§ 10-4. Development Standards.

These development standards promote vehicle areas that are safe and attractive for motorists and pedestrians. Vehicle use area locations are restricted in some zoning districts to promote the desired character of those zones. These regulations are designed to provide pedestrian access that is protected from motor vehicle traffic, and create an environment that is inviting to pedestrians, bicycle and, where appropriate, transit users. All development shall meet the following standards.

A.

Safety Considerations. To the maximum extent feasible, pedestrians shall be separated from vehicles and bicycles.

1.

Where complete separation of pedestrians, vehicles and bicycles is not possible, potential hazards shall be minimized by the use of techniques such as special paving, grade separations, pavement marking, signs or striping, bollards, median refuge areas, traffic calming features, landscaping, lighting or other means to clearly delineate pedestrian areas, for both day and night use.

2.

Where pedestrians and bicyclists share walkways, the pedestrian/bicycle system shall be designed to be wide enough to easily accommodate the amount of pedestrian and bicycle traffic volumes that are anticipated. A minimum width of eight (8) feet shall be required and shall meet American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) guidelines, Guide for Development of Bicycles Facilities, August 1991, or any successor publication.

B.

Curbcuts and Ramps. Curbcuts and ramps shall be located at convenient, safe locations for the physically disabled, bicyclists, senior citizens and for people pushing strollers. The location and design of curbcuts and ramps shall meet the requirements of the Virginia Statewide Building Code, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and any applicable County standards. Curbcuts and ramps shall avoid crossing or funneling traffic through loading areas, drive-through lanes and outdoor trash storage/collection areas.

C.

Site Amenities. Development plans that include off-street parking lots with more than one hundred (100) parking spaces, shall include site amenities that enhance safety and convenience and promote walking or bicycling as an alternative means of transportation. Site amenities should include such items as bike racks, canopies and benches.

D.

Bicycle Facilities. All multi-family residential and governmental uses and all other non-residential uses requiring more than twenty parking spaces, shall provide bicycle facilities that meet the following standards:

1.

Bicycle Parking. A minimum number of bicycle parking spaces shall be provided, equal to five (5) percent of the total number of automobile parking spaces provided by the development; however, no less than one (1) nor more than twenty (20) spaces shall be required for any one development.

2.

Location. For convenience and security, bicycle parking facilities shall be located near building entrances, shall be visible from the land uses they are designed to serve, and shall not be located in remote automobile parking areas. Such facilities shall not, however, be located to impede pedestrian or automobile traffic flow nor to cause damage to landscape material from bicycle traffic.

3.

Design. Bicycle parking facilities shall be designed to allow the bicycle frame and one wheel to be securely locked to the parking structure. The structure shall be of permanent construction such as heavy gauge tubular steel with angle bars permanently attached to the pavement.

E.

Walkways.

1.

Directness and Continuity. Walkways within the site shall be located and aligned to directly and continuously connect areas or points of pedestrian origin and destination, and shall not be located and aligned solely based on the outline of a parking lot configuration that does not provide such direct pedestrian access. Connecting walkways shall link building entrances with street sidewalks through parking lots. Connecting walkways shall be grade separated from the parking lot, with a paved surface not less than four (4) feet in width.

2.

Street Crossings. Where it is necessary for the primary pedestrian access to cross drive aisles or internal roadways, the pedestrian crossing shall emphasize and place priority on pedestrian access and safety. The material and layout of the pedestrian access shall be continuous as it crosses the driveway, with a break in continuity of the driveway paving and not in the pedestrian access way. The pedestrian crossings shall be well-marked using such techniques as pavement treatments, signs, painted striping, signals, lighting, traffic calming techniques, median refuge areas and landscaping.

3.

Visibility, Safety and Security. Connecting off-street walkways must be lighted in accordance with the standards found in Article 32. Clear and direct lines of sight shall be provided in pedestrian settings to increase visibility, safety and security.

F.

On-site Connectivity to Pedestrian and Bicycles Destinations. The on-site pedestrian and bicycle circulation system must be designed to provide, or allow for future, direct connections to major pedestrian and bicycle destinations including, but not limited to, parks, schools, government establishments, transit stops, and neighborhood commercial nodes that are located either within the development or adjacent to the development, to the maximum extent feasible. The on-site pedestrian and bicycle circulation system must also provide, or allow for future, on-site connections to existing or planned off-site pedestrian and bicycle facilities at points necessary to provide direct pedestrian and bicycle travel from the development to similar major pedestrian destinations located within the neighborhood. To provide such on-site direct pedestrian connections to these destinations, additional sidewalks or walkways not associated with a street, or the extension of a sidewalk from the end of a cul-de-sac to another street or walkway, may be required.

G.

Drive-thru Stacking. Drive-thru banking facilities, drive-thru restaurants, drive-thru pharmacies, and similar uses shall require adequate stacking space for four (4) vehicles for each customer window.

H.

Paving. Unless otherwise exempted under the provisions of this Ordinance, all public access off-street parking areas including aisles and entrances shall be paved with a durable dust-free hard surface. The Zoning Administrator or Planning Commission may allow permeable surfaces if approved as part of an overall Low-Impact Development (LID) design for the parking lot for the purposes of stormwater management. Curb and gutter shall be installed where deemed necessary by the Zoning Administrator or Planning Commission within off-street parking areas in order to manage storm drainage, channelize traffic, protect buildings and landscaping areas, and separate pedestrian and vehicular circulation areas. The requirements of this subsection shall not apply to off-street parking areas serving single-family detached or duplex dwellings. The Zoning Administrator or Planning Commission may approve a temporary or permanent modification or waiver to this subsection so as to allow for gravel and other parking surfaces in instances where it is deemed to be appropriate based upon the scope, nature, or location of the proposed development or use.

(Ords. of 5-2-2006(2); 9-3-2013)

(Ords. of 5-2-2006(2); 9-3-2013)