The purpose of this Chapter is to avoid or lessen congestion in the streets and to promote the public safety and welfare by requiring off-street parking spaces for customers and employees and loading spaces for all land uses in the unincorporated areas of the County of Monterey sufficient in number to accommodate all vehicles which will be congregated at a given location at a given point in time by drivers and passengers who use or occupy the facility or area for which the parking space and loading space is provided.

The regulations set forth in this Chapter shall apply in all Zoning Districts.

Accessible off-street parking areas shall be provided and maintained as set forth in this Chapter. The parking access shall provide parking and maneuvering room for motor vehicles and for pedestrian safety based on the anticipated occupancy of a given structure, area of land or area of water. Any new structure hereafter constructed, erected or altered, and any new use hereafter inaugurated, altered or enlarged shall have permanently maintained off-street parking spaces in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter.

Parking facilities required by this Chapter shall conform to the design standards set forth in the Monterey County Parking Standards for Off-Street Parking, as approved by the Monterey County Planning Commission. All off-street parking facilities required by this Chapter shall be maintained for the duration of the use requiring such areas. Such facilities shall be used exclusively for the temporary parking of passenger automobiles, motor vehicles, or light trucks not exceeding one ton in capacity, and shall not be used for the sale, display, or storage of merchandise, or for the storage or repair of vehicles or equipment. In each district, off-street parking facilities for each use shall be provided in accordance with Section 21.58.040. The requirement for any use not specifically listed shall be determined by the Director of Planning based on standards established for any similar uses.

(Ord. No. 5135, § 130, 7-7-2009)

The number of off-street parking spaces shall not be less than:

(Ord. No. 5177, § 48, 5-24-2011; Ord. No. 5341, § 3, 9-15-2020)

A.

Unless otherwise indicated, square footage shall be based on net floor area, which does not include areas to be used for toilets or restrooms, utilities, stairways, mechanical rooms and duct shafts, janitor and building maintenance rooms, and elevator rooms. For multi-stored structures, the net floor area of each floor shall be calculated.

B.

Twenty-four (24) inches of bench or pew space is equal to one seat.

C.

The standards indicated herein may be modified by a Use Permit from the Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, or Board of Supervisors, where appropriate, in cases which, due to the unusual characteristics of a use or its immediate vicinity, do not necessitate the number of parking spaces, type of design, or improvements required by this Chapter. In such cases, it shall be determined that reduced parking will be adequate to accommodate all parking needs generated by the use, or that additional parking is not necessary because of specific features of the use, site, or site vicinity.

D.

All parking and loading shall be provided on the same site as the use to which it relates, unless a Use Permit is approved by the Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, or Board of Supervisors.

E.

Parking spaces which are located within the required front setback shall not count toward the amount of required parking unless an Administrative Permit is first secured.

F.

In all residential developments in High Density Residential (HDR) and Medium Density Residential (MDR) zoning districts, at least one covered parking space for each dwelling unit shall be provided. Covered parking shall count toward the amount of required parking. In all residential zoning districts other than HDR and MDR districts, residential development approved after the effective date of the amendment to this Subsection by Ordinance No. 5127 not required to provide covered parking spaces, provided that the development provides the total number of parking spaces otherwise required under Section 21.58.040. In all residential zoning districts other than HDR and MDR districts, residential development that was approved but which had not received final building inspection approval as of the effective date of Ordinance No. 5127 may be relieved of the requirement to provide covered parking spaces if the development provides the total number of parking spaces required by Chapter 21.58 and if the County approves the revised site plan to omit the covered parking and determines that no further environmental analysis is required.

G.

Parking for the Handicapped. Non-residential parking lots with five or more spaces shall include handicapped parking as required by Title 24 of the California Administrative Code, and as set forth in this subsection. Handicapped spaces shall be included as part of the total number of parking spaces required by this Title.

Number of spaces required:

Design and Identification. Handicapped parking spaces shall be designed, located and provided with identification signs as set forth in Section 27102, Title 24, California Administrative Code and subsequent sections.

H.

Loading Spaces: In any Zoning District, in connection with every structure or part erected and having a gross floor area of five thousand (5,000) square feet or more, which is to be occupied by a commercial or industrial use requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicles carrying materials or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained, on the same lot with such structure, at least one off-street loading space plus one additional loading space for each additional twenty thousand (20,000) square feet or major fraction thereof. Such spaces shall conform to the design standards for loading spaces set forth in the Monterey County Parking Standards for Off- Street Parking as approved by the Monterey County Planning Commission.

I.

Access: All off-street parking facilities shall be designed so as to limit access to the property from streets and highways to a minimum number of driveways. For purposes of in and egress, parking shall be designed such that, with the exception of a single family or duplex dwelling on a lot, vehicles entering and exiting a right-of-way can do so traveling in a forward direction. An exception to this requirement may be granted by the Director of Public Works when site constraints limit site design alternatives and traffic safety will not be compromised.

J.

Paving: Parking and loading facilities shall be surfaced and maintained with surfacing material sufficient to control dust and loose material.

K.

Curbs, Bumpers, Wheel Stops: A permanent curb, bumper, wheel stop or similar device shall be installed in parking spaces where needed, subject to the approval of the Director of Planning. In parking spaces abutting landscaped areas, the protective curbing around the landscape area may serve as the wheel stop, allowing the vehicle to overhang the landscaped area. In such cases, the length of the parking stall may be reduced by three feet, provided the landscaped area is widened by three feet. Landscape materials in areas subject to vehicle overhang shall be limited to low-growing shrubs and ground cover, in order to avoid damage by vehicles. In addition, only low sprinkler heads shall be placed in such areas.

L.

Mixed Uses: In the case of mixed uses, the total requirement for off-street parking spaces shall be the sum of the requirements for the various uses, unless otherwise indicate for shopping centers. Off-street parking facilities for on shall not be considered as providing parking facilities for any other use, unless is it determined by the Director of Planning, Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, or Board of Supervisors, where appropriate, that the particular grouping of uses is such that the hours of operation are substantially different (e.g., a theater and an office building).

M.

Bicycle Racks: Parking lots with twenty (20) or more spaces are to provide one bicycle rack space for each ten (10) parking spaces. Bicycle racks are to be designed to enable bicycles to be locked to the rack.

N.

Compact Spaces: Compact spaces shall not account for more than twenty-five (25) percent of the spaces required for any use.

(Ord. No. 5127, § 1, 3-3-2009; Ord. No. 5135, § 131, 7-7-2009; Ord. 5105 § 1, 2008)