The purpose of the parking and loading requirements set forth in this chapter is to ensure that each development project in the city provides adequate off-street parking facilities, loading areas, and vehicle movement areas to meet the demands of the associated use. The intent of these regulations is to ensure that the use of land does not interfere adversely with circulation on public rights-of-way, that private on-site circulation does not pose a potential safety hazard, and that surrounding uses are insulated from the noise and traffic impacts associated with off-street parking and loading activities.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   (A)   The minimum standards of this chapter will apply to all new construction, expansion, renovation, conversion, and alteration of existing uses or structures in all zones.

   (B)   Off-street parking and loading spaces must be provided at the time of commencement of the use of the land or construction of the building, or at the time of renovation, conversion, alteration, or expansion by adding floor area, dwelling units, rooms, beds, or seats to a structure.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   (A)   Required parking spaces and areas must not be used for the sale or display of goods and services, nor for the sale, display, repair or dismantling of motor vehicles, nor for the storage of inoperable or unlicensed vehicles, unless otherwise permitted by subsection (C) below.

   (B)   Parking areas in any zone may be used for temporary, special events with authorization from the owner or operator of the parking area and subject to the issuance of a Temporary Use Permit pursuant to Chapter 16.228 of this Title 16.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

      (1)   The minimum number of required parking spaces for a use or combination of uses on the same or adjoining sites may be reduced by not more than 50% and other parking requirements adjusted, subject to minor modification in accordance with Chapter 16.222 of this Title 16, when the Planning Director finds that adequate parking is provided for customers, employees, clients, residents, and visitors. If the project is subject to the issuance of a discretionary permit, such as a conditional use permit, the Planning Commission will review the request for the adjustment of parking requirements.

      (2)   The applicant must demonstrate that parking demand will be reduced by one or more methods, including, but not limited to, carpools/vanpools, varied work shifts, use of company-operated buses, transit/vanpool fare subsidy, preferential parking for carpools/vanpools, shared parking facilities or bicycle parking facilities. The applicant must show how the measures will be implemented, the permanency of such measures, the number of vehicles the measures will replace, the person responsible for implementing the measures (if any) and other pertinent information.

      (3)   A notice of land use restriction must be recorded to inform future buyers of the property of the requirements of the approved parking reduction.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04; Am. Ord. 1172, passed 7-2-07)

   (A)   Single-family residential uses. Whenever any addition to or remodeling of an existing residential unit is proposed whereby such addition or remodeling will result in an increase in the total floor area of the unit by more than 400 square feet or will result in more than one additional bedroom or an additional dwelling unit, the property owner is required to provide parking consistent with the requirements of Section 16.46.040 and Table 46-1 in particular. This allowance may only be utilized once on a property; future enlargements after the initial 400 square foot allowance has been used on a property must provide for parking consistent with the requirements of Section 16.46.040 and Table 46-1 in particular.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04; Am. Ord. 1172, passed 7-2-07)

   (A)   Special study required. Two or more uses may share parking facilities, subject to minor modification in accordance with Chapter 16.222 of this Title 16, and the provisions of this section. A parking demand analysis for the uses proposed to share parking facilities must be prepared by a registered traffic engineer or other appropriately licensed professional. When such analysis demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Director, that the uses have different peak parking requirements, then the Director may reduce the parking space requirement. In no event, however, may the parking requirement be reduced below the highest peak-parking requirement of the use demanding the most parking.

   (B)   Conditions.

      (1)   The uses sharing the parking facilities must be located on the same or contiguous lots.

      (2)   A legal agreement must be signed by all parties sharing parking facilities. Such agreement must be approved by the City Attorney and Planning Director, must be recorded with the Ventura County Recorder's Office, and must continue to be valid upon change of ownership of any property subject to the agreement or any lawfully existing building or structure on said properties.

      (3)   Shared parking arrangements may be authorized by any discretionary permit issued for the use for which the parking is provided. Where no discretionary permit is required, such shared parking arrangements must meet all other requirements of this subsection (B).

 

Abbreviations: sf=square feet

(1)    Parking for all uses not specified in this table will be determined at the discretion of the Planning Director.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04; Am. Ord. 1159, passed 6-19-06; Am. Ord. 1249, passed 5-6-13)

   The following standards and regulations apply to all driveways and accesses provided for residential dwellings.

   (A)   Any driveway providing access to parking spaces serving one single-family dwelling must have a minimum width of 10 feet, except that driveways longer than 200 feet must have a minimum width of 20 feet.

   (B)   Any driveway serving more than one dwelling must have the following minimum width, unless the City Engineer determines a wider width is necessary, or the Fire Chief determines a lesser width is sufficient to ensure public safety:

      (1)   Two-way driveway with parking permitted on both sides: 36 feet.

      (2)   Two-way driveway with parking permitted on one side: 28 feet.

      (3)   Two-way driveway with no parking permitted: 20 feet.

      (4)   One-way driveway serving 2 to 6 dwellings, on property less than 150 feet deep: 12 feet.

      (5)   One-way driveway serving more than 6 dwellings, on property less than 150 feet deep: 16 feet.

      (6)   One-way driveway serving more than 2 dwellings, on property greater than 150 feet deep: 20 feet, with Fire Department turnaround.

   (C)   All driveways and access ways must be located a minimum of 20 feet from any curb return at a street intersection.

   (D)   Circular driveways are permitted, provided they are designed in accordance with standard engineering and traffic safety standards, subject to approval by the City Engineer.

   (E)   No front yards may be covered by more than 50% with non-pervious surface (paving).

   (F)   The clear sight triangle area formed by the driveway must be kept clear to allow for a safe sight distance for pedestrians and vehicles (Figure 46-1).

Driveway Clear-Sight Area

   (G)   All driveway approaches from a public right-of-way must be designed in accordance with city standards on file in the office of the City Engineer.

   (H)   Any abandoned or nonfunctional driveway must be removed and replaced with standard concrete curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   The following standards and regulations apply to all driveways and accesses provided for nonresidential uses.

   (A)   All driveways and access ways serving nonresidential uses must be completely paved with asphaltic concrete (asphalt) or concrete paving per standards established by the City Engineer.

   (B)   Any driveway serving a nonresidential use must have the following minimum width, unless the City Engineer determines a wider width is necessary, or the Fire Chief determines a lesser width is sufficient to ensure public safety:

      (1)   Two-way driveway serving a commercial or similar use: 25 feet.

      (2)   Two-way driveway serving an industrial use: 28 feet.

      (3)   One-way driveway (exit only) serving a commercial or industrial use: 20 feet.

   (C)   Driveways must be designed to allow vehicles to exit without backing out onto a public street. Design that allows backing into an alley may be permitted if, in the opinion of the City Engineer, such a design is acceptable in accordance with sound engineering and traffic safety practices.

   (D)   All driveways and access ways must be located a minimum of 20 feet from any curb return at a street intersection.

   (E)   Circular driveways are permitted, provided they are designed in accordance with standard engineering and traffic safety standards, subject to approval by the City Engineer.

   (F)   The clear-sight triangle area formed by the driveway must be kept clear to allow for a safe sight distance for pedestrians and vehicles (see Figure 46-1).

   (G)   All driveway approaches from a public right-of-way must be designed in accordance with city standards on file in the office of the City Engineer.

   (H)   Any abandoned or nonfunctional driveway must be removed and replaced with standard concrete curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   (A)   The maximum permitted driveway slope will be 20%.

   (B)   No driveway, or portion thereof, may have a dip, hump, or other surface irregularity that has an angle of approach or departure exceeding 10%.

   (C)   All driveways must be designed and constructed to allow for the passage of emergency vehicles with a wheelbase of at least 244 inches and a clearance height of at least 11 inches, except as provided in subsection (D) below.

   (D)   Any driveway rising up to a public right-of-way must have a transition section at least 14 feet in length with a slope not exceeding 5%, ending at the property line (or ultimate street line established in the General Plan).

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   (A)   Design standards. Parking facilities must be designed to conform to the following minimum standards:

      (1)   Parking spaces must be located on the same lot as the use they serve, unless remote parking is permitted by the Planning Director pursuant to the provisions of § 16.46.150 (Remote Parking).

      (2)   Access to parking stalls must not be taken directly from a public or private street or alley.

      (3)   A 15-foot vertical clearance must be maintained over all parking areas, driveways, and access points.

      (4)   Driveways serving a parking area with 20 or more spaces must be designed with either one-way circulation or a double driveway system.

      (5)   Parking spaces must not be located within required front-yard setback areas.

      (6)   All carpooling parking spaces and bicycle racks must be located within 200 feet to the main entrance of the facility they are intended to serve.

   (B)   Parking space dimensions. Table 46-2 identifies the minimum required dimensions for parking stalls and aisles for uncovered standard and compact parking spaces.

 

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   The following standards apply to all residential garages and carports.

   (A)   Dimensions.

      (1)   All parking spaces in a garage or carport must have a minimum width of 10 feet and a minimum length of 20 feet. The minimum width and length must be measured from within the interior dimensions of the garage or carport.

      (2)   Single garage doors must have a minimum clearance width of 9 feet, and double garage doors must have a minimum clearance width of 16 feet. No chain link doors or walls will be permitted.

   (B)   Location.

      (1)   Parking spaces for multi-family units must be located within 200 feet of and readily accessible to the dwelling served.

      (2)   Detached garages and carports may be located on the side and rear property lines of a lot, provided roof drainage is designed to prevent runoff onto adjacent property. The following exception applies:

         (a)   On a corner lot, no detached garage or carport will be permitted within the street side yard.

      (3)   On lots where the slope of the front half of the lot is greater than 25%, one detached garage may be located within the required front yard, provided the garage is set back at least five feet from the front lot line and any side lot line, and further provided the garage height does not exceed ten feet.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

Detached Garage and Carport Setbacks

Garages on Sloped Lots

   (A)   All parking spaces, maneuvering areas, turnarounds, and driveways must be paved with asphaltic concrete, concrete cement or concrete pavers in accordance with standards set by the City Engineer.

   (B)   All parking spaces except those in garages or carports must be marked with paint or other distinguishable material. Compact and handicap parking spaces must be identified to preclude use by other vehicles.

   (C)   Directional signs must mark one-way entrances and aisles and must be visible to drivers of vehicles using the facility. Additional safety and direction signage must be provided as directed by the Planning Director and City Engineer.

   (D)   Bumper guards, wheel stops, or curbing must be provided whenever parking stalls are designed to allow vehicles to head into or abut buildings, structures, fences, landscaping, and other vehicles.

   (F)   All parking and internal circulation areas must be designed to drain adequately. Driveways more than 75 feet in length must be improved with 2-foot-wide concrete gutters or v-swales in accordance with standards set by the City Engineer.

   (G)   Planter areas may be designed to allow parked vehicles to overhang the planter area. However, for any planter area less than six feet wide, vehicles will be permitted to overhang only one side of the planter area.

   (H)   Wherever parking spaces abut a building or structure, a minimum 5-foot-wide landscaped buffer area must be provided. This buffer area may contain paved walkways and required handicapped access ramps and pathways.

   (I)   The lighting of parking areas must be designed in accordance with the standards for light and glare in § 16.42.050 (Light and Glare) of this Title 16.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   (A)   All surface parking lots that abut a public right-of-way must be screened from view with a wall, fence, or dense planting of shrubs or similar landscape material. The height of the wall, fence, or landscaping must be at least 3-½ feet, and plans for such screening materials must be approved by the Planning Director.

   (B)   Where a wall or fence is to be used for screening, a minimum 5-foot-wide landscaped strip must be required between the wall or fence and the property line.

   (C)   Recreational vehicles must be screened from view of the public right-of-way with a wall, gate, fence, or dense planting of shrubs or similar landscape material.

   (D)   Parking areas provided for commercial and industrial uses must be separated from any adjoining residential zone, church, school, or park by an 8-foot high masonry wall.

Landscape Strip for Parking Areas

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   (A)   Landscaping must be provided within all parking lots that provide parking for ten or more vehicles to break up the monotony of asphalt paving, provide shade, reduce reflected heat and encourage a unified site design that provides continuity between the building areas and the parking areas.

   (B)   A minimum of 5% of the total area of the parking lot must be landscaped, exclusive of any required perimeter planting adjacent to a public right-of-way but inclusive of any landscaped buffer area provided between parking lots and buildings.

   (C)   A minimum of one tree must be provided for every eight parking spaces. In no case may fewer than two trees be provided. All trees to be installed must be a minimum 24-inch-box size. The trees must be distributed throughout the parking area, using a combination of interior and perimeter planters and must be located to achieve uniform shade coverage.

   (D)   All landscaped areas must be contained within concrete or masonry curbing no less than six inches high. No dimension of a landscaped area may be less than five feet.

   (E)   All landscaped areas must be provided with an underground, automated irrigation system.

   (F)   All landscaped areas must be maintained in a neat and healthy condition.

   (G)   Any unused space resulting from the design of a parking area must be landscaped.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04; Am. Ord. 1172, passed 7-2-07)

   (A)   Remote parking may be permitted for any nonresidential use, provided such parking facilities are located no more than 600 feet from the use they are intended to serve.

   (B)   A covenant for the use of the remote parking lot will be required between the owner(s) of the development site and the owner(s) of the lot used for remote parking. Said covenant must be in form approved by the City Attorney and recorded with the County Recorder of Ventura County. The covenant may not be revoked, modified, or canceled without the consent of the city.

   (C)   Such agreements for remote parking must be authorized by any required discretionary permit issued for the proposed development project. Where no discretionary permit is involved, a Conditional Use Permit will be required to authorize the remote parking.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   Nonconforming parking must comply with the provisions of Chapter 16.112 (Nonconforming Parking) of this Title 16.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   (A)   C-G, C-H, C/LI, LI, and I Zones. Every commercial and industrial use in the C-G, C-H, C/LI, LI, and I zones must provide off-street loading spaces consistent with the requirements of this Division 2. The number of required loading spaces are as set forth in Table 46-3.

   (B)   Other uses. All other uses of an institutional, assembly, dining, or warehousing nature, including hotels, must provide off-street loading

spaces consistent with the requirements of this Division 2. The number of required loading spaces are as set forth in Table 46-4.

 

 

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   All loading spaces must have the minimum dimensions as set forth in Table 46-5.

 

 

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   (A)   No loading dock or door may be visible from a public right-of-way. Loading doors must be designed or painted to blend architecturally with the exterior walls of the structure.

   (B)   Loading spaces must be located to serve the site and buildings without blocking movement to a driveway, parking stall, street, or alley. Adequate area must be provided on site to allow all maneuvering to occur on the site. Approaches must be designed to preclude access to a loading space directly from a street.

   (C)   Adequate queuing space must be provided on site to ensure that vehicles waiting to access loading spaces are not stopped on any public right-of-way.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)

   Passenger loading areas must be provided at schools, day care centers, hospitals, clinics, and similar facilities where passengers are frequently loaded and unloaded. The loading area must consist, at a minimum, of a bay or similar feature that allows vehicles to load and unload passengers without impeding vehicle flow.

(Ord. 1100, passed 7-6-04)