6.10.050 Parking Design and Development Standards.
Required parking areas shall be designed and constructed as follows, and in compliance with the guidelines of the Planning Commission. The standards of this Section may be modified by the Planning Commission where it determines that alternative parking designs and standards will more appropriately relate to the operating characteristics of the proposed development or new land use, while being equally effective in providing parking areas that are safe, convenient, use land efficiently, and are aesthetically attractive.
A. Access to parking.
1. Parking, including parking garages, shall be accessed from an alley or secondary frontage when possible. The opening of a parking lot or garage on a frontage shall not exceed two lanes in width.
2. Pedestrian entrances to all parking lots and parking garages shall be directly from a frontage line. Only underground parking garages may be entered directly from a building.
3. Parking areas for nonresidential uses shall maintain a minimum unobstructed clearance height of 14 feet above areas accessible to vehicles.
B. Access to adjacent sites. Applicants are encouraged to provide off-street vehicle access to parking areas on adjacent properties to provide for convenience, safety, and efficient circulation. Shared pedestrian access between adjacent properties is also strongly encouraged.
C. Parking space and lot dimensions. Parking lots and stalls shall be designed with the following minimum dimensions.
|
Angle of Parking |
Length of Parking Stall |
Width of Parking Stall |
Aisle Width |
|
60° or less (one-way) 90° (one-way) |
18 ft |
8.5 ft |
18 ft. |
|
90° (two-way) |
18 ft. |
8.5 ft. |
22 ft. |
D. Landscaping. Parking areas shall be landscaped in compliance with the following requirements.
1. Adjacent to residential use. A parking area for nonresidential use that abuts a residential use shall provide a six foot tall solid masonry wall or fence along the property line to address land use compatibility issues such as nuisance, noise and light/glare.
2. Amount of landscaping. Each use shall provide landscaping within and/or around the parking area at a minimum ratio of 10 percent of the gross area of the parking lot. A minimum of one shade tree shall be provided for each five parking spaces or trees provided to achieve 50% canopy coverage of paved area at maturity, whichever is greater.
3. Location of landscaping. Landscaping shall be evenly dispersed throughout each parking area. Orchard-style planting (placement of trees in uniformly-spaced rows) is encouraged for larger parking areas.
4. Irrigation. Irrigation shall be provided for landscaped areas.
E. Lighting. Parking lot lighting shall comply with the following requirements.
1. Outdoor light fixtures shall be limited to a maximum height of 15 feet or the height of the nearest building, whichever is less.
2. Lighting shall be energy-efficient, and shielded or recessed so that:
a. The light source (i.e., bulb, etc.) is not visible from off the site; and
b. Glare and reflections are confined to the maximum extent feasible within the boundaries of the site.
Each light fixture shall be directed downward and away from adjoining properties and public rights-of-way.
3. No lighting on private property shall produce an illumination level greater than one footcandle on any property within a residential zoning district except on the site of the light source.
4. No permanently installed lighting shall blink, flash, or be of unusually high intensity or brightness, as determined by the Director.
F. Striping and identification.
1. Vehicle spaces. Parking spaces shall provide understandable markings to indicate where drivers should park. Subtle markings, such as contrasting colors in paving stones, are encouraged.
2. Restriping. The restriping of any parking space or lot shall require the approval of a restriping plan by the Director.
G. Surfacing.
1. Parking spaces and maneuvering areas shall be provided with all-weather surfaces consistent with City standards and as approved by the review authority.
2. The City desires to reduce stormwater run-off and water pollution, and to allow for the replenishment of groundwater. For parking areas, the goal is to reduce the amount of run-off generating surface area. Therefore, permeable surfaces for parking and maneuvering areas are encouraged. Acceptable permeable surfaces include:
a. pervious concrete;
b. pervious pavers (products such as Unipaver, Eco-stone and SF Rima or an approved equivalent);
c. gravel, bark or grass when reinforced to provide adequate load-bearing (including geo-technical structures such as Invisible Structures’ Grasspave and Gravelpave products, or an approved equivalent);
Other permeable surfaces may be approved by the Director. (Reference: Condon, Patrick and Stacy Moriarty, eds. 1999. Second Nature: Adapting LA’s Landscape for Sustainable Living. LA: Treepeople.)
H. Loading. No loading spaces are required. Off-street loading spaces to be striped “loading zone” by The City of Petaluma by warrant