The purpose and intent of these requirements is to assemble the minimum parking area requirements into one publication which is easy to administer. The requirements include requirements on the minimum number of required spaces, size and layout of parking areas, handicap parking requirements and landscaping. The landscaping requirements have been reduced to a single worksheet which the Village Administrator, or his/her designee, may use in assisting applicants in achieving compliance.

Compliance with these standards and specifications meets the minimum requirements of this chapter. Compliance will also fulfill the requirements of § 346.503, Wis. Stats., with respect to parking spaces for vehicles displaying special registration plates or special identification cards.

The parking area landscaping requirements do not supersede or replace the design requirements of this chapter. Additional landscaping may be required of applicants under the provisions of § 17.14, Design review.

These standards shall apply and be enforced under the following conditions:

Property lines, existing and proposed structures, parking surfaces, and existing and proposed vegetation. Landscape elements and trees should be drawn to the scale equal to their growth within five years of construction.

Width of abutting right-of-way, roadways and terraces.

Location of driveway approaches: existing, proposed and adjoining.

Proposed driveway radii.

Type of surface: driveway approach, driveway, and parking lot.

Proposed routing of motor vehicles entering and leaving.

Proposed treatment of right-of-way area adjacent to or between approaches.

Rate of slope or grade of approaches and driveways.

Utility poles, fire hydrants, trees or other structures to be moved.

Means of separation between parking lot and sidewalk.

Number, arrangement and size of parking stalls.

Proposed parking facility lighting including location, pole height, type of luminaire and manufacturer's specifications.

Indicate elevation of existing site to Village datum. Elevations to be spotted at twenty-five-foot intervals or one-foot contours.

Location, elevation and size of available storm sewers. If no storm sewers are available, the owner is to include the elevations of the top of curb.

If the street is unimproved, the plot plan is to indicate the location and elevation of the drainage ditches abutting the site and proposed street center line elevation.

Proposed method of drainage, including the following:

Residential uses.

Commercial uses.

Community service, institutional and governmental uses.

Industrial uses. The following industrial and nonretail sales and service shall provide a minimum of four spaces or one parking space for each full-time equivalent employee during the peak work shift, plus one space for each vehicle owned by the business and stored at the site and one visitor parking space for each 500 square feet of office space or sales floor area open to the public, whichever is greater.

Size of parking spaces. Standard size for parking stalls shall be 9.0 feet by 18.0 feet.

Layout of parking areas. The layout and dimension of parking areas shall conform to the parking design standards as shown on Figure 1.

Surfacing. All open off-street parking areas for vehicles shall be improved with a hard surface of bituminous or portland cement concrete pavement, paving brick, or chipseal. Gravel-surfaced parking areas or parking access drives are not acceptable surfaces. All parking area surfaces must be maintained in good condition capable of holding striping.

Drainage. All parking areas for four or more vehicles shall be graded according to a drainage plan designed and installed in accordance with accepted engineering practice, which may include catch basins, sumps and underground storm sewers. All drainage plans shall be reviewed and approved by the Village Engineer.

Striping. All parking stalls on parking areas for four or more vehicles shall be clearly striped with white or yellow stripes a minimum of three inches wide. Such striping shall delineate parking stall dimensions consistent with the stall number and size requirements of the Village of Mount Horeb.

Lighting. Illumination of off-street parking areas shall be established and directed so as not to be cast directly upon public rights-of-way, occupied structures, or neighboring properties or to be illuminated in intensity, color, or character in a manner that is likely to be seriously disturbing to neighboring properties. Lights for illuminating parking and loading areas shall not have an intensity at the property line of more than three footcandles.

Number of spaces. The owner or lessee of any public space or a place of employment required to provide more than 25 spaces shall reserve parking spaces for use by motor vehicles used by physically disabled persons as follows:

Stall size and location. Handicapped stalls shall be at least 12 feet wide and located as close as possible to an entrance which allows a physically disabled person to enter and leave the principal building or use area.

Handicapped parking signs. All required handicapped parking spaces shall be posted with signs as follows:

Landscaping objectives. The objective of the landscape standards are to recognize both the functional importance of parking areas and the public benefits associated with well-designed landscaped areas which enhance the visual environment, promote public safety, moderate the microclimate and reduce nuisances, such as noise and glare.

Minimum canopy tree and parking space requirements. All off-street vehicular parking areas with more than six vehicles shall provide and maintain one canopy-type tree for each 12 parking spaces, or fraction thereof, over the initial six spaces. Canopy trees shall be located in tree islands, or within 10 feet of the periphery of the parking area surface. The preservation of desirable existing trees is encouraged. Existing mature trees which are a minimum of two-inch to two-and-one-half-inch caliper and are within the distance requirements may be applied toward the canopy standard. All newly planted canopy trees must also have a minimum of two-inch to two-and-one-half-inch caliper.

Screening standards for parking areas near residentially zoned parcels. In the following situations, there shall be a screening barrier for the purpose of obstructing light beams and muffling noise:

Minimum landscape element standards. In addition to the requirements for canopy trees and residential screening, all parking areas shall be required to accumulate a minimum number of points. The number of points required is based on the number of parking spaces. Parking areas for four or more vehicles are required to accumulate 15 points for each space. To qualify for points, the landscape elements must be located in a manner which primarily meets the objectives of landscaping parking areas. The criteria used to determine which landscape elements qualify are a) perimeters adjacent to public rights-of-way; b) interior areas and immediate perimeters to the parking area; and c) perimeter of lots adjacent to other property. Landscaping which primarily serves the aesthetic enhancement of the building and related open areas will not qualify for the accumulation of points. Points are tabulated in the following manner:

Minimum dimensions for tree islands and planted areas. All tree islands and landscaped areas with trees shall be a minimum of four feet as measured from the inside of any curb or frame.

Unsuitable species. Several shrubs and trees which are not native to Wisconsin have an established history of spreading to nearby parks and conservancy areas. These nonnative plants tend to become overly abundant and ultimately eliminate many desirable native species. The control and eradication of these unsuitable plants create a costly management problem. The following species of plant material are unsuitable for use as landscape plants:

Adjustments in the minimum of spaces may be authorized by the Plan Commission where the applicant can document shared facilities arrangements with neighboring uses or where there are documented shared-ride or carpooling programs. The documentation for the joint use of shared parking facilities must be in the form of an easement or contract between property owners specifying the number of shared parking spaces and the terms and conditions of the joint usage of parking areas and access.

The Plan Commission may authorize stalls sized for smaller vehicles (eight feet by 16 feet) where the number of stalls being provided exceeds the minimum number required and where all of the minimum required stalls are full-sized (nine feet by 18 feet).

The Plan Commission may authorize adjustments to the requirements where literal compliance with the specifications and standards would make the parking lot landscaping ineffective or unnecessary. Topographic constraints, existing vegetation, traffic safety, or compliance with fire or other public safety requirements may necessitate adjustments. The applicant should be prepared to respond to the following criteria in requesting an adjustment:

Landscape standards for industrial areas. The adopted Village of Mount Horeb landscape standards for parking areas are intended to achieve desired aesthetic and environmental results from both within the interior and along the perimeter of parking areas. This is accomplished, in part, by applying the canopy tree, tree island and a minimum point schedule of 15 points for each parking space. The application of requirements provides a pleasing landscape transition between structures and the necessary parking facility. In addition, the landscape standards provide acceptable levels of community appearance for parking areas which are viewed from adjacent streets, public recreation areas and residentially zoned lands. The intent, however, is to provide landscaped parking areas which are planned and designed to blend with the overall desired community appearance. The standard requirements do not attempt to fully screen or hide parking areas.

Variance for industrial parking. Applicants proposing industrial parking lots other than for designated visitor parking may propose a landscape option of effectively screening parking lots from off-site view. This variance would not require compliance of the canopy tree, tree island and minimum point schedule requirements. However, the proposed parking lot must conform to the landscape standard of full screening of the parking lot from public rights-of-way, public recreation sites and residentially zoned lands.

Minimum industrial screening standard. The proposed plan must satisfy the following conditions: