The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Floor area means the gross floor area of all floors measured to the exterior of the outside wall of the building. However, floor area shall not include the floor area of the basement unless such area is utilized for retail or showroom use in a commercial structure. Also, areas devoted to storage, mechanical equipment, heating and cooling systems, restrooms and similar places shall not be included as floor area.

Parking area includes the space where the vehicle is parked as well as access aisles, driveways and loading and unloading areas.

(Code 1970, § 3.61)

Cross reference - Definitions generally, § 1-2.

The purpose of this article is to prescribe regulations for off-street parking of motor vehicles in residential and nonresidential districts, to ensure by the provisions of these regulations that adequate parking and access is provided in a safe and convenient manner and that adjacent land uses are afforded reasonable parking protection from light, noise, air pollution and other affects of parking areas.

(Code 1970, § 3.60)

1. All parking areas or spaces which exist at the time the ordinance from which this article was derived becomes effective or which are later established to comply with this article shall thereafter not be relinquished or reduced in any manner below the requirements established by this article.
2. Where benches, pews or other similar seating are used as seats, each 24 inches of such seating facility shall be counted as one seat.
3. When units of measurement determining number of required parking spaces result in a requirement of a fractional space, that fraction shall be counted as a full parking space.
4. When required parking spaces are based on the number of employees, this shall mean the number of employees during the largest working shift.
5. Mixed occupancies and shared parking are regulated as follows:
   1. In the case of mixed uses in the same building, the total requirements for off-street parking areas shall be the sum of the requirements of the various uses computed separately. Collective provisions for off-street parking spaces shall not be less than the sum of the requirements for the various uses computed separately.
   2. Parking areas for churches, theaters or other uses in which the primary parking demand occurs out of normal work and business hours may be jointly used where adequate arrangements are made to ensure that the space is available for each function.
6. Off-street parking facilities shall be located as hereafter specified; where a distance is specified, it shall be the distance measured from the nearest point of the parking facility to the nearest point of the building that such facility is required to serve as follows:
   1. For all residential buildings and for all nonresidential buildings in residential zones, required parking shall be provided on the same site with the building.
   2. For commercial parking and all nonresidential uses in commercial zones, the required parking area shall be no further than 300 feet from the building it serves. This measurement shall be taken from the closest parking space to the building it serves.
   3. For industrial uses, required parking shall be provided within 500 feet per the measurement standards in subsection (2) above.
7. Screened parking district.
   1. The screened parking district shall include an area defined as follows:
      Beginning at the intersection of North Industrial Park Drive and West State Street; then along North Industrial Park Drive north to Apple Street; then east along Apple Street to North Broadway; then north along North Broadway to the Thornapple River; then southeast along the Thornapple River to the extension of Hanover Street; then south along Hanover Street to Green Street; then west along Green Street to Market Street; then north along Market Street to State Street; then west along State Street to the point of beginning at Industrial Park Drive.
      Other areas to be included in the screened parking district shall include:
      Along Michigan Avenue from Mill Street north to High Street, and along State Street from Industrial Park Drive west to Cook Road.
   2. Off-street parking facilities which are proposed to be constructed or expanded after the effective date of this section and which abut any street bordering or within the screened parking district shall provide decorative fencing or walls along that portion of the parking area abutting the street to serve as a visual screen of the parking lot and to provide a more aesthetic streetscape in keeping with the appearance of existing municipal parking lots. The fencing or walls shall comply with the following requirements:
      1. The fencing or walls shall be constructed of masonry, wrought iron, or similar visually attractive low maintenance materials, and shall be designed to be consistent in appearance with the fencing and masonry walls, which provide screening for existing municipal parking lots. Specific plans and construction materials shall be provided by the applicant for approval by the planning commission during the site plan review process to ensure compliance with the requirements of this section.
      2. The fencing or walls shall comply with all applicable regulations of article IX, division 4 of this Chapter.
      3. All landscaping or plant materials, which are provided to satisfy the requirements of this section, shall be placed on the exterior side of the fence or wall.
      4. The maximum height of the fence or wall shall not exceed six feet.

(Code 1970, § 3.61; Ord. No. 428, § I, 9-22-08)

The provisions of this article may be met by participation in a municipal or joint community parking program designed to serve a larger area, provided all plans for such community parking have been approved by the council and the planning commission. All existing uses, expanded uses, or new uses within the central business district that are within 300 feet of a municipal parking lot shall be construed as participating in a community parking program and are exempt from all requirements of this article except the requirements of sections 90-920 and 90-923.

(Code 1970, § 3.62)

At the time any building or structure is erected, enlarged or increased in capacity, or any uses established, off-street parking spaces shall be provided in all districts according to the requirements provided therein except for single-family and two-family dwelling units.

1. Off-street parking areas shall be effectively screened on any side that adjoins or faces premises situated in any residential district or institutional premises, by a screening of evergreen hedge or other natural landscaping. If owners of adjacent residential properties request in writing, this screening shall be done by a solid uniformly painted fence or wall not less than four or more than six feet in height maintained in good condition.
2. All off-street parking areas shall have an asphalt or concrete surface, which shall be graded and drained to dispose of all surface water and prevent drainage onto abutting properties. All drainage plans shall be approved by the director of public services.
3. Any lighting fixtures used to illuminate off-street parking areas shall be arranged to reflect the light away from adjoining residential properties, institutional premises or roadways.
4. Any access drive serving a parking lot shall be at least 55 feet from the intersection of two streets. This distance shall be measured from the right-of-way line of that street parallel with the driveway to the closest edge of the driveway.
   The planning commission may, in its discretion, vary this requirement after consideration of the following criteria:
   1. Volume of traffic on adjacent streets.
   2. Type of traffic control measure at nearby intersection (i.e., traffic signal or signs).
   3. Size of parking area.
   4. Whether or not on-street parking of vehicles is permitted on adjacent streets.
   5. Safe sight distance from intersection.
      The commission may also solicit the opinion of the police department regarding the safety of any proposed parking lot driveway.
5. The off-street parking area, driveways, signs, lighting and landscaping shall be subject to the approval of the planning commission to ensure its adequacy in relation to the traffic safety, protection of adjacent property, and its compliance with the provisions of this article.

(Code 1970, § 3.63)

1. Permitted. The requirements of section 90-918(f) notwithstanding, an off-street parking lot designed to serve a commercial, office, industrial, multifamily, public/institutional use, hospital, or church may be established in a residential zoning district if approved by the planning commission as a special land use in accordance with the requirements of article XIII of this chapter.
2. Location requirements. The proposed parking lot shall be in a residential zoning district and satisfy one of the following conditions in order to be considered under this section:
   1. The parking lot is on a separate but abutting parcel than the parcel containing the use which the parking lot is designed to serve.
   2. The parking lot is directly across the street from the use it is designed to serve.
3. Design requirements. Off-street parking lots in residential districts shall comply with the following design requirements. It is the intent of these requirements to achieve a parking lot that can reasonably serve a nonresidential use while affording adequate protection for nearby residents from the operating characteristics of the parking areas.
   1. All parking areas shall be landscaped, screened, surfaced and drained as provided in section 90-920.
   2. A parking area driveway shall not be located on a residential street where both sides of that street are zoned for single-family residential use except for parking areas accessory to a permitted principal use in the single-family residential districts.
   3. Parking areas shall comply with the setback requirements of the zoning district in which they are located. The front, side and rear yards shall be landscaped as required by the planning commission to provide reasonable screening for nearby residential uses and to meet the intent of this section.
   4. All such parking areas shall be at least 40 feet in width. Such parking areas shall be used solely for the parking of passenger vehicles, and no commercial repair work or sales or service of any kind shall be conducted on such parking lots.
   5. No sign, other than entrance, exit and condition of use signs, shall be maintained; and the aggregate area of all such signs shall not exceed 12 square feet. Such signs shall not obstruct the vision of drivers entering or leaving the site. The sign may contain the logo of the use it serves or the name of the use in addition to a directional message.
   6. Each entrance to and exit from such parking lot shall be at least 20 feet distant from any adjacent property line located in any residential zone and shall not be wider than 24 feet.
   7. The planning commission may impose conditions to ensure that the proposed parking lot is safely related to traffic needs and building and pedestrian walkways, and that surrounding properties are adequately protected from detrimental effects. Such conditions shall be in accordance with the standards for conditions on special land uses contained in this chapter.

(Ord. No. 301, § 3(3.64), 2-10-97)

Whenever an existing building is enlarged or converted to another use the parking requirements of this section shall be met for the entire building or the converted use.

(Code 1970, § 3.65)

Off-street parking spaces, aisles and driveways shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the following minimum standards:

1. Each space shall be a minimum of nine feet wide by 18 feet long.
2. Minimum parking aisle width shall be:
   1. One-way, 13 feet.
   2. Two-way, 24 feet.
3. Where 90-degree parking abuts a sidewalk or other pavement that is at least seven feet wide (at the front of the parking space) two feet of this sidewalk may be credited toward the required parking space length.
4. Driveways, except for single-family and two-family uses, shall conform to the following minimum standards:
   1. One-way, 13 feet minimum width, 32 feet maximum.
   2. Two-way, 24 feet minimum width, 36 feet maximum.
   3. Driveways on State of Michigan Highways may be a maximum of 40 feet wide. The planning commission however may permit a wider driveway if such driveway is necessary for traffic safety.

(Code 1970, § 3.66; Ord. No. 301, § 3(3.66(4)), 2-10-97; Ord. No. 365, § I, 4-28-03)

Parking shall be provided as required below.

(Code 1970, § 3.67)

The minimum parking space requirements for all uses shall be as listed in section 90-924. For uses not specifically listed in section 90-924 the requirements shall be determined as follows:

1. The zoning administrator may establish the parking requirement by making the determination that the proposed use is similar in parking requirement to a use which is listed in section 90-924. In such case, the same parking requirement shall apply.
2. If the proposed use is not similar to a use listed in section 90-924 the zoning administrator shall refer to engineering or planning manuals, publications and reports, or to the parking requirements used by other municipalities in order to determine the minimum parking requirements for the proposed use.

(Code 1970, § 3.68; Ord. No. 390, § 1, 9-27-04)

All uses except for single-family and two-family dwelling units, which customarily receive or distribute material or merchandise shall provide sufficient off-street loading and unloading spaces according to the following requirements:

1. Each loading space shall be at least 12 feet in width and 22 feet in length, and have a minimum clearance of 14 feet above grade.
2. A loading space may be located within the front, side or rear yard except for required landscape areas provided that maneuvering of trucks and other vehicles shall take place on the site and not in the right-of-way.
3. Loading spaces that face, abut or are adjacent to a residential district shall be at least 50 feet from the residential district lot line and shall be screened on all sides by a solid fence, wall or berm at least six feet in height.

(Code 1970, § 3.69)

Where it can be demonstrated that the parking requirements of this article would result in more parking spaces than are necessary for the parking needs of a particular use, the planning commission may approve a parking plan with fewer spaces than required by section 90-924 according to the following requirements:

1. The applicant must provide written evidence to the planning commission that the parking proposed on the site for the use is sufficient to meet the parking needs of those who will patronize the use as well as the parking needs for employees during the largest working shift. Such evidence may consist of: arrangements for nearby shared parking; evidence that the proposed use will also be patronized by pedestrians or by those using bus service or; evidence from the parking history of the proposed use or a use similar to the proposed use at other locations or; that there is sufficient space on the site for the required parking to be provided if it becomes necessary at a later time.
2. If a plan is approved to allow fewer parking spaces than required by section 90-924 such parking plan shall only apply to the stated use. Any other use shall comply with the requirements of section 90-927 before an occupancy permit is issued or such use shall first obtain approval from the planning commission in accordance with section 90-927(a) above before an occupancy permit is issued.

(Code 1970, § 3.70; Ord. No. 390, § 2, 9-27-04)

When property has been acquired for off-street parking that cannot be improved as required due to temporary physical difficulties or for temporary financial or construction difficulties, the building inspector may issue a temporary occupancy permit upon agreement by the owner to comply with all improvements required in this article, by the expiration date of the permit period. Such permit shall not be for more than nine months and may be renewed by the board upon presentation of sufficient grounds therefor.

(Code 1970, § 3.71)

1. All driveways and parking areas in residential districts, including areas used to access parking spaces, shall be constructed of stable materials designed and maintained to support parked vehicles, including, but not limited to, bituminous material, brick pavers, gravel, concrete, or crushed stone. Parking on bare dirt, mud, grass, debris, refuse and other unstable material in any yard is prohibited. All driveways and parking areas shall be maintained in good condition and any rutting or deformation of the drive or parking surface shall be promptly repaired.
2. Parking spaces and driveways on properties used for residential purposes shall not occupy in excess of 40 percent of the width of the front yard at any point within such front yard as measured from property line to property line. In the event that drive areas used exclusively to turn vehicles around are present, such turn-around drives shall not occupy in excess of 60 percent of the width of the front yard.
3. Parking in the following areas shall be prohibited:
   1. between the curb and the sidewalk
   2. between the curb and the right-of-way line
   3. on any curb lawn of any public street
   4. on driveway approaches within the public right-of-way
4. (Removed)
   
5. The outdoor parking or storage of semi-tractors, semi-trailers, or vehicles with two or more rear axles on any streets, alleys, or public ways within the City is prohibited, except when actively loading or unloading.
6. The outdoor parking or storage of semi-tractors, semi-trailers, or vehicles with two or more rear axles in any other area is prohibited except:
   1. Where such parking is necessary in connection with construction activity actually occurring on the property pursuant to a valid and current building permit.
   2. For a period of up to 3 hours, or longer as permitted by the Chief of Police or his/her designee, for the purpose of loading or unloading materials, supplies, or inventory to be used in connection with the business activity occurring on the property. Such vehicles and attachments may not be parked for the purpose of storing such materials, supplies, or inventory.
   3. Where such vehicles are being offered for sale by a licensed dealership.
   4. Where such vehicles are customarily used in connection with the business where the vehicles are parked.
   5. In approved parking lots for overnight parking on a short-term basis.
      
7. The outdoor parking or storage of any unattached trailers or other recreational vehicles or equipment as defined in Section 90-1, on any streets, alleys, or public ways within the City is prohibited. No vehicle with a trailer, recreational vehicle, or similar appurtenance shall be parked on any streets, alleys, or public ways within the City for a period of more than 12 hours.

(Ord. No. 436, § I, 1-26-09)