North Royalton City Zoning Code

   Off-street parking and loading requirements and regulations are established in order to achieve, among others, the following purposes:

   (a)   To relieve congestion so that streets can be utilized more fully for movement of vehicular traffic;

   (b)   To promote the safety and convenience of pedestrians and shoppers by locating parking areas so as to lessen car movement in the vicinity of intensive pedestrian traffic;

   (c)   To protect adjoining residential neighborhoods from on-street parking;

   (d)   To promote the general convenience, welfare and prosperity of business, service, research, production and manufacturing developments which depend upon off-street parking facilities; and

   (e)   To provide regulations and standards for the development of accessory off-street parking and loading facilities in accordance with the objectives of the Master Plan of the City of North Royalton.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   Accessory off-street parking and loading facilities shall be provided as a condition precedent to occupancy of all residential, institutional, business, office, research, production, service and industrial uses in conformity with the provisions of this chapter:

   (a)   Whenever a building is constructed or a new use established;

   (b)   Whenever an existing building is altered and there is an increase in the number of dwelling units, seating capacity or floor area of the building; and

   (c)   Whenever the use of an existing building is changed to a more intensive use which requires more off-street parking facilities, except that certain nonconforming uses may continue as provided in Section 1286.09;

   (d)   Whenever a building is constructed or a new use established in Traditional Town Center District (TCD) as provided in Section 1281.11.

   The design standards contained herein represent minimum requirements necessary for providing adequately developed parking facilities.

   In designing the parking for a given zoning or use, this chapter should be consulted to determine the number of parking spaces required.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   As used in this chapter, for the purpose of determining the off-street parking and loading facilities required as accessory to a use, definitions and standards are established as follows:

   (a)   "Employees" means, wherever the parking requirement is based on employees, the maximum number of employees on duty on the premises at one time or, in the case of two successive shifts, the number of employees on the largest shift plus twenty-five percent of the number of employees on the next largest shift.

   (b)   "Floor area used in determining parking requirements" means the total area of all the floors of the building used by the principal activity, as specified in the schedule in Section 1282.05, measured from the exterior faces of the building. The areas used for storage, or otherwise not occupied by people, may be excluded from the floor area calculation the Building Commissioner determines that this floor area will not require additional parking.

   (c)   "Gross floor area used in determining loading requirements" means the total floor area used for the main and accessory activities, and storage areas of the building served.

   (d)   "Off-street loading space" means an open space or enclosed area as part of a building, accessible to a public street and available whenever it is needed for the loading or unloading of goods and products to the main use.

   (e)   "Off-street parking space" means an open or enclosed area accessible from a public street for parking of automobiles of owners, occupants, employees, customers or tenants of the main use. Each space shall be accessible from a drive or aisle and of a size consistent with Section 1282.12, exclusive of all drives, aisles, ramps and turning space.

   (f)   "Seating capacity" means the number of seating units installed or indicated on plans for places of assembly. Where not indicated on plans, it shall be assumed that a seating unit will occupy six square feet of floor area exclusive of all aisles.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08; Ord. 20-40. Passed 4-7-20.)

   (a)   Applications; Site Plans. Any application for a permit to construct a building or parking area, or for a certificate of occupancy for a change in use of land or a building, shall include a site plan drawn to scale and fully dimensioned as set forth in Section 1262.05, showing the proposed design of the parking area and loading facilities to be provided in compliance with the provisions of this chapter.

   (b)   Determination of Required Parking Facilities. The minimum number of spaces required for accessory off-street parking shall be determined by applying the measurement standards set forth in Section 1282.03, the parking area design standards set forth in subsection (c) hereof, the schedule of parking requirements for the various uses set forth in Section 1282.05, and any other applicable provisions of this chapter. Where the computation results in a fractional space, it shall be counted as one additional space required.

   (c)   Parking Area Design Standards. The plan for parking spaces of a parking area included with an application to construct a building or parking area, or for a change in use, shall be designed and dimensioned in accordance with Loading Facilities Section 1282.14.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   Accessory off-street parking facilities shall be provided in quantities not less than as set forth in the following schedule:

 

 

 

   (e)   Other Buildings or Uses. For specific buildings or uses not scheduled above, the Planning Commission shall apply the unit of measurement set forth in the above schedule which is deemed to be most similar to the proposed building or use.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08; Ord. 20-40. Passed 4-7-20.)

   (a)   Public Facilities Available. The required spaces as determined by the schedule set forth in Section 1282.05 may be modified by the Planning Commission in the City's central business area where free parking areas or publicly-owned parking areas are readily accessible and where land is not available for development of accessory off-street parking, as required herein, and where public transportation is used extensively.

   (b)   Parking for Single and Mixed Uses. A building occupied by one use shall provide the off-street parking spaces as required for the specific use. A building or a group of buildings, occupied by two or more uses and operating normally during the same hours, shall provide spaces for not less than the sum of the spaces required for each use. For a large unit development of business uses, such as a shopping center, spaces shall be provided based on the total area of the building or buildings, as set forth in the schedule provided in Section 1282.05, instead of on the requirements for each separate use.

   (c)   Joint Use of Parking Facilities. Churches, civic clubs, community centers, auditoriums, lodge halls, gymnasiums and stadiums may make arrangements with business establishments which normally have different hours of operation for sharing up to, but not more than, 50% of their requirements in adjacent parking areas which are accessory to such business uses. However, where there is a sharing of facilities by different owners or tenants, there shall be an agreement covering a specific period of time as may be required by the Planning Commission. Should any of the uses be changed or the facilities discontinued, then the required spaces for the use or uses remaining shall be provided elsewhere as a condition precedent to the continued use of said building or buildings.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   (a)   Off-street parking and loading facilities accessory to an existing use on the effective date of this Zoning Code, and those required as accessory to a use created or a building constructed or altered thereafter, shall be continued and maintained in operation, and shall not be used for automobile sales or service or repair of motor vehicles, and shall not be reduced below the requirements of this Zoning Code during the period that the main use is maintained, unless an equivalent number of spaces shall be provided for such use in another approved location.

   (b)   Should any main use change whereby it remains within the same zoning district but, because of the change in use, the required number of off-street parking spaces increases, off-street parking shall be required so that the new use conforms to the schedule of parking requirements set forth in Section 1282.05 and the length and width requirements of Section 1282.12.

   (c)   Wherever parking facilities are permitted on land other than the lot on which the building or use served is located, such facilities shall be in the same ownership as the lot occupied by the building or use to which the parking facilities are accessory. Such ownership shall be by deed or a long-term lease agreement, whereby the owner of the land on which the parking facilities are to be located shall be bound by a covenant filed and recorded in the office of the County Recorder, requiring each such owner, and his or her heirs or assigns, to maintain the required number of parking facilities for the duration of the use as a precedent to the continuation of such use.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   Accessory parking facilities shall be provided at locations as set forth herein, except as modified by Sections 1282.06 and 1282.07.

   (a)   Residential Districts and Uses. Accessory, enclosed or open parking facilities as required shall be provided on the same lot as the dwelling unit served. In RMD Districts, parking facilities shall be provided within a walking distance of 200 feet of the building entrance of the unit to be served, and at least one-half of the spaces required for each apartment building shall be provided in an enclosed garage. An enclosed surface shall contain no more than 12 parking spaces.

   In one- and two-family residential districts, accessory and off-street parking facilities shall be provided in accordance with provisions of Section 1282.05. To preserve the intent of Residential Districts as prescribed in Section 1270.01(c), no vehicle or equipment used in commerce, including, but not limited to dump trucks, flatbed trucks, tow trucks, concrete trucks, tank trucks, semi-tractor trucks, stake body trucks, moving vans, buses, step vans, excavating equipment or other similar equipment or vehicles shall be permitted to be parked on any private property in residentially zoned districts unless they are in an enclosed structure.

   However, the property owner or occupant may park one such vehicle outside of an enclosed structure if it meets all of the following criteria:

      (1)   The vehicle must be parked behind the front building line;

      (2)   The vehicle must be screened so it is not visible from any roadway; nor from any sidewalk; nor from any neighboring property;

      (3)   The vehicle is used solely by the occupant of the premises;

      (4)   Regular use of the vehicle customarily provides occupant transportation to and from place of employment and the vehicle is required as a condition of property owner's or occupant's employment.

   Pick-up trucks and cargo vans required as a condition of employment which cannot be screened and/or enclosed must be parked in a designated driveway.

   Whoever violates provisions of this Section 1282.08(a) is guilty of a fourth degree misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine of not more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) and may be imprisoned for not more than 30 days. Every day of a continuing violation shall be considered a separate offense.

   (b)   Civic Uses and Places of Assembly. Where churches, civic clubs, community centers, auditoriums, lodge halls, gymnasiums and stadiums share parking facilities with adjacent business establishments, such parking facilities shall be located within a walking distance of not more than 250 feet from the entrance of the main building of such use.

   Parking serving the uses covered in this subsection shall be further regulated in relation to any adjoining Residential District lines as set forth in Chapter 1274.

   (c)   Business and Office Uses. Accessory parking facilities shall be provided on the same lot as the main use served in a General Business District, except where modified by the Planning Commission in accordance with the provisions of Section 1282.06. In such cases, the nearest point of the parking lot shall be located within a walking distance of not more than 250 feet from the main entrance of the building.

   A parking area serving the uses covered in this subsection shall be further regulated in relation to any adjoining Residential District lines as set forth in Chapter 1276.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   Vehicles awaiting service shall not remain so parked for a period exceeding 72 hours.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   Parking areas and access driveways shall be designed, graded, constructed, altered and maintained as follows:

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08; Ord. 13-152. Passed 2-4-14; Ord. 20-40. Passed 4-7-20.)

   A lighting system shall be installed on all off-street parking areas. This lighting system shall be designed to produce a minimum maintained average light level of one-half foot-candle on the entire parking facility's horizontal surface, including the parking spaces, the loading spaces and the vehicular and pedestrian circulation areas. The system shall have a maximum brightness ratio of 6 to 1. The lighting fixtures shall be hooded and so arranged and controlled as not to cause a nuisance either to highway traffic or adjacent properties. When the parking facility is open to the public during darkness, this lighting system shall be operating sufficiently to produce the required minimum of one-half foot-candle. All lighting designs are subject to review and approval by the City Planning Commission.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08; Ord. 13-152. Passed 2-4-14.)

 

 

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08; Ord. 20-40. Passed 4-7-20.)

   (EDITOR’S NOTE: Section 1282.13 was repealed by Ordinance No. 20-40, passed April 7, 2020.)

   Accessory loading and unloading facilities shall be provided as a condition precedent to occupancy of all business, service and industrial buildings hereafter erected and altered, and shall be maintained as long as such a building is occupied or unless equivalent facilities are provided in conformity with this chapter.

   (a)   Allocation of Use. Space required and allocated for any off-street loading facility shall not, while so allocated, be used to satisfy the space requirements for off-street parking. An off-street loading space shall not be used for repairing or servicing motor vehicles.

   (b)   Location of Facility. All required accessory loading facilities shall be related to the building and use to be served to provide for loading and unloading of delivery trucks and other service vehicles, and shall be so arranged that they may be used without blocking or otherwise interfering with the use of accessways, parking facilities, public streets or sidewalks. A required loading space shall not face or be visible from the frontage street and shall not be located in a required front yard, or in a required side or rear yard if adjoining a Residential District, unless entirely enclosed and approved by the Planning Commission.

   (c)   Access Driveways. 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 will least interfere with adjacent traffic movements and interior circulation. The access drive of an off- street loading facility shall be located so that the driveway centerline shall be not less than 50 feet from the nearest intersecting street right-of-way line.

   (d)   Improvements. All accessory off-street loading spaces shall be improved as required for parking areas as set forth in Section 1282.10.

   (e)   Minimum Size Criteria. A required off-street loading space shall be at least 12 feet wide by at least 40 feet in length. The above area shall be exclusive of the maneuvering space, and each loading facility shall have a vertical clearance of at least 15 feet. Buildings of less than 5,000 square feet of floor area shall be provided with receiving platforms or other commensurate facilities.

   (f)    Truck Loading Spaces. A truck loading space shall be an accessible rectangle having a width of 12 feet and a length of 40 feet. Any overhead obstruction shall have a vertical clearance of 15 feet.

   (g)   Schedule of Required Loading Facilities. Accessory off-street loading spaces shall be provided as required herein for the following uses:

 

 

 

 

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   The location, width and number of entrance and exit driveways serving accessory parking facilities, drive-in businesses, fee parking lots and public parking lots, shall be planned in such a manner as to interfere as little as possible with the use of adjacent property and the flow of traffic on the streets to which they connect.

   Parking areas of up to 20 spaces shall have at least one two-lane driveway located at least 50 feet from the right-of-way line of the nearest intersecting street.

   Parking areas of more than 20 spaces should, if possible, have two two-lane driveways located not less than 50 feet from the right-of-way line of the nearest intersecting street.

   Entrance or exit driveways shall not exceed three lanes in width and be designed so that all cars can be driven forward into the street. The width of such driveways, measured at the street right-of-way line, shall conform with the following schedule:

 

 

   The angle of intersection between the driveway and the street shall be between 70 degrees and 90 degrees. The radii of the edge of the driveway apron shall be at least 20 feet.

   (a)   Design Criteria. Driveway approach designs shall be approved by the Planning Commission for developments for which all parking spaces are provided. Driveway approaches on public streets may not be used to furnish circulation from one row of parking to an adjacent row of parking. This traffic circulation must be provided on private property.

   (b)   Backing onto Public Rights-of-Way is Prohibited. Backing a vehicle onto or from public rights- of-way is prohibited in all areas except one- and two-family residential areas located on streets that are classified as local or collector streets. Parking spaces shall be designed and arranged so that all maneuvering movements are on the private property.

   (c)   Access to Parking Spaces. All parking spaces must have convenient ingress and egress. Aisle lanes shall be clear and specifically delineated as necessary. All access to individual parking spaces shall be from aisle lanes within the parking facility or from a public alley. Final approval of aisle widths that are designated as fire lanes shall be determined by the North Royalton Fire Department and approved by the Planning Commission.

   Note: An aisle way which provides direct access to parking stalls shall be a one-way aisle, except for parking stalls which are perpendicular or parallel to the aisle way, and where opposing directions are each provided in separate bays (two W-1 bays, see Section 1282.13(a)) or an opposing aisle is at least 13 feet wide in addition to W-1.

   The parking space shall be designed so that the total process of entering and leaving a parking space shall be accomplished in no more movements than two forward and one reverse. No backing maneuver from a parking stall shall conflict or block the public street driveway approach. With the exception of parking facilities having attendant parking, designing of a parking space so as to require the movement of a vehicle to permit entry or exit from another parking space is not permitted.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   (a)   Detailed drawings of accessory off-street parking and loading facilities shall be submitted in accordance with all the provisions of this chapter for review by the Planning Commission.

   (b)   The Planning Commission may require structural or landscape features such as bumper guards, curbs, walls, fences, shrubs, ground cover or hedges to further carry out the objectives of the Master Plan and of this Zoning Code before an application is approved and before a building permit or certificate of occupancy may be issued.

(Ord. 08-111. Passed 9-2-08.)

   In the case of a new parking lot, the parking lot shall be landscaped to meet the standards of this section. In the case of an expanded parking lot, the existing and new sections of the parking lot shall both be landscaped to meet the standards of this section if the expansion area is more than twenty percent of the area of the existing parking lot. Otherwise, the requirement applies only to the expanded area of the parking lot.

(Ord. 20-40. Passed 4-7-20.)