Mount Vernon City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 1112
Parking, Access and Connectivity
1112.01 PURPOSE.
The purpose of this chapter is to protect the public health, safety, convenience, comfort, prosperity and general welfare, and to:
(a) Regulate the appropriate amount of land for parking, loading, stacking, and maneuvering;
(b) Relieve the congestion so the streets can be utilized more fully for movement of vehicular traffic;
(c) Promote the safety and convenience of pedestrians and shoppers by locating parking areas so as to lessen car movements in the vicinity of intensive pedestrian traffic;
(d) Encourage alternative modes of transportation by providing facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists;
(e) Protect the light, air, and visual amenities of residential areas by limiting the parking and storage of recreational vehicles, boats, trailers and trucks in residential areas;
(f) Reduce surface water run-off by considering the use of pervious surfaces, where applicable; and
(g) Promote the public health, safety, convenience, comfort, general welfare and prosperity of business, service, research, production, manufacturing and distribution developments which depend upon off-street parking facilities.
(Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)
1112.02 APPLICABILITY.
(a) Compliance with this section shall be reviewed as part of a zoning permit application unless otherwise stated in this chapter.
(b) Unless otherwise stated, the requirements of this chapter shall apply to all new development where there is the construction of a new structure or establishment of a new use.
(c) Where a change in use based on Table 1105-1, an increase in square footage or seating, or an increase in the number of dwelling units occurs, the number of parking spaces, loading spaces, or vehicle stacking spaces shall comply with the requirements of this chapter and as identified in this subsection.
(d) Accessory and temporary uses shall be exempt from the requirements of this chapter unless specifically required in Chapter 1108: Accessory and Temporary Uses.
(e) All development in a PD District shall be subject to the standards of this chapter unless otherwise modified through the PD review and approval process.
(f) Off-street parking, off-street loading, and stacking spaces for drive-through facilities shall not be required for any use in the CB District, however, if such vehicular use areas are constructed, they shall be subject to all applicable design standards from this chapter.
(Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)
1112.03 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.
The following requirements shall apply to all vehicular use areas including off-street parking, stacking, and loading spaces.
(a) Location. Parking and loading spaces shall be provided on the same lot as the principal use they are intended to serve unless otherwise regulated in this chapter.
(b) Modification to Existing Vehicular Use Areas. The modification of any existing off-street parking area, including, but not limited to, reduction, enlargement, restriping or remarking of any vehicular use area in a manner that differs from the existing, shall require a review of the modification in accordance with the following:
(1) Minor modifications related to maintenance and upkeep, including, but not limited to, repaving of the existing paved area, restriping, remarking, or other similar maintenance work, are permitted without a zoning permit approval.
(2) All other modifications, including, but not limited to, the removal or expansion of existing paved areas, shall be reviewed through the zoning permit process.
(c) Setback Requirements.
(1) Vehicular use areas shall be setback a minimum distance, as established in Table 1112-1, from any front, side, and rear lot lines, as applicable.
(2) The side and rear lot line setbacks of Table 1112-1 shall not be required in nonresidential districts where such lot line is adjacent to a lot in the same zoning district to allow for shared or connected vehicular use areas.
(3) Setbacks, separation distances, and other access management requirements for driveways shall comply with policies approved by the City Engineer.
District | Setbacks (Feet) From: | ||
Front Lot Line | Side Lot Line (Each Side) | Rear Lot Line | |
R-3 and R-4 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
NC, GB | 10 | 10 | 10 |
OB | 10 | 7 | 7 |
LI | 10 | 10 [1] | 10 [1] |
GI | 10 | 10 [1] | 10 [1] |
PI | 10 | 7 | 7 |
NOTE: [1] The setback shall be increased to 20 feet when the vehicular use is adjacent to a residential zoning district. | |||
(d) Striping, Marking, and Maintenance.
(1) All parking areas with twenty (20) or more spaces shall be striped and maintained in good condition.
(2) Each parking space and aisle shall be clearly designated and marked to ensure approved utilization of the space, direction of traffic flow and general safety.
(3) When a parking space is designated for handicapped accessibility or compact car use, it shall be clearly marked as such.
(4) The owner of property used for parking shall maintain such area in good condition without holes and free of all trash, abandoned or junk vehicles, and other rubbish.
(e) Surface and Grading.
(1) The surface of any parking area, aisle, driveway or maneuvering area shall be paved with a hard, durable, dust free surface such as asphalt or concrete (excluding compacted gravel) and approved by the ZEO. Porous asphalt or pervious concrete, used to reduce surface water run-off, are also permitted surfaces for vehicular use areas.
(2) Gravel parking is permitted in nonresidential zoning districts when located in side or rear yards. Dust suppression efforts shall be required to prevent dust and stilt from creating downstream stormwater issues. Gravel vehicular use areas shall be setback twice the distance from residential districts as required in Table 1112-1, above.
(3) All vehicular use areas, together with driveways, aisles, and other circulation areas shall be graded and drained so as to dispose of surface water which might accumulate within or upon such area, and shall be designed to prevent the excess drainage of surface water onto adjacent properties, walkways, or onto the public streets. Adequate arrangements shall be made to insure acceptable diversion to an adequate storm water drainage system.
(f) Wheel Stops and Curbing.
(1) Wheel stop devices consisting of parking blocks, permanent curbs, or other suitable barriers shall be installed to prevent any part of a parked motor vehicle from extending beyond the required parking space area, overhanging a pedestrian circulation way or sidewalk or damaging any structure or landscaping.
(2) The minimum height of a wheel stop device shall be five (5) inches and the minimum distance from a wheel stop device to a property line or protected area shall be two and one-half (2 ½) feet.
(3) Wheel stops shall be adequately anchored to the ground to prevent any movement.
(4) Continuous curbing is discouraged, but if curbing is used, it should be cut curbing or scissor curbing to allow for the passage of stormwater. See Figure 1112-A.
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Figure 1112-A: Cuts in the continuous curb allow for stormwater to be directed into landscaped areas.
(h) Landscaping and Screening. Landscape and screening shall be pursuant to Chapter 1111: Landscaping and Screening.
(i) Disabled Vehicles. The parking of a disabled vehicle within any zoning district for a period of more than two weeks shall be prohibited, unless such vehicle is stored in an enclosed garage or other accessory building.
(j) Bicycle and e-Scooter Parking. When bicycle or e-Scooter parking accommodations are provided on a site, they shall be located in an area adjacent to the primary building and separate from vehicular or pedestrian traffic circulation to prevent unnecessary conflicts and safety hazards between vehicles, people, bicycles and e-Scooters.
(Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)
1112.04 OFF-STREET PARKING STANDARDS.
(a) Number of Off-Street Parking Spaces Required.
(1) Applications for single-family, two-family, and multi-family dwellings shall be required to provide the number of required off-street parking spaces as established in Table 1112-2. The spaces may be located within a garage, on an approved driveway, or in an approved parking lot. Fractional numbers shall be increased to the next highest whole number.
(2) In residential use areas, garages or carports may be counted as a part of the required parking.
Use | Required Parking Spaces |
Single-Family and Two-Family Dwellings | 2 spaces per dwelling unit |
Multi-Family Dwellings - Studio or One Bedroom Units | 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit |
Multi-Family Dwellings - Two or More Bedroom Units | 2 spaces per dwelling unit [1] |
NOTE: [1] For multi-family dwelling developments with more than 20 units, an additional parking space shall be provided for every four dwelling units to provide additional guest parking. | |
(4) All applications for development except for residential uses identified in Table 1112-2, above, are required to demonstrate that the proposed number of off-street parking spaces provided is sufficient to serve the proposed use or activity through the submission and review of a parking plan. As part of the parking plan, the applicant shall provide a written analysis of parking requirements based on the following information:
A. Availability of on-street parking near the use and the distances to those spaces;
B. Building square footage for each specific use to be served by off-street parking;
C. Hours of operation;
D. Estimated number of patrons/customers at peak hours of operation;
E. Maximum numbers of employees present on one shift;
F. Availability of joint parking areas;
G. Building occupancy loads; and
H. Any additional information as requested by the ZEO.
(5) When multiple uses are proposed on the site, the ZEO shall consider the parking requirements of all uses and may utilize the most intense use when determining if the proposed plan has sufficient parking spaces.
(6) The ZEO has the authority to deny an application if they determine that an adequate amount of parking has not been provided. The ZEO shall provide, in writing, the reasons for the rejection. The ZEO may refer to the estimates of parking demand based on recommendations of the American Planning Association (APA), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), and/or the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) in making their determination. Prior to a formal denial, the ZEO shall also have the ability to discuss joint or shared parking options, as permitted in Section 1112.04(e) as a potential solution to providing sufficient parking.
(7) The ZEO's decision regarding parking requirements for a specific use is appealable to the BZA as established in Section 1103.07.
(b) Dimensional Requirements for Parking Spaces and Drive Aisles.
(1) Areas for off-street parking facilities shall be designed in accordance with the minimum dimensional requirements established in Table 1112-3 and illustrated in Figure 1112-B. No variances may be approved to reduce the dimensional requirements of this section.
(2) If parking along a drive aisle shall have parking at two or more different angles, the width of the aisle required shall be the largest width required in Table 1112-3.
Angle | Parking Space Width (Feet) | Parking Space Length (Feet) | Drive Aisle Width (Feet) | |
One-Way | Two-Way | |||
A | B | C | D | |
Parallel (0 ) | 10 feet | 23 feet | 12 feet | 20 feet |
30 | 10 feet | 20 feet | 12 feet | 24 feet |
45 | 10 feet | 20 feet | 14 feet | 24 feet |
60 | 10 feet | 19 feet | 22 feet | 24 feet |
Perpendicular (90 ) | 10 feet | 19 feet | 24 feet | 24 feet |
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Figure 1112-B: Parking area dimensions
(3) Compact Spaces.
A. All compact car spaces must be a minimum of eight (8) feet wide by sixteen (16) feet long.
B. The design and placement of all compact spaces are subject to the review of the ZEO.
C. The location of all compact spaces shall be readily identified and grouped in one or a series of locations.
D. For nonresidential uses with fifty (50) or parking spaces, up to ten percent (10%) of the total parking spaces may be compact spaces.
(c) Parking for Handicapped Persons.
(1) Parking spaces for handicapped and elderly persons shall, at a minimum, meet the dimensional requirements of Section 1112.04(b), above, in additional to any other dimensional or design requirements of the Accessible Parking Guide published by the Secretary of State of Ohio, which outlines requirements of the most recent ADA Standards for Accessible Design.
(2) Each handicap space may be included in the computation of spaces required by this chapter.
(d) Electric Charging Stations. Electric charging stations are permitted to be located in any approved off-street parking space, in any zoning district.
(e) Shared or Off-Site Parking. A portion of the required parking spaces may be located on an adjacent or nearby property if the parking area complies with the following standards.
(1) Shared parking is encouraged and permitted if the multiple uses that the shared parking will benefit can cooperatively establish and operate the facilities.
(2) Off-site parking shall not be used to satisfy the off-street parking standards for residential uses.
(3) Required parking spaces reserved for persons with disabilities shall not be located in an off-site parking area.
(4) Shared or off-site parking shall not be permitted on a vacant lot in a residential zoning district unless permitted by the MPC as part of a conditional use review.
(5) Shared or off-site parking areas shall adhere to the regulations of the same or a more intensive zoning classification than that required for the use served.
(6) In the event that a shared or off-site parking area is located on multiple parcels, a written parking agreement shall be required and must be approved by the ZEO.
(7) No shared or off-site parking space shall be located more than 500 feet from the primary entrance of the use served, measured along the shortest legal, practical walking route. This route may include crossing a right-of-way provided it uses a legal crosswalk.
(8) The applicant shall have the burden of proof for reduction of the total number of parking spaces and shall document and submit information substantiating their request. Shared or off-site parking may be approved if it complies with the following standards:
A. A sufficient number of spaces shall be provided to meet the highest demand of the participating uses.
B. Evidence shall be submitted by the parties operating the shared parking area, to the satisfaction of the ZEO, documenting the nature of uses and the times when the individual uses will operate so as to demonstrate the lack of potential conflict between the users of the parking spaces.
C. Shared or off-site parking shall not account for more than fifty percent (50%) of the required parking spaces as established in Section 1112.04(e).
D. Any change in use of the activities served by a shared or off-site parking area will be deemed an amendment to the shared or off-site parking area plan and will require review and approval by the ZEO.
E. All shared or off-site parking plans and agreements shall be provided to the ZEO prior to any zoning permit being issued. Such plans and agreements continue to apply to the land, regardless of future ownership.
(Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)
1112.05 PARKING AND STORAGE OF VEHICLES IN RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS.
(a) No commercial vehicle, with a net capacity rating in excess of two tons; including commercial tractors, automobiles, trucks, buses, house trailers, semi-trailers, shall be parked or stored on any property within a residential zoning district other than in a completely enclosed building, except those commercial vehicles conveying the necessary tools, materials, and equipment to a premises where labor using such tools, materials, and equipment is to be performed during the actual time of parking.
(b) The parking and storage of recreational vehicles shall be regulated in Chapter 1305: Property Maintenance Requirements of the Codified Ordinances.
(Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)
1112.06 OFF-STREET LOADING.
A permanently paved and maintained area for standing, loading, and unloading of delivery vehicles shall be provided for principal uses in the nonresidential districts. These off-street loading facilities shall be in accordance with the following specifications:
(a) Number of Spaces. This code does not require a minimum number of off-street loading spaces. However, uses which receive frequent deliveries are required to provide adequate space, built to the standards as identified in this subsection.
(b) Size. Loading spaces shall conform to the following minimum dimensions. Unless otherwise noted, all dimensions are exclusive of any driveway, aisle or other circulation area:
(1) Clearance height: fifteen (15) feet
(2) Minimum width: twelve (12) feet
(3) Minimum length: fifty-five (55) feet
(c) Location and Activities.
(1) All loading spaces and maneuvering areas shall be located on the same lot as the use they are intended to serve.
(2) Loading spaces are only permitted in side and rear yards.
(3) Off-street loading spaces shall be so arranged that they may be used without blocking, and they shall not obstruct or occupy, any parking space, circulation or drive aisles, sidewalks, or vehicle stacking spaces for drive through lanes.
(4) No loading ramp, dock, door or space, or any portion thereof, shall be located closer than fifty (50) feet from any lot zoned for any residential use, unless located completely within an enclosed building.
(5) An off-street loading space shall not be used for repairing or servicing motor vehicles.
(d) Access.
(1) All required off-street loading spaces shall have access to a public street or alley in such a manner that any vehicle entering or exiting the premises shall be traveling in a forward motion onto such street or alley.
(2) Each required off-street loading space shall be designed for direct vehicular access by means of a driveway, or driveways, to a public street in a manner which shall least interfere with adjacent traffic movements and interior circulation.
(e) Improvements. All off-street loading spaces shall be improved as required for all vehicular use areas as set forth in Section 1112.03.
(Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)
1112.07 STACKING SPACE REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Drive-through facilities and other establishments which, by their nature, create lines of customers waiting to be served within automobiles, shall provide off-street stacking areas, on the same lot as the use, in addition to the required number of parking spaces specified in this chapter.
(b) The number of required stacking spaces shall be as provided for in Table 1112-4. See Figure 1112-C for an illustration of stacking spaces:
Activity | Minimum Stacking Spaces (per lane) | Measured From: |
Financial Institution or Automated Teller Machine (ATM) | 3 | Teller or Window |
Restaurant | 6 | First Drive-Through Window |
Automatic Vehicle Washing Establishment | 6 | Outside of Washing Bay |
Self-Service Vehicle Washing Establishment | 3 | Outside of Washing Bay |
Fuel Stations | 2 per accessible side of the pump island | Fuel Pump |
Other | As determined by the ZEO | |
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Figure 1112-C: Illustrative example of stacking space requirements for a bank and a restaurant.
(c) Stacking lanes and spaces shall be provided for any use having a drive-through facility and shall comply with the following standards:
(1) Drive-through stacking lanes shall have a minimum width of ten (10) feet and a minimum length of twenty (20) feet for each space required.
(2) When stacking lanes are separated from other stacking lanes, bypass lanes, or from other site areas, the separation shall be by means of a raised concrete median, concrete curb, landscaping, or painted striping.
(3) The number of stacking spaces required by Table 1112-4 shall be required for each separate stacking lane. If two (2) or more stacking lanes converge into one (1) lane (e.g., two (2) separate lanes to order at a restaurant converge to one (1) lane after the drive-through sign), the stacking spaces shall be measured in accordance with Table 1112-4 with the spaces located after the convergence point counting toward both stacking lanes.
(4) Vehicles shall not be permitted to wait within the public right-of-way for service at such drive-in or drive-thru facilities.
(d) The ZEO may reduce the number of required stacking spaces when the applicant provides credible documentation, such as studies from similar sites, that fewer than the required number of stacking spaces does not impede vehicular traffic flow on the site and ingress/egress to the site. (Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)
1112.08 SIDEWALKS AND SIDEWALK CONNECTIONS TO A RIGHT-OF-WAY.
(a) Public Sidewalks.
(1) New public sidewalks, constructed to meet Mount Vernon standards, shall be required along the street frontage of any lot where new sidewalks are recommended in the Mount Vernon Active Transportation Plan.
(b) Internal Pedestrian Access.
(1) Where a sidewalk exists in a public right-of-way adjacent to the site, is required to be constructed as part of the development approval, or where a public transit stop is located along any of the applicable site's frontages, a paved pedestrian connection shall be constructed from the sidewalk to the entrance of the building.
(2) The pedestrian connection shall have a minimum width of five (5) feet.
(3) All pedestrian walkways located within a site (internal pedestrian circulation) shall be physically separated from the drive lanes and driveways. Additionally, all sidewalks and crosswalks shall be constructed of an impervious surface and shall be visually distinct from the driving surface by use of pavers, color, bricks, scored concrete, or other material approved by the ZEO. See Figure 1112-D.
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Figure 1112-D: This photograph illustrates how a sidewalk connecting the public sidewalk to the business can be integrated into the required landscaping.
(Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)