§ 42-193. Driveways and parking lots.

Latest version.

(a)

Driveways generally. Each landowner is entitled to access to the city street and thoroughfare system. On the other hand, it is city policy to limit the number of driveways entering streets and thoroughfares to protect public safety and maintain traffic efficiency. Therefore, each landowner is entitled to only one driveway for each lot or parcel. Additional drive approaches shall be approved only when it has been determined that the additional driveway is necessary for adequate traffic circulation and that street efficiency and safety are preserved. Circle drives will be generally permitted when the city inspector determines that traffic safety is not hindered.

(1)

The location of driveway ingress or egress from any lot onto a collector or thoroughfare shall be approved by the city. The location and size of all driveways serving multifamily residential, commercial and industrial properties shall be subject to the approval of the city.

(2)

It is the policy of the city to discourage driveway cuts onto the major thoroughfares of the city. Driveway cuts onto the city's major streets will be allowed only when:

There is no other feasible alternative; or

Traffic engineering studies clearly show a need.

(3)

Additional driveways than permitted in subsection (a) of this section will be allowed under the following conditions:

If the daily volume using one driveway would exceed 5,000 vehicles (both directions).

If the on-site, peak-hour traffic volume exceeds 500 vehicles per hour (both directions).

A competent professional traffic analysis shows that traffic conditions warrant more driveways. Part of this study must include data indicating volumes compared to above standards and must show how alternative arrangements, joint access, etc., will not work.

(b)

One- and two-family residential driveways. The location and size of ingress and egress driveways for one- and two-family residences shall be subject to the approval of the city engineer. Driveways from single-family or two-family residences shall not be permitted direct access to collector or thoroughfare streets, unless no other access is possible or access is approved by the planning and zoning commission.

(1)

No driveway shall be located within 75 feet of a street intersection unless no other point of access can be provided. Likewise, driveways shall be located a minimum of 75 feet from any median opening unless the median opening directly serves the driveways. The minimum separation between driveways shall be 75 feet unless for low density residential access onto a local street. Deviations from these standards shall be allowed only upon approval of the city engineer. Driveways should be located directly opposite each other to minimize the potential points of conflict. The use of common driveways for adjacent property shall be encouraged.

(2)

Residential driveways to serve single car garages, carports, and/or storage areas shall be not less than 11 feet nor more than 15 feet in width, measured at the property line. Residential driveways to serve two car garages, carports, and/or storage areas shall be not less than 11 feet, not more than 24 feet in width, measured at the property line. When residential driveways are required to serve three or more car garages, carports, and/or storage areas, the size and location of the driveway shall be subject to the approval of the city engineer, after an adequate engineering analysis of the parking, maneuvering and access requirements. A driveway should not begin less than five feet from the point of tangency of the corner radius of an intersection.

(3)

Driveways shall provide a minimum of 18 feet between the property line and any garage door, gate, or other obstruction to provide for safe parking or stack space off of the public right-of-way.

(4)

The radius of all driveway returns shall be a minimum of five feet; however, if in the professional opinion of the city engineer, a situation requiring driveways may be built at an angle other than perpendicular to the roadway and/or with driveway return radii of as much as 20 feet. Residential driveways shall not be constructed closer than ten feet apart. Low density residential driveways entering onto local streets shall have a minimum curb return radius of five feet. If permitted, low density residential driveways entering onto collector or thoroughfare streets shall have a minimum curb return radius of ten feet.

(5)

Joint driveway approaches may be approved provided a letter of agreement signed by all adjoining property owners is delivered to the city secretary.

(6)

Whenever the use of any driveway approach is abandoned and not used for ingress and egress to the abutting property, it shall be the duty of the abutting property owner to restore the curb to the standards of the city.

(c)

Multifamily residential, commercial and industrial driveways. The location of ingress and egress and the size of all multifamily residential, commercial, and industrial driveways shall be subject to the approval of the city engineer. Driveways should not exceed 65 percent of the property frontage. Multifamily residential, commercial and industrial driveways shall be a minimum of 15 feet and a maximum of 35 feet in width measured at the property line. When the property frontage is 75 feet or greater, the driveway measured at the property line shall not begin less than ten feet from the property corner. When the property frontage is less than 75 feet, the driveway measured at the property line may begin a minimum of five feet from the property corner, provided there is not an existing driveway within 15 feet of the property corner on the adjacent property. A minimum of 20 feet, measured at the property line, should be maintained between driveways.

(1)

The radius of all driveway returns shall be a minimum of ten feet; however, if in the professional opinion of the city engineer a situation justifies, driveways may be built at an angle other than perpendicular to the roadway and/or with driveway return radii of as much as 20 feet. The larger radius driveway returns may only be approved if a minimum of ten feet of tangent curb can be constructed between the driveway returns. Joint driveway approaches may be approved provided a letter of agreement signed by all adjoining property owners is delivered to the city secretary.

(2)

(3)

Spacing of direct access/driveways (curb cuts) for commercial or multifamily: Driveways shall be spaced a minimum of 200 feet apart on arterial streets and 50 feet apart on collector streets. In unique circumstances, where such spacing would create a hardship, the spacing can be reduced by one of the following methods:

On arterial streets where the average spacing of driveways within 300 feet of the subject property could be maintained at 200 feet, a minimum spacing of 150 feet would be permissible. On collector streets where the average spacing within 100 feet of the subject property could be maintained at 50 feet, a minimum spacing of 30 feet would be permissible.

Where such spacing control cannot readily be achieved within a particular parcel, joint access with an adjoining property should be sought.

If the city's engineer is satisfied that sufficient attempts to secure joint access have been made and that joint access is still not possible, and access cannot be provided via another street, driveway spacing of not less than 150 feet for major thoroughfares, 100 feet for secondary thoroughfares and 30 feet for collector streets may be granted by the development review committee if minimum corner clearances are met. However, this access on arterial streets should be limited to right turns in and out (left turns in and out prohibited).

Corner clearance.

The minimum curb length between a driveway and an intersection of the arterial with a cross street should be not less than 40 feet. If the intersection is or is likely to be signalized, then traffic movements to and from any driveway within 125 feet of an intersection with a collector and 250 feet of an intersection with a thoroughfare should be limited to right turns only. However, when possible, corner clearance shall be within the following guidelines:

Arterial minimum corner clearances (feet) guidelines (For multifamily, commercial or industrial):

Intersection Type	Desirable Minimum	Critical Minimum
Arterial-arterial	300	250
Arterial-collector	200	125
Arterial-local	100	50

Desirable minimum corner clearance is the clearance needed to ensure that conflicting driveway and intersection movements do not overlap.

Special land use requirements. Certain land uses may require driveways which do not totally conform to the guidelines stated previously. Examples of these land uses are service stations and drive-in banks. Applications for permits for nonconforming driveways for any of these land uses should be processed according to the following procedure (subsection (d) of this section) and should be accompanied by a traffic engineering study technically justifying the nonconforming features. As a part of this study, alternative arrangements should be laid out and specifically shown how they will not work before variations can be considered. However, in not case should variations in corner clearances be permitted, since they are critical to safe, efficient intersection operation.

(d)

Permit procedure.

(1)

Information required. Application for a curb cut permit can be made as part of the building permit request or as a separate request. Driveway permit applications shall contain sufficient information, when combined with the building permit and site development plan, to allow, the city fully assess the adequacy of the proposed driveway design. An industrial, commercial or multifamily permit application for arterial and collector streets shall include, at a minimum, the following:

Drawn to scale (one inch equals 50 feet or less).

The dimensions, locations and design of the driveway being requested.

The location of any buildings or structures, either existing or proposed.

The type of land use activity and site development (e.g., floor space).

The lot with the proposed internal circulation pattern.

Show all existing or proposed driveways, gutters, storm sewers, manholes, fire hydrants, utility poles, service fixtures, etc., which may be affected or which may affect driveway operations.

Show any existing driveways or curb cuts located on adjacent lots or lots across the street.

Show all of the geometric design features of the roadway itself, including the presence of a median, the number and width of travel lanes, the presence of a shoulder or parking lane, etc.

Show the distances to intersecting streets.

A traffic engineering study of professional traffic engineering standards may be required by the development review committee on any request for more than one driveway cut on any major arterial street of the city, or any request on an arterial street that varies from the general curb cut standards.

(2)

Processing procedure. An approved curb access permit is required prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. Curb cut requests shall be reviewed and approved by the city's building inspector. If a driveway permit application is rejected and the situation cannot be resolved by submission of a revised plan, then the applicant can appeal such ruling to the planning and zoning commission. Driveway permits will be issued for a given use and a specific certificate of occupancy. Land use requiring a new certificate of occupancy would also require a new driveway permit based on the anticipated new building use or development plans.

(e)

Parking areas. Off-street parking shall be provided as required in all the applicable zoning provisions of the city zoning regulations, and shall be paved. A property whose only access is from an unpaved public street shall not be required to provide parking lot pavement of greater quality than the adjacent public street. Off-street parking areas shall be maintained by the owner.

(1)

No new head-in parking is permitted, except for one- and two-family residential. Off-street parking layouts shall afford the driver the ability to accomplish all maneuvers to enter or exist the parking' spaces on private property.

(2)

The required number of parking and loading spaces shall be provided in accordance with the city's city zoning regulations. Parking shall be designed to facilitate efficient traffic movement with a minimum conflict. All parking maneuvers shall be accomplished off of public right-of-way.

(3)

Nothing in this section shall require the changing of existing driveways and/or parking except under one or more of the following conditions:

During widening and/or reconstruction of streets, the driveways will be brought into conformity with the present standards and head-in parking will be eliminated.

During new building construction or major additions and remodeling of existing buildings all driveways and parking requirements will be brought into conformity with the present standards and head-in parking will be eliminated.

When the city engineer determines that prevailing traffic conditions require the elimination of existing head-in parking that makes use of public rights-of-way in order to correct a serious traffic hazard.

(f)

Sight distance. On-site maneuvering and parking lot design: adequate site distance and on-site maneuvering should be available from every driveway. Any movement for which adequate sight distance is not available or any parking lot design that does not provide adequate on-site maneuvering should not be permitted.

(Code 1994, ch. 9, art. 51; Ord. No. 248, exh. A(art. 51), 3-24-1997; Ord. No. 419, § 2, 2-12-2007)

                    
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