The purpose of these off-street parking requirements is to reduce congestion and traffic hazards in the city by incorporating adequate, attractively designed off-street parking and loading facilities for various land uses. Parking areas shall be designed in such a manner that they will result in maximum efficiency, protection of public safety, provide for the special needs of persons with disabilities, and, where appropriate, insulate surrounding land uses from adverse impacts created by such parking.

At the time any new building is constructed, structure additions or enlargements to an existing building or use is changed such that there is an increase in the capacity or intensity of the use, off-street parking shall be provided as required in compliance with this chapter. All off-street parking and loading facilities within the city shall comply with all of the standards prescribed in this chapter, and shall be permanently maintained in good condition for the duration of the use or uses served by the facility. All paved areas shall be maintained in good repair without broken parts, potholes or litter.

For all uses permitted in a residential zone, only 50 percent of the front yard area required by the respective zones shall be used for parking. All home occupations shall abide by parking standards set in Chapter 17.50 NCC, Home Occupation.

Required off-street parking spaces shall not be used for the repair of motor vehicles, or the display or sale of goods and services of any kind, unless authorized by a land use application approval.

Off-street parking is prohibited in all access ways, fire lanes, or similar areas not designated for parking purposes. These areas shall be posted with "No Parking" signs and/or other means as required.

It is unlawful for any owner of any building or use to discontinue or dispense with the required vehicle parking facilities without providing some other vehicle parking area which meets the requirements of this chapter. Failure to maintain required parking and landscaping in a condition substantially similar to its original approved condition shall be issued a citation by the code enforcement officer and shall be cause for suspension of a business license if, within 30 days after the mailing of a violation notice, the violation is not brought into compliance. If, due to cold weather or other environmental condition, the violation cannot be brought into compliance within 30 days, the planning commission shall consider such conditions and impose a reasonable extension of time for compliance.

All applications for a building permit shall be accompanied by a detailed site plan as required in the design and development plan review chapter of this title showing the required off-street parking spaces. The site plan shall clearly indicate the proposed development, including location, size, shape, design, curb cuts, lighting, landscaping, and other features and appurtenances of the proposed parking area.

The matrix on the following pages contains the minimum parking requirements for specific uses. The maximum percentage allowed for compact spaces is 25 percent of the total number of parking spaces. Special requirements for each use are provided under the "Notes" column where appropriate.

If, in the application of the requirements of this title, a fractional number is obtained, one parking space or loading space shall be required for each fraction.

If more than one use is located on a site, the number of off-street parking and loading spaces to be provided shall be equal to the sum of the requirements of each use.

The number of parking spaces required by these schedules may be reduced or increased as a condition of the development review by the planning commission if it can be demonstrated through a parking study that the proposed use(s) would have a parking demand less than or in excess of the requirements stated in this chapter.

The parking requirements for land uses which are not specified in this chapter shall be recommended by the land use administrator. The determination shall be based upon the requirements for the most comparable use specified herein.

Appeals to the decision of the land use administrator are made to the appeals or variance authority as designated in Chapter 17.30 NCC.

All parking spaces shall be accessible from a street; provided, that no parking space shall be designed to require vehicles to back onto a street except for parking spaces that serve a one- or two-family dwelling. All parking areas shall be designed to allow vehicles to enter, exit, and travel the aisles in a forward motion. Dead-end parking aisles must have a hammerhead type turnaround to allow vehicles to back out of the parking space and travel the aisle in a forward motion.

Entrances and exits for parking facilities shall be designed to reduce traffic congestion on public streets and minimize conflicts with neighboring uses. Adequate ingress and egress to the parking facilities shall be provided as follows:

Access drives for one- and two-family dwellings shall be a minimum of 10 feet wide and maximum of 20 feet at the property line. On corner lots, the access to the property shall be set back a minimum of 50 feet from the point of intersection curb lines.

Access drives for multiple-family dwellings, commercial and industrial uses shall generally be a maximum of 30 feet wide at the property line and shall conform to the standards outlined in each zone.

The land use administrator may allow an increase in driveway width if sufficient proof is provided that the increase will be necessary for traffic movement. The maximum driveway width shall be 50 feet.

Adequate stacking or waiting lanes for those uses requiring such stacking areas shall be designed so that no obstruction shall occur at the public right-of-way. A 72-foot minimum stacking area from the service point shall be provided for waiting areas which do not conflict with access to other required facilities.

Parking lots shall be designed to provide for internal circulation so that each parking space is accessible to all other parking spaces without using a public street. All properties shall provide attractive, direct and safe pedestrian access to parking. The layout of the parking areas shall relate to building entrances. The following tables shall be used to provide the minimum design standards for parking lot layout:

Each compact space approved herein shall be individually designated as a compact space with either signage or painted letters on pavement of at least 12 inches high and seven inches wide stating "Compact." All compact parking spaces shall be approved by the city and shall be located throughout the required parking lot areas in groups as to allow appropriate design, and not to exceed a maximum of 25 percent of total stalls. Compact car parking stall shall be no smaller than nine feet by 18 feet.

Accessible parking spaces shall be provided in off-street parking lots and shall count towards fulfilling the minimum automobile required parking. The number of accessible parking spaces required shall meet the requirements and specifications of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Parking lots with five or more spaces must have a landscape strip adjacent to any street, per zone requirements. Parking lots with more than 20 spaces must have a minimum of five percent interior landscaping. All landscaped areas shall consist of live plant materials and be serviced by a permanent underground water system. Trees shall be planted in the landscape per zone requirements. Parking lots of five or more spaces shall provide a six-foot-high aesthetically pleasing, sight-obscuring wall or fence of a neutral color provided by the owner of the business when parking lots are adjacent to a residential use. The fence shall provide a minimum 90 percent fill to afford privacy for the residential dwelling. This solid barrier shall be maintained in good condition without any advertising thereon.

No fence shall be located within 25 feet of the front property line or of any street right-of-way, unless specifically approved by the planning commission. In the event a fence shall be approved closer than 25 feet from the property line, the fence shall not be higher than four feet and shall not impede clear view triangle.

Lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking area shall be arranged as to reflect the light away from adjacent properties and street traffic.

All off-street parking spaces and maneuvering areas shall be paved and permanently maintained with asphalt, concrete or an alternative all-weather dustless hard surface may be used, to prevent tracking mud from business property to the city street as approved by the land use administrator.

Agricultural and heavy equipment uses will be evaluated as to their impact on city streets with appropriate surfacing to be determined by the land use administrator.

Parking lots shall be properly graded to allow for drainage of surface water in an approved manner to keep the parking area free of water and ice. Drainage plans are to be approved by the land use administrator prior to issuance of a building permit.

All areas designated for off-street parking, maneuvering, loading or site landscaping shall not be used for outdoor storage of materials. Businesses must not use the public right-of-way for parking equipment, storage bin storage, employee parking, and/or doing business.

Where necessary, there shall be provided and maintained adequate space for loading and unloading services. All loading areas or docks shall be located so that no vehicle shall be parked, or require maneuvering room within a public street.

Each loading facility shall not be less than 45 feet in length and 12 feet in width and shall have an overhead clearance of not less than 14 feet.

Sufficient room for turning and maneuvering vehicles shall be provided on the site.

Off-street loading facilities for one use shall not be considered as providing required off-street loading or parking facilities for any other use.

All truck loading spaces shall be separated from adjoining residential zones by a six-foot-high aesthetically pleasing, sight-obscuring wall or fence of a neutral color provided by the owner of the business. The fence shall provide a minimum 90 percent fill to afford privacy for the residential dwelling.