Chapter 19.28 OFF-STREET PARKING AND LOADING

Chapter 19.28
OFF-STREET PARKING AND LOADING¹

Sections:

19.28.010 Purposes.

19.28.020 Basic regulations for off-street parking.

19.28.030 Design standards.

19.28.040 Standards.

19.28.050 Additional requirements.

19.28.060 Loading space requirements.

19.28.070 Semi-trailer truck on-site turn-around.

19.28.010 Purposes.

These regulations are established in order to assure that parking facilities are properly designed and located in order to meet the parking needs created by specific uses, and ensure their usefulness, protect the public safety, and, where appropriate, buffer and transition surrounding land uses from their impact. (Ord. 22-08 § 1 (Exh. A), 2008).

19.28.020 Basic regulations for off-street parking.

(1) Off-street parking shall be provided subject to the provisions of this chapter for:

(a) Any new building constructed;

(b) Any addition or enlargement of an existing building and use; and

(c) Any change in the occupancy of any building or the manner in which any use is constructed that would result in additional parking spaces being required.

(2) Except for those exempted in the HC zone as allowed under BMC 19.20.090(2)(d), and cottage housing developments, the required parking spaces or garages shall be located on the same building site or development and shall be located near to the site entrance, if feasible, so as to reduce the need for long driveways. Parking for parcels zoned public (P), central commercial (CC) or neighborhood mixed use (NMU) located within the downtown design review district are also subject to the expanded flexible provisions of BMC 19.20.090(2)(d).

(3) All off-street parking spaces and areas required by this chapter shall be designed and maintained to be fully usable for the duration of the use requiring such areas and spaces.

(4) On-street parking within public or private streets, driveways, or drives shall not be used to satisfy the off-street parking requirements, except where allowed by this chapter.

(5) Whenever the computation of the number of off-street parking spaces required by this section results in a fractional parking space, one additional parking space shall be required for one-half or more fractional space and any fractional space less than one-half of a parking space shall not be counted.

(6) Temporary use of off-street parking spaces for nonparking purposes will not violate this chapter if such use is specifically approved by the planning director.

(7) Parking facilities constructed or substantially reconstructed subsequent to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, whether or not required, shall conform to the design standards set forth in this chapter.

(8) All parking lots allowed or required under this code shall also allow electric vehicle stations and/or infrastructure. (Ord. 06-23 § 1, 2023; Ord. 34-19 § 20, 2019; Ord. 15-17 § 7, 2017; Ord. 22-08 § 1 (Exh. A), 2008).

19.28.030 Design standards.

Design standards are established by this section to set basic minimum dimensions and guidelines for design, construction, and maintenance of parking within the residential, commercial, public/institutional and industrial districts.

(1) General. The following standards shall apply to all residential, commercial and industrial districts:

(a) Parking Stall Size. Each standard parking space shall consist of a rectangular area not less than nine feet wide by 19 feet long. All parking spaces should have a vertical clearance of not less than seven and one-half feet.

(b) Compact Stall Size. Stalls designated for use by compact cars may be reduced in size to a minimum of eight feet in width and 16 feet in length.

(c) Parking areas designated for motorcycles shall be approved by the planning director or public works director and shall be designed according to the best available design standards.

(d) All provisions for handicapped spaces shall conform to state law.

(e) Paving. Where required, parking and loading facilities shall be surfaced and maintained with asphalt, concrete, or other permanent, approved surfacing material sufficient to prevent mud, dust, loose material, and other nuisances. Alternate pervious surface materials are encouraged to be utilized in areas where heavy vehicles are not normally traversing. Alternate pervious surface materials shall be encouraged by the planning director and city engineer if shown that such material will not cause adverse effects and that it will remain in a usable condition through maintenance.

(f) Drainage. All parking and loading facilities shall be graded and provided with permanent storm drainage facilities in compliance with Chapter 14.30 BMC. Surfacing, curbing, and drainage improvements shall be sufficient to preclude free flow of water onto adjacent properties or public streets or alleys, and to preclude standing pools of water within the parking facility.

(g) Safety Features. Parking and loading facilities shall meet the following standards:

(i) Safety barriers, protective bumpers or curbing, and directional markers shall be provided to assure pedestrian/vehicular safety, efficient utilization, protection to landscaping, and to prevent encroachment onto adjoining public or private property.

(ii) Visibility of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists shall be assured when entering and exiting parking areas and individual parking spaces, and when circulating within a parking facility.

(iii) Internal circulation patterns, and the location and traffic direction of all access drives, shall be designed and maintained in accord with accepted principles of traffic engineering and traffic safety.

(h) Lighting. Lights provided to illuminate any parking facility or paved area shall be designed to reflect away from residential use and motorists on adjacent street facilities. It is the intent to maintain light standards in a low-profile design and to be compatible with the city-approved architectural design.

(i) Noise. Areas used for primary circulation, for frequent idling of vehicle engines, or for loading activities shall be designed and located to minimize impacts on adjoining properties, including provisions for screening or sound baffling.

(j) Screening and Landscaping. Screening and landscaping of parking areas shall be provided subject to the requirements of Chapter 19.29 BMC.

(k) Striping. All parking stalls shall be clearly outlined with single lines on the surface of the parking facility or any other permanent space designator (tree, shrubs, etc.), approved by the planning director. In all parking facilities, all aisles, approach lanes, and maneuvering areas shall be clearly marked with directional arrows and lines to expedite traffic movement.

(l) Maneuvering. Parking and maneuvering areas shall be arranged so that any vehicle entering a public right-of-way can do so traveling in a forward direction, except for single-family residential developments.

(2) Residential. The following design standards shall apply to the residential districts and developments:

(a) Covered off-street parking spaces in a garage or carport shall be a minimum of nine feet in width and 19 feet in depth of unobstructed area provided for parking purposes. The required minimum measurements may not include the exterior walls or support of the structure.

(b) Driveways providing access to garages, carports and parking areas serving four or less dwelling units shall be a minimum of 20 feet in width. Exceptions may be approved by the planning director.

(c) Driveways providing access to garages, carports, and open parking spaces serving five or more dwelling units shall be a minimum width of 24 feet wide.

(d) Notwithstanding subsections (2)(b) and (c) of this section, all driveways and accessway widths and designs must be approved by the fire department for purposes of emergency accessibility.

(e) No property owner shall sublease, subrent or otherwise make available to residents of other properties the off-street parking spaces required by this section.

(f) All required covered off-street parking spaces shall be located conveniently accessible to the dwelling unit served by such parking space.

(g) Residential developments which provide private streets shall be planned, designed and constructed to meet the minimum engineering and fire department requirements for private streets.

(3) Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, Community Facilities. The following design standards shall apply to commercial, industrial, institutional and community facility uses:

(a) Those areas designated for use by motorcycles shall consist of a minimum usable area of 54 square feet.

(b) Driveways shall comply with the city’s Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards.

(c) Notwithstanding subsections (2)(b) and (c) of this section, all driveways and accessway widths and designs must be approved by the fire department for purposes of emergency accessibility. (Ord. 15-17 § 8, 2017; Ord. 22-08 § 1 (Exh. A), 2008).

19.28.040 Standards.

(1) The minimum number of off-street parking spaces for the listed uses shall be shown in Table 19.28-1, Off-Street Parking Standards. The planning director or city engineer shall have the authority to request a parking study when deemed necessary.

Table 19.28-1 Off-Street Parking Spaces
Use	Required Number of Off-Street Parking Spaces
Residential
Single-family dwelling, duplex, townhouse, cottage/carriage unit	2 per unit
Studio apartment, accessory dwelling unit	1 per unit
Housing for elderly (apartment/unassisted)	.33 per unit
Retirement dwelling	2 per unit
Residential care facility/assisted living	1 per 2 beds + 1 per day shift employee
Home occupation	None
Lodging
Hotel or motel	1 space per unit plus additional for bars, restaurants, assembly rooms
Bed and breakfast	1 space per room
Recreation
Marina	1 space per 2 slips
Miniature golf	1 space per hole
Golf course	6 spaces per hole and 1 per employee
Golf driving range	1 space per 15 feet of driving line
Theater, auditorium	1 space per 4 seats maximum occupancy
Stadium, sports arena	1 space per 4 seats or 1 for each 8 feet of benches plus 1 space per 2 employees
Tennis, racquetball, handball courts/club	3 spaces per court or lane, 1 space per 260 square feet of gross floor area (GFA) of related uses, and 1 space per employee
Basketball, volleyball court	9 spaces per court
Bowling, bocce ball center, billiard hall	5 spaces per alley/lane and/or table
Dance hall, bingo hall, electronic game rooms, and assembly halls without fixed seats	1 space per 75 square feet of gross floor area (GFA)
Sports club, health, spa, karate club	1 space per 260 square feet of gross floor area plus 1 space per employee
Roller rink, ice-skating rink	1 space per 100 square feet of gross floor area
Swimming club	1 space per 40 square feet of gross floor area
Private club, lodge hall	1 space per 75 square feet of gross floor area
Institutional
Church/chapel/synagogue/temple	1 space per 3 seats or 6 feet of pews
Elementary/middle/junior high school	1 space per employee, teacher, staff and 1 space per 15 students
Senior high school	1 space per employee, teacher and staff member and 1 per 10 students
Technical college, trade school, business school	1 space per every 2 employees and staff members and 1 per every full-time student or 3 part-time students
University, college, seminary	1 per every 2 employees and staff members and either 1 per every 3 full-time students not on campus or 1 for every 3 part-time students, whichever is greater
Multi-use community center	1 per 4 seats maximum occupancy
Museum, art gallery	1 space per 500 square feet of gross floor area
Library	1 per employee and 1 per 500 square feet of gross floor area
Post office	1 per 500 square feet of gross floor area plus 1 space per each 2 employees
Medical care facilities
Hospital	1 per 2 beds
Veterinary clinic/hospital	1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area
Medical/dental clinic/office	1 per employee plus 1 per 300 square feet of gross floor area
Office
General office	1 per employee plus 1 per 400 square feet of gross floor area
General office (no customer service)	1 per 250 square feet of gross floor area
Office park	1 space per 400 square feet of gross floor area
Meeting room	1 per 4 person occupancy load, and 1 per 2 employees
Commercial/service
Automobile sales new/used	1 per 400 square feet of gross floor area
Auto repair accessory to auto sales	2 spaces per auto service stall
Automobile repair shop, automobile service station, automobile specialty store, automobile body shop	4 per bay
Gas station	1 per 2 fuel pumps
Gas station with mini-market	1 per nozzle plus 1 per 250 square feet of gross floor area
Car wash or quick-service lubrication facilities	2 spaces per stall and 1 space per 2 employees
Beauty parlor, barber shop	1 per 300 square feet of gross floor area
Massage parlor	1 per 300 square feet of gross floor area
Exhibition hall, showroom, contractor’s shop	1 space per 900 square feet of gross floor area
Photographic studio	1 space per 800 square feet of gross floor area
Convenience market, supermarket	1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area
Multi-use retail center	1 per 250 square feet of gross floor area
Finance, insurance, real estate office	1 per employee plus 1 per 400 square feet of gross floor area
Bank	1 per employee plus 1 per 400 square feet of gross floor area
Drug store	First 5,000 square feet equals 17 spaces plus 1 per each additional 1,500 square feet
Furniture/appliance store	1 per 500 square feet of gross floor area
Clothing store	1 per 400 square feet of gross floor area
Lumber yard, building material center	1 space per 275 square feet of indoor sales area plus 1 space per 5,000 square feet of warehouse/storage
Hardware/paint store	1 per 400 square feet of gross floor area
Restaurant	1 per 100 square feet of gross floor area
Restaurant, carry-out	1 space per 225 square feet of gross floor area
Fast food restaurant	1 space per 110 square feet of gross floor area plus 6 stacking spaces for drive-through lane
Repair shop	1 per 400 square feet of gross floor area
Laundromat, coin-operated dry cleaner	1 space per every 3 washing or cleaning machines
Mortuary	1 space per 150 square feet of gross floor area
Express delivery service	1 space per 500 square feet of gross floor area plus 1 space per employee
Retail stores in general	Less than 5,000 square feet equals 1 per 300 square feet. Greater than 5,000 square feet, 17 plus 1 per each additional 1,500 square feet
Industrial
Industrial, manufacturing	1 per 500 square feet of gross floor area
Warehousing, storage	1 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area
Public or private utility building	1 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area
Wholesaling	2 plus 1 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area
Research and development	1 per 500 square feet of gross floor area
LI general office	1 per employee peak plus 15 percent
LI research	1 per employee peak plus 10 percent

(2) Special Requirements. The following parking requirements are applicable to all commercial, industrial and office land uses. These special stalls shall be closest to the facility for which they are designated in order to encourage their use. The following standards, with the exception of the requirement for handicapped spaces, may be modified by the decision maker if the proponent demonstrates that a different standard would result in an equal or better site plan or design:

(a) Motorcycles. Facilities with 25 or more parking spaces should provide at least one designated parking area for use by motorcycles. Areas delineated for use by motorcycles shall meet standards set forth in BMC 19.28.030(3)(a).

(b) Compact Cars. Parking facilities may provide up to 20 percent of their parking for use by compact cars. Spaces delineated for compact car use shall meet standards set forth in BMC 19.28.030(1)(b).

(c) Bicycles. All commercial and office areas shall provide adequate bike rack facilities for bicycle parking at any location convenient to the facility for which they are designated. Whenever possible, weatherproofing or covering should be used.

(d) Drive-Through Facilities. Drive-through facilities require special consideration as their design can significantly impact the vehicular circulation on a site. The following requirements apply to any use with drive-through facilities:

(i) Each drive-through lane shall be separated from the routes necessary for ingress or egress from the property, or access to any parking space.

(ii) Each drive-through lane shall be striped, marked, or otherwise distinctly delineated.

(iii) The vehicle stacking capacity of the drive-through facility and pick-up facilities will be determined by the planning director and city engineer based on appropriate traffic engineering and planning data. The applicant shall submit to the city a traffic study addressing the following issues:

(A) Nature of the product or service being offered;

(B) Method by which the order is processed;

(D) Arrival rate of customers;

(E) Peak demand hours;

(F) Anticipated vehicle stacking required.

(e) Spaces provided for the specific uses as listed in this subsection shall be clearly designated through signs, colored lines, etc.

(f) Spaces for handicapped persons shall be provided at a ratio of one space for each 25 required spaces, or portion thereof, to be located as close to the main entrance of the building as feasible.

(3) Optional Provisions. The following may be provided at the option of the developer when applicable to commercial, residential, or office off-street parking uses:

(a) Shared Parking. Parking facilities may be used jointly with parking facilities for other uses when operations are not normally conducted during the same hours, or when hours of peak use vary. Requests for the use of shared parking are subject to the approval of the planning director and must meet the following conditions:

(i) The applicant must demonstrate to the planning director’s satisfaction that substantial conflict shall not exist in the principal hours or periods of peak demand for the uses for which the joint use is proposed.

(ii) The number of parking stalls which may be credited against the requirements for the structures or uses involved shall not exceed the number of parking stalls reasonably anticipated to be available during differing hours of operation.

(iii) Parking facilities designated for joint use should not be located further than 300 feet from any structure or use served.

(iv) A written agreement shall be drawn to the satisfaction of the city attorney and executed by all parties concerned assuring the continued availability of the number of stalls designated for joint use. (Ord. 01-12 § 15, 2012; Ord. 22-08 § 1 (Exh. A), 2008).

19.28.050 Additional requirements.

In addition to the basic standards and requirements established by other sections of this chapter, the city engineer may make such other requirements or restrictions as shall be deemed necessary in the interests of safety, health and general welfare of the city, including, but not limited to, lighting, joint development of parking facilities, entrances and exits, accessory uses, and conditional exceptions. Further, performance bonds may be required in such cases where the decision maker or city engineer determines that such shall be necessary to guarantee proper completion of improvements within time periods specified. (Ord. 01-12 § 16, 2012; Ord. 22-08 § 1 (Exh. A), 2008).

19.28.060 Loading space requirements.

In any district except the HC district, in connection with every building or part thereof erected after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this title, and having a gross floor area of 10,000 square feet or more which is for display, retail sales, a hotel, hospital, mortuary, laundry, dry cleaning establishment, or other uses similarly requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicles of material or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained, on the same lot with such building, at least one off-street loading space, plus one additional such loading space for each additional 20,000 square feet of gross floor area. (Ord. 22-08 § 1 (Exh. A), 2008).

19.28.070 Semi-trailer truck on-site turn-around.

In any district where there is potential for semi-trailer truck deliveries or future deliveries based on permitted uses in the district, there shall be the capability for semi-trailer truck movements on site to turn around without impacting any public or private street or accessway shared by more than one user. (Ord. 22-08 § 1 (Exh. A), 2008).

Prior legislation: Ords. 652 and 882.