[Code 1975, § 39-108; Code 1992, § 32-456; 8-13-2001 by Ord. No. 1188; 10-10-2005 by Ord. No. 1253; 10-22-2007 by Ord. No. 1280; 9-28-2015 by Ord. No. 15-008; 10-24-2016 by Ord. No. 16-005]
(a)
Off-street parking in conjunction with all land and building uses shall be provided as follows:
(1)
For the purpose of this article, the size of a parking space shall be determined in accordance with the table in § 52-773, the minimum requirements for off-street parking facilities.
An alley may be used as access to a residential parking area, provided the alley is open to the public. For commercial or industrial parking lots, an alley may be used for access to the parking lot, provided the public alley is not located adjacent to residential properties. The alley must be the minimum width of the required maneuvering lane in order to be accessible.
(2)
When units or measurements determining the number of required parking spaces result in requirement of a fractional space, any fraction up to and including 1/2 shall be disregarded, and fractions over 1/2 shall require one parking space.
(3)
The minimum number of off-street parking spaces shall be determined in accordance with the table in § 52-772. For uses not specifically mentioned therein, off-street parking requirements shall be interpreted by the Zoning Board of Appeals from requirements for similar uses.
(4)
Any area once designated as required off-street parking shall never be changed to any other use unless and until equally required facilities are provided elsewhere. Off-street parking existing at the effective date of the ordinance from which this chapter is derived in connection with the operation of an existing building or use shall not be reduced to an amount less than would be required for such building or use.
(5)
Off-street parking may be provided either by private or public parking.
(6)
Required off-street parking shall be for the use of occupants, employees, visitors, and patrons and shall be limited in use to motor vehicles that are operable and currently licensed, unless for sale in an approved auto sales lot. The storage of merchandise, motor vehicles for sale, or the repair of vehicles is prohibited. Not more than twice a year, a personal motor vehicle can be offered for sale on any lot, if licensed in the name of the property owner or resident, and not parked on the front lawn. All off-street parking, whether public or private, shall be on the same lot, or adjacent lot, of the building it is intended to serve, unless approved by the Planning Director, and except in the Central Business District (CBD District) as defined: beginning in the center line of the street at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue and Erie Street; thence proceeding south along the center line of Erie Street, across the Black River; thence south along the center line of Seventh Street to the intersection of Seventh Street and Court Street; thence east along the center line of Court Street extended to the west bank of the St. Clair River; thence north along the west bank of the St. Clair River to the extended center line of Glenwood Avenue; thence west along such extended center line to the point of beginning of this description. There are no off-street parking requirements within the above-described Central Business District, except for the following uses:
a.
New residential lofts are required to have one parking space per residential unit on the same property as the unit unless the building is located within 500 feet of a public parking lot as determined by the Planning Director. If parking is not provided on site or in a public parking lot, provisions can be made to rent space from another property owner in a private lot, if extra spaces are available. A building permit shall not be issued until proof of parking is provided to the Planning Department.
b.
Also, any new nonresidential buildings for any use shall require parking on site per the parking requirements of Article VI unless the building is located within 500 feet of a public parking lot as determined by the Planning Director.
c.
A new multifamily residential building or development will be required to have one parking space per unit on site.
(7)
Residential off-street parking space shall consist of a parking strip, garage, or a combination thereof and shall be located on the premises it is intended to serve. The parking area shall not be in the required setback for the front yard or street side yard, except cars are allowed to park in a permitted paved driveway in front of a garage door within the required setback for the front yard or street side yard, provided the cars do not overhang into the right-of-way. Residential driveways can be paved to the interior side property line, provided the driveway is not leading to a parking lot (see § 52-773). For any new construction, all access drives and parking areas shall be paved with concrete or bituminous concrete surfacing. A curb cut shall be required.
(8)
Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent the collective provision of off-street parking facilities for two or more buildings or uses in nonresidential districts, provided such facilities collectively shall not be less than the sum of the requirements for the various individual uses computed separately in accordance with the table in § 52-772.
a.
If a parking lot is to be shared by two or more buildings, the lot must be adjacent to all buildings it is intended to serve and cannot be separated by an alley, street, or by another private property unless approved by the Planning Director. If the lot is separated by another private property, access via a public sidewalk around that private property is required. If the lot is separated by a public street, signage to the closest intersection crosswalk will be required to be placed in public in the parking lot. If a crosswalk mid-block is necessary, it shall be approved by the Director of Public Works.
b.
Permission from all owners of the parking lots sharing parking shall be submitted in writing to the Planning Director.
(9)
In stadiums, sports arenas, churches and other places of assembly in which patrons or spectators occupy benches, pews or other similar seating facilities, each 24 inches of such seating facilities shall be counted as one seat for the purpose of determining requirements for off-street parking facilities under this article.
(b)
The Planning Director may vary or modify the parking space requirements set forth in this chapter as follows: If existing off-street parking facilities have unused parking capacity and where such facilities are open to the use of the public free of charge or at reasonable rates, the City Council may reduce the parking space requirement for any use within 500 feet from such facility, provided that the total number of stalls in such reduction shall be not greater than the total number of stalls of excess capacity.