It is the intent of this article to provide safe and adequate parking, loading, transportation and access facilities for each and every use developed within the county.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-701, 8-9-94)

Every use, unless otherwise specified in this chapter, shall be provided with parking in accordance with the following standards:

(1)

Size of parking spaces.

a.

For site plans of development submitted to the county for approval on or prior to October 31, 2018; each parking space shall have a minimum width of eight (8) feet six (6) inches and a minimum length of eighteen (18) feet for perpendicular and angle parking and a minimum length of twenty-two (22) feet for parallel parking. Any parking spaces exceeding the number of required spaces may be designated as compact car spaces with a minimum width of eight (8) feet and a minimum length of fifteen (15) feet.

b.

For plans of development submitted to the county after October 31, 2018; each parking space shall have a minimum width of nine (9) feet and a minimum length of twenty (20) feet for perpendicular and angle parking and a minimum length of twenty-two (22) feet for parallel parking.

(2)

Required aisles. Each parking space shall have direct and unrestricted access to an aisle of the following minimum width:

Width of Aisles

(3)

Location of required parking.

a.

Required parking spaces for single-family detached residential uses shall be located on the same lot that they are intended to serve.

b.

Required parking spaces for single-family attached and multifamily residential uses shall be located on the premises they are intended to serve, located on common areas that serve the property, or within one hundred fifty (150) feet of the dwelling which they are intended to serve.

c.

Except for as described in subsection d below, other required parking spaces shall be located on the same lot as the use which they are intended to serve, or upon a lot within three hundred (300) feet of the lot they are intended to serve. The lot shall be zoned for the use requesting the parking and located on the same side of the street. In no case shall off-site parking be located more than five hundred (500) feet from the entrance of the building that it is intended to serve, across a street, or on property not zoned for the use requesting the parking.

d.

On-street parking shall be permitted where appropriate in Planned Development-2 (PD-2), Planned Traditional Neighborhood Development (PTND), Redevelopment Area-1, Boswell's Corner (RDA-1), and Urban Development (UD) zoning districts, and in redevelopment areas as identified in the comprehensive plan. Designated on-street and off-street parking spaces may be applied towards the requirements of Table 7.1 and Table 7.2 of this chapter provided that such parking shall be located within five hundred (500) feet of the building that it is intended to serve regardless of what side of the street or portion of a block they are located on.

(4)

Number of required parking spaces. The number of parking spaces required to be provided for each use shall be in accordance with Table 7.1.

(5)

Vehicle sales lots. Vehicles sales lots shall contain a minimum of one hundred twenty (120) square feet of parking area per vehicle displayed on site. Required parking aisles shall conform to the provisions of subsection (2), and parking landscaping shall conform to the provisions of section 28-86 of this chapter.

(6)

Other uses not listed. For uses not listed in Table 7.1, the parking requirements shall be taken from the Institute of Transportation Engineers Parking Generation Manual, latest edition, or as determined by the director of planning.

(7)

Computations, 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 greater than one-half shall require one parking space.

(8)

Drive-through facilities, special design requirements. Storage aisles and lanes for drive-through facilities shall not be less than ten (10) feet in width and shall provide a stacking reservoir with a minimum total length of one hundred fifty (150) feet measured from the point at which the transfer of products is conducted with a minimum of seventy-five (75) feet from the first point of transaction or menu board. The stacking reservoir length may be reduced to seventy-five (75) feet for each stacking lane where there are two (2) drive-through lanes associated with a business. The stacking reservoir length may be reduced to fifty (50) feet for each stacking lane where there are three (3) or more drive-through lanes associated with a business. Such aisles and lanes shall provide sufficient radii so those vehicles can approach drive-through facilities without crossing the limits of the lanes or aisles. The service or actual drive-up area shall not be less than eight (8) feet in width. Drive-through lanes cannot block any travel way, drive isle or parking spaces.

(9)

Use of required parking spaces. The use of required parking spaces is limited to parking of motor vehicles; this does not include the storage of merchandise or materials and/or the repair of motor vehicles or any kind of equipment or the overnight parking of commercial vehicles except for vehicle sales facilities or where permitted by this chapter.

(10)

Special exceptions. No vehicle for which a special exception has been granted under previously valid laws shall be parked on any street or street right-of-way. On lots of one acre or larger the vehicle shall not be parked within any front yard setback area.

The parking and storage of tractor-trailers, tractor semi-trailers, trailers and/or truck tractors or cabs capable of attaching to and pulling trailers or semi-trailers (hereinafter called "vehicles") are prohibited in the R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 districts, unless a special exception was previously granted under the Stafford County Code.

(11)

Ingress/egress for parking and loading spaces. The location and design of parking and loading spaces shall be such that there is easy ingress and egress in and out of the spaces for vehicles that they are designed to serve. There shall be adequate turning radii into parking and loading spaces such that the vehicles they are intended to serve will not encroach into other parking spaces or designated drive-through lanes. The minimum travel lane width between mini-storage warehouses shall be thirty (30) feet to allow for adequate turning area for trucks delivering goods and materials to the storage units.

(12)

Commercial vehicle parking. Commercial vehicle parking spaces shall be in addition to required parking for a specific use. Commercial vehicle parking may be permitted in agricultural, commercial and industrial zoning districts. Overnight commercial vehicle parking shall be limited to truck/freight terminals and truck stops, except for fleet parking and where permitted by this chapter.

(13)

Shared parking. Shared parking may be permitted with the following:

a.

The minimum number of required parking spaces provided for all uses.

b.

A shared parking agreement and/or easement is recorded in the county land records.

(14)

Parking credits. Credit toward the required number of parking spaces for an individual use may be permitted with the following:

a.

A credit for up to twenty (20) percent of the required parking may be permitted for a place of worship or other similar use that has infrequent daily demands of required parking, where such use has shared parking, as approved by the agent. The overall number of spaces should be equal to or greater than the total parking required for the more intensive use.

b.

A credit for up to ten (10) percent of the required parking may be permitted of an individual use provided such use has a transit stop located on site or within public right-of-way adjacent to the property.

c.

A credit of up to twenty (20) percent of the required parking may be permitted where a parking deck, parking structure, or garage with more than twenty (20) parking spaces is utilized.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-702, 8-9-94; Ord. No. 095-12, 3-7-95; Ord. No. 096-19, 5-7-96; Ord. No. 000-72, 9-12-00; Ord. No. 002-17, 6-18-02; Ord. No. 002-41, 12-17-02; Ord. No. O05-34, 12-13-05; Ord. No. O13-07, 6-4-13; Ord. No. O17-03, 5-2-17; Ord. No. O18-02, 10-16-18; Ord. No. O19-01, 1-22-19; Ord. No. O21-10, 6-15-21)

All handicapped parking and loading spaces shall be designed to meet the following criteria:

(1)

Except for single-family detached and duplex dwellings, the number of spaces required in Table 7.1 shall include provisions for handicapped parking as specified in Table 7.2.

(2)

All handicapped parking spaces shall have access to a curb cut or curb ramp to allow access to the building served by such parking spaces.

(3)

All handicapped parking spaces shall be provided a continuous, unobstructed path connecting all accessible elements and spaces of a building or facility, and shall be located so that users will not be compelled to traverse behind parked vehicles.

(4)

Handicapped parking spaces shall be a minimum of eight and one-half (8½) feet in width and adjoin an access aisle with a minimum width of five (5) feet. One in every eight (8) spaces, or fraction thereof, shall be provided an access aisle with a minimum width of eight (8) feet and shall be designated by signs as "van accessible."

(5)

Parallel parking spaces shall be located either at the beginning or end of a block or adjacent to alley entrances. Curbs adjacent to such spaces shall be of a height which will not interfere with the opening and closing of motor vehicle doors, or the loading or unloading of handicapped passengers.

(6)

Each parking space shall be paved and prominently outlined and maintained with a permanent, abovegrade sign of an approved design and color, bearing the internationally accepted wheelchair symbol and/or caption "parking by disabled permit only." Such signs shall have the bottom edge no lower than four (4) feet, nor higher than seven (7) feet above the parking surface.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-703, 8-9-94; Ord. No. 095-12, 3-7-95)

All uses which involve the receipt or distribution, by vehicles, of materials or merchandise shall provide and maintain off-street space for standing, loading and unloading purposes in accordance with the following standards:

(1)

Number and size of required loading spaces. The number and sizes of required loading spaces shall be as specified in Table 7.1.

(2)

Location of loading spaces. Loading spaces shall be located entirely within the same lot as the use they are intended to serve and not on any public right-of-way, front yard or other lot; adequate access to such spaces shall be provided.

(3)

Use of off-street loading spaces. The use of required loading spaces shall be limited to the parking of trucks and/or trailers only while actual loading or unloading operations are taking place. Loading spaces shall not be used for temporary or permanent parking of trucks and/or trailers.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-704, 8-9-94; Ord. No. 001-62, 10-16-01; Ord. No. O18-02, 10-16-18)

All entrance and exit drives and street intersections shall provide clear sight triangles in both directions; no visual obstructions may be placed from three (3) feet above the ground to ten (10) feet above the ground within the required clear sight triangle(s). Clear sight triangles shall be provided as follows:

(1)

Drive with bufferyard.

Type of Street Distance in Feet

(2)

Street with bufferyard.

Type of Street Distance in Feet

(3)

Street without bufferyard.

Type of Street Distance in Feet

In the above three (3) tables:

A* is the distance from the edge of the pavement of the street to the point on the drive at which clear sight distance is required.

B* is the distance measured along the centerline of the street, from the centerline of the entrance to the point where an oncoming vehicle must be visible.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-705, 8-9-94)

Roads shall be constructed and rights-of-way provided in accordance with the Stafford County Subdivision Ordinance and Virginia Department of Transportation standards. Where roadway plans are identified in the Comprehensive Plan, or are approved by either the Virginia Department of Transportation or the board of supervisors, for widening, opening or relocating any street or highway within the county, setbacks for any new construction shall be calculated based on the planned right-of-way area. Parking areas, loading areas, and vehicle travel lanes shall not be located in such planned right-of-way areas, except for perpendicular entrances.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-706, 8-9-94; Ord. No. O16-29, 11-22-16; Ord. No. O21-26, 8-17-21)

Editor's note— Ord. No. O05-01, adopted March 15, 2005, repealed § 28-107, which pertained to parking and storage of inoperable motor vehicles and derived from Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-707, adopted Aug. 9, 1994.

Residential developments that have access from private travel lane(s) or private access easement(s) may establish and maintain restricted access entrance(s) to the development from any public street pursuant to the following provisions:

(1)

Access restriction. Restricted access entrances shall be designed in a manner to inhibit free movement of vehicular traffic to and from private travel lanes or private access easements to public streets. Restricted access entrances shall include one or more of the following mechanisms to restrict vehicular traffic:

a.

Gatehouse(s) or sentry box(es) manned by security guard(s);

b.

Gate arms, fences of vehicular obstructions that are remotely controlled by the owner of a unit or persons or vehicles possessing a special access pass; or

c.

Remote control camera(s) monitored by security guard(s).

(2)

Design criteria. Restricted access entrances shall be constructed to meet the following additional design criteria:

a.

Turn around areas shall be provided for vehicles that are unable to obtain entry to the private travel lane(s);

b.

Gate arms, fences, or vehicle obstructions shall be located a minimum of one hundred (100) feet from any public street; and

c.

Automated provisions shall be made to permit emergency response vehicles to enter through the restricted access entrance(s).

(3)

Maintenance. Restricted access entrances shall be operated and maintained on a twenty-four-hour per day basis, three hundred sixty-five (365) days a year. Owners of a development upon which restricted access entrances are required shall adequately assure Stafford County of such perpetual operation and maintenance.

(Ord. No. 097-62, 11-18-97; Ord. O12-21, 9-4-12)

Table 7.1
Required Parking and Loading Spaces

* May be reduced by the board of supervisors if owner/occupants building design restricts capacity of the building to a number less than the approved occupancy load designated by the fire marshal.

** Parking for delivery vehicles and spaces for carry out shall be in addition to the minimum required parking spaces.

(Ord. No. 094-29, 8-9-94; Ord. No. 095-12, 3-7-95; Ord. No. 096-49, 10-15-96; Ord. No. 099-26, 7-13-99; Ord. No. 099-42, 7-13-99; Ord. No. 000-41, 8-8-00; Ord. No. 000-72, 9-12-00; Ord. No. 001-19, 3-20-01; Ord. No. 002-41, 12-17-02; Ord. No. O06-01, 6-20-06; Ord. No. O07-68, 10-2-07; Ord. No. O07-78, 12-18-07; Ord. No. O12-16, 12-4-12; Ord. No. O18-07, 1-23-18; Ord. No. O18-02, 10-16-18; Ord. No. O20-21, 9-1-20; Ord. No. O21-04, 1-19-21)

Table 7.2

(Ord. No. 094-29, 8-9-94)

Editor's note— Ord. No. O18-02, adopted Oct. 16, 2018, deleted Table 7.3, which pertained to required loading space and derived from Ord. No. 094-29, 8-9-94. For provisions regarding required loading space, see Table 7.1.