Page 152 - Michigan City, IN US Highway 421 Corridor Plan

5.3 Design Guidelines

5.3.4 PARKING AND LOADING DESIGN Parking lots, plazas, hardscape, and open space shall utilize
STANDARDS paving material with a Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) of at least
29 and reduce the amount of surface area exposed to the sun.
The relationship between the public realm, parking and loading,
and vehicular access must be carefully planned and thought Parking design shall conform to Michigan City’s off-street parking
out. Such auto-oriented features must be minimized so that construction and maintenance standards, handicapped parking
sidewalks and streets are not overwhelmed. Parking shall space standards, and bicycle parking standards.
be designed to minimize conflicts between automobiles and
pedestrians and create a clearly organized system of entrances, Notwithstanding the City’s parking standards, off-street parking
driveways, and parking lots, while still providing adequate and spaces shall not be less than nine feet wide and 18 feet long.
convenient parking spaces.
Bike, car share, and other alternative modes of transportation
The following parking and loading design standards shall apply shall be given priority placement within parking structures.
to all parking provided in the Plan area. Parking areas and
landscaping, entrances, and driveways shall not qualify as Off-street bike racks should be provided in parking lots, or entry
outdoor space. plazas.
A. Parking location and access Pedestrian walkways within parking areas may be included
Parking shall be located in parking garages, structures, on-street, as part of the minimum requirements for interior parking lot
or surface lots. landscaping if landscape treatment is provided on one side. Parking Structure Bike Racks
At block fronts facing public street, at-grade or above-ground parking shall be Off-street bike racks should be provided in parking lots, or entry plazas.
At block fronts facing public streets, at-grade or above-ground For parking lots that contain greater than fifty vehicle parking screened by a habitable space no less than twenty feet deep, except when
parking shall be screened by a habitable space no less than spaces, pedestrian connections through the parking lot shall be utilizing the exposed garage building type.
twenty feet deep, except when utilizing the exposed garage clearly defined in at least one of the following ways (except as
building type. walkways cross vehicular travel lanes): a raised walkway

Parking shall be accessed from a public or private alley when 1. Buttons or painted markings
present. 2. Special paving, such as concrete masonry unit (cmu) pavers
in an asphalt area
Pedestrian entrances to all parking shall be directly from the
street, except that underground parking garages may be entered 3. A continuous landscape area, a minimum of four feet wide
directly from a building. along at least one side of the walkway.
B. Parking Design C. Driveways
Parking design shall conform to the City’s off-street parking Driveways shall not be located within sixty feet of an intersection,
construction and maintenance standards, handicapped measured the distance perpendicular from the property line
parking space standards, and bicycle parking standards. closest to the intersection.
Notwithstanding the City’s parking standards, off-street parking Driveways shall not be located at the terminus of a street.
spaces shall not be less than nine feet wide and eighteen feet
long. The maximum width for a one-way driveway is twelve feet and for
a two-way driveway is twenty-two feet.
Parking and loading should be designed to mitigate impacts to Parking Lot Parking Lot
the urban design quality of building frontages. In no case should D. Loading Areas Bike, car share, and other alternative modes of transportation shall be given For parking lots that contain greater than fifty vehicle parking spaces,
parking and loading entries have more than 24 feet of building priority placement within parking structures. pedestrian connections through the parking lot shall be clearly defined.
width dedicated to auto and loading ingress and egress per Service and loading areas shall be located away from public
block. In no case should individual garage doors and driveways streets whenever possible. Entrances to loading areas shall be
be no more than 11 feet for parking, or 12 feet for parking and no more than eighteen feet wide.
loading jointly.
On-street loading will only be provided if off-street loading is not
Parking areas should be well-lit and well landscaped to create available.
the appearance of “cars in a forest” rather than trees in a
parking lot.

5-33

Adopted: August 16, 2016 Implementation 5.0