The regulation of off-street parking spaces in these zoning regulations is intended to alleviate or prevent congestion of the public right-of-way and to promote the safety and general welfare of the public, by establishing minimum requirements for off-street parking of motor vehicles in accordance with the intensity of utilization of the various parcels of land or structures.

The off-street parking requirements of this Ordinance shall apply within all zoning districts for uses and structures, except as hereinafter provided.

A.

Site Plans. All site plans submitted for a structure requiring parking spaces and/or loading facilities shall show or designate the parking and/or loading area(s), number of parking spaces, and type of surfacing, screening, drainage, curbing, sidewalks and other improvements which may be required to be installed. Said plan shall be a part of the Building Permit for any such structure, and no Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued until all items shown on the plan for parking and loading facilities have been completed, unless an agreement supported by a cash deposit or bond provides for the completion of said plan.

B.

Change in Use. When there is a change of use, tenancy, or occupancy of a parcel of land or building which requires additional parking or loading spaces, as prescribed in this Section, the minimum parking requirements as prescribed herein shall be met for such use, tenant, or occupant.

C.

Reduction of Existing Off-Street Parking Space or Parking Lot Area. Off-street parking spaces and loading spaces or parking lot area existing upon the effective date of this Ordinance shall not be reduced in number or size unless said number or size exceeds the requirements set forth herein for a similar new use.

A.

Boats, fish houses, school buses, house trailers, camping trailers, farm tractors, utility trailers and motor homes may not be parked, stored or otherwise continued on residential property for a period greater than 72 hours, unless placed completely in the rear yard or side yard of said property, or within a garage, and are screened from view of abutting properties and the public right-of-way.

B.

Except where otherwise allowed in a zoning district, business and commercial vehicles of more than 12,000 GVW or greater than 30 feet in length, and contracting or excavating equipment may not be parked, stored or otherwise continued on any property within the City unless being used in conjunction with a temporary service benefiting the residential or commercial premises.

C.

Junked or inoperable vehicles may not be parked, stored or otherwise continued on any property within the City for a period greater than 72 hours unless placed completely within an enclosed building or garage or screened in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 918 of this Ordinance. Said regulations shall also apply to race cars.

D.

No motor vehicle repair work of any kind shall be permitted in conjunction with exposed off-street parking facilities, except for minor repairs of vehicles owned by the occupant or resident of the principal use for which the parking space is intended. No exterior storage of car parts are allowed at any time.

E.

Except where otherwise allowed by zoning district, contractor's supplies and equipment or machinery kept for eventual sale, commercial repair, rental or other commercial purposes may not be stored, kept or otherwise continued on any property within the City. The keeping, storage or otherwise continuing of such materials within the City is prohibited and shall be considered to be a non-conforming use if in existence at the effective date of this Ordinance.

(Ord. 810 [4-28-2022])

A.

Construction. All exposed parking areas and driveways shall be surfaced with an all-weather, durable and dust-free surfacing material to be approved by the City Engineer, shall be well drained and landscaped, and shall be maintained in a sightly and well-kept condition.

B.

Striping and Curbing. All parking areas where four or more spaces are required shall be marked by durable painted stripes designating the parking spaces unless excepted by the City Engineer. A continuous curb shall be provided around the periphery of the paved parking area of the lot, including drives.

C.

Location.

1.

Required accessory off-street parking shall be on the same lot under the same ownership as the principal use being served, except as provided for under the provisions of Sections 920.08 and 920.09.

2.

Except for single, two family, townhouse, quadraminium and manor home dwellings, head-in parking, directly off of and adjacent to a public street, with each stall having its own direct access to the public street, shall be prohibited.

3.

The boulevard portion of the street right-of-way shall not be used for parking.

4.

In the case of single family, two family, townhouse, quadraminium, and manor home dwellings parking shall be prohibited in any portion of the front yard except designated driveways leading directly into a garage or one open, surfaced space located on the side of a driveway, away from the principal use. Said extra space shall be surfaced with concrete or bituminous material.

D.

Setbacks.

1.

Front, side and rear setbacks of at least ten feet from property lines shall be maintained from parking areas in all zoning districts, except R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-4A, C-4, C-4A and C-4B Districts. Setbacks of five feet in the C-4, C-4A, and C-4B Districts shall apply only to those parking areas adjacent to residentially zoned or residentially used property.

2.

In addition to the setback requirements, off-street parking must be set back 15 feet from any street surface.

3.

A side setback of at least three feet from property lines shall be maintained from parking areas in the R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-3A, R-4, and R-4A zoning districts.

E.

Design.

1.

Traffic. Vehicular traffic generated by a use shall be channeled and controlled in a manner which will avoid congestion or interference with other vehicular transportation systems or pedestrian traffic and which will avoid creating traffic hazards or excessive traffic through residential areas. The adequacy of any proposed traffic circulation system to accomplish these objectives shall be determined by the City, which may require such additional measures for traffic control as it may deem necessary, including, but not limited to, the following: directional signalization, channelization, standby turn lanes, sidewalks illumination and other facilities within the site to prevent a backup of vehicles on public streets.

2.

Parking Stalls.

a)

All parking spaces, except for parallel spaces and compact car stalls, shall be a minimum of nine feet in width and 20 feet in length, except a parking stall 18 feet in length with a two-foot overhang beyond the parking surface may be allowed upon approval of the City Engineer.

b)

Up to 20 percent of the parking spaces in a parking lot of 40 spaces or more may be permanently marked for compact cars only. A compact space shall be a minimum of eight feet in width and 16 feet in length.

c)

In areas such as parking ramps or similar facilities size requirements may be determined by the City Engineer.

d)

Parallel parking spaces shall be 23 feet in length.

3.

Driveway Standards. Except in the case of single family, two family, townhouse, quadraminium, and manor home dwellings minimum driveway and traffic lane widths shall be developed in compliance with the following standards:

4.

Within Structure. The off-street parking requirement may be furnished by providing fee free space so designed within the principal building or structures attached thereto; however, unless provisions are made, no building permit shall be issued to convert said parking structure into a dwelling unit or living area or other activity until other adequate provisions are made to comply with the required off-street parking provisions of this Code. In creating other provisions on-street parking shall not be used.

5.

Streets Not Used. Except in the case of single, two family and townhouse dwellings, parking areas shall be designed so that circulation between parking bays or aisles occurs within the designated parking lot and does not depend upon a public street or alley. Except in the case of single, two family and townhouse dwellings, parking area design which requires backing into the public street is prohibited. Parking spaces in a public right-of-way cannot be utilized in meeting required off-street parking standards.

6.

Curb Cut Proximity to Intersection. No curb cut or other driveway access shall be located less than 40 feet from the intersection of two or more street rights-of-way. This distance shall be measured from the intersection of lot lines, not curb lines.

7.

Curb Cut Maximum. No curb cut access shall exceed 24 feet in width except upon approval by the City Engineer.

8.

Curb Cut Spacing Minimum. Curb cut openings shall be located at a minimum of ten feet from the side yard lot line in all commercial districts, except for the C-4, C-4A and C-4B Districts where such setbacks shall apply only to those parking areas adjacent to residentially zoned or residentially used property. Curb cut openings shall be located at a minimum of three feet from the side yard lot line in all residential districts, except for the R-5 District where such setbacks shall be located at a minimum of ten feet from the side yard lot line.

9.

Curb Cut Separation. Driveway access curb openings on a public street except for single, two family and townhouse dwellings shall not be located less than 40 feet from one another except on approval by the City Engineer.

10.

Parking Area Grades. The grade elevation of any parking area or portion thereof shall not exceed five percent.

11.

Driveway Access Minimum. Each property shall be allowed one driveway access for each 125 feet of street frontage. All property shall be entitled to at least one driveway access. Single family uses shall be limited to one driveway access per lot, except when the property exceeds the required street frontage per zoning district requirements a second driveway access may be allowed by approval of the City Engineer. The access of driveways onto arterial and collector streets is discouraged. However, when such a use is necessary or approved by the City, a minimum number of driveways shall be promoted by encouraging joint access through the use of shared curb cuts and access easements.

12.

Street Access. Except in the case of a planned unit development, each lot shall have access directly onto an abutting, improved and City accepted public street.

13.

Lighting. Any lighting used to illuminate an off-street parking area shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining property, abutting residential uses and public rights-of-way and be in compliance with Section 916.06 of this Code.

14.

Signs. No sign shall be so located as to restrict the sight lines and orderly operation and traffic movement within any parking lot. All signs shall be in conformance with Chapter 927 of this Ordinance.

15.

Sidewalks. Sidewalks shall be provided from apartment parking areas, and loading zones to the entrance of the building.

(Ord. 846 [2-4-2025])

All exposed parking areas of four or more required spaces shall be landscaped on all sides. Such screening shall be in conformance with Chapter 918 of this Ordinance and be approved in advance by the City. Landscaping shall consist of a wall or fence and plantings or surfacing material shall be provided in all areas bordering the parking area. No landscaping or screening shall interfere with the drive or pedestrian visibility for vehicles entering or exiting the premises.

A.

It shall be joint and several responsibility of the owner of the principal use (or Lessee, if there is one ), to use and to maintain in a neat and adequate manner, the parking space, access way, striping, landscaping, required fences and snow removal.

B.

Snow Storage in Parking Stalls. Provision shall be made in the parking area for adequate snow storage or removal in order to ensure that the required number of spaces are available at all times during the year.

C.

Use of Required Area. Required accessory off-street parking spaces in any district shall not be utilized for open storage, sale or rental of goods, or storage, of inoperable vehicles.

A.

When parking is provided on a site other than the lot or tract upon which a principal use is located, said parking area shall be in the ownership of and remain in the possession of the owner of the principal use for which it is designated. No authorization for separate parking facilities shall be given until such time as the City Council is reasonably certain that the ownership and use of the parking area will continue and that the site will be well maintained. Off-site parking facilities may only be allowed by conditional use permit and shall be subject to the following conditions:

1.

Ordinance Compliance. Off-site parking shall be developed and maintained in compliance with all requirements and standards of this Ordinance.

2.

Access. Reasonable improved access from off-street parking facilities to the use being serviced shall be provided.

3.

Proximity to Multiple Residence. Off-site parking for multiple family dwellings shall not be located more than 100 feet from any normally used entrance of the principal use serviced.

4.

Proximity for Non-Residential Uses. Off-site parking for non-residential uses shall not be located more than 300 feet from the main entrance of the principal use being served. No more than one main entrance shall be recognized for each principal building.

A.

Off-Site Joint Use of Parking. The City Council may, after receiving a report and recommendation from the Planning Commission, approve a conditional use permit for one or more uses to provide the required off-street parking facilities by joint use of one or more sites where the total number of spaces provided are less than the sum of the total required for each use should they provide them separately. When considering a request for such conditional use permit, the Planning Commission shall not recommend that such permit be granted except when the following conditions are found to exist:

1.

Entertainment Uses. Up to 50 percent of the parking facilities required for a theatre, bowling alley, or bar may be supplied by the off-street parking facilities provided by types of uses specified as primarily daytime uses in Section 920.13, Subd. A below.

2.

Night Time or Sunday Uses. Up to 50 percent of the off-street parking facilities required for any use specified under Section 920.13, Subd. A below as primarily day time uses may be supplied by the parking facilities provided by the following night time or Sunday uses; auditoriums incidental to a public or parochial school, churches, bowling alleys, theatres, bars, excluding ones with restaurants or food services, or apartments.

3.

Schools, Auditorium and Church Uses. Up to 80 percent of the parking facilities required by this section for a church or an auditorium incidental to a public or parochial school may be supplied by the off-street parking facilities provided by uses specified under Section 920.13, Subd. A below as primarily daytime uses.

4.

Daytime Uses. For the purpose of this section the following uses are considered as primarily day time uses. banks, business offices, retail stores, personal service shops, restaurants, service shops, manufacturing, wholesale and similar uses.

5.

Office, Restaurant, Retail, Government, and Multiple Family Residential Uses. The minimum parking requirement for joint facilities that include office, restaurant, retail, government and/or multiple family residential uses are determined by the following calculation:

a)

Multiply the minimum parking required for each individual use, by the appropriate percentage for each of the six designated time periods, as outlined in the following table:

b)

Add the resulting sums for each of the six designated time periods.

c)

The minimum parking requirement shall be the highest sum among the six designated time periods.

6.

Additional Criteria for Joint Parking. In addition to the preceding requirements, the following conditions are required for joint parking usage:

a)

Proximity. The building or use for which application is being made to utilize the off-street parking facilities provided by another building or use shall be located within 300 feet of such parking facilities.

b)

Conflict in Hours. The applicant shall show that there is no substantial conflict in the principal operating hours of the two buildings or uses for which joint use of off-street parking facilities is proposed.

c)

Written Consent and Agreement. A legally binding instrument, executed by the parties concerned, for joint use of off-street parking facilities, duly approved as to title of grantors or lessors, and form and manner of execution by the City Attorney, shall be filed with the City Clerk and recorded with the Hennepin County Recorder or Registrar of titles, and a certified copy of the recorded document shall be filed with the City within 60 days after approval of the joint parking use by the City.

A.

Design. Fifty percent of the required number of truck berths shall be 50 feet in length. All berths shall be no less than 12 feet in width and 14 feet in length, exclusive of aisle and maneuvering space. All loading areas shall consist of a maneuvering area in addition to the berth and shall not use any of that portion of the site containing parking stalls. Maneuvering areas shall be of such size as to permit the backing of truck tractors and coupled trailers into a berth, without blocking the use of other berths, drives or maneuvering areas or on public right-of-way. The construction and setback standards listed in Section 920.09 also shall apply to all loading areas.

B.

Landscaping and Screening of Loading Berths. Loading berths shall be screened from all property lines. Said screening shall be accomplished by a solid wall or fence and shall be so designed as to be architecturally harmonious with the principal structure and in conformance with Chapter 918 of this Ordinance. Screening plantings may be substituted, provided such plantings are in conformance with Chapter 918 of this Ordinance.

C.

Location.

1.

Off-Street. All required loading berths for a non-residential use shall be off-street and located on the same lot as the building or use to be served.

2.

Distance from Intersection. All loading berth curb cuts shall be located at minimum 50 feet from the intersection of two or more street rights-of-way. This distance shall be measured from the property line.

3.

Distance from Residential Use. No loading berth for a non-residential use shall be located closer than 100 feet from a residential district unless completely within a structure, except on approval by the City Council.

a)

Pedestrians. Loading berths shall not conflict with pedestrian movement.

b)

Visibility. Loading berths shall not obstruct the view of the public right-of-way from off-street parking access.

c)

General Compliance. Loading berths shall comply with all other requirements of this section.

4.

Traffic Interference. Each loading berth shall be located with appropriate means of vehicular access to a street or public alley in a manner which will cause the least interference with traffic.

5.

Accessory Use; Parking and Storage. Any space allocated as a required loading berth or access drive so as to comply with the terms of these zoning regulations shall not be used for the storage of goods, inoperable vehicles or snow and shall not be included as part of the space requirements to meet off-street parking requirements.

A.

Calculating Space.

1.

Floor Area. The term "floor area" for the purpose of calculating the number of off-street parking spaces required shall be determined based on the Gross Floor Area minus ten percent, except as may be hereinafter modified.

2.

Computation. When in the process of determining the required number of off-street parking spaces, there occurs a fraction of a space, such fraction shall be deemed as the requirement for an additional parking space. Parking spaces shall not be counted toward meeting a parking requirement when they are sufficiently inconvenient to be of questionable use.

3.

Places of Public Assembly. In stadiums, sports arenas, churches and other places of public assembly in which patrons or spectators occupy benches, pews or other similar seating facilities, each 18 inches of such seating facilities shall be counted as one seat for the purpose of determining requirements.

4.

More than One Use. Except for a shopping center, should a structure contain two or more types of uses, the Gross Floor Area of each use shall be calculated and a ten percent reduction shall be made for non-productive space. For mixed-use buildings, the reduction may be increased to up to 20 percent subject to review of a floor plan that demonstrates no additional impact on parking demand, as determined by the Zoning Administrator. The resulting net usable floor space figure shall be utilized to determine the off-street parking requirement.

B.

Minimum Number of Spaces. The minimum number of off-street parking and loading spaces for each use shall be as follows:

C.

Non-Specified Uses. For uses not specifically listed above, off-street parking and loading requirements shall be computed by the Zoning Administrator on the same basis as required for the most similar listed uses, building occupancy, projected demand, or parking study. (N.A. = Not Applicable).

(Ord. 819 [11-10-2022]; Ord. No. 826 [5-25-2023])

A.

Within the C-4, C-4A and C-4B Zoning Districts, the City may approve development and uses which do not comply with the required number of parking spaces as a conditional use permit, provided that:

1.

A development agreement running with the land is completed in which it is agreed that the property in question is financially responsible for its proportionate share of the City sponsored and provided parking space construction, maintenance, and parking site acquisition for new on-street, lot and/or ramp parking. Said responsibility shall be determined on the basis of the property's parking space shortage based upon ordinance requirements, in relationship to the total parking space shortage, as defined by Chapter 920 for a defined service and benefit area. The "service and benefit area" shall include all properties which benefit from the available public parking serving a particular retail and commercial neighborhood or district.

2.

The amount of parking provided on the property in question is the maximum amount possible, taking into account the use and design objectives of the C-4, C-4A and C-4B Districts as outlined by this Ordinance and the Comprehensive Plan.

3.

The parking shortages created by the development are not premature or in excess of the supply which can be provided by the City through a public parking system on a long-term basis.

4.

The provisions of Section 904.02.F of this Ordinance are considered and satisfactorily met.

A.

If warranted by unique characteristics or documented parking demand, the City may allow reductions in the number of parking spaces actually constructed at the time of site development or occupancy of a building, as long as the property owner provides a proof of parking plan. The proof of parking plan must provide the location for all minimum required parking spaces in conformance with this Ordinance. The City may require installation of the additional parking spaces in the proof of parking plan whenever the need arises.

B.

Subject to the review and processing of a variance as regulated by Chapter 905 of this Ordinance, the City may reduce the number of required off-street parking spaces and/or loading spaces when the use can demonstrate in documented form a need which is less than required. In such situations, the City may require land to be reserved for parking development should use or needs change.