18J.15.080 Off-Street Parking, Pedestrian, Bus, and Bicycle Facilities

18J.15.080 Off-Street Parking, Pedestrian, Bus, and Bicycle Facilities.

A. Applicability. The standards of this Section shall apply to the following:

1. Neighborhood Corridor (NCOR), Towne Center (TCTR), and Urban Corridor (UCOR) zones.

2. New parking facilities that accommodate 10 or more vehicles.

3. Ten percent or more expansion to an existing parking lot that accommodates 10 or more vehicles.

4. New residential developments.

B. Exemptions. [Reserved]

C. Design Objective. To provide aesthetically-pleasing parking facilities that accommodate motorized and nonmotorized modes of transportation and facilitate safe connections for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians between commercial areas and neighborhoods while minimizing impervious surfaces by sharing parking facilities where possible.

1. All new vehicle parking facilities located within the urban zones and Rural Centers shall be paved.

2. In accordance with the Pierce County Stormwater Management and Site Development Manual, permeable materials must be considered and is preferred for all projects. However, permeable materials may not be appropriate for certain land uses that produce hazardous wastes or for use as emergency vehicle access.

a. New on-site parking areas shall be located behind the building. Parking areas located within the building footprint, such as underground parking, are allowed.

b. For redevelopment projects already improved with building/parking layouts, new parking areas can be placed between the perimeter sidewalk and the building if building expansion is parallel to the existing perimeter sidewalk or if there is no reasonable area behind the building to place parking areas.

a. New on-site parking areas shall be located behind and/or on the sides of buildings. Parking areas located within the building footprint, such as underground parking, are allowed.

b. For redevelopment projects already improved with buildings and parking layouts, new stalls can be placed between the perimeter sidewalk and building if building expansion is parallel to the existing perimeter sidewalk or if there is no reasonable area behind the building to place parking areas.

3. All zones except for NCOR, TCTR, and UCOR. New parking lots for commercial and office uses shall have no more than 50 percent of required parking stalls between the road and building. For redevelopment projects already improved with building and parking layouts, this standard shall be met to the greatest extent possible.

1. Share and interconnect parking areas between uses with different peak demand times, where feasible.

2. Avoid orienting parking facilities that serve residential developments toward the street.

3. Site entrances should incorporate a special design treatment to enhance the overall visual image of the site. Treatment may include decorative pavement, landscaping, lighting and entry signs.

4. Garage doors and open vehicle entries should be recessed at least 6 feet from the front building façade.

1. Parking facilities shall be designed to conform to the following minimum standards:

Table 18J.15.080-1. Parking Stall Dimensions
Minimum Parking Stall Dimensions	Width	Length
Standard parking stall	9 feet	18 feet
Compact parking stall	8 feet	16 feet
Residential garage driveway	10 feet	24 feet

2. Up to 40 percent of the required parking stalls for a non-residential development, excluding those stalls designed to meet accessibility laws, may be compact parking stalls. Compact stalls shall be clearly identified by painting the word "COMPACT" in capital letters a minimum of 8 inches high at the base of the parking space and centered between the striping.

3. Parking stalls shall be delineated and maintained for the life of the project with weather-resistant striping.

1. Carpool stalls shall be clearly identified by painting the word "CARPOOL" in capital letters a minimum of 8 inches high at the base of the parking space and centered between the striping.

2. Carpool stalls shall be located close to the main employee entrance and shall be identified on the site plan.

1. Loading areas shall be located so that trucks using the spaces do not encroach upon or interfere with areas reserved for off-street parking and do not project into any public right-of-way or easement.

2. Loading areas shall be adjacent to the building that they serve. If the loading space abuts an alley, the loading space(s) shall be off-alley. For redevelopment projects already improved with building and parking layouts, this standard shall be met to the greatest extent possible.

3. If the loading space is incorporated within a building, the location requirements of this subsection shall not apply.

4. Required loading areas shall be shown on the parking plan and be permanent in nature.

5. In ECOR, NCOR, TCTR, and UCOR zones, loading areas shall be located behind the building, unless a documented site constraint exists.

6. In ECOR, NCOR, TCTR, and UCOR zones, if loading areas are visible from neighboring properties or a public road right-of-way, loading areas shall be completely screened by fencing or landscaping.

1. Driveways and aisles providing access to parking facilities shall have the following minimum dimensions set forth below:

Table 18J.15.080-2. Parking Facility Access Dimensions
Minimum Width for Motorized Vehicle Access
Drive aisle for 61-90 degree parking.	24 feet
Drive aisle for 60 degrees or less angle parking.	20 feet
Aisle or driveway for fire apparatus access.	24 feet
Aisle or driveway for fire apparatus access in ECOR, NCOR, TCTR, and UCOR.	Minimum required to meet fire standards
One-way drive aisle (without fire apparatus access).	14 feet

2. One-way drive aisles shall include permanent directional signs and arrows.

3. Vehicular circulation patterns shall be clearly marked.

4. Parking lots shall be designed to provide the opportunity for logical and convenient vehicle and pedestrian connections to adjacent commercial or vacant commercially zoned land when topographic, critical area, or other constraints do not make such connections infeasible.

5. Principal vehicular accesses into a Commercial Center shall be through an entry driveway designed and constructed with a distinct sense of arrival. In addition to signage at this location, the distinct sense of arrival shall be achieved using at least two of the following:

a. Decorative paving materials;

b. Decorative lighting;

c. Fountain; or

d. Art sculpture.

6. In Neighborhood Corridor (NCOR), Towne Center (TCTR), and Urban Corridor (UCOR) zones, the following additional vehicle circulation requirements shall apply:

a. The number of parking lot entrances shall be limited to the minimum needed to meet access standards.

b. Automobile connections shall be made to adjacent properties through designs, such as common entryways, shared on-site roadways, and parking.

c. On-site vehicle circulation facilities shall include curb, gutter, sidewalks, planting strip with street trees per PCC 18J.15.050, and street lighting.

d. Roads and accesses shall follow a linear layout and intersect with perpendicular facilities, unless infeasible due to a site constraint. Dead ends, cul-de-sacs, and curvilinear designs should be avoided.

e. Roads and accesses shall not be designed beyond the minimum width required for safe operations.

f. Connections shall be made through designs, such as common entryways, shared on-site roadways, access easements, and parking lots.

1. Drive lane width should narrow at crosswalks with the sidewalk flared out beyond the parking lane.

2. Roadway access driveways should be limited to encourage efficient internal site circulation and take advantage of opportunities for shared driveways where practicable

3. Monotonous, long parking driveways and expansive surface parking areas should be avoided.

4. Encroachment of driveways into building setbacks should be minimized.

5. Common access driveways are encouraged.

L. Standards – Employee Parking. Parking stalls physically separated from customer and guest parking that are located behind the building near an employee entrance and which are clearly designated exclusively for employee parking may be designed with compact dimensions. These compact employee parking stalls shall not count against the compact stall size allowance for the project site.

1. Parking garage facades that are visible from the street shall conform to one or a combination of the following options:

a. A landscaped screen. Screening may be trees and shrubs, or climbing plantings on a trellis.

b. Store fronts. The parking garage may be faced with store fronts or display windows.

c. Simulated storefront. The openings of the parking garage may be designed to reflect or simulate the window pattern and material choice of the primary structure on the site. The door and window fenestration requirements should be used as a guide.

d. Parking garages in the ECOR, NCOR, TCTR, and UCOR zones may also use the following options:

(1) Architectural elements that simulate a use other than a parking facility and create visual articulation, such as material changes, roofline changes, and decorative accents.

(2) Public art that softens the visible face of the parking structure. Art used for this purpose should cover at least 60 percent of the visible face of the structure and may not include corporate logos or for-profit advertising. Examples include sculptures, murals, or other creative designs.

(3) A landscaped screen that, at maturity, will cover at least 60 percent of the visible face of the structure. Screening may include trees, shrubs, and climbing plantings. Landscaping shall be a minimum height of four feet at time of planting.

1. Commercial and civic development shall provide pedestrian facilities to each abutting commercial use or commercially zoned parcel, and each building shall have a pedestrian connection. A minimum of one pedestrian connection shall be made to each adjacent street. For developments with parking lots in excess of 250 spaces, additional connections to abutting streets may be required. Sidewalks may be considered part of the pedestrian facility system if they provide convenient movement between structures.

2. Commercial, civic, and industrial projects shall provide sidewalks as specified in Table 17B.20.005-1, "Minimum Requirements for Commercial Projects."

3. Residential developments shall provide sidewalks as specified in Table 17B.20.005-2, "Minimum Improvements for Residential Projects," for detached single-family and two-family uses and Table 17B.20.005-1, "Minimum Requirements for Commercial Projects," for attached single-family and multi-family uses.

4. Pedestrian facilities shall provide the shortest, most convenient walking route possible.

5. Where a parking lot separates a building entrance from a sidewalk in the right-of-way, a pedestrian walkway shall be provided connecting the street to the building entrance.

6. Hard surface pedestrian facilities shall be clearly marked with the use of pavers, stamped concrete, or by being raised a minimum of 6 inches above the adjacent surface and shall be of durable, non-slip surfaces. Painted striping alone is not an acceptable form of walkway delineation. Facilities intended to provide handicap accessibility shall be smooth. Permeable materials or other pervious materials are encouraged for hard surface pedestrian facilities. See the Pierce County Stormwater and Site Development Manual for permeable pavement design specifications.

7. Pedestrian facilities shall be provided to access parks used to meet the recreational space requirement for residential development.

8. When a project site is located along a proposed trail route, a linear section of land shall be dedicated and developed for the trail.

9. In the ECOR, NCOR, TCTR, and UCOR zones:

a. Crosswalks shall be provided at all locations where a pedestrian facility crosses a driveway or on-site vehicle circulation facility. Crosswalks shall be demarcated with a material that looks different than the existing roadway (e.g., real or simulated stamped concrete or brick). Striping alone does not meet this requirement.

b. For developments with parking lots in excess of 250 spaces, additional vehicle circulation connections to abutting roads or vehicle circulation facilities may be required. Sidewalks may be considered part of the pedestrian facility system if they provide convenient movement between structures.

c. Building entrances shall provide pedestrian connections to adjacent transit stops.

10. Pedestrian facilities shall be designed according to the following standards:

Table 18J.15.080-3. Pedestrian Facilities Dimensions
Minimum Width for Pedestrian Facilities
TCTR zone: walkways on the same side of the building as the building entrance	10 feet
TCTR zone: all other walkways	8 feet
NCOR and UCOR zones: all walkways	8 feet
All zones except for NCOR, TCTR, and UCOR: walkways that connect a building entrance to the street/sidewalk (does not apply to single-family homes) or walkways that are located adjacent to a building	6 feet
All zones except for NCOR, TCTR, and UCOR: walkways within parking lots, private recreation and/or open space walkways, or travel routes to schools, community facilities, libraries, or parks	4 feet
Multiple use trail facility	10 feet
Sidewalks along public or private roads shall be designed in accordance with Title 17B PCC.

1. Bench or similar outdoor seating shall be provided for commercial and civic projects at the following rate.

Table 18J.15.080-4. Outdoor Seating Rates
Number of Parking Spaces	Number of 4-foot Benches
10 to 19	1
20 to 99	2
100 to 149	3
150 and more	1 per 50 stalls

2. Outdoor seating shall be located:

a. Near transit stops, bicycle parking, or building entrances, and under cover to the extent possible;

b. Outside of the public right-of-way, unless placement within the right-of-way is approved by the Washington State Department of Transportation or the Pierce County Planning and Public Works Department, depending on the jurisdiction of the road;

c. Adjacent to pedestrian walkways and sidewalks; and

d. Such that it is accessible by all.

3. Outdoor pedestrian amenities shall be commercial grade, designed for heavy public use, and constructed of materials that complement the character and design of the building, facility, or site upon which it is located.

4. All new civic, commercial, and industrial developments shall provide outdoor trash and recycling receptacles for use by patrons and/or employees.

5. In rural zones, when exterior pedestrian amenities are required by this Title, they shall reflect the historic and rustic character of the rural area.

1. Transit and school bus stops or crossing facilities shall be provided when the need is identified by local transit agency and/or school district.

2. When transit facilities are required, the developer shall either provide the facilities to the transit agency's specifications or pay to the transit agency the costs of providing and installing such facilities.

3. The need for shelters, benches, concrete pads, signage, lighting, trash receptacles, and other developer-supplied improvements shall be coordinated with the transit agency or school district. The following design standards shall be applicable unless a different standard is provided by the transit authority or school district:

a. Adequate area of at least 80 square feet shall be provided for waiting passengers;

b. Pedestrian walkways shall be provided between transit stops and building entries;

c. Shelters shall have a pitched roof;

d. Shopping cart storage adjacent to the transit stop shall be provided for commercial centers with more than 40,000 square feet of retail space; and

e. Transit stops shall be illuminated.

4. Transit shelters and related facilities may be required on each side of the street to provide for transit passengers traveling in both directions along the transit corridor.

5. In ECOR, NCOR, TCTR, and UCOR zones, direct connections shall be provided between developments and transit stops and stations to facilitate transit use and provide riders with direct access to destinations and services.

1. Bicycle parking shall be provided at the quantities specified by PCC 18A.35.040.E.7.

2. Bicycle parking shall not block pedestrian use of a walkway.

3. All required bicycle parking shall be located on-site and near the activity or use for which the parking is provided.

4. Bicycle parking areas shall be clearly identifiable.

5. In the urban designations within the Frederickson, Mid-County, Parkland-Spanaway-Midland, and South Hill Community(ies) Plan areas, bicycle facilities shall provide easy access to a bicycle route, such as a bike lane. When no bicycle route exists, new bicycle facilities shall connect to other existing transportation facilities, such as sidewalks, pathways, or roads.

1. Encourage the development of marked, paved bike lanes along State highways, per Washington Department of Transportation non-motorized standards.

2. Trails or bicycle paths should be identified on-site and connect with the regional or sub-regional trail system.

3. In the urban designations within the Frederickson, Mid-County, Parkland-Spanaway-Midland, and South Hill Community(ies) Plan areas, encourage the development of marked, paved bike lanes along County roadways.