when maximum use of the building or land is being made.
3. The number of persons in assembly areas with fixed seating or a designed seating capacity must be based on maximum seating capacity.
4. The number of persons in assembly areas without fixed seating or without a designed seating capacity must be based on the total net floor area (square feet) actually used for public assembly, divided by 5.
5. If more than one assembly area within a building is regularly used simultaneously by different adult persons, then the capacity of all such assembly areas must be computed.
6. If several assembly areas within a building are not used simultaneously but are used by the same group of persons separately at different times, then the computation need include only the assembly area comprising the maximum simultaneous occupancy.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Upon receipt of an application for a use for which no parking ratio is established in 30-11-5, the Planning Director is authorized to apply the parking ratio that applies to the most similar use or establish a different minimum parking requirement on the basis of parking demand data provided.
2. Parking data and studies must include estimates of parking demand based on reliable data collected from comparable uses or on external data from credible research organizations. Comparability will be determined by density, scale, bulk, area, type of activity and location. Parking studies must document the source of all data used to develop recommended requirements.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Short-term bicycle parking is required in commercial parking garages and in MU-M, MU-H, CN, RM-26 and RM-40 districts at the minimum rate of 1 bicycle space per 10 parking spaces provided. In all cases, at least 2 short-term bicycle parking spaces must be provided. No use is required to provide more than 25 short-term bicycle parking spaces.
2. The Planning Director is authorized to approve a Type 1 Modification waiving or reducing the number of short-term bicycle parking spaces required for a particular use in accordance with 30-4-11.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. A.
   Required short-term bicycle parking spaces must be provided in bicycle parking racks, and each bike space must have minimum dimensions of 2 feet in width by 6 feet in length and a minimum overhead vertical clearance of 7 feet. Racks must be affixed securely to the ground or a building.

2. B.
   Bicycle racks must be safe, sturdy, secure and manufactured for use as bicycle racks.
3. C.
   Required short-term bicycle parking spaces may be located indoors or outdoors, provided they are located within 100 feet of a public building entrance or in an alternative location approved by the Planning Director through the Type 1 Modification process. Short-term bicycle parking spaces must be located on private property unless the Planning Director approves location within the public right-of-way (i.e., on the sidewalk) through the Type 1 Modification process. If required bicycle parking facilities are not visible from the public building entrance, signs must be posted indicating their location.
4. D.
   When more than 10 bicycle parking spaces are required, the Planning Director may, through the Type 1 Modification process, allow a reduction of up to 2 required vehicle parking spaces to accommodate bicycle parking.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

30-11-9.1   Required off-street parking areas are intended to be used solely for the parking of licensed motor vehicles in operating condition and for permitted temporary events. Required spaces may not be used for the display of goods for sale or lease or for storage of vehicles, boats, or recreational vehicles or building materials.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

30-11-9.2   Required off-street parking spaces are intended to serve residents, tenants, patrons, employees, or guests of the principal use. Off-street parking spaces that are required by this ordinance must be maintained for the life of the principal use.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

30-11-9.3   No motor vehicle repair work of any kind is permitted in a required parking space.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

30-11-9.4   Off-street parking in residential districts is intended to be used solely for the parking of passenger motor vehicles. No trucks may be parked in residential districts, except for vehicles actively being used for deliveries and trucks that are less than 30 feet in length.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Except as otherwise expressly stated in this ordinance, required parking spaces must be located on the same lot as the use to be served by the parking area
2. Required parking areas must be clearly delineated.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

30-11-11.1    All parking for single-family and two-family dwellings shall be provided so as to maintain a primarily residential appearance in front yards and to protect the quality and character of residential neighborhoods. Accordingly, areas used for parking and drives must be designed, located, and constructed to meet the standards of this section.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

30-11-11.2

1. Parking spaces and drives in front yards (i.e., the portion of the lot located between the side lot lines from the front building line of the principal building to the front lot line) must be clearly defined from the front yard area, constructed and adequately maintained with a hard all-weather surface such as asphalt, concrete, brick, CABC (gravel), pervious paving or other approved material. Grass and bare earth areas are expressly prohibited. These requirements also apply to areas used for parking and drives within the street side yard (between the principal structure and the side street right-of-way) that are unscreened and visible from a public street. The edge of all parking and drive areas within front and street side yards must be clearly defined from the front and street side yard area. All parking and drive areas must be contiguous.
2. No vehicle over 26 feet in length or 14,000 pounds in weight, except for a recreational vehicle, may be parked in front yards or street side yards, unless inside an enclosed structure on the street side yard.

(Amended by Ord. 16-10 on 1/19/16)

Effective on: 1/1/1901

30-11-11.3   No more than 40% of the front yard area of a lot occupied by a detached single-family dwelling or duplex may be a defined parking area unless the Technical Review Committee grants a Type 2 Modification. Some examples of cases eligible for consideration of a Type 2 Modification are as follows:

1. the area is primarily used for vehicular drive and turnaround movements and not for the parking of vehicles;
2. the area required to meeting minimum off-street parking requirements and reasonable access drives would exceed 40% of the front yard area;
3. the lot is less than 50 feet wide, and the Technical Review Committee determines it is infeasible to limit paving to less than 40% of the front yard;
4. the topography, location of the dwelling or the existing development of adjoining areas prevents conformance;
5. a portion of the area is necessary to provide accessibility for disabled persons; and
6. the existing all-weather surface currently exceeds 40% of the front yard and a portion of the all-weather surface is either designated as driveway only (or for a non-parking use) and/or physically restricted or barricaded from use as vehicle parking.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

30-11-11.4   Notwithstanding the nonconformity regulations of Article 2, the requirements of this section (30-11-11) apply to all existing and future required or proposed parking areas and drives. 

(Amended by Ord 11-42 on 3/1/11 and Ord. 13-124 on 9/17/13)

Effective on: 1/1/1901

30-11-11.5   Parking a vehicle on the front yard of any property containing a single-family or two-family dwelling, except on a hard all-weather surface as specified in section 30-11-11.2, is a violation of this section.  Vehicles which are parked in front yards in violation of this section shall be subject to enforcement under section 30-5-6.

(Amended by Ord. 16-10 on 1/19/16)

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Parking facilities must be designed and constructed to:

1. Allow unobstructed movement into and out of each parking space without interfering with fixed objects or vehicles.
2. Minimize delay and interference with traffic on streets and drives.
3. Maximize sight distances from parking lot exits and access drives.
4. Require all off-street parking spaces in parking lots to have access from parking lot driveways, private drives, private driveways or private streets and not directly from streets.
5. When located in any residential zoning district, except RM-26 and RM-40, no parking area with 5 or more spaces may be located within 5 feet of a principal building.
6. All common driveways must have approved traffic circulation and must be kept available for emergency and service use by any public vehicle.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

All parking areas must have vehicular access to a street, either directly or via a shared driveway or an alley.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Parking lots must be designed and constructed in accordance with the Driveway Manual. Vehicle stacking areas associated with drive-through facilities must comply with 30-8-10.4(I).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Required parking spaces, access drives, and loading areas must be paved and maintained with concrete, asphalt, or similar material of sufficient thickness and consistency to support anticipated traffic volumes and weights. Alternative paving materials or parking surfaces (including pervious surfaces) may be approved by the Engineering and Inspections Director if such materials or surfaces are demonstrated to exhibit equivalent wear resistance and load bearing characteristics as concrete or asphalt. In floodplain areas, watershed critical areas or within protected ground areas where tree conservation and no grading are to occur, alternative surfaces that allow greater water infiltration may be approved by the Technical Review Committee in consultation with the Engineering and Inspections Director. Such alternative surfaces must be adequately maintained to provide a stable parking surface.
2. Access drives must be paved and maintained from the curb line to a point at least 10 feet beyond the public right-of-way line for all parking and loading facilities, whether paved or unpaved.
3. Required parking may be constructed with gravel or other comparable all-weather surface, consistent with 30-11-12.7, for:
   1. parking facilities used on an irregular basis by religious assembly uses, private clubs, or other similar nonprofit organizations.
   2. parking facilities for residential uses or a Tourist Home (Bed and Breakfast) where 6 or fewer spaces are required and located within an R-district.
   3. parking facilities for agricultural uses.
   4. parking facilities in the HI district, or for manufacturing and industrial uses in the LI district.
   5. parking facilities for tracked heavy construction equipment, skid-mounted equipment, and similar equipment.
   6. parking facilities for residential-office conversions where 5 or fewer spaces are required (30-8-10.4(L))
4. Non-required parking for any use may be constructed with gravel or other comparable all-weather surface, consistent with 30-11-12.7.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Where parking facilities are paved, curb and gutter or an equivalent drainage system must be provided along the periphery of the parking lot, except where it is determined by the Water Resources Department that such system is not practical for storm drainage purposes. This provision is not intended to prevent the use of low-impact design (LID) techniques such as breached curb drainage inlets or curb cuts to allow runoff flow into bioretention cells or biofiltration swales.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

All parking areas must be graded, properly drained, stabilized, and maintained to minimize dust and erosion.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

All parking spaces and stacking lanes must be clearly identified with paint lines, bumper guards, curbs, or similar treatment.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

All parking spaces must be provided with wheel guards or curbs located so that no part of a parked vehicle will extend beyond the property line or encroach more than 2 feet into a required planting area. If no wheel guards are provided, vehicle encroachment is considered as 2 feet beyond the curb.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

See 30-9-7.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Interior pedestrian circulation routes between principal buildings and public streets must be provided through clearly defined walkways via direct walking routes. Such walkways must have a minimum unobstructed width of 4 feet.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Parking areas must be designed to comply with the landscaping requirements of Article 10.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

All parking areas and vehicular use areas must be permanently maintained by the owners or occupants as long as the use served by the parking exists.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Retail development sites that include more than 500 outdoor, surface parking spaces must:

1. provide safe, visible access for pedestrian traffic to and through the development site through the use of such techniques as changes in paving surface materials, specially paved or painted crosswalks, pedestrian walkways, pedestrian refuge islands and safety and directional lighting; and
2. use traffic calming techniques for pedestrian safety.

(Amended by Ord. 13-147 on 11/19/13)

Effective on: 1/1/1901

This section authorizes several options for meeting the parking standards of this article.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Applicants seeking approval of an alternative compliance parking plan must secure approval in accordance with the Type 1 Modification procedures of 30-4-11.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Alternative compliance parking plans must be submitted in a form established by the Planning Director. At a minimum, such plans must detail the type of alternative proposed and the rationale for such a proposal, including any supporting research or documentation required by the director.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

An attested copy of an approved alternative compliance parking plan must be filed with the Register of Deeds for recordation in a form approved by the City Attorney. No building permit, parking lot permit, or certificate of occupancy may be issued without proof of recordation of the agreement.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Violations of an approved alternative compliance parking plan will be considered violations of this ordinance and be subject to the ordinance’s penalty and enforcement provisions.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

In order to gain approval of an alternative compliance parking plan, the applicant must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the authorized decision-making body that the proposed plan:

1. will comply with all applicable requirements of this section;
2. will not adversely affect surrounding neighborhoods;
3. will not adversely affect traffic congestion and circulation; and
4. will not have a negative effect on the economic viability or appearance of the project or on the environment.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The following alternative compliance parking plans (or combinations thereof) may be considered for approval:

1. Shared parking (See 30-11-13.8);
2. Off-site parking (See 30-11-13.9);
3. Special facilities for cyclists (See 30-11-13.10);
4. Transit accessibility (See 30-11-13.11);
5. Available on-street parking spaces (See 30-11-13.12); and
6. Reduction in the number of off-street parking spaces required by up to 10% to allow an existing development to retrofit parking to conform to the landscaping regulations or to allow an existing or new development to preserve trees within or adjacent to a parking lot.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Authorization and Criteria
   The Planning Director may permit up to 100% of the parking required for one use to be supplied by the off-street parking spaces provided for another use if the Planning Director determines that the various activities will have different peak parking demand periods. In order to approve an alternative compliance parking plan for shared parking, the Planning Director must find, based on competent evidence provided by the applicant, that that there is no substantial conflict in the principal operating hours of the uses for which the sharing of parking is proposed.
   
   A request for approval of a shared parking arrangement must be accompanied by such information determined by the Planning Director as necessary to evaluate the peak parking demand characteristics or differences in hours and/or days of operation, including, but not limited to, a description of the uses and their operational characteristics, a site plan, and a parking study prepared by a licensed professional traffic engineer or equivalent qualified professional which justifies the reduction in parking requested.

2. Location of Shared Parking Facility
   A use for which an application is being made for shared parking must be located within 1,000 feet walking distance of the shared parking, measured from the entrance of the use to the nearest parking space within the shared parking lot.
3. Shared Parking Agreement
   An agreement providing for the shared use of parking areas, executed by the parties involved, must be filed with the Planning Director, in a form approved by the City Attorney. Shared parking privileges will continue in effect only as long as the agreement, binding on all parties, remains in force. Agreements must guarantee long-term availability of the parking, commensurate with the use served by the parking.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The Planning Director may permit all or a portion of required off-street parking spaces to be located on a remote and separate lot from the lot on which the principal use is located, subject to the standards of this section.

1. Location of Off-Site Parking
   Off-site parking spaces must be located within 1,000 feet of the primary entrance of the use served by the parking, measured along the shortest legal walking route. This distance limitation may be waived by the Planning Director if adequate assurances are offered that regularly scheduled van or shuttle service will be operated between the shared lot and the principal use. In addition to this distance limitation, off-site parking may not be located across an intervening major thoroughfare, except that off-site parking serving colleges, community-scale places of public assembly, universities, hospitals, convention centers, stadiums and other major public institutional facilities may be located across an intervening major thoroughfare subject to the provision of pedestrian safety measures required by the Transportation Department and the Planning Department.
2. Uses
   Off-site parking is not allowed for bars, nightclubs, brewpubs, day care and other uses that in the determination of the Planning Director are not appropriate for off-site parking because of their potential for adverse, late-night impacts on surrounding land uses or their potential to create unsafe pedestrian or vehicular traffic conditions.
3. Zoning Classification
   1. Required parking spaces for uses in nonresidential zoning districts may be located in any other nonresidential zoning district but may not be located in any residential zoning district. Off-site parking serving uses in nonresidential zoning districts may be located on a residentially zoned lot only if (a) the lot immediately abuts the nonresidential zoning district and (b) the lot is occupied by a public assembly use.
   2. Off-site parking areas serving uses in residential districts require the same or more intensive zoning than the use served by the parking.
4. Off-Site Parking Agreement
   An agreement providing for the use of off-site parking, executed by the parties involved, must be filed with the Planning Director, in a form approved by the City Attorney. Off-site parking privileges will continue in effect only as long as the agreement, binding on all parties, remains in force. Agreements must guarantee long-term availability of the parking, commensurate with the use served by the parking. If an off-site parking agreement lapses or is no longer valid, then parking must be provided as otherwise required by this article.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The Planning Director may authorize up to a 10% reduction in the number of required off-street parking spaces for developments or uses that provide additional facilities to accommodate bicyclists. Examples of such accommodations include enclosed bicycle lockers, secure indoor bicycle parking spaces, employee shower facilities and dressing areas for employees. A reduction in parking may not be granted merely for providing required short-term bicycle parking spaces.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The Planning Director may authorize up to a 15% reduction in required parking for uses located within 1,000 feet of an active transit stop.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The Planning Director may authorize on-street parking spaces to be counted toward the minimum number of parking spaces established in this article. Only spaces located between the subject lot’s property lines, as projected on both sides of the street, may be counted. 

(Amended by Ord. 10-156 on 10/19/10)

Effective on: 1/1/1901

A plan must be submitted with every site and development plan, building permit, or certificate of occupancy for any use or structure required or proposing to provide off-street loading facilities. The plan must accurately designate the required or proposed off-street loading spaces, dimensions and clearance, and access to the loading spaces. The plan must be reviewed and approved by the Transportation Director.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. A.
   Space Size
   Off-street loading spaces, excluding maneuvering areas, must be at least 10 feet wide and 25 feet long unless off-street loading will involve the use of semi-tractor trailer combinations or other vehicles in excess of 25 feet in length, in which case loading spaces must be at least 12 feet wide and 60 feet long. A minimum vertical clearance of 14 feet must be maintained. The Technical Review Committee is authorized to approve a Type 2 Modification of these loading space dimensional standards when site conditions or expected loading activities warrant.
2. B.
   Surfacing and Maintenance
   Loading areas and access drives must be paved and maintained with concrete, asphalt, or similar material of sufficient thickness and consistency to support anticipated traffic volumes and weights unless otherwise approved by the Engineering and Inspections Director.

Effective on: 1/1/1901