Off-street parking facilities, other than parking for one or two-family dwellings, shall be designed, constructed, and maintained in accordance with the following:

Off-street facilities designed for the parking of self-propelled motor vehicles for occupants, employees and patrons of buildings erected, used, altered or extended after the effective date of adoption or amendment of this ordinance shall be provided and maintained in accordance with the provisions of this Article. Such facilities shall be maintained and not encroached upon so long as the principal use remains, unless an equivalent number of spaces are provided elsewhere in conformance with this ordinance.

The purpose of this Article is also to protect water quality and the capacity of drainage and stormwater management systems; to limit the number of off-street parking spaces and amount of impervious surfaces that may be permitted on a parcel of land or accessory to a use or building; to establish flexible minimum and maximum standards for off-street parking and loading; and to promote the use and development of shared parking facilities and cross-access between sites.

Adequate off-street parking and loading spaces shall be provided in all districts in accordance with the provisions in this Article whenever a structure or use is established, constructed, altered, or expanded, an existing use is replaced by a new use (change of use), or the intensity of a use is increased through additional dwelling units, an increase in floor area or seating capacity or similar means. Such spaces shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

The following general standards shall apply to all off-street parking and loading facilities:

A.

Provision of Spaces. There shall be provided in all zoning districts, at the time of erection or enlargement of any main building or structure, automobile off-street parking with adequate access to all spaces. The number of off-street parking spaces, in conjunction with all land or building uses, shall be provided prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, as prescribed in this section.

B.

Location of Spaces.

1.

Proximity to Site. Off-street parking for other than residential use shall be either on the same lot or within 300 feet of the building it is intended to serve, measured from the nearest point of the building to the nearest point of the off-street parking lot, provided, further, that such off-street parking may be located in a different zoning district than the building it is intended to serve only if that building and its proposed use would also be permitted in the different zoning district.

2.

Location in Non-Required and Rear Yards. Off-street parking may be located within any non-required yard and within the rear yard setback. Refer to Section 138-5.100 on for yard setback requirements.

3.

Location in Required Front and Side Yards. Off-street parking shall not be permitted in a side or front yard setback except as follows:

a.

Off-street parking may be permitted to occupy a required front yard after approval of the parking plan layout, provided that there shall be maintained a minimum unobstructed and landscaped setback of 20 feet in I (Industrial) districts and ten feet in all other nonresidential districts between the nearest point of the off-street parking area, exclusive of driveways, and the nearest right-of-way line. The buffer area between the parking lot and the right-of-way line shall be landscaped in accordance with Section 138-12.301.B.

b.

In I (Industrial) and EC districts, required side yards may be utilized for parking and loading and unloading provided that in such instances the Planning Commission shall review the plans for such area to ensure sufficient access to the building or any storage or related areas to provide for the health, safety and general welfare of employees in the building. All off-street loading and unloading areas shall be provided with adequate obscuring screening at least six feet in height, except it shall not be required on the interior of the district where the area is not visible from a thoroughfare or other zoning district.

c.

Off-street parking may be located in a required side yard abutting a nonresidential zoning district in NB, CB, HB, O, EC and SP districts provided that there shall be an unobstructed and landscaped setback of at least ten feet maintained between the nearest point of the off-street parking lot, exclusive of driveways, and the side lot line. Such unobstructed and landscaped setback shall extend continuously and uninterrupted along the side lot line from the nearest right-of-way line or private road easement to the rear yard. The unobstructed and landscaped setback of at least ten feet may be reduced or waived by the Planning Commission or Planning and Development Director (relative to site plans not submitted to the Planning Commission) upon determining that such reduction or waiver is compatible with and/or part of a comprehensive plan with the adjacent properties.

d.

Off-street parking may be located in the required interior side yard in SP districts provided that type B screening is provided as required by Section 138-12.300 between the nearest point of the off-street parking lot, exclusive of driveways, and the interior side lot line.

4.

Setback from Residential Districts and Uses. Parking areas, and circulation or access drives shall be setback from adjoining or abutting residentially zoned property as follows:

a.

Where the parking lot or drive abuts a residential district at the side or rear lot line said parking lot or drive shall be setback a minimum of ten feet from said lot line.

b.

Where the parking lot or drive shares common, contiguous street frontage with an abutting residentially zoned parcel, said parking lot or drive shall maintain the same minimum front or street side setback required for the residential parcel dependent upon orientation to the common street of said parcel and other residential parcels in the same block.

c.

Private roads, private drives and off-street parking areas, including maneuvering lanes, shall not be permitted within required yards in the RM-1 and RCD districts where the adjacent property is zoned one-family residential.

5.

Setback from Buildings. Parking, loading areas, and circulation or access drives shall set back at least five feet from any building or structure. Concrete curbing shall be installed along the perimeter of the vehicular use area to prevent encroachments.

C.

Alteration of Existing Parking. Existing off-street parking facilities accessory to an existing building or use shall not be reduced to an amount less than the minimum required by this Article for a similar new building or new use. The minimum required off-street parking spaces shall not be replaced by any other use unless adequate parking facilities meeting the standards of this Article have first been provided at another location acceptable to the Planning Commission.

D.

Residential Parking. Residential off-street parking spaces for single-family and two-family dwellings shall consist of a parking strip, driveway, garage or combination thereof and shall be located on the premises they are intended to serve. No parking is permitted in the front yard of single-family and two-family dwellings except in a driveway or garage. Allowable driveway surface materials shall include asphalt, concrete, brick pavers, gravel, aggregate or similar materials.

E.

Pedestrian Circulation. The parking lot layout shall accommodate pedestrian circulation. Pedestrian crosswalks shall be provided, distinguished by textured paving or pavement striping, and integrated into the sidewalk network.

F.

Cross Access. Common, shared parking facilities are encouraged. As such, wherever feasible, cross-access connections between adjacent parking lots, or a future connection when no adjacent parking lot exists but can reasonably be expected to be constructed on an adjacent parcel at a future date are required. Blanket cross-access easements across the entire parking lot area shall be provided for connected lots under separate ownership or management. The cross-access easement shall be without limitation and shall be recorded with the Oakland County Register of Deeds.

G.

Permit Required.

1.

Construction. No parking lot shall be constructed unless and until a permit for such construction is issued by the public services department. Application for a permit shall be submitted in such form as may be determined by the City and shall be accompanied with two sets of plans for the development and construction of the parking lot showing that the provisions of this section will be fully complied with. No final occupancy permit shall be issued by the building department until the parking lot has been completed.

2.

Maintenance. A permit from the Building Department shall be required for any parking lot resurfacing or restriping activity. Application for such permit shall be accompanied by two sets of plans demonstrating that the provisions of this section shall be fully complied with.

H.

Prohibited Activities. The outdoor storage of merchandise, motor vehicles for sale, trucks or equipment, wrecked, junked or unlicensed vehicles, or the repair of vehicles in areas designated for parking (including the maneuvering lane) is prohibited.

I.

City Parks Exempt. The standards and regulations applicable to off-street parking shall not be applicable to publicly owned City parks. A parking plan shall be submitted and reviewed by City staff when a new park is proposed or modifications in an existing park are proposed. In those cases wherein the Planning Commission will review and approve a site plan for a park, a parking plan must be included and approved based on current and future expected usage.

(Ord. No. 170, § 12, 6-16-2014; Ord. No. 179, § 3, 8-8-2016; Ord. No. 182, § 8, 2-5-2018; Ord. No. 190, § 6, 4-25-2022; Ord. No. 196, § 9, 6-19-2023)

A.

Minimum Parking Required. Off-street parking, stacking, and loading spaces shall be provided in accordance with the minimum requirements of Section 138-11.204. The Planning Commission may reduce the number of required spaces as described in Section 138-11.202, Modification of Standards.

B.

Maximum Parking Permitted. In order to minimize excessive areas of pavement which negatively impact aesthetic standards and contribute to high volumes of stormwater runoff, the maximum amount of off-street parking permitted for any use shall not exceed 125 percent of the minimum parking requirements of Section 138-11.204. This requirement shall not apply to single-family or two-family dwellings. The Planning Commission may permit additional parking over and above the maximum parking limit based on evidence indicating that the maximum parking permitted will not be sufficient to accommodate the use on a typical day.

C.

Uses Not Listed. For uses not specifically listed in Section 138-11.204, the default parking standard for that type of use shall apply, unless the Planning and Development Director or his designee determines that the standard for a similar listed use is more appropriate.

D.

Uses Meeting More Than One Category. Where more than one use is present in a building or a site (such as a gas station with convenience store and restaurant; or a place of worship with day care center and community center) the various components of the use shall comply with the requirement for each component. In such a case, the applicant must provide information regarding the floor area, employees, or other relevant information for each use in order to allow the City to determine the minimum parking requirement for the use.

E.

Fractional Spaces. When units or measurements determining the number of required parking spaces result in the requirement of a fractional space, any fraction up to and including one-half shall be disregarded, and fractions over one-half shall require one parking space.

F.

Units of Measurement. The following units of measurement are used in calculating required parking:

1.

Floor Area: Where floor area is the unit for determining the required number of parking spaces, said unit shall mean gross floor area.

2.

Usable Floor Area: Usable floor area shall mean the floor area used for service to the public and shall not include floor area used for storage or processing and packaging of merchandise where it is undertaken in a room in which service to the public is not involved. When usable floor area is not known at the time of site plan submittal, 80 percent of the total floor area shall be used for usable floor area for parking computations.

3.

Places of Assembly: For places of worship, sports arenas or similar places of assembly in which those in attendance occupy benches, pews or similar seating, each 24 inches of such seating shall be counted as one seat.

4.

Employees: For requirements stated in terms of employees, the calculation shall be based on the maximum number of employees on the premises during the largest shift.

Different types of uses have different peak usage times, for instance, residential land uses generate the most parking demand during evening and night hours, while office uses generate the most parking demand during business hours. Therefore, the minimum parking requirement may be adjusted by a shared parking factor that considers a mixture of uses sharing a common parking facility. The uses that share a common parking facility may be located within a single building or in separate buildings located on the same or different sites.

A.

Shared Parking Procedure. The number of shared parking spaces required for two or more land uses sharing a parking lot or located on the same parcel of land shall be determined by the following procedure:

1.

Multiply the minimum parking required for each individual use, as set forth in the Shared Parking Factor Table below, by the appropriate percentage indicated in the Shared Parking Factors table below for each of the six designated time periods.

2.

Add the resulting sums for each of the six columns.

3.

The minimum parking requirement shall be the highest sum among the six columns resulting from the above calculations.

4.

Other Uses. If one or all of the land uses proposing to make use of shared parking facilities do not conform to the general land use classifications in the Shared Parking Factor table, as determined by the Planning Commission, the applicant shall submit sufficient data to indicate the principal operating hours of the uses. Based upon this information, the Planning Commission shall determine the appropriate shared parking requirement, if any, for such uses.

Table 14. Shared Parking Factors

B.

Agreement. A written agreement between joint users in a form approved by the City shall be filed with the Oakland County Register of Deeds. The agreement shall assure the continued availability of the parking facility for the uses it is intended to serve.

(Ord. No. 170, § 17, 6-16-2014)

The Planning Commission may modify the numerical requirements for off-street parking based on evidence submitted by the applicant that another standard would be more reasonable because of the level of current or future employment or customer traffic.

The Planning Commission may attach conditions to the approval of a modification of the requirements of Section 138-11.204 that bind such approval to the specific use in question.

If the minimum number of required parking spaces exceeds the amount necessary to serve a proposed use, the Planning Commission may approve construction of a lesser number of parking spaces, subject to the following:

A.

The banked parking shall be shown on the site plan and set aside as landscaped open space.

B.

The banked parking shall be constructed upon request by the Building Official, after the City documents three incidents of problem parking on the site within any one year period.

C.

Banked parking shall be located in areas that are suitable for future parking and comply with Ordinance requirements.

Table 15. Minimum Parking Requirements

(Ord. No. 170, §§ 13, 17, 6-16-2014; Ord. No. 189, Pt. 3, 12-14-2020; Ord. No. 195, § 2, 5-8-2023)

A.

A minimum of one bicycle rack with spaces to park at least three bicycles shall be installed at each multiple family and each nonresidential building. The bicycle rack(s) shall be placed in one or more conspicuous location(s) within 50 feet of a building entrance and in a manner that pedestrian access to the entrance or pedestrian movement on the site is not impeded.

(Ord. No. 199, § 13, 3-17-2025)

A.

Minimum Number of Barrier-free Spaces. Barrier-free parking spaces shall be provided per the following Table 16:

Note: the existing Table 16 will be deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

Table 16. Barrier-Free Parking Requirements

Notes to Table 16:

1.

Fractional Spaces. Whenever a fractional space is required by the above Table 16, it shall be rounded to the nearest whole number.

2.

Example Calculation. A parking lot with 140 parking spaces would have a minimum barrier-free parking space requirement of two spaces plus 140*.0333 = 2 + 4.66 = 6.66 spaces, rounded up to seven spaces.

3.

Van Accessible Spaces. All barrier-free parking spaces are required to use the Universal Design concept to allow van access in any barrier-free space, and therefore no spaces need be designated specifically for van access.

The above Table 16 is greater than the 2010 ADA requirements for accessible design, as published by the U.S. Department of Justice as of the date of adoption. If new ADA standards affecting barrier-free parking requirements are adopted that are greater than those contained in this ordinance, they shall supersede Table 16.

B.

Barrier-Free Space Layout. All barrier-free spaces shall be designed using universal barrier-free design. All spaces shall be 132 inches (11 feet) in width with a 60 inch (five-foot) access aisle (see the following Figure 7).

Figure 7. Barrier-Free Space Layout

The Planning Commission may permit 96-inch (eight-foot) wide barrier-free spaces with an adjacent 60 inch (five-foot) access aisle when the applicant can demonstrate that providing 132 inch (11 foot) wide spaces will constitute a hardship in meeting the minimum parking requirement or other site design requirements. When 96 inch (eight-foot) spaces are permitted, a minimum of one out of every eight spaces shall be van accessible (with at least one van accessible space being provided on-site in all cases).

C.

Location and Construction.

1.

Barrier-free spaces shall be accessible from and conveniently located near each primary building entrance.

2.

All access aisles shall be level with the parking space, and access aisles cannot include a ramp or sloped area to accommodate a person with a disability using a lift or ramp.

3.

The access aisle must be connected to an accessible route to the appropriate accessible entrance of a building or facility.

4.

The parking access aisle must either blend with the accessible route or have a curb ramp complying ADA standards. Such a curb ramp opening must be located within the access aisle boundaries, not within the parking space boundaries.

5.

Barrier-free spaces shall be identified by above-grade signs and pavement striping in accordance with ADA standards.

(Ord. No. 165, § 1, 3-19-2012; Ord. No. 170, § 17, 6-16-2014)

Landscaping shall be provided as required by Section 138-12.301 and lighting shall be provided as required by Article 10, Chapter 2.

The layout of off-street parking facilities shall be in accordance with the following Table 17:

Table 17. Parking Layout

A.

The depth and width of parking spaces and the width of maneuvering lanes shall be measured from the face of the curb, or when no curb is proposed, parking spaces and maneuvering lanes shall be measured from the edge of pavement. If any fixed objects, including, but not limited to, bollards, posts, building edges, bumper posts and light poles, are located within the pavement area of a parking space or maneuvering lane, the depth and width of the parking space and the width of the maneuvering lane shall be measured from the edge of the fixed object.

B.

The minimum parking space width may be reduced to nine feet for employee spaces or other parking spaces that are intended for long-term parking and that are not intended for use by the general public or customer traffic or subject to frequent turnover. Any parking space width reduction shall require approval by the reviewing authority for the application.

C.

All maneuvering lane widths shall permit one-way traffic movement, except that the 90-degree and parallel pattern may permit two-way movement.

D.

Fire hydrants shall not be located closer than five feet from the back of the curb adjacent to any parking space, loading area, fire lane or maneuvering lane.

E.

Parking aisles shall not exceed 300 feet without a break in circulation.

F.

All parking lots shall be provided with curbs, wheel stops or bumper guards so located that no part of parked vehicles will extend beyond the lot boundaries, into required screening or landscaping, or across sidewalks or pedestrian pathways.

G.

Parking structures may be built to satisfy off-street parking regulations when located in other than residential districts subject to the area, height, bulk and placement regulations of such district in which located.

H.

When a wall extends to an alley which is a means of ingress and egress to and from an off-street parking area, it shall be permissible to end the wall not more than ten feet from such alley line in order to permit a wider means of access to the parking area.

I.

Each entrance and exit to and from any off-street parking lot located in an area zoned for other than single-family residential use shall be at least 20 feet distant from any adjacent property located in any single-family residential district.

J.

Two feet of required adjacent walkways at least seven feet in width and landscape areas may be part of the required parking space length. The requirements of Section 138-12.301.A.5 shall apply.

K.

Tandem parking spaces may be permitted for residential uses. The width of tandem spaces shall not be less than ten feet. Tandem spaces shall not be counted towards the visitor space minimum parking requirement for multiple family uses.

1.

Surface tandem spaces. The combined length of surface spaces shall not be less than 40 feet.

2.

Garage tandem spaces. The combined length of tandem spaces that include one space within a garage and one space on a driveway shall not be less than 50 feet as measured from the house-side edge of the sidewalk, where sidewalks are present, or the end of the driveway pavement, where no sidewalks are present, to the front interior building wall of the garage.

(Ord. No. 170, § 17, 6-16-2014; Ord. No. 183, § 20, 6-18-2018; Ord. No. 189, Pt. 4, 12-14-2020)

There shall be provided and maintained on the same premises with every structure, use or part thereof involving the receipt or distribution of vehicles, equipment, materials or merchandise adequate space for standing, loading, and unloading to avoid undue interference with public use of dedicated rights-of-way. Such space shall be provided as follows:

A.

Spaces Required - NB, CB, and HB Districts. In all NB, CB and HB at least one off-street loading space shall be provided in the rear yard for all buildings over 20,000 square feet in floor area. Alternatively, off- street loading may be provided in the side yard upon Planning Commission review and approval of a plan depicting the method of screening or obscuring the loading area. All loading spaces in NB, CB and HB districts shall have a minimum width of ten feet and a minimum length of 40 feet.

B.

Spaces Required - I, EC, and SP Districts. All spaces in the I (industrial), EC, and SP districts shall be laid out in the dimension of at least ten by 50 feet with a clearance of at least 14 feet in height. Loading dock approaches shall be provided with a pavement having an asphaltic or Portland cement binder so as to provide a permanent durable and dustless surface. All spaces shall be provided in the following ratio of spaces to usable floor area:

1.

Buildings up to and including 5,000 square feet of floor area shall not be required to provide a dedicated loading space.

2.

Buildings with more than 5,000 square feet in floor area, but less than 20,000 square feet of gross floor area shall provide at least one space.

3.

Buildings with more than 20,000 square feet in floor area, but less than 100,000 square feet shall provide a minimum of one space plus one space for each 40,000 square feet in excess of 20,001 square feet.

4.

Buildings 100,001 square feet and greater in floor area shall provide a minimum of three spaces.

C.

Location of loading spaces. The location and arrangement of loading spaces shall be subject to the following:

1.

Off-street loading space may be completely enclosed within a building, or may occupy a portion of the site outside of the building. Where any portion of a loading space is open to view from a public right-of-way or residential zoning district, screening shall be provided in accordance with Article 12 (Landscaping and Screening).

2.

All loading and unloading in an industrial district shall be provided off-street in a rear or side yard. Loading and unloading facilities shall be prohibited in the front yard.

3.

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

4.

Off-street loading facilities shall be located so as to not interfere with pedestrian access.

5.

Cross-access agreements between adjacent properties to facilitate off-street truck maneuverability are encouraged.

D.

Loading Restrictions. Delivery vehicles and trailers shall load or unload or park only in designated loading/unloading zones as indicated on the approved site plan. Delivery vehicles and trailers shall not park or load or unload elsewhere on the premises. Under no circumstances shall a delivery vehicle or trailer park in a designated loading/unloading zone for longer than 48 hours.

E.

Modification of Loading Space Requirements. The Planning Commission may modify or waive the requirement for off-street loading areas, upon determining that adequate loading space is available to serve the building or use, or that provision of such loading space is unnecessary or impractical to provide.

(Ord. No. 170, § 14, 6-16-2014; Ord. No. 196, § 10, 6-19-2023)

All Parking Spaces shall be single striped with four-inch wide stripes per the standards in the Michigan Manual of Uniform Traffic Devices.

(Ord. No. 165, § 4, 3-19-2012; Ord. No. 170, § 15, 6-16-2014; Ord. No. 188, § 7, 12-14-2020)

Where required by this Article, stacking spaces shall be nine (9) feet wide by twenty (20) feet long. Stacking spaces shall not intrude into any street right-of-way or interior maneuvering lane.

(Ord. No. 199, § 14, 3-17-2025)

Driveways and parking areas shall be graded and provided with adequate drainage to dispose of surface waters in accordance with applicable construction and design standards established by the City. Surface water shall not drain on to adjoining lots, towards buildings or across a public street, except in accordance with an approved drainage plan.

The entire parking area, including parking spaces and maneuvering lanes required under this section shall be provided with asphalt, concrete, brick pavers, or an equivalent material. Stone or similar material may be approved by the reviewing authority in cases where the parking lot will be infrequently used, or where alternate parking lot surfacing would be more in character with the site and its surroundings. Only alternate surfacing materials that will be non-dusting and will be sufficient to meet all other requirements of this Ordinance may be approved. All parking lot surfacing shall be in accordance with specifications approved by the City engineer.

The parking area shall be surfaced within one year of the date the permit is issued. Off-street parking areas shall be drained so as to dispose of all surface water accumulated in the parking area in such a way as to preclude drainage of water onto adjacent property or toward buildings, and plans shall meet the approval of the City engineer.

(Ord. No. 165, § 5, 3-19-2012)

All parking and loading areas shall be maintained in accordance with the provisions of this Article, an approved site plan and the following:

A.

Alterations to an approved parking or loading facility that are not in accordance with an approved site plan shall be considered a violation of this ordinance.

B.

All parking areas, perimeter landscaped areas, and required screening shall be kept free from tall grass, weeds, trash, and debris. Surfacing, curbing, lighting fixtures, signage, and related improvements shall be kept in good repair.

C.

Parking and loading areas shall be diligently kept clear of snow. Up to ten percent of the parking area may be used for snow deposit.

D.

Parking lots shall be maintained in a clean and debris free manner.