Yakima City Zoning Code

The off-street parking and loading facilities required by this chapter shall be established prior to any change in the use of land or structures and/or prior to the occupancy of any new or enlarged structure.

Required off-street parking spaces shall provide vehicle parking only for residents, customers, patrons, and employees. Required parking shall not be used for the storage of vehicles or materials; the parking of company or business vehicles used in conducting the business; or for the sale, repair or servicing of any vehicle.

Any area once designated for required off-street parking shall not be used for any other purpose unless and until equal facilities are provided elsewhere and a site plan has been approved to reflect the change, or the primary use of the property is changed to a use requiring less off-street parking.

A parking circulation plan is required for parking lots and the associated vehicular travel ways for multifamily and nonresidential uses that have five or more required off-street parking spaces. The required off-street parking shall be designed in a manner that eliminates a need for backing and maneuvering from or onto streets, sidewalks, pedestrian ways, or bikeways in order to exit a property or maneuver out of parking spaces. Furthermore, the parking lot and associated travel ways shall be designed in a manner that provides for safe and adequate traffic flow.

Electric vehicle charging stations, as defined by RCW 36.70A.695(5), or as amended, shall be allowed as follows, except for on resource lands or in critical areas:

Table of Required Off-Street Parking. The parking standards in Table 6-1, Table of Off-Street Parking Standards, are established as the parking standards for the uses indicated. “Gross floor area” means the total square footage of all floors in a structure as measured from the interior surface of each exterior wall of the structure and including halls, lobbies, enclosed porches and fully enclosed recreation areas and balconies, but excluding stairways, elevator shafts, attic space, mechanical rooms, storage areas, restrooms, uncovered steps and fire escapes, private garages, carports and off-street parking and loading spaces. All required off-street parking shall be subject to the procedures of this title and the standards of this section.

Uses Not Specified. Off-street parking requirements for uses not specifically listed in Table 6-1 shall be determined by the reviewing official based upon the requirement for similar uses.

Exemptions from Table 6-1. The following shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter as their uses relate to the number of parking spaces required, provided that all the other requirements of this chapter shall apply to any parking provided by the applicant:

Fraction. If the number of off-street parking spaces required in Table 6-1 contains a fraction, such number shall be rounded up to the next whole number if one-half or over or down to the next whole number if less than one-half.

Mixed Uses. When different uses occupy a single structure or lot, the total required parking spaces shall be the sum of the requirements of the individual uses.

Shared Uses.

Tandem Parking. Parking spaces in tandem, having a single means of ingress and egress, shall not be counted as two off-street parking spaces for the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of this chapter; except that each tandem space for residential uses shall be counted as a required parking space for every linear twenty feet.

Compact Car Parking. For parking areas with twenty or more required parking spaces, up to fifteen percent of the required number of off-street parking spaces may be designed for compact car parking. Compact spaces shall be no less than eight feet by seventeen feet and each space must be labeled individually with a durable pavement marking “Compact.”

For single-family and two-family dwellings, parking facilities shall be located on the same lot or building site as the buildings they are required to serve.

For hospitals and convalescent, nursing or rest homes, parking facilities shall be located not more than one hundred fifty feet from the buildings they are required to serve unless they are part of an approved master plan or campus plan.

For uses other than those specified above, parking facilities shall not be located over three hundred feet from the buildings they are required to serve unless they are part of an approved master plan or campus plan.

Groups of three or more parking spaces shall be served by a driveway so that no vehicular backing/maneuvering movement will occur within a public right-of-way other than an alley.

No parking lot or driveway serving a nonresidential use in a commercial or industrial district shall be located in a residential zoning district.

No driveway approach shall be so located as to create a hazard to pedestrians or motorists, or invite or compel illegal or unsafe traffic movements;

No driveway approach on a local access street may be located closer to the street intersection corner than thirty feet as measured from the property line at the corner;

No driveway access to an arterial street shall be located within seventy-five feet (measured along the arterial) of any other such arterial street access on the same side of the street;

No driveway access shall be allowed to an arterial street within seventy-five feet of the nearest right-of-way line of an unsignalized street intersection;

Internal driveways shall be paved and be a minimum of twelve feet wide for one-way travel and twenty feet wide for two-way travel, or wider if required by the International Fire Code;

Driveway access shall be limited in the vicinity of a signalized street intersection. No driveway shall be permitted within one hundred feet of a signalized intersection, as measured from the right-of-way line. Any driveway within two hundred feet of the right-of-way line of the intersection shall be restricted to right turns only;

The construction of new driveway approaches from a public street or a modification of an existing drive-way approach requires a construction permit pursuant to YMC Chapter 8.64 for the specifications of the driveway approach;

Adjustments from this section may be approved if the modification is reasonable and necessary, and does not create an unsafe condition for motorists or pedestrians; and

Existing driveways in violation of these standards at the time of adoption will not be deemed nonconforming, but redevelopment of the property requires any new or modified driveway to be consistent with these standards.

The standard for landscaping of parking and vehicle storage lots with five or more spaces shall be ten percent of the total parking area. This landscaping area may be included to satisfy the lot coverage (impermeable surface) requirements of Table 5-1[1].

The planting area standard, where required, shall be a minimum of twenty-four square feet with the exception of raised planter boxes around buildings.

A standard of one tree from an approved list shall be planted for every fifteen parking stalls for parking and vehicle storage lots with five or more spaces.

Landscaping may consist of a combination of trees, shrubs, and groundcover with careful consideration to eventual size and spread, susceptibility to disease and pests, durability, and adaptability to existing soil and climatic conditions.

Landscaping shall be located within the parking area, such as in between parking spaces or in parking “islands,” or around the perimeter of the parking lot.

Every parking area for nonresidential use that abuts property in any residential district shall be separated from such property by a solid wall, view-obscuring fence, landscaped berm, or compact evergreen hedge at least six feet in height. The administrative official may increase the height, depth, and content of said screening as necessary to adequately protect adjacent single-family residential development. The screening shall be provided and maintained along the property line of such lot.

Surfacing. Paved with two-inch-thick asphaltic surfacing on an aggregate base, or an equivalent surfacing acceptable to the administrative official, so as to eliminate dust or mud. Pervious asphalt or concrete materials are encouraged. If the parking space has a curb stop, the area beyond the curb stop may be landscaped in order to meet landscaping and/or lot coverage requirements.

Residential Surfacing. Parking spaces may consist of grass block pavers.

Grading and Drainage. Graded and drained so all surface water is disposed of on site. Grading and drainage facilities shall be designed according to accepted engineering standards and the Eastern Washington Stormwater Manual, which will require review by the city engineer or a designee.

Border Barricades. Any parking, vehicle storage, or motor vehicle sales area abutting the street property line shall provide a concrete curb at least six inches in height and located at least two feet from the street property line. The curb shall be securely anchored. No curb shall be required across any driveway or entrance to the parking area, or if the parking lot is separated from the street by a fence or hedge.

Markings. All parking spaces (except motor vehicles sales areas) shall be marked by durable painted lines at least four inches wide and extending the length of the stall or by curbs or other means approved by the administrative official to indicate individual parking stalls. Signs or markers located on the parking lot surface shall be used as necessary to ensure safe and efficient use of the parking lot. In addition, when required, all accessible parking spaces shall be marked and signed in compliance with the currently adopted International Building Code.

The owner or lessee of a required parking area shall maintain the paved surface, drainage facilities, landscaping, and irrigation facilities in conformance with the standards of this chapter and the approved site plan.

Loading Space Size. The required loading space shall be of adequate size to accommodate the maximum number and size of vehicles simultaneously loading or unloading at the structure. Each off-street loading space shall have the minimum dimensions of twelve feet in width and twenty-five feet in length. On-site maneuvering space of not less than fifty-two feet in length shall be provided adjacent to the loading dock. This maneuvering space shall not include any area designated for off-street parking.

Loading Space Location. Required off-street loading and related maneuvering space shall be located only on or abutting the property served. No part of any vehicle using the loading space shall project into the right-of-way of any public or private road.

Drive-Through Dimensions. The drive-through shall be of adequate length to prevent vehicles from backing up into the right-of-way or cause conflicts with off-street circulation and parking. Each drive-through lane shall have the minimum dimensions of twelve feet in width and one hundred twenty feet in length, measured from each entrance of the drive-through lane to the midpoint of the first service window or booth.

Drive-Through Location. The drive-through lane shall not serve as sole access to off-street customer parking, except for additional spaces intended to serve drive-through customers located beyond the last service window or booth.

Any use which, on the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section or any amendments hereto, is nonconforming in terms of required off-street parking facilities may continue in the same manner as if they were conforming; however, the number of existing off-street parking spaces shall not be reduced.

When an existing structure with nonconforming parking is expanded and additional parking is required, the additional parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of this chapter; however, the number of additional spaces shall be computed only to the extent of the enlargement, regardless of whether or not the number of previously existing spaces satisfies the requirements of this chapter.

When the use of an existing lot or structure with nonconforming parking is changed to another use listed in Table 4-1, the existing parking shall suffice.