37.060 Parking Standards

(New 12/09/14; amended 08/09/16; 08/22/23) A. Purpose. The standards in this section are intended to create off-street parking areas for new development and redevelopment projects that promote functionality, safety, and aesthetics. B. General Requirements. 1. Every building, structure, improvement, and use shall provide permanent, maintained off-street parking as specified in this Chapter. The parking shall be a continuing obligation of the property owner as long as the use continues. It shall be unlawful for a landowner to eliminate required offstreet parking unless otherwise provided on the parcel and approved by the City. 2. If parking is located on a lot or parcel under different ownership, a perpetual easement shall be recorded in the office of the Utah County Recorder prior to final approval. 3. Any lights provided or required to illuminate a parking area shall be arranged in a manner that will reflect light away from adjacent properties and roadways. 4. All required parking lots and parking structures shall be hard surfaced with asphalt, brick pavers, concrete, or other material approved by the City Engineer to be capable of handling the anticipated size and weight of vehicles, including public safety vehicles. Pervious parking surfaces (see Figure 161) may be allowed if drainage or any environmental detriments are mitigated. 37-97 Parking Standards Figure 161. Pervious paving allows water to percolate through to the ground and reduce the amount of storm water run-off. 5. Each parking lot shall be surrounded by a concrete curb, or other border approved by the City Engineer to ensure the life of the surface and to limit the access to approved ingress and egress locations. 6. Private parking shall not be designed to allow backing onto a public street, unless otherwise approved by the City Engineer. 7. No parking shall occur in any driveway, traffic isle, emergency access, or delivery area, nor shall it interfere with the ingress and egress of a site. C. Site Design Standards. 1. Site Accesses a. Minimum Access Width. Any access to a site shall be constructed according to the following standards: i. One-Way Access. A minimum width of 16 feet and maximum width of 18 feet shall be maintained for one-way accesses (see Figure 162). Figure 162. One-Way Access ii. Two-Way Access. A minimum width of 25 feet and a maximum width of 28 feet shall be maintained for a two-way access (see Figure 163). 37-98 Parking Standards Figure 163. Two-Way Access. iii. Two-Way Access with 3 Lanes. A minimum width of 34 feet and a maximum width of 36 feet shall be maintained for a two-way access with three lanes (see Figure 164). Figure 164. Two-Way Access with 3 Lanes. b. No access shall exceed the set maximum width unless otherwise approved by the City Engineer. c. Site accesses located along any State Road shall comply with the Utah Department of Transportation access standards. d. Non-private drive approaches along the curb line shall be wider than the associated site access width. When the access adjoins the street with a curb return, the minimum radius for the back of curb shall be 11 feet. When the access is designed using an approach flair, the approach bottom shall be ten feet wider, five feet on each side, than the access width. 2. Pedestrian Corridors. a. Any parking lot in excess of 100 stalls shall provide a hard surface walkway with a minimum width of five feet from the parking lot and street to the entrance of the building (see Figures 165 and 166). b. Planter areas with trees and shrubs shall be placed along the pedestrian walkway as part of the required ten percent parking open space requirement. 37-99 Parking Standards Figure 165. Parking lot with pedestrian access from the street to the building. Figure 166. Parking lot pedestrian walkway with pockets of landscaping. 3. Lighting and Furnishings. Lighting shall be provided in all parking lots, utilizing attractive poles and fixtures in contrast to nearby streetlights. Fixtures shall be selected that are night-sky friendly limiting upward lighting and shall comply with Section 12.110 of the Development Code. D. Parking Dimensions. 1. Each off-street parking stall shall be not less than nine feet in width and 18 feet long. 2. Compact parking stalls of eight and a half feet in width and 16 feet in length may be utilized as approved by the Planning Commission and subject to each of the following: a. Compact stalls shall only be used for uses with low parking turnover such as office, industrial, commuter parking lots, schools, institutional uses, and other uses as approved by the Planning Commission. b. Compact stalls shall be used only in parking lots with 50 stalls or greater. c. Compact stalls shall be used only in irregular or odd shaped portions of the site, where standard stall sizes cannot be utilized. d. No more than ten percent of the total number of required parking stalls shall be designated for compact car parking. e. Compact stalls shall be used only where the tires of parked cars contact wheel stops or curbing that allows for vehicle overhang. However, the overhang area shall be a landscaped area, not a sidewalk or other pedestrian walkway. 3. Each parking module, defined as one access aisle servicing a row of parking on each side of the aisle, shall have a minimum aisle width and stall size as set forth in the following diagrams: a. Two-Way 90˚ Perpendicular Parking Module for high parking turnover for uses such as retail, restaurants, grocery stores, or other similar uses (see Figure 164). Uses that accommodate a high percentage of full-size trucks or heavy equipment, such as a contracting business or construction company, may be required to provide a 64-foot parking module. 37-100 Parking Standards Figure 167. Two-way 90˚ high turnover parking module. b. Two-Way 90˚ Perpendicular Parking Module for low parking turnover for uses such as office, schools, institutional, and other similar uses (see Figure 168). Figure 168. Two-way 90˚ low turnover parking module. c. One-Way 60˚ Parking Module (see Figure 169). Figure 166. One-way 60˚ parking module. d. One-Way 45˚ Parking Module (see Figure 170). Figure 170. One-way 45˚ parking module. 37-101 Parking Standards e. One-Way 0˚ Parallel Parking Module (see Figure 171). End stalls shall be a minimum of 24 feet in length. Figure 171. One-way 0˚ parking module. f. Two-way angled parking shall maintain a minimum 26-foot drive aisle (see Figure 172). Figure 172. Example of a two-way angled parking module with a 26-foot drive aisle. g. Where compact parking stalls are utilized on one side of the aisle, the module width may be reduced accordingly. Compact stalls shall be a minimum eight and a half feet in width and 16 feet in length where there is a two-foot overhang. h. Exceptions to the required parking module may be allowed by the City Engineer with clear and convincing evidence that the adjusted module width will reasonably accommodate safe ingress and egress of the site. E. Parking Structure Design Standards. 1.Parking Stall Size Reductions. a. Low Parking Turnover Uses. Uses with a low turnover parking rate including office, residential, schools, and other uses as approved by the Planning Commission may be allowed to have reduced parking stall dimensions as defined in this section. Parking stall dimensions may be reduced to eight and a half feet in width and in the case a stall has two feet of overhang space, a stall may be reduced to 16 feet in length (see Figure 173). Stalls adjacent to a support column or wall shall maintain an eight and a half foot wide clearance. 37-102 Parking Standards Figure 173. Parking structure stall dimensions for uses with a low parking turnover rate. b. High Parking Turnover Uses. Uses with a high turnover parking rate including retail, restaurants, movie theaters, and medical and dental offices shall maintain standard dimensions of nine feet by 18 feet unless otherwise approved by the City Engineer. Where stalls are located next to a support column or wall, the minimum parking stall width may be reduced by six inches. 2. Required Structured Parking. Office and retail uses with more than 250 proposed parking stalls and are over parked at a rate of one and a half times or greater than the number of required stalls shall utilize structured or underground parking for a minimum of 50 percent of the proposed parking to prevent excessive areas of surface parking. The Zoning Administrator may allow an exception to this if clear and convincing evidence is provided that a parking structure has a negative impact on the proposed use. 3. Parking Structure Design. a. Parking structures shall be designed with similar components and materials as the principal onsite building. Exterior materials shall consist of concrete, masonry, rock, glass, or other materials approved by the Planning Commission. b. It is highly encouraged to utilize horizontal beam construction that avoids placing support columns or walls adjacent to parking stalls and aisles. Figure 174. Parking structure built into the slope with low visibility from the street. c. In cases where a site is sloped, parking structures shall take advantage of the topography by retaining the slope with the structure (see Figure 174). Where possible the structure shall not be visible from the public street. d. Exterior facades of a parking structure shall provide a variation of materials, wall projections, or change in architecture every 100 to 150 feet (see Figure 175). 37-103 Parking Standards Figure 175. The parking structure facade exhibits variations with the use of embossed concrete walls and the use of pillars and cable. e. Parking structures shall be designed to allow natural light and public visibility to improve safety. f. Parking structure stairways shall be covered. It is encouraged to enclose the stairway with architectural elements that relate to the principal building (see Figure 176). Figure 176. Parking structure stairway is enclosed with the use of materials to match the principal structure. 4. Screening. Transformers, ventilation shafts, elevator equipment, and other equipment shall be screened from public view by landscaping, screen walls, or other features incorporated into the design of the structure. 5. Landscaping. Parking structures shall be landscaped around the base with trees and shrubs. Landscaping shall be provided either on the top level of the structure with the use of planter beds or potted plants (see Figure 177), or with the use of green walls or trellised plants (see Figure 178). Figure 177 – Top deck of a parking structure with large elaborate landscaped area and landscaping around the base of the structure. Figure 178 – The parking structure support columns use trellis features for vines and greenery to grow vertically. 37-104 Parking Standards F. ADA Accessible Parking. As part of the minimum off-street parking requirements, all property owners and applicants for development approvals shall comply with the minimum standards for the provision of handicapped parking stalls as identified and required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended. The parking stalls shall be identified by typical ADA symbols and should be placed in areas that are most convenient to the entrance to the structure. G. Shared Parking Standards. The Planning Commission may authorize, with a recommendation from the City Engineer, shared parking of one parking lot for multiple uses if the following criteria are met: 1. A site plan shall be submitted concurrently identifying the locations of each use and the proposed parking area. 2. The applicant shall provide clear and convincing evidence that the proposed uses have separate peak parking periods that do not conflict. 3. A shared parking agreement and a cross access easement shall be recorded in the office of the Utah County Recorder. 4. The building entrances shall be no greater than 300 feet from the nearest edge of the parking lot. 5. The applicant shall provide a parking analysis completed by a licensed traffic engineer with the following information: a. projected peak parking hours for each use; b. number of required parking stalls for each use; and c. number of existing and proposed parking stalls. H. Bicycle Parking Standards. Active transportation continually becomes more popular as a healthy alternative to automobiles and as such the demand for bicycle parking facilities has grown. The following standards are to provide secure and accessible bicycle parking facilities and to encourage continual growth in active transportation to lessen traffic congestion, provide mobility options, increase quality of life, and reduce land consumption for vehicular parking. 1. Required Number of Bicycle Parking Stalls. The minimum number of required bicycle parking stalls shall conform to Table 37.100 Table of Bike Parking Requirements, including the number of short and long-term bike parking for each listed use. 2. Bicycle Parking Design Standards. a. Required bicycle parking shall be located on the same site as the principal use and shall be easily accessible from adjacent public streets, bike lanes, and trails. b. Outdoor bicycle parking shall be located in a visible location on the entrance side of the building with direct pedestrian access from the bike parking area to the building entrance. The bike parking location shall not be separated from the building entrance by any vehicle parking, streets, drive-thrus, or drive-aisles. The bike parking shall not interfere with the function of the building entrance or outdoor plaza areas (see Figure 179). Multi-building projects shall distribute bike parking to ensure convenient parking near building entrances. 37-105 Parking Standards Figure 179. Bicycle parking is in a visible location near the building entrance in such a way it does not interfere with pedestrian traffic and has easy access to a protected bike lane. c. Outdoor bicycle parking pads and rack spacing shall meet the following: a. Racks shall be placed on a hard surfaced pad; b. Racks shall be placed parallel to each other and be spaced a minimum of 36 inches apart; c. Racks shall be placed a minimum of 36 inches from the edges of the pad on all four sides; and d. Where there are multiple rows of racks, the rows shall be placed a minimum of 8feet apart; e. Other parking configurations may be approved by the Zoning Administrator if it provides the needed space for access. Figure 180. Bicycle parking must meet spacing requirements to ensure ease of access for people to park at any rack. d. Bicycle racks shall be an inverted “U” or wheelwell secure design that allows for bicycles 37-106 Parking Standards to be locked on the frame (see Figure 180). Bicycle racks shall be anchored to the ground to resist rust and prevent removal by vandalism. Schools and churches may utilize schoolyard type bike racks, but they are not recommended since bikes cannot easily be locked to the frame and bike wheels can be bent. Figure 180. Inverted U and wheelwell secure bicycle racks are basic, intuitive to use, and allows the frame to be locked. Inverted “U” racks better accommodate different bike types, such as cargo bikes. e. Long-term bicycle parking is required for uses that create the need for parking beyond two hours and includes uses such as transit stations, offices, and institutional uses. Long term and secure bicycle parking encourages an increased number of bicycle trips and helps to prevent theft. Long-term bike parking shall be placed within a secure covered parking area (see Figure 181), bike lockers, or an indoor bicycle storage room or area (see Figure 182). Long-term bike parking shall be convenient to use within a building and accessible from the street, bike lane, or trail to ensure it encourages use. Figure 181. Covered secure bicycle parking area allows access only to those who use it to prevent theft. Figure 182. Indoor bicycle storage room provides maximum security for stored bicycles and encourages bicycle use. f. Reduction in Vehicular Parking. A reduction in the required vehicular parking for office and institutional uses is allowed at a reduction rate of one vehicular stall for every two indoor bicycle parking stalls provided in addition to any required indoor or secure bicycle parking stalls. A maximum ten percent reduction in vehicular parking stalls shall be allowed for additional indoor bicycle parking. g. It is highly encouraged to provide bicycle user end facilities for uses that have long term bicycle parking and higher bicycle use. User end facilities include showers, lockers, and dressing areas. A five percent reduction in vehicular parking stalls in addition to other reductions or a two percent reduction in parking lot landscape area may be approved if user end facilities are provided within the principal building. User end facilities shall provide separate showers, lockers, and dressing rooms specifically for the use of bicycle users. 37-107 Parking Standards I. Reduction in Required Parking. 1. For all uses and activities located within the Mixed Use or Historic Commerce Districts, no minimum parking requirements are identified. It is the policy of the City to maintain all existing uses that do not meet the parking requirements of this Code within the Mixed Use or Historic Commerce Districts and to encourage additional uses and activities. However, in reviewing and approving new uses within the Mixed Use (MU) and Historic Commerce (HC) districts the Zoning Administrator, Reviewing Departments, and Planning Commission shall be guided by the parking requirements as contained in Table 37.090. Parking requirements for the Mixed Use (MU) and Historic Commerce (HC) districts shall be as approved by the Zoning Administrator, Reviewing Departments, and Planning Commission. 2. In all other zones, an applicant may request a reduction in the amount of parking stalls. The applicant shall demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the required number of parking stalls is unnecessary for the proposed use and any possible future use of the building. Requests to lower the amount of parking stalls shall be approved by the Planning Commission following a recommendation by the Reviewing Departments. Any request which lowers the amount of parking stalls by more than 20 percent shall not be approved by the Planning Commission. J. Landscaping. 1. Minimum parking lot landscaping. An area equal to ten percent of the total size of the parking lot shall be landscaped and pervious, exclusive of all required open space, perimeter plantings and required setback areas (see Figure 183). For uses requiring less than 20 parking stalls, the ten percent requirement shall not be required to be located within the parking area but shall be added to and provided within the other required landscape, buffer and screening areas. Figure 183. Shaded areas indicate what landscape areas are included in parking lot landscape requirement. 2. Landscaped islands and peninsulas shall be included in the design of parking areas. Landscaped islands shall be a minimum of ten feet in width and are required at the ends of parking rows at a maximum spacing of one per every 24 parking stalls (see Figure 184). 37-108 Parking Standards Figure 184. Landscaped island with trees, shrubs, and boulders. 3. Landscaping in parking lot islands and peninsulas shall utilize water-wise landscaping which excludes the use of turf grass (see Figure 185). 4. Trees shall be planted within all landscape islands and peninsulas greater than 150 square feet to contribute towards a canopy at maturity. A minimum of one tree per 180 square feet of planter areas within the parking lot shall be provided (see Figure 185). Parking lot island and peninsula tree requirements may be waived by the Reviewing Departments to allow for required utility equipment such as a power transformer. Figure 185. Parking lot island utilizes rock mulch instead of sod for ground cover which eliminates overspray associated with traditional sprinklers for sod. Trees are provided in the parking lot island at a rate of one per 200 square feet of planter area. 5. Parking islands and peninsulas shall be designed to retain storm water run-off as a means of recharging local ground water and help reduce the sizing of storm drainpipes in the project. This requirement may be waived if this means of retention is not recommended based on a geotechnical report or storm drain report. 6. Parking areas that front a street shall be screened with a landscaped buffer (see Figure 186). The landscaped buffer shall include the following: a. A four-foot-tall horizontal slat wood fence with two-inch gaps between slats; and b. Trees, shrubs, and grasses to screen the view of parked cars. Figure 186. Parking area is screened from view of the public street with a three-foot fence and grasses, shrubs and trees. 7. Changes in grade, planting, or berms shall be provided to reduce the visual impact of large parking areas. 37-109 Parking Standards 8. The following minimum landscaped setback and separation shall be required for all surface parking lots, unless otherwise approved by the Planning Commission: a. 20 feet from public road rights-of-way; and b. ten feet from perimeter property lines. 9. Landscaping of parking lot islands and peninsulas shall consist of water-wise landscaping and shall include trees, shrubs, ground cover vegetation, and other attractive plant materials. The landscaping shall also include an automatic sprinkling or drip irrigation system and a border to separate the plants from the parking lot to protect the planting area. K. Table of Off-Street Parking. Accompanying this chapter is the Table of Off-street Parking Requirements, Table 37.080. This Table identifies the off-street parking requirements for the uses allowed within each zoning district. If a use not indicated on the Table is proposed, the amount of off-street parking shall be determined by the Planning Commission following a recommendation from the Reviewing Departments. L. Maintenance. All parking lots and structures shall be maintained and kept free of garbage and debris. Striping of parking stalls shall be kept in a manner that allows each stall to be identified. Potholes, cracks, and other damage to the surface shall be repaired in a timely manner. 37-110 Parking Standards