The purpose of this chapter is to alleviate or prevent congestion of the public streets and to promote the safety and welfare of the public by establishing minimum requirements for the off-street parking and loading and unloading of motor vehicles in accordance with the use to which property is put.

Off-street parking and loading shall be provided and perpetually maintained in accordance with this article for all structures and uses erected or established after the effective date of this ordinance.

(Ord. No. 4123, § 10, 9-22-98)

(A)

Existing off-street parking or loading facilities located on the same lot as the use served shall not be reduced, or if already less than, shall not be further reduced, below the requirements and standards for similar new structures or uses.

(B)

When the existing use of a structure is damaged or destroyed and subsequently repaired or rebuilt, parking/loading facilities equivalent to any maintained at the time of such damage or destruction shall be restored, but additional parking/loading facilities need not be provided.

(C)

Whenever the use of any structure or premises is intensified through addition of dwelling units, increased floor area, greater seating capacity, etc., additional parking and loading facilities commensurate with such increases in use, intensity shall be provided in accordance with this code.

(D)

Whenever the existing use of a structure is changed to a different use, parking or loading facilities shall be provided as required herein for such new use.

Any application for a building permit, or for a certificate of occupancy where no building permit is required, shall include therewith a plot plan drawn to scale and fully dimensioned showing any parking or loading facilities to be provided in compliance with the zoning code.

All areas providing off-street parking for employees or visitors shall provide accessible parking for persons with disabilities in accordance with Illinois State Law.

(Ord. No. 08-O-0080, § 1, 1-19-2009)

All areas providing off-street parking shall conform to the standards indicated in the subsections which follow:

(A)

Minimum Aisle and Space Dimensions

(B)

Markings shall be laid and restored as often as necessary to clearly delineate each parking space.

(C)

Ninety (90) degree parking stalls that abut a landscape area a minimum of twenty (20) feet in width may be reduced to seventeen (17) feet in length, with a one (1) foot overhang, if the parking lot is curbed.

(D)

Off-street parking spaces, aisles, and driveways shall have a minimum vertical clearance of seven (7) feet.

(Ord. No. 02-O-0084, § 9, 6-17-2002; Ord. No. 08-O-0080, § 2, 1-19-2009)

(A)

Parking area shall be designed so that ingress to or egress from a parking space is from an aisle or driveway, not directly from the public right-of-way; except in single-family residence districts.

(B)

No access way to any parking area shall be located within thirty (30) feet of any corner formed by the intersection of the rights-of-way of two (2) or more streets. At intersections where traffic control devices are installed, the administrator may increase this requirement as necessary to prevent hazards.

(C)

Parking area access ways (including residential driveways) and public streets shall be aligned to form—as closely as feasible—right angles.

(D)

The access way to every parking lot located in any business district or in the manufacturing district shall be at least twenty-four (24) feet wide unless two (2) one-way drives, each twelve (12) feet wide are provided.

(E)

Access ways in the B-3 Regional Shopping District shall be designated and located in accordance with the following additional requirements:

(1)

All lots are restricted to not more than one (1) driveway for each two hundred fifty (250) linear feet of street frontage. Each driveway must be spaced a minimum of two hundred fifty (250) feet from the nearest driveway (measured center to center at the lot line adjoining the street) and/or cross-street intersection (measured center of driveway to nearest edge of right-of-way of cross-street at the lot line adjoining the street).

(2)

Whenever possible, access to a project shall be provided from cross-streets, in place of an additional driveway from major roadway.

(3)

Driveways shall be located and designed to minimize interference with the operation of left-turn lanes at street intersections.

(4)

Whenever possible, access between properties should be provided in order to minimize the number of driveways from a property.

(Ord. No. 4123, § 11, 9-22-98)

All open off-street parking areas shall be surfaced with a bituminous and/or concrete material. All parking lots shall be designed to meet a structural number equal to or greater than DT = 2.2, as designed in section 7 of the Illinois Department of Transportation Design Manual.

Editor's note— Ord. No. 12-O-0008, § 12, adopted April 16, 2012, repealed § 13.1-13, which pertained to paving of existing unpaved parking facilities and derived from Ord. No. 2010, adopted Oct. 19, 1992.

(A)

All lighting used to illuminate off-street parking areas shall be shielded or otherwise optically controlled so as to provide glareless illumination in such a manner as not to create a nuisance on adjacent property.

(B)

Permitted illumination levels for off-street parking areas in foot-candles (f/c):

(1)

In determining the minimum foot-candle standard provided above, all foot-candle measurements shall be taken from the ground at any point within the area of activity.

(2)

In determining the minimum average foot-candle standard provided above, all foot-candle measurements shall be taken from the ground at ten (10) foot horizontal increments throughout the area of activity.

(3)

In determining the maximum foot-candle standards provided above, all foot-candle measurements shall be taken at ground level at any point along the property line.

(C)

Lights or supporting poles shall have a maximum height of twenty-two (22) feet in residential districts, twenty-five (25) feet in business districts, and thirty (30) feet in manufacturing districts. The maximum height shall be measured from the ground directly below the centerline of the light to the top of the pole or light, whichever is higher.

(D)

All luminaries erected twenty-one (21) to thirty (30) feet above ground level:

(1)

Shall be flat bottom optically controlled sharp cut-offs, as approved by the city engineer; and

(2)

Shall not be installed with diffusing refractors.

(E)

All luminaries erected zero feet to twenty (20) feet above ground level:

(1)

Shall be of translucent materials and not transparent materials, as approved by the city engineer; and

(2)

Shall not be installed with diffusing refractors.

(F)

All present non-conforming off-street parking areas shall be equipped with the lighting required by this section upon the obsolescence or replacement of the existing lighting.

(G)

Definitions and terms used in this section shall be defined by the Illumination Engineering Societies in the 1973 edition of the IES Lighting Handbook.

(Ord. No. 4123, § 12, 9-22-98; Ord. No. 08-O-0080, § 3, 1-19-2009; Ord. No. 12-O-0008, § 13, 4-16-2012)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 03-O-0115, § 7, adopted Dec. 15, 2003, repealed §§ 13.1-11, 13.1-12 which pertained to bordering and landscaping, respectively. Section 13.1-11 bore no history note and § 13.1-12 derived from Ord. No. 4123, § 13, Sept. 22, 1998.

All off-street parking shall be located in conformance with the following requirements:

(A)

Residential districts.

(1)

Permit required: No person shall begin the construction, alteration, or replacement of a driveway within a Residential District without first having applied for and obtained a permit in writing to do so from the City of West Chicago.

(2)

Driveway coverage of a lot. A driveway shall cover no more than fifteen (15) percent of a lot. However, in the event that a driveway leads to a detached garage located behind the rear building line, the driveway shall cover no more than twenty (20) percent of the lot. All existing driveways that are to be repaired or replaced at or less than the same dimensions and areas that they currently exist shall be exempt from the aforementioned lot coverage regulations in this subsection. Existing driveways enlarged beyond the current dimensions shall comply with the aforementioned lot coverage regulations in this subsection.

(3)

Driveway coverage of front yard. A driveway shall not cover more than the following percentages of an actual front yard of a residential lot:

a.

R-1 ..... 40%

b.

R-2 ..... 40%

c.

R-3 ..... 42.5%

d.

R-4 ..... 45%

e.

R-5 ..... 45%

(4)

Driveway width:

a.

Driveways (other than ribbon driveways): The maximum width of a driveway in the actual front yard shall not exceed forty-five (45) percent of the lot width. The minimum width of a driveway, at any point in the driveway, shall not be less than eight (8) feet.

b.

Ribbon driveways: The maximum width of a ribbon driveway in the actual front yard, as measured from the outermost edges of each strip, shall not exceed forty-five (45) percent of the lot width. The minimum width of each strip in a ribbon driveway shall be not less than two (2) feet and the strips shall have a minimum separation of five (5) feet on center.

(5)

Parking spaces accessory to dwellings located in any residential zoning district shall be located on the same lot as the dwelling. Each parking space accessory to a multifamily dwelling shall be unobstructed so that no vehicle needs to be moved in order to allow another vehicle to enter/exit the parking area.

(6)

There shall be no parking except on driveways, parking lots, or in enclosed garages, constructed consistent with the provisions of this section.

(7)

All new driveways shall lead directly from a street or alleyway to the entrance of a garage.

(8)

Driveways shall be surfaced with a minimum of two and one-half (2 ½) inches of bituminous asphalt over six (6) inches of compacted gravel, or with a minimum of four (4) inches of concrete over four (4) inches of compacted gravel, or with interlocking pavers designed and approved for vehicle parking over ten (10) inches of compacted gravel.

Existing driveways that do not comply with the aforementioned surfacing requirements in this subsection as of December 20, 2021 shall be deemed legal nonconforming with respect to the surface material and may remain provided that no expansion or replacement of the legal nonconforming driveway occurs. An expansion or replacement of the legal nonconforming driveway shall require compliance with the surfacing requirements of this subsection.

(9)

Driveway approaches within a public right-of-way shall comply with Section 15-4, standards and procedures for driveway approaches and sidewalks, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of West Chicago.

(10)

All new single-family dwellings shall be required to provide two (2) completely enclosed parking spaces.

(11)

It shall be prohibited to use a garage as a dwelling space unless it is attached to a house and another garage providing the same number of parking spaces is provided on the same property.

(12)

All parking spaces accessory to permitted non-dwelling uses located in any residential district generally shall be located on the same lot as the use served. An exception: The administrator may allow such parking facilities to be located on another parcel within two hundred (200) feet of the use served if the "same lot" requirement is not feasible.

(13)

Paved and concrete driveways and sidewalks may only be expanded using the same or higher quality surface material as approved by the Code Official.

(14)

Driveway location.

a.

Residences having primary access off of Neltnor Boulevard (IL Route 59) or North Avenue (IL Route 64) shall be exempt from these regulations.

b.

Driveways shall have a minimum setback of one (1) foot from an interior side lot line, unless the driveway is located in the R-5 zoning district and leads to a detached garage, in which case no setback shall be required.

c.

Driveways shall be prohibited in an actual interior side yard, except when leading to a detached garage.

d.

When leading to an attached garage the driveway shall only be located in the area directly in front of the garage or in that portion of the actual front yard between the closest interior side lot line and the garage.

e.

No portion of any driveway may be located in front of a non-garage portion of a residence.

f.

Any portion of a driveway that leads to an attached garage and is located in that portion of the actual front yard between the closest interior side lot line and the garage shall be tapered so that the maximum width of the driveway at the property line is equal to or less than the width of the garage. This portion of the driveway shall have a maximum width of nine (9) feet and a maximum length of eighteen (18) feet, measured from the front of the garage to the start of the taper. The taper shall reduce at a maximum ratio of one (1) foot length for every one (1) foot in width of that portion of the driveway.

(15)

Carports shall be prohibited.

(16)

Recreational vehicles.

a.

A recreational vehicle is permitted on a residentially zoned lot only if the principal use of that lot is residential.

b.

The following types of recreational vehicles shall be restricted in size as follows:

1.

Travel trailer, thirty-five (35) feet or less in length and not to exceed eight (8) feet in width.

2.

Camper trailer (pop-up), twenty-four (24) feet or less in length and not to exceed five (5) feet, six (6) inches in height, stored in a collapsed position.

3.

Watercraft, thirty-five (35) feet or less in length, but not to exceed twelve (12) feet in height, either mounted on a boat trailer or not mounted; also boat trailer without boat mounted.

4.

Motor home, forty (40) feet or less in length and not to exceed twelve (12) feet in height.

c.

Not more than one (1) recreational vehicle shall be parked on any one (1) lot. No recreational vehicle shall be parked on any one (1) lot where the outdoor overnight storage of a commercial vehicle is present.

d.

The parking of a recreational vehicle shall be prohibited in the required front yard, actual front yard, and required corner side yard between October 15 and April 15.

e.

A recreational vehicle shall not be located closer than five (5) feet to the rear lot line and shall not be located closer than three (3) feet to the side lot lines.

f.

The parking area, permanent or temporary, shall be paved.

g.

Outdoor overnight parking and storage of recreational vehicles shall not be permitted on lots containing apartment units/condominiums.

h.

Occasional use of travel trailers or other recreational vehicles shall be permitted as set forth in Section 6.8.

i.

Any recreational vehicle that does not comply with regulations established herein shall be removed or made to comply with said regulations by May 1, 2008.

(17)

Commercial vehicles.

a.

The parking and storage of semi-trailers, semi-tractors, farm machinery, tractors and any commercial vehicle that exceeds eight thousand one (8,001) pounds in gross vehicle weight or has greater than a B-truck license plate shall be permitted only within a completely enclosed structure. Such vehicles providing service may be temporarily parked outdoors, but only for the period of time required to provide the service.

b.

Commercial vehicles other than semi-trailers, semi-tractors, farm machinery, tractors and any vehicle of eight thousand (8,000) pounds or less in gross vehicle weight or having no greater than a B-truck license plate may be parked or stored outdoors.

c.

Not more than one (1) commercial vehicle shall be parked on any one (1) lot, except on lots containing apartment units. The outdoor overnight storage of a commercial vehicle shall not be permitted on any one (1) lot where the outdoor overnight storage of a recreational vehicle is present.

d.

The parking area, permanent or temporary, shall be paved.

(18)

Electric vehicle charging stations, including levels 1 and 2 only, shall be permitted in all residential districts when accessory to the principal use.

(B)

Business and manufacturing districts.

(1)

Parking spaces accessory to any building or use located in any business district shall either be located on the same lot therewith or on another parcel within two hundred (200) feet of the premises. Parking lots accessory to any building or use located in any manufacturing district shall be located on the same lot therewith or on another parcel within five hundred (500) feet of the use serviced.

(2)

In any business district or manufacturing district, off-street parking facilities for different buildings or uses may be provided collectively; but only if the total number of spaces provided is not less than the sum of the separate requirements for each use and if such spaces comply with all regulations governing location or parking spaces in relation to the uses served.

(3)

No vehicle repair work shall be conducted on any parking lot located in any business or manufacturing district.

(4)

Delivery and service vehicles that are used in the normal day-to-day operation of a permitted or special use shall be permitted, subject to the following conditions:

a.

Such vehicles shall fit within a standard parking space but shall not be parked within any required parking spaces.

b.

Such vehicles shall only be classified as weight class A or B per the Illinois Vehicle Code.

c.

A maximum of one (1) such vehicle shall be allowed per fifteen hundred (1,500) square feet of area occupied by the tenant.

d.

Such vehicles shall be located on the same lot as the use served.

(5)

Electric vehicle charging stations, including levels 1, 2, and 3, are permitted in all business and manufacturing districts when accessory to the principal use, subject to the following conditions:

a.

Parking stalls containing an electric vehicle charging station may be included in the calculation for minimum parking spaces required unless such parking stall is identified as being available exclusively for electric vehicles.

b.

Electric vehicle charging stations shall contain a retraction device or a place to hang permanent cords and connectors so cords are a sufficient and safe distance above the ground or pavement surface. Equipment shall be mounted on pedestals, and located so they do not impede pedestrian travel or create trip hazards. Equipment shall not interfere with accessibility requirements of the Illinois Accessibility Code.

c.

Electric vehicle charging stations shall not contain off-premise signage.

(Ord. No. 2733, § 25, 4-4-94; Ord. No. 4123, § 14, 9-22-98; Ord. No. 4364, § 1, 12-4-2000; Ord. No. 01-O-0087, § 1(Exh. B), 8-20-2001; Ord. No. 02-O-0084, §§ 10(Exh. B), 11, 6-17-2002; Ord. No. 03-O-0039, § 3, 5-19-2003; Ord. No. 05-O-0067, § 7, 9-19-2005; Ord. No. 08-O-0010, §§ 13—15, 2-18-2008; Ord. No. 08-O-0080, §§ 4, 5, 1-19-2009; Ord. No. 09-O-0042, § 3, 7-20-2009; Ord. No. 10-O-0095, § 1, 10-18-2010; Ord. No. 12-O-0008, § 14, 4-16-2012; Ord. No. 21-O-0001, § 1, 2-15-2021; Ord. No. 21-O-0038, § 1, 12-20-2021; Ord. No. 22-O-0025, § 3, 10-17-2022; Ord. No. 24-O-0005, §§ 2, 3, 2-19-2024)

All off-street loading facilities shall conform to the minimum standards indicated below:

(A)

Size of space. Off-street loading spaces intended for use by straight trucks only shall be at least twelve (12) feet wide and forty-two (42) feet long, exclusive of aisle and maneuvering space, and shall have vertical clearance of at least fourteen (14) feet. Off-street loading spaces intended for use by truck tractor-semitrailer combinations shall be at least twelve (12) feet wide and sixty-five (65) feet long, exclusive of aisle and maneuvering space, and shall have vertical clearance of at least fourteen (14) feet. In no case shall a vehicle being loaded or unloaded overhang into the public right-of-way.

(B)

Access way. Every off-street loading space shall have a safe means of vehicular access to a street or alley. Such access way shall comply with the minimum aisle widths established in section 13.1-6(A).

(C)

Surfacing. Every off-street loading area shall be improved with a compacted stone base at least seven (7) inches thick, surfaced with at least two (2) inches of asphaltic concrete.

(D)

Buffer strips. No loading space or area for vehicles over two-ton cargo capacity shall be developed closer than fifty (50) feet to the lot line of any residential district unless space/area is completely enclosed by walls, a solid fence or closely planted landscaping of sufficient density to block the view from the residential property.

(E)

Location. Every off-street loading space that is provided shall be located on the same parcel of land as the use served and not closer than fifty (50) feet to the intersection of the rights-of-way of two (2) or more streets or in required front yards.

(F)

It shall be prohibited to maneuver vehicles within the public right-of-way in commercial and manufacturing zoning districts.

(Ord. No. 4364, § 2, 12-4-2000; Ord. No. 08-O-0010, § 16, 2-18-2008)

(A)

The owner and/or occupant of each lot shall maintain all driveways and parking lots serving such lot, including portions located in public rights-of-way. All pavement that represents a hazard to vehicular or pedestrian travel shall be repaired.

(B)

Hazards shall be defined as including, but not limited to, one (1) or more of the following:

(1)

A pothole one (1) inch or more in depth covering one (1) square foot or more in area. Potholes must be repaired within the time frame indicated on the notice of violation. During winter months a temporary patch must be provided and maintained until permanent repairs can be performed. Materials used for cold patching must be approved by the administrator.

(2)

A rut two (2) inches or more in depth.

(3)

A fault with a one (1) inch or greater difference in elevation.

(4)

A crack one-half (½) inch or greater in width.

(5)

Settlement or sinking one (1) inch or greater in depth.

(6)

Disintegration covering a one (1) square foot or greater area or any other condition that is determined by the administrator to be a hazard.

(C)

The administrator shall notify the owner and/or occupant of any violations of this subsection. Such notification shall be in writing and indicate the nature of the hazard and an amount of time given to correct same. Time to comply shall not exceed a maximum of thirty (30) days. If weather or other conditions beyond the owner and/or occupant's control prevent permanent repairs from being made within said thirty-day period, temporary repairs shall be made within such period and permanent repairs shall be made within thirty (30) days of the date upon which such impeding conditions ends. Upon receipt of said notice, such owner and/or occupant shall notify the administrator of his plans for corrective action. An inspection shall be performed by the administrator of areas to be replaced prior to commencing major repairs. A striping plan will be required whenever a parking lot is to be overlaid or restriped.

(Ord. No. 4123, § 15, 9-22-98)

In computing the number of parking spaces required by this ordinance, the zoning administrator shall apply the following rules:

(A)

In computing parking space requirements based on the number of employees, the maximum number of employees on the premises at any period of the day shall be used. "Employee parking" means "one parking space shall be required per one and one-half (1.5) employees," unless otherwise stated.

(B)

In computing parking or loading space requirements on the basis of building floor area, the gross floor area shall be used. When two (2) or more uses are located on the same lot or within the same building, the minimum number of parking and loading spaces shall be the sum of the separate parking and loading requirements for each individual use applied to the portions of the lot and/or building devoted to that individual use.

(C)

Whenever it is necessary to translate gross parking lot area into number of parking spaces; three hundred fifty (350) square feet of gross area shall be deemed one (1) parking space.

(D)

If computation of the minimum number of required parking or loading spaces results in a fractional space, such fractional space shall be counted as one (1) full space.

(E)

No space or portion thereof needed to satisfy the minimum applicable requirement for number of off-street parking or loading spaces shall be counted as part of the off-street parking or loading spaces required for another structure or use.

(Ord. No. 4123, § 16, 9-22-98)

(A)

Parking Spaces. For each use and structure hereafter established, erected, structurally altered or enlarged except in the B-1 zoning district, there shall be provided the minimum number of accessory off-street parking spaces in accordance with this subsection. In the event that a proposed use is not listed in this subsection, the minimum number of parking spaces required for such use shall be based upon the most similar listed use. The administrator shall make the determination of which listed use is most similar to any proposed unlisted use.

(B)

Landbanking of required parking spaces as greenspace may be permitted when approved as a special use permit, provided the petitioner demonstrates through employee counts and other parking studies that the total number of parking spaces required using the square footage parking requirements outlined in this section are not necessary and there is sufficient usable land area available on the subject property to provide the parking spaces if deemed necessary by the city in the future. Preliminary engineering plans addressing storm water management needs for all required and landbanked parking spaces shall be submitted and approved as part of the special use permit application. The city has the ability to require installation of the landbanked parking spaces if it determines there is inadequate parking provided.

(C)

Stacking spaces. All drive-up and drive-through uses shall adhere to the following stacking space requirements:

(1)

The minimum dimension of a stacking space shall be nine (9) feet in width and twenty (20) feet in length.

(2)

Stacking spaces shall be located so that, when in use, they do not obstruct ingress/egress to the site, they do not obstruct access to required parking or loading spaces and do not otherwise interfere with vehicle circulation on the site.

(3)

Vehicle stacking and equipment associated with the drive-up or drive-through use shall be prohibited in the actual front yard or actual corner side yard unless approved by the city council.

(4)

Schedule of stacking space requirements.

(a)

Automobile laundries are shall provide stacking spaces equal to five (5) times the maximum capacity of the car wash. Maximum capacity, in this instance, shall mean the greatest number of automobiles undergoing some phase of laundering at the same time.

(b)

Drive-up or drive-through facilities that do not have a separate order station or menu board shall provide five (5) stacking spaces per service area. The spaces shall be counted beginning at the service area or pick-up window.

(c)

Drive-up or drive-through facilities that have an order station or menu board separate from the service area shall provide five (5) stacking spaces per order station however are not required to provide stacking spaces at the service area or pick-up window. The spaces shall be counted beginning at the order station.

(5)

An escape/bypass lane with a minimum width of ten (10) feet shall be provided for all drive-up or drive-through facilities. An adjacent drive aisle may be used to satisfy this requirement.

(D)

Loading spaces. For each use and structure hereafter established, erected, structurally altered or enlarged, there shall be provided the minimum number of accessory off-street loading spaces as follows:

(1)

Business districts.

(2)

Manufacturing districts.

(Ord. No. 4123, § 17, 9-22-98; Ord. No. 4408, § 4, 4-16-2001; Ord. No. 02-O-0084, § 12, 6-17-2002; Ord. No. 03-O-0040, § 25, 6-16-2003; Ord. No. 03-O-0115, § 8, 12-15-2003; Ord. No. 04-O-0055, § 7, 6-21-2004; Ord. No. 05-O-0064, § 1, 8-15-2005; Ord. No. 06-O-0085, § 1, 10-16-2006; Ord. No. 08-O-0010, § 17, 2-18-2008; Ord. No. 08-O-0080, § 6, 1-19-2009; Ord. No. 13-O-0027, § 6, 8-19-2013; Ord. No. 16-O-0018, § 4, 4-18-2016)