§ 48-163. Parking lot requirements for all uses other than single-family and two-family (duplex) dwelling units.

Permanent off-street parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with the following requirements prior to the completion of construction of any building or structure, or at the time any principal building or structure is enlarged or increased in capacity by adding dwelling units, hotel units, seats or gross floor area, or before conversion from one zoning use or occupancy to another:

(1)

Reserved for the use intended: Required off-street parking spaces and loading spaces are permanent areas and shall not be used for any other above ground purpose other than uses associated with a crowd gathering permit, disaster recovery or other permitted temporary uses.

(2)

Safety on busy streets: Sufficient maneuvering space shall be provided so that no vehicle will be required to back into the public right-of-way of S. Virginia Dare Trail (NC 12), S. Croatan Hwy. (U.S. Hwy. 158), and S. Old Oregon Inlet Rd. (NC 1243).

(3)

Restricted use of front yard setback for multifamily: No parking spaces for multifamily uses may be located in the required front yard setback.

(4)

Surface materials appropriate for use:

a.

Required parking spaces shall be graded and paved with asphalt, concrete, gravel or alternative permeable pavement materials in accordance with the following standards:

1.

Permeable pavement materials include, porous concrete, permeable interlocking concrete pavers, concrete grid pavers, Turfstone™, and other proven technologies available as covered in the NC BMP Manual, and as approved by the town engineer as appropriate to the existing conditions for the site of application (See section 34-2 - Definitions).

2.

Permeable pavement areas shall be designed and installed in accordance with all applicable national codes and industry specifications, as well as the NCDENR - Division of Water Quality, Stormwater Best Management Practices, latest edition.

b.

Interior drive aisles providing access to required parking spaces and loading spaces shall be graded and paved with asphalt, concrete, porous concrete, or concrete pavers in accordance with the following standards:

1.

Pavement section shall be structurally designed to withstand the intended vehicular loading associated with the development use and in accordance with North Carolina Fire Code, latest edition, Section 503 Fire Apparatus Access Road-Surface, (503.2.3).

2.

Porous concrete and concrete pavers shall be designed and installed in accordance with all applicable national codes and industry specifications, as well as the NCDENR - Division of Water Quality, Stormwater Best Management Practices, latest edition.

c.

When porous concrete is proposed within the interior drive aisles as noted above, all parking lot entrances shall be graded and paved with asphalt or concrete extending a minimum of 50 feet from the right-of-way as measured along the centerline of the parking lot entrance. Interior drive aisles established beyond the required asphalt or concrete parking lot entrance may be graded and paved with permeable pavement as approved by the town engineer and the fire official having jurisdiction.

d.

Installation of all paved surfaces shall be conducted by a contractor having the necessary qualifications, experience and equipment to correctly install the surface to the manufacturers' specifications.

e.

For religious complexes and public facilities which host special events an overflow parking plan may be permitted to allow for infrequent peak demand or limited time periods. Up to 30 percent of the required parking area may utilize reinforced turf products. Turf parking areas may not count toward parking requirements for other commercial uses as part of a shared parking agreement. The outer perimeter of the overflow parking area shall be clearly delineated by above ground markers with defined points of ingress/egress and shall not require individual parking stall wheel stops.

f.

For all other uses, up to 20 percent of the required parking area may utilize reinforced turf products and must use curb stops to clearly delineate the parking space.

g.

Reinforced turf parking shall receive the same lot coverage credit as other permeable systems as prescribed in chapter 48, article XI.

h.

In order to install an alternative paving surface, the owner of the site must execute and file with the town an operation and maintenance agreement meeting the requirements for such agreements under with chapter 34, and in accordance with chapter 18 Permeable Pavement, NCDENR BMP Manual. Records of operation and maintenance shall be made available to the town on an annual basis or made available upon request. In the event that the town engineer determines that the situation and circumstances will cause the alternative paved surface to be unable to be adequately maintained, or that the fire official having jurisdiction determines that the alternative paved surface will not provide sufficient support for emergency vehicles, the parking spaces shall be surfaced in accordance with subsection 48-163(4)a, using a different material. If alternative paved surfaces are initially allowed for a development, but the town engineer determines that their impervious capabilities are not being adequately maintained, the owner may be required to re-surface the parking in accordance with subsection 48-163(4)a, using a different material.

(5)

Street access and internal circulation: The street access and internal circulation plan of parking lots shall be reviewed by the town engineer for consistency with generally accepted engineering practices and standards. Failure to comply with such standards may result in a request for site plan modifications or denial of a permitting request.

(6)

Markings: Each parking space shall be marked and maintained so as to be distinguishable.

(7)

Lighting: All parking lots shall be lighted in accordance with article IX of this chapter.

(8)

Solid waste containers: Solid waste containers may be located within parking lot areas in accordance with requirements of chapter 30. Such solid waste containers shall be located so as not to occupy a required parking space or drive aisle, shall not interfere with driver visibility or safety of vehicular movements, and shall provide convenient and safe access to the servicing vehicle.

(9)

Handicapped parking spaces: Handicapped parking spaces shall be provided in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and in accordance with the North Carolina Building Code.

(10)

CAMA compliance: Off-street parking spaces and lots required for any use shall comply with all CAMA regulations and setbacks applicable to the project location.

(11)

Dimensional requirements: All commercial parking areas shall conform to the following:

a.

The designations "v" through "z," as used in subsections (11)b, c, and d of this section, are defined as shown in the following illustration:

b.

For one-way aisles, the various dimensions shall be as follows:

v = angle	20°	30°	40°	45°	50°	60°	70°
w = aisle width	11.0	11.0	12.0	13.0	15.0	18.0	18.0
x = curb-to-curb width	27.7	30.2	32.9	34.6	37.1	40.6	40.5
y = curb-to-aisle width	16.7	19.2	20.9	21.6	22.1	22.6	22.3
z = minimum stall width	10.0	10.0	10.0	10.0	10.0	10.0	10.0
For angles between those shown above the required dimensions shall be determined by interpolation.

 

c.

For one-way aisles using zero-degree (parallel) parking spaces, the dimensions shall be as follows:

	Single Side Parking	Double Side Parking
V = angle	0°	0°
W = aisle width	12.0	12.0
X = curb-to-curb width	22.0	32.0
Y = curb-to-aisle width	10.0	10.0
Z = minimum stall width	10.0	10.0
Minimum stall length	20.0	20.0

 

d.

For two-way aisles the various dimensions shall be as follows:

V = angle	90°	0°
W = aisle width	22.0	22.0
X = curb-to-curb width	62.0	42.0
Y = curb-to-aisle width	20.0	10.0
Z = minimum stall width	10.0	10.0

 

e.

For parallel parking, dimensions shall be a minimum of ten feet in width by 20 feet in length.

(12)

Setbacks: Unless otherwise specified, a required setback of not less than five feet shall separate parking and loading areas from all front, side and rear property lines. Where off-street parking is provided between the building and the street right-of-way line, a buffer strip of at least five feet in width shall be provided between the parking lot and the street right-of-way line in accordance with subsection 48-482(3) buffer yard C.

(13)

Wheel stops: All parking spaces which abut open space or buffer space shall have a fixed curb or wheel stop of concrete, plastic or chemically-treated wood six inches in height. Allowances shall be made for two feet of overhang within the parking space so that no part of any car can be located within the required setback.

(14)

Curbs: At drive aisle intersections with adjoining open space, curbs shall be installed along the entire drive aisle perimeter radius (from tangent to tangent) to protect adjoining open space from wheel travel. In other areas curbs shall not be required and parking lot designers are encouraged to minimize vertical curbing and to utilize perimeter and interior open space for stormwater management.

(15)

Interior parking lot landscaping: All parking lots containing ten parking spaces or more shall provide interior parking lot landscape islands which shall count toward landscaping requirements found in sections 48-370 and 48-371, and which can be utilized as part of a stormwater plan.

a.

Interior parking lot landscaping shall be provided at a minimum rate equal to ten percent of the total area of parking spaces. (for example, ten parking spaces at ten feet × 20 feet = 2,000 square feet will require 200 square feet of interior parking lot landscaping).

b.

To qualify as "interior" parking lot landscaping, landscape islands shall be situated either in-between parking spaces, between parking spaces and travel aisles, or between parking rows.

c.

Interior parking lot landscape islands may be utilized for stormwater management with designs that direct and capture stormwater runoff from parking area surfaces.

d.

Proposed plantings within required interior parking lot landscape islands must comply with stormwater and vehicular overhang requirements. Planting materials must not obstruct sight distance and shall provide a permanent non-erosive vegetative groundcover.

e.

Interior parking lot landscaping may be utilized to comply with the landscaping requirements of sections 48-370 and 48-371 of this chapter.

(16)

Inter-parcel driveway connections: All abutting commercial parking lots are encouraged to provide inter-parcel driveway connections with adjoining commercial parcels, particularly along the US 158 frontage. Provision of an inter-parcel connection (for connection with existing or future connections on adjoining properties) will receive a four parking space reduction in required parking. Inter-parcel connection shall be a minimum 20 feet in width for two-way traffic. When inter-parcel access is provided, an inter-parcel access easement shall be recorded with the Dare County Register of Deeds.

(17)

Commercial driveway distances: On all corner lots, no vehicular openings shall be located closer than 30 feet from the point of intersection of the street right-of-way lines.

(18)

Commercial driveway dimensions: Driveways shall not exceed 36 feet in width measured at the property line; however, in instances where parking lots serve tractor/trailer traffic, the driveway entrance/exit may be increased to 40 feet in width. Exits from parking lots onto U.S. 158, NC 12, NC 1243, and U.S. 64/264 containing more than 36 parking spaces shall contain holding lanes for left-turning and right-turning traffic unless the town engineer determines that due to the physical features of a site, holding lanes would be unsafe and in accordance with established engineering standards, should not be required. There shall be a minimum distance between driveways of 15 feet measured along the curbline.

(19)

Special curb cut requirements: A lot fronting US 158 (South Croatan Highway, NC 12/U.S. 64/264 (South Virginia Dare Trail), or NC 1243 (South Old Oregon Inlet Road) must have 600 feet of frontage along the street before two curb cuts are allowed on the same street. Nine hundred feet of frontage is needed along either of these streets before three curb cuts are allowed on the street. In no case shall there be more than three curb cuts on any one of the above streets. Curb cuts in excess of one, on streets other than those mentioned above, are allowed if the board of commissioners determines that more than one curb cut is necessary or desirable to facilitate traffic flow.

(20)

Dead-end drive aisle: One dead-end turnaround shall be provided for parking lots where dead ends exceed either 100 feet in length or 12 parking spaces in accordance with the following diagram:

(Code 1990, § 22-251(c); Ord No. 07-09-026, § I, 9-5-2007; Ord. No. 12-09-027, Pt. I, II, 9-5-2012; Ord. No. 13-Apr-010, Pt. I, 4-3-2013; Ord. No. 15-03-009 , Pt. III, 3-4-2015)