§ 113-310. Residential districts.

Off-street parking and loading shall be as required and regulated in specific sections of this chapter and by the applicable general provisions of this section herein.

(1)

The following provisions apply to the R-1 and R-2 districts:

a.

Parking shall be permitted on hard-surfaced areas designed for that purpose and for providing access to garage, carport or open parking area and provided that no driveway or off-street open parking area shall be located closer than five feet from the property line on that side. The five feet of property known as the side yard shall be landscaped as shall the remainder of the front yard applying to the residential portion of the house and continuing to the far lot line removed from the access and/or parking driveway. Parking shall not be permitted in any part of landscaped yards, boulevards, grass portion of street right-of-way or other such areas (except as allowed for boats and unoccupied trailers under "exterior storage" provisions of this chapter). And provided further that from November 15 to April 1, the unsurfaced portion of the front yard of any property in a residential district may be used for parking one passenger vehicle registered in the name of a resident, if there is a single driveway, and the vehicle is parked parallel to the driveway and on one uniform side of the driveway, and the width of the parking area does not exceed eight feet. For purposes of this chapter a "passenger vehicle" shall mean a two- or four-door sedan or van used primarily for transporting passengers, and shall not include pickups, trucks, campers, recreational vehicles or buses.

b.

At least two and not more than four parking spaces are required for each dwelling unit. At least one of the parking spaces must be enclosed.

c.

No motor vehicle over one ton capacity bearing a commercial license and no commercially-licensed trailer shall be parked or stored in a residential district except when loading, unloading, or rendering service. No campers, boats, trailers, or snowmobiles shall be parked or stored in any front or side yard; boats and unoccupied trailers meeting criteria for "exterior storage" under this chapter may be stored in the rear yard.

d.

One-family homes may utilize the public street for the loading and unloading of furniture, moving trucks and other common and customary activities associated with residential use, excluding service and repair of vehicles except for the changing of tires, provided such activities do not block street traffic, cause traffic congestion or hazards, or otherwise constitute a public nuisance.

(2)

The following provisions apply to the R-3 and R-4 districts:

a.

All accessory off-street parking facilities required herein shall be located as follows:

1.

Spaces accessory to multiple-family dwellings on the same lot as the principal use served and within 200 feet of the main entrance to the principal building served. Parking as required by the building code for the handicapped shall be provided.

2.

Off-street parking spaces shall not be located on or project into a street or alley right-of-way.

3.

No driveway or off-street open parking area shall be located closer than five feet from an adjacent lot zoned or used for residential purposes.

4.

Off-street parking spaces shall not be located within any required front or side yard setback.

b.

Reserved.

c.

Off-street parking facilities accessory to residential use shall be utilized solely for the parking of passenger automobiles and/or one truck not to exceed 7,000 pounds gross capacity for each dwelling unit. Under no circumstances shall required parking facilities accessory to residential structures be used for the storage of commercial vehicles or for the parking of automobiles belonging to the employees, owners, tenants, or customers of nearby business or manufacturing establishments.

d.

The number of off-street parking spaces required for various land uses as specified herein shall be considered as absolute minimum requirements. Additional off-street parking spaces may be required by the zoning administrator or planning commission. It is public policy that all public streets in the city are intended primarily for the movement of traffic; on-street curb parking shall be considered a privilege that may or may not be granted on a street-by-street basis.

e.

Off-street parking spaces required (one space equals 350 square feet) shall be as follows for:

Multiple-family dwellings. At least two parking spaces per dwelling unit except that two and one-half parking spaces per dwelling unit are required for multiple units of ten or less that abut no parking (on street curb) zones. At least one-half of the required spaces shall be enclosed unless the property abuts an alley. (Garage requirements may be waived for apartment projects designed and intended for occupancy by low-income families.)

(3)

The following provisions apply to the R-5M district: The requirements of the R-4 district shall apply except that at least 80 percent of the required parking spaces for apartment buildings shall be below grade and integrated into the apartment building.

(Code 1993, §§ 9-4.01(5), 9-5.01(5), 9-6.01(5), 9-7.01(5), 9-13.04(1); Ord. No. 0-96-01, § 4, 2-28-1996; Ord. No. 09-01, § 1, 4-8-2009; Ord. No. 10-06, §§ 6, 7, 9-8-2010; Ord. No. 12-07, § 1, 7-11-2012)