These parking and loading regulations are intended to provide for the provision of parking and loading areas which are adequate to support the needs of proposed uses and future uses of a site, while at the same time assuring that the design and construction of such parking and loading areas meet minimum design standards necessary to promote efficient circulation and prevent undue traffic congestion on and to the public right-of-way.

All new development, additions to buildings or structures, or conversions of use for which an improvement location permit is required by this ordinance in any district shall provide required parking areas in accordance with the regulations of this section. Such parking areas may be provided in either a surface parking area or a parking garage. If parking areas are provided in a parking garage, such parking garage shall be located in compliance with the development standards of the applicable district of this ordinance regarding minimum setbacks and the landscaping requirements of landscape regulations.

Existing parking areas shall not be reduced below the minimum requirement for such use as required by this ordinance. Any parking areas existing prior to the effective date of this ordinance which were already below the standards established by this ordinance shall not be further reduced.

A.

Parking areas.

i.

Up to 25 percent of required parking spaces may be waived if a plan for all required parking spaces is developed and a landscaped reserve area is set aside for the total amount of required parking.

ii.

Paving and curbing of parking areas in A-2 or A-3 agricultural zone districts and R-1 or R-2 residential zone districts is not required for all uses with ten (10) or less required parking spaces.

iii.

Up to 25 percent of the required parking spaces may be gravel if they are located to the rear of the primary building and screened with landscape live plant material, fencing or earth mounding and designated as employee or overflow parking.

B.

Parking areas shall be located.

i.

On the same lot as the building, structure or use served by the parking area; or

ii.

Within the same integrated center, business park, or manufacturing park as the building, structure or use served by the parking area; or

iii.

Within five hundred (500) feet of the building, structure or use served by the parking area, provided that such off-site location for the parking area is approved by the commission as a special use where:

a.

Within a district which permits the use for which the parking is provided; and,

b.

A written agreement, properly drawn and executed by the parties concerned, approved as to form by the county attorney, and filed with the board of zoning appeals as part of the request for approval of the special use.

The design and construction of all required parking areas shall follow the stricter of the regulations contained in this section, or the minimum specifications prescribed by the county.

A.

Design of parking. Layout. The layout of all parking areas shall be in compliance with one (1) of the options set forth below:

Option 1: In the architectural graphic standards, tenth edition, or most current edition, for a level of service "A" or "B"; or,

Option 2: In - Parking Lot Design, below:

B.

Landscaping. Except for individual single-family dwellings or two-family dwellings, the layout of all parking areas shall comply with the design related regulations contained in landscaping regulations, of this ordinance.

C.

Definition of parking spaces. Except individual single-family dwellings or two-family dwellings, all parking spaces shall be:

i.

Identified by painted lines, a minimum four (4) inches in width, raised curbs or other means to indicated individual spaces; and,

ii.

Provided with raised curbs, wheel stops or other devices to ensure that motor vehicles do not encroach beyond the parking area, or into a required yard.

D.

Surface of parking. Commercial required parking areas and any driveway, interior access driveway or interior access drive to and from such parking areas shall be hard surfaced with asphalt, concrete, pervious concrete, or other material to provide a durable, dust-free surface, which meets or exceeds the minimum specifications prescribed by the county.

A temporary or seasonal use permitted by the district in which such temporary or seasonal use is located may use an unimproved or gravel surface for the duration of the temporary or seasonal use. If a temporary gravel surface is provided, such gravel shall be removed, and the parking area shall be returned to its prior condition immediately upon cessation of the temporary or seasonal use.

A.

Parking for all uses shall be provided in accordance with the minimum requirements set forth in the required parking table, on the following page. When the computation of required parking spaces results in a fraction of one-half (1/2) or greater, the number of required parking spaces shall be rounded up to the next whole number.

B.

For multiple-use buildings, structures and uses, the required number of parking spaces for each use shall be calculated based upon the parking requirements for that specific use to determine the minimum aggregate number of parking spaces required.

Additional parking spaces shall be required whenever there is:

A.

A change of use of a building, structure, or lot; or

B.

An addition to any unit of measurement specified herein (i.e., dwelling units, gross floor area, seating capacity, number of employees, etc.), whether such total increase occurs at one (1) time or in successive stages.

A.

Employees. The number of employees shall be compiled based upon the maximum number of persons employed on the premises at anyone (1) time on an average day or average night, whichever is greater.

B.

Gross floor area. Gross floor area shall be determined per the definition of gross floor area.

C.

Seating capacity / building capacity. Seating or building capacity shall be based upon the determination of the fire marshal regarding maximum building capacity.

Every parking area and parking garage available to the public shall have parking spaces reserved for the use of physically handicapped persons as specified in the minimum ADA parking spaces table, below, provided however, facilities which provide medical care and other services to persons with mobility impairments shall provide minimum ADA parking spaces as required by ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities, Chapter 4.1.2 (5)(a) , published in the Federal Register, Volume 56, No. 144, dated July 26, 1991(as amended).

A.

Loading for builders, structures or uses. All commercial or manufacturing development or conversions of use for which an improvement location permit is required by this ordinance shall provide loading areas in accordance with this section.

B.

Design and construction of loading areas. The design and construction of all required loading spaces or excess loading spaces shall follow the stricter of the regulations contained in this loading requirements, or the minimum specifications prescribed by the county.

The following standards shall apply to the design of loading areas:

i.

Loading space dimensions. A required or excess loading space shall be at least twelve (12) feet in width by at least sixty (60) feet in length, exclusive of aisle and maneuvering space, and shall have a vertical clearance of at least fourteen (14) feet.

ii.

Minimum aisle width. Each required loading space shall open directly upon an aisle or interior access drive with a width of at least thirty-five (35) feet and creating a total maneuvering area, inclusive of the loading space, of at least one-hundred and five (105) feet, unless subject to the provisions of sub-section (4), below regarding excess loading spaces.

iii.

Maneuvering. Each maneuvering area, aisle and interior access drive utilized to access a required loading space or an excess loading space shall be so designed and located as to provide safe and efficient ingress/egress to each loading space and so that trucks do not back from or into a public street, or onto an adjoining property (unless the subject property and the adjoining property are located within the same integrated center or manufacturing park and such maneuvering area is subject to a recorded easement allowing such maneuvering).

iv.

Design of excess loading areas. Any use which provides loading spaces at a rate of greater than four (4) loading spaces; and more than two (2) times the minimum required by this ordinance, shall provide a total maneuvering area of at least one-hundred and five (105) feet which is separate and distinct from the minimum aisle width requirement of thirty-five (35) feet.

v.

Alternate design for loading areas. In those instances where insufficient area exists to provide for perpendicular loading spaces as allowed, above, angled, or parallel loading spaces may be proposed, provided:

a.

The design of such loading area shall include either a one-way traffic pattern or orients the loading spaces so that traffic flow from the loading spaces is in the direction of traffic movement on the side of aisle on which the loading spaces are located.

b.

The loading spaces are accessed by an aisle or interior access drive having a width of not less than thirty-five (35) feet plus sufficient maneuvering area outside of the aisle of the interior access drive, based upon the angle of the loading spaces, to provide safe and efficient maneuverability; and,

c.

The design of such angled or parallel loading spaces shall be subject to the approval of the county.

C.

Location of loading spaces.

i.

All loading spaces shall be located on the same lot as the use served.

ii.

No loading spaces shall be located between the front lot line and the front façade of any portion of the building served, provided, however, in the case of a double frontage lot, loading spaces may be located between a front lot line of a perimeter street and the rear of the building served, and the yard between the off-street loading spaces and such front lot line is landscaped in compliance with the landscape regulations for screening.

iii.

All loading spaces shall be oriented toward a side lot line or rear lot line.

iv.

No loading spaces shall be located in a required side and rear yard.

D.

Use of required loading area. Space allocated for required or excess loading spaces and associated maneuverability shall not be used to satisfy parking space requirements.

E.

Surface of loading areas. All loading areas and the ingress/egress to and from such loading areas located on such lot shall be hard surfaced with asphalt, concrete, or other material to provide a durable dust-free surface.

F.

Special regulations for gasoline service stations. The site design of any gasoline service station shall provide for the safe and efficient ingress and egress to the site for fuel delivery vehicles and an area for such fuel delivery vehicles to park while unloading which does not interfere with or impede ingress or egress to or from any public street.