Location. Off-street parking or loading lots may be developed in any required side, front or rear yard. Parking garages shall conform to the minimum yard requirements for principal buildings of the district in which they are located.

Surface. Lots shall be surfaced by a dust-free paving material such as asphalt, bitumen or concrete and maintained in a smooth, well-graded condition, with drainage adequate to dispose of all surface water without causing any nuisance on adjoining or nearby properties. However, in the case of public schools, parks or recreational districts, driveways, access aisles and parking facilities may be surfaced with grass, shell or otherwise stabilized so as to be dust-free.

Dimensions. Each parking space shall measure a minimum of nine feet wide by 18 feet deep for a standard space and 12 feet wide by 20 feet deep for a handicap space exclusive of maneuvering space. The Community Improvement Director may approve an alternative parking space dimension if it can be shown that the alternative dimension meets generally accepted industry technical standards. The marking of parking spaces is required in lots designed for more than four vehicles.

Vehicular access. Vehicular access to streets, pedestrian areas and landscaped areas shall be restricted and controlled by curbs. Unrestricted access to streets shall not exceed 25 feet per access point.

Illumination. Lots shall be adequately illuminated if designed for use by more than four vehicles after dark.

Egress. Excluding single-family residences, all off-street parking areas shall be designed so that no vehicle is required to back into a public or private street or through drive to obtain egress. For the purpose of this provision, drives or aisles serving more than 25 vehicles and which are not internal to a parking bay but serve one or more parking bays are considered to be through drives.

Loading areas. Loading areas shall comprise one space for every commercial or industrial building of 25,000 square feet or more plus one additional space for each additional 25,000 or more square feet of gross building space. Each loading space shall be at least 500 square feet in area.

Residential zone restrictions. A garage designed for more than three vehicles is not permitted as an accessory use for a single-family dwelling. Overnight outside parking for commercial vehicles in excess of 2,000 pounds load capacity is not permitted. No commercial automotive repair work may be done in a residential district.

Overnight outside parking. Overnight outside parking for recreational vehicles and boats, unless parked behind the front yard setback line, is prohibited.

Motor vehicle stops. In lots designed for more than four vehicles, each parking space shall have curbs or motor vehicle stops or similar devices so as to prevent vehicles from overhanging on or into public rights-of-way or adjacent property.

The number of required parking spaces for each use shall be as shown in the following table:

Purpose and intent. The purpose of this section is to improve the appearance of off-street parking and vehicular use areas and thereby protect and preserve the appearance, character and value of the surrounding neighborhoods. Landscaping assists in controlling vehicular and pedestrian traffic to and from, as well as within, off-street facilities and other vehicular use areas if utilized as an integral site design element to:

When required. All off-street parking and vehicular use areas greater than 1,500 square feet or of four or more parking spaces, except for single-family, duplex dwellings and mobile homes, shall comply with the requirements of this section.

Calculation for parking spaces. Off-street parking and vehicular areas, as identified in Subsection B, shall have at least 15 square feet of interior landscaping for each parking space, excluding those spaces abutting a perimeter for which landscaping is required by other sections hereof.

Calculation for other vehicular use areas. Vehicular use areas in excess of 1,500 square feet shall have 15 square feet of landscaped area for each 500 square feet or fraction thereof of paved area for the first 50,000 square feet, plus 15 square feet of landscaped area for each 1,000 square feet or fraction thereof of paved area over 50,000 square feet.

Calculation for combined parking and vehicular use areas. Where the property contains both parking areas and other vehicular use areas, the two types of areas may be separated for the purposes of determining the other vehicular use areas by multiplying the total number of parking spaces by the square footage of the average parking space and subtracting the resulting figure from the total square footage of the paved area.

Minimum dimensions. Each separate landscaped area shall contain a minimum of 50 square feet and shall have a minimum dimension of five feet.

Trees. Each separate landscaped area shall include at least one tree having a clear trunk of at least five feet, with the remaining area adequately landscaped with shrubs, ground cover or other authorized landscape material not to exceed 36 inches in height. The total number of trees shall not be fewer than one for each 100 square feet, or fraction thereof, of required interior landscaping area.

Placement of landscaped areas. Landscaped areas shall be located so as to divide the expanse of paving and, at strategic points, to guide traffic flow and direction. Specific guidelines to implement the intent of this subsection include the following:

Waiver from placement provisions. In instances where healthy plant material exists on a site prior to its development or redevelopment, wholly or in part, for the purposes of off-street parking or other vehicular use areas, the Building Official may adjust the application of the standards of this section to allow for credit for such plant material if, in his/her opinion, such an adjustment is in keeping with the intent of this section. In other vehicular use areas where the strict application of this section will seriously limit the function of areas such as off-street loading areas, the required landscaping may be near the perimeter of the paved area, including such perimeters which may be adjacent to a building on the site. Such required interior landscaping which is relocated as herein provided shall be addition to the perimeter landscaping requirements.

Protection from encroachment. Whenever the end of a parking space abuts a required landscape area, the parking space shall be furnished with curbing or wheel stops, the far side of which be at least one foot from the required landscape area. No tree or shrub more than two feet in height shall be planted within two feet of the edge of the perimeter of the landscape area.

Maintenance of landscape areas. The owner, tenant or the agent of the owner or tenant, if any, shall be jointly and severally responsible for the maintenance of all landscape areas, which shall be so maintained as to present a healthy and orderly appearance and shall be kept free from refuse and debris.