It is the intent of this Chapter that off-street parking and loading spaces shall be provided and adequately maintained by each property owner in every district for the parking of motor vehicles, for the use of occupants, employees, vendors, and patrons of each building and premise constructed, altered, or enlarged under the provisions of this Ordinance.

At the time any building or structure is erected, enlarged, or increased in capacity, or new uses established, off-street parking spaces shall be provided in all districts according to the requirements specified in this Chapter.

A.

Whenever five (5) or more vehicle parking spaces are required for a given use of land, plans and specifications for the construction or alteration of an off-street parking area shall be submitted for approval of the Planning Commission, before a development permit is issued.

B.

Such plans and specifications shall indicate the location, precise use of buildings, size, site, design, surfacing, marking, lighting, drainage, curb cuts for ingress and egress, landscaping, and any other detailed features essential to the complete design and construction of the parking area.

C.

Whenever ten (10) or more vehicle parking spaces are required for a given use of land, plans and specifications for the construction or alteration of off-street parking areas shall be submitted by a registered professional engineer.

All off-street parking and loading areas shall be located on the same lot, or other lot in the same zoning district located not more than three hundred (300) linear feet from the building intended to be served. Except where prohibited, on-street public parking may be considered available to meet all or any portion of the needs of a use, provided that the Planning Commission finds parking spaces are reasonably available at the time of day needed and provided that off-street parking is shown to be not feasible.

A parking area, parking space, or loading area which exists at the time this Ordinance becomes effective, or which subsequent thereto is provided for the purpose of complying with the provisions of this Ordinance shall not thereafter be relinquished or reduced in any manner below the requirements established by this Ordinance.

The right-of-way of any city street shall not be used for off-street parking without the written permission of the County Road Commission for county roads, or the City Council for city streets.

A.

Parking spaces and loading areas shall be used exclusively for the parking of vehicles associated with a building, structure or land use for which whose employees and patrons it is designed to serve. No commercial activity, special events, repair work, advertising, servicing, or selling of any kind shall be conducted within required parking areas without permission being granted by the City Council. No portable structures, buildings, or equipment shall be permitted within required parking areas, except as may otherwise be permitted by this Ordinance.

B.

No signs shall be erected in parking areas except the following: no more than one (1) directional sign at each entrance or exit may be erected which may also bear the name of the enterprise the lot is intended to serve; disabled parking space signs, as provided by the Michigan Construction Code Act, Public Act 230 of 1977, as amended, MCLA 125.1501 et seq. Such signs shall not project beyond the property line of the premises.

C.

The storage or parking in parking lots of travel trailers, motor homes, mobile homes, camper trailers, or parking other trailers or recreational vehicles or any combination of any such vehicles in required parking spaces for a period in excess of fourteen (14) days in any one (1) year period is hereby prohibited.

The following table contains the parking requirements for individual uses and activities within the City of Newaygo.

A.

In the case of a use not specifically mentioned, the requirements of off-street parking for a use which is mentioned and which is most similar to the use not listed, shall apply.

B.

When benches, pews, or other similar seating is used, each twenty -four (24) inches of said seating shall be counted as one seat.

C.

Floor area, unless otherwise noted, shall include the entire enclosed floor area of a building as measured from the exterior surface of exterior walls.

D.

Where units or measurement determining the number of required parking spaces result in a fraction equal to or greater than one half an additional space shall be required.

A.

All off-street parking areas shall be designed, constructed and maintained in accordance with this Section.

B.

All nonresidential and multi-family parking areas and drives shall have a bituminous asphalt or concrete surface unless an alternative is approved by the Planning Commission. Single and Two-family residential off-street parking spaces shall consist of a parking strip, driveway, garage, or combination thereof, and shall be located on the premises they are intended to serve.

C.

Each parking space shall be clearly identifiable. Parking spaces and maneuvering lanes shall be sufficient in width to allow ease in turning movements in and out of parking spaces. The minimum required dimensions of parking spaces and maneuvering lanes shall be as indicated on the accompanying table.

D.

Ingress and egress to parking areas shall be provided by means of clearly limited and defined drives as provided for below:

1.

All parking areas providing more than five (5) parking spaces shall be provided with a drive for ingress and egress of not less than twenty four (24) feet in width. When one-way drives or boulevards are utilized, the minimum width of a lane shall be twelve (12) feet.

2.

All parking areas providing more than five (5) parking spaces shall be designed so as to not make it necessary for vehicles to back directly onto a street.

E.

Off-street parking facilities for trucks, buses, and recreational vehicles at restaurants, motels, hotels, service stations, commercial garages, and similar establishments shall be sufficient in size to adequately serve large vehicles and trucks without interfering with other vehicles shall not be less than twelve (12) feet in width and forty (40) feet in length. Access drives for such vehicles shall be designed with adequate turning radius and with special provisions for slow entry onto public streets and highways.

F.

Commercial Vehicles, Trailers, and Equipment.

1.

The owner, tenant, or lessee of any lot, parcel, or tract of land in a residential district or on a lot used for residential purposes shall not permit or allow the outdoor storage or parking, at any time thereon, of commercial trailers longer than twenty-five (25) feet from tongue to rear edge of trailer, trucks rated greater than 1-ton, semi-trucks and tractor trailers, flatbed trucks, manufactured homes, tractors, bulldozers, earth carriers, drag lines, cranes, steam shovels and/or any other heavy equipment or machinery.

2.

It is provided, however, that the owner, tenant, or lessee of a farm may openly store the machinery and equipment used on the farm; and it is further provided that equipment necessary to be parked on a lot or parcel during the construction work thereon shall be exempted from this restriction.

3.

This restriction shall not apply to pickup or panel trucks that are rated less than or equal to 1-ton.

G.

Parking lots shall be adequately lit to ensure security and safety and shall meet the following requirements:

1.

Light fixtures shall be no higher than twenty-five (25) feet and shall be provided with light cut-off fixtures that direct light downward.

2.

For parking lots serving a single building or groups of related commercial, industrial, or office buildings in excess of five hundred (500) spaces the Planning Commission may permit a higher light fixture in selected locations within the parking lot where existing or planned residential areas will not be affected.

3.

Lighting shall not be attached to buildings or other structures that permit light to be directed horizontally unless otherwise approved by the Planning Commission.

A.

The use of a single parking area by two (2) or more uses which are individually required to maintain more than ten (10) parking spaces shall be encouraged whenever such use is practical and when all requirements for location, design, and construction are met.

B.

In computing capacities of any joint use of parking areas, the total parking space requirement is the sum of the individual requirements that will occur at the same time each day. When parking space requirements for individual uses occur at distinctly different times during the day, the total required parking spaces may be reduced by action of the City Council, upon a recommendation from the Planning Commission, provided that no parking spaces shall be counted which are more than three hundred (300) feet from any entrance to building using joint parking areas.

C.

A copy of an agreement between the joint users of a parking area shall be recorded with the Newaygo County Register of Deeds. Such agreement shall guarantee the long term use and maintenance of the parking facility by each party.

Whenever a building, structure, or use is modified, expanded, and changed in use from one category to another, and such activity requires a permit pursuant to this Ordinance, the parking space requirements shall be reviewed and made to comply with the standards of this Ordinance.

A.

In order to prevent undue interference with the public use of streets, every manufacturing, storage, warehouse, department store, wholesale store, retail store, hotel, hospital, laundry, dairy, mortuary, and other uses similarly and customarily receiving or distributing goods by motor vehicle shall provide loading and unloading space on the premises for the number of vehicles that will be at the premises at a particular time on an average day of full use.

B.

Plans and specifications showing required loading and unloading spaces including the means of ingress and egress and interior circulation shall be submitted pursuant to Chapter 22, Site Plan Review.

C.

Loading spaces required under this Section shall be provided as area additional to off-street parking spaces required in this Chapter, and such loading spaces shall not be considered as supplying off-street parking space.

D.

There shall be provided adequate space for standing, loading, and unloading services not less than twelve (12) feet in width, forty (40) feet in length, and fifteen (15) feet in height, open or enclosed, for uses listed in the following table:

E.

All off-street loading and unloading facilities that make it necessary to back directly into a public road shall be prohibited. All maneuvering of trucks and other vehicles shall take place on the site and not within a public right-of-way.

F.

Design Requirements.

1.

Off-street loading spaces and access drives shall be drained, and shall have appropriate bumper or wheel guards where needed.

2.

Any light used for illumination shall be arranged to reflect light away from adjoining premises and streets.

3.

Where any off-street loading space adjoins or abuts a lot or premises used for residential or educational purposes, or abuts the Residential Zoning District, a masonry wall or solid fence not less than six (6) feet in height shall be provided between the off street loading and unloading space and said uses or district. Such wall or fence shall be maintained at all times in a well-kept, reasonable, and safe manner.

The Planning Commission may defer construction of a portion of the required number of parking spaces for nonresidential uses if the following conditions are met:

A.

Deferred parking areas shall be shown on a site plan and shall be of sufficient area to permit the construction of the total number of parking spaces required by this Section. Such areas shall not be used for any other purpose required by this Ordinance (such as landscaped buffers, etc.) and shall be kept open.

B.

Alterations to the deferred parking area to add parking spaces may be initiated by the owner or required by the Development Official based on parking needs and shall require the submission and approval of an amended site plan, as required by Chapter 22.

Off-street parking areas shall include spaces for the disabled in accordance with the provisions of Act 230 of the Public Acts of the State of Michigan, 1972, as amended and shall be included in the count of required spaces.

A.

This Section is applicable to parking lots serving any nonresidential or multiple family use in any District. A parking lot landscape plan shall be submitted with any application for a building permit or when otherwise required by this Ordinance.

B.

Landscaping required by this Section shall comply with the applicable provisions of Chapter 6, except that the requirements of this Section shall be waived if the area normally required by this Section to be landscaped is located in a required buffer area.

C.

Existing parking areas.

1.

These requirements shall be met for any existing parking lot which is expanded more than twenty-five percent (25%) of its original existing area, after the adoption of this Ordinance, or when any parking area is substantially altered (e.g., removal and replacement of existing pavement).

2.

Any landscaping existing within or bordering any existing parking area shall not be removed unless replaced with landscaping meeting the requirements of this Section.

D.

General Requirements.

1.

Landscaping shall be planned and installed such that, when mature, it does not obscure traffic signs, fire hydrants, or lighting, and does not alter drainage patterns on the site or on adjacent properties; obstruct vision for reasons of safety, ingress or egress; or cause damage to utility lines (above and below ground) and public roadways.

2.

Any landscaped area required by this Section shall be constructed outside any public street right-of-way.

3.

All landscaped areas, including perimeter areas, shall be protected by a raised or rolled concrete curb.

E.

Frontage Landscaping.

1.

Where any parking area directly abuts or faces a public street, a screen shall be required between the parking area and the road right-of-way. Such screen shall consist of, at a minimum, one (1) of the following:

a.

A strip of land at least five (5) feet in width and a solid screen comprised of a hedge or decorative wall, or any combination thereof, which measures at least three (3) feet in height; or

b.

A strip of land at least ten (10) feet in width containing landscaping equivalent to a Buffer Zone Level C, as described in Section 6.04(C)(3) except that the obscuring screen need not be provided.

2.

The required strip of land shall also be covered with grass or other approved ground cover.

F.

Interior Landscaping.

1.

Interior landscaping shall be provided for any parking area containing twelve (12) or more parking spaces.

2.

The interior of the parking lot shall begin at the outside boundary of the parking area.

3.

The interior area of any parking lot shall incorporate one (1) planting island per each twelve (12) parking spaces, or part thereof.

4.

Each planting island shall be at least ninety (90) square feet in area with a minimum single dimension of nine (9) feet.

5.

Landscaped islands shall be dispersed evenly throughout the parking lot and may be used to separate pedestrian areas, maneuvering areas, and drives.

6.

Trees planted shall comply with the provisions of Chapter 6