Itasca City Zoning Code
§ 12.02 GENERAL PROVISIONS
PARKING AND LOADING.
(Also see Section 4.22)
1. Scope of Regulations. The off-street parking and loading provisions of this Ordinance shall apply as follows:
a. Off-Street Parking and Loading Facilities. For all buildings and structures erected and all uses of buildings and land established after the effective date of this Ordinance, accessory parking and loading facilities shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of this Section. However, where a building permit has been issued prior to the effective date of this Ordinance, and provided that construction is begun within one (1) year of such effective date, and diligently prosecuted to completion, parking and loading facilities as required hereinafter need not be provided except as required by Ordinance when the permit was issued.
b. Increased Parking and Loading Facilities. When the intensity of use of any buildings, structures or premises shall be increased through addition of dwelling units, gross floor area, seating capacity, or other unit of measurement specified herein for required parking or loading facilities, parking and loading facilities, as required herein, shall be provided for such increase in intensity of use.
c. New Off-Site Parking and Loading Facilities. Whenever the existing use of a building or structure shall hereafter be changed to a new use, parking or loading facilities shall be provided as required for such new use.
However, if said building or structure was erected prior to the effective date of this Ordinance, additional parking or loading facilities are mandatory only in the amount by which the requirements for the new use would exceed those for the existing use if the latter were in compliance with the parking and loading provisions of the Zoning Ordinance then in effect.
2. Existing Parking and Loading Facilities. Accessory off-street parking and loading facilities which are located on the same zoning lot as the building or use served which were in existence on the same zoning lot as the building or were provided voluntarily after such effective date, shall not hereafter be reduced below, or if already less than, shall not be further reduced below the requirements of this Ordinance for a similar new building or use.
3. Permissive Parking and Loading Facilities. Nothing in this Ordinance shall be deemed to prevent the voluntary establishment of off-street parking or loading facilities to serve any existing use of land or buildings, provided that all regulations herein governing the location, design, improvement and operation of such facilities are adhered to.
4. Parking for People with Disabilities. All uses except single family detached dwellings shall be required to provide off-street parking spaces for people with disabilities in accordance with the accessible parking standards established by the State of Illinois and other regulatory agencies.
5. Damage or Destruction. For any conforming or legally non-conforming building or use which is in existence on the effective date of this Ordinance, which subsequent thereto is damaged or destroyed by fire, collapse, explosion or other cause, not to exceed fifty (50) percent of the cost of the existing building or structure, and which is reconstructed, re-established or repaired, off street parking or loading facilities equivalent to any maintained at the time of such damage or destruction, shall be restored or continued in operation. However, in no case shall it be necessary to increase or maintain parking or loading facilities in excess of those required by this Ordinance for equivalent new uses or construction.
6. Control of Off-Site Parking Facilities. When required parking facilities are provided on land other than the zoning lot on which the building or use served by such facilities is located, they shall be and remain in the same possession or ownership as the zoning lot occupied by the building or use to which the parking facilities are accessory.
No such off-site parking facilities shall be authorized and no occupancy permit shall be issued where the plans call for parking facilities other than on the same zoning lot until and unless the Plan Commission (see Section 4.04.5.) has reviewed the plans and heard the applicant and made findings that the common ownership or possession of the zoning lot and the site of the parking facilities are reasonably certain to continue and that the off-site parking facilities will be maintained for such exclusive use at all times during the life of the proposed use or building.
7. Submission of Plot Plan. Any application for a building permit, or for a certificate of occupancy where no building permit is required shall include therewith a plot plan, drawn to scale and fully dimensioned, showing any parking or loading facilities to be provided in compliance with this Ordinance.
8. Special Parking Provisions in the Itasca Historic District. When any retail property located within the Itasca Historic Preservation District has insufficient space to allow for full compliance of the parking requirements of the Itasca Zoning Ordinance, and the owner of the property and/or operator of the business on said property has demonstrated that it is not feasible to provide adequate parking on site and has further demonstrated that sufficient on-street parking or approved public parking is available near the location of the business which could be utilized by employees and patrons of that business, then the owner of the property and/or operator of the business may request permission from the Board of Trustees upon application to the Director of Community Development to utilize on-street parking spaces or approved public parking spaces from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. only to satisfy up to fifty percent (50%) of the parking requirements herein for off-street parking spaces for the specific use or uses existing or proposed. Notwithstanding such permission, the property owner and business operator must comply with all other provisions of this Section.
9. Special Provision for Reduced Parking Near Transit in the B-1 Downtown TOD District: In accordance with national best practices for uses within one-half (½) mile of a transit facility, parking requirements maybe reduced by up to fifty percent (50%), with recommendation by the Plan Commission and approval by the Village Board. In addition to the proximity to the Metra station, the level of parking reduction may be evaluated on a range of factors such as: submittal of a shared parking study with adjacent uses and/or uses on the same lot in a mixed use development; proximity to on-street parking; anticipated sales via online pickup and delivery orders; and potential to coordinate shared parking agreements with commuter parking during off-peak hours. The potential for reduced parking requirements recognizes not only the greater access and mobility offered by transit but also greater walkability and bikeability in a compact mixed use environment like Downtown Itasca. Even if a certain level of parking reduction is granted, the property owner must comply with all other provisions of this section.
10. Fee-In-Lieu: A fee-in-lieu of providing parking spaces may be permitted with written approval of the Zoning Administrator. The fee required shall be based upon a uniform fee per parking space established annually by the Village Board. Such payment shall be placed into a fund to be used by the village for the acquisition, construction, and maintenance of public off-street parking lots within the same zoning district as the subject use or within adjacent zoning districts of reasonable proximity to serve the subject use. The property granted the reduction in the number of required off-street spaces shall be credited permanently by ordinance with the number of spaces for which payment was received by the village.
(Ord. 963-97, passed 4-8-97; Am. Ord. 964-98, passed 1-20-98; Am. Ord. 2170-26, passed 3-16-26)