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Borough of Pennsburg, PA
Montgomery County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (9) Index
In expansion of the declaration of legislative intent and the statement of community development objectives contained in Article I of this chapter, it is the specific intent of this article to:
A. 
Set reasonable standards and provide reasonable controls to assure sufficient parking capacity for the uses or potential uses of land in the Borough.
B. 
Provide flexibility in the implementation of these standards by permitting construction of a reduced number of parking spaces under appropriate conditions.
C. 
Prevent hazards to public safety caused by the intrusion and congestion of parking upon public rights-of-way.
Any building or structure erected, altered, or used, and any lot used or occupied, for any of the following purposes shall be provided with the minimum number of parking spaces set forth below, together with adequate driveways and street access in compliance with the requirements of the Pennsburg Borough Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1] When a use is not specifically listed below, the requirements of the most-similar use shall apply.
Use
Requirement
Dwelling unit, elderly housing, multifamily dwelling (studio, efficiency or 1-bedroom units)
1 1/2 spaces per dwelling unit
Dwelling unit, all other types
2 spaces per dwelling unit
Places of assembly, such as church or auditorium
1 space per 4 seats
Retail stores
1 space per 150 square feet of gross floor area
A.
Retail stores (standing above and containing drive-through facilities)
[Added 11-5-2001 by Ord. No. 9-01]
1 space per 150 square feet of gross floor area
Shopping centers
1 space per 200 square feet of gross leasable area
Business or administrative offices
1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area
Laboratory or industry
The larger of 1 space per employee or per 450 square feet of gross floor area
Services:
A.
Doctor, dentist, or similar type, including outpatient clinics
7 spaces per doctor, dentist, or similar practitioner
B.
Barber, beautician, tailor, or similar type
3 spaces per barber, beautician or similar practitioner
C.
Plus
1 space per 2 employees not included in A or B above
Tourist home, rooming house, bed-and-breakfast
2 spaces, plus 1 space per rental unit
Self-service laundry
1 space per 3 washing and/or dry-cleaning machines
Place of indoor amusements (not sports or exercise)
1 space per 100 square feet of gross floor area
The following uses require 1 space per employee and/or volunteer on the largest shift or during peak periods, plus the number of spaces listed below:
A.
Library, museum or similar place
1 space per 800 square feet of floor area in public use
B.
Hotel, motel, or similar use
1 space per rental unit
C.
Motor vehicle repairs (body or mechanical)
3 spaces per service bay
D.
Vehicle sales
1 space per 500 square feet of indoor sales area, plus 1 space per 5,000 square feet of outdoor sales area
E.
Meeting, training, or classroom space as a primary use
1 space per 2 seats of total seating capacity
Restaurants:
[Amended 6-5-2006 by Ord. No. 1-06]
A.
Drive-in or fast-food
The larger of 1 1/2 spaces per table or booth or 1 space per 50 square feet of gross floor area; minimum of 25 spaces
B.
Nightclubs, taverns, bars, discotheques
1 space per employee on the largest shift or during peak periods, plus 1 space per 50 square feet of floor area
C.
All others
1 space per 50 square feet of gross floor area
Indoor sports facility
1 1/2 spaces per person for maximum court and exercise equipment capacity
Studio for dance, art, music or photography
1 space per 5 students, and/or 1 space per 300 square feet of gross floor area for nonstudent patrons
Day-care center
[Amended 6-5-2006 by Ord. No. 1-06]
6 spaces
Bank, financial institution
6 spaces per teller window, plus 3 spaces per automatic teller machine
Elementary or intermediate school
1 3/4 spaces per classroom
High school
5 spaces per classroom
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 96, Subdivision and Land Development.
If the number of spaces required by § 110-1401 of this article is substantially larger than the number of spaces anticipated by the applicant, then the concept of parking held in reserve may be used to avoid unnecessary paving while ensuring adequate area for potential parking demands.
A. 
Suitable area must be available on the site for 100% of the parking required by § 110-1401 above.
B. 
The number of spaces which must be paved initially may be reduced by up to 50% by the Borough Council, upon recommendation of the Borough Engineer.
C. 
Suitable area must be reserved for the balance of the total number of spaces required by § 110-1401. The total number of spaces shall be constructed by the applicant if and when determined necessary by the Council, upon recommendation of the Borough Engineer. The Council may require the installation of these parking spaces under the following conditions:
(1) 
Evidence of continued overflow of parking as installed by the applicant.
(2) 
Reevaluation of necessary parking capacity upon a change in status of use, ownership, number of employees, and/or size of building or land area used.
D. 
A financial guaranty shall be provided by the applicant, to cover the cost of installation of the parking spaces held in reserve, for a period of one year following installation of the initially constructed parking spaces. The type and dollar value of the guaranty must be approved by the Borough Council upon recommendation of the Borough Solicitor and Engineer.
E. 
To qualify for use of the reserve parking concept, the applicant shall demonstrate that the number of spaces required by § 110-1401 herein is substantially larger than the number of spaces anticipated, by providing evidence supporting reduced parking needs to the Borough Planning Commission and Engineer for their review and recommendations to Borough Council.
All parking spaces provided in compliance with this chapter shall comply with the requirements of the Pennsburg Borough Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1]
A. 
Parking and driveways for nonresidential uses shall be paved.
B. 
Parking and driveways for single-family detached residential uses need not be paved but must be of all-weather construction.
C. 
Parking and driveways for all other residential uses shall be paved.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 96, Subdivision and Land Development.
The nonresidential parking spaces required herein may be located elsewhere than on the same lot when authorized as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board in accordance with the provisions of Article XVIII of this chapter, subject to the following conditions:
A. 
The owners of two or more establishments shall submit, with their application for special exception, a site plan showing joint use and location of a common off-street parking area.
B. 
Some portion of the common off-street parking area lies within 200 feet of an entrance, regularly used by patrons, into the buildings served thereby.
C. 
The Zoning Hearing Board may, in its discretion, reduce the number of required parking spaces upon determination that greater efficiency is effected by joint use of a common parking area, but in no case shall the number of off-street parking spaces be reduced by more than 20% of the required number of spaces.
All nonresidential parking lots shall be operated and maintained in accordance with all of the following conditions:
A. 
They shall not be used for the sale, repair, long-term inactive storage, or dismantling of any vehicles, equipment, materials, or supplies, except where such uses are clearly and customarily incidental to the permitted nonresidential use as specified in this chapter.
B. 
They shall be properly graded for drainage; surfaced with concrete, asphaltic concrete, asphalt, oil, or any dust-free surfacing; and maintained in good condition, free of weeds, dust, trash, or debris.
C. 
They shall be provided with entrances and exits so located to minimize traffic congestion and the effect of headlight glare.
D. 
(Reserved)[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection D, requiring wheel or bumper guards, was repealed 11-19-2019 by Ord. No. 5-2019.
E. 
Lighting facilities shall be so arranged that they neither unreasonably nor unnecessarily disturb occupants of adjacent residential properties nor interfere with traffic by either location or glare.
F. 
A buffer strip 25 feet in width shall be provided along each property line abutting a residential district. This buffer strip may be reduced to 10 feet where there is an intense landscape screening proposed and where there are no structures within 25 feet of the property line abutting the residential district. The landscaping requirements of the Pennsburg Borough Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance shall apply to all nonresidential parking lots.
[Amended 11-5-2001 by Ord. No. 9-01]
G. 
There shall be no more than one attendant shelter building containing not more than 50 feet of gross floor area and set back a distance of not less than 20 feet from any boundary of the parking lot which abuts a residential district.
H. 
A fence not less than eight feet in height shall be erected along each property line which is adjacent to a residential district. Such fence shall be of a closed or solid construction so designed as to minimize headlight glare, noise, and dust.
I. 
No parking area shall abut directly upon a public street, but instead it shall be separated from the street by curbed planting strips a minimum of five feet in depth from the edge of the cartway or sidewalk, with suitable breaks for accessways.
J. 
Each property shall have not more than one accessway on each street on which the property abuts; each accessway shall be no more than 30 feet wide.
Off-street parking facilities existing at the effective date of this chapter or off-street parking facilities provided to comply with the provisions of this chapter shall not subsequently be reduced below the requirements of this chapter except in accordance with the requirements of § 110-1404 of this article.
In the case of mixed or multiple uses within a single structure or building or the use of land, the amount of off-street parking required shall be determined by the sum of the requirements of the various uses computed separately in accordance with § 110-1401 of this article, except where the applicant(s) qualifies under § 110-1404 of this article or in the case of a shopping center.
Off-street loading berths shall be provided and maintained, on the same lot with such buildings, in accordance with the following schedule:
A. 
Off-street loading requirements:
(1) 
Schools of 15,000 square feet or more: one loading berth.
(2) 
Offices of 10,000 square feet or more: one loading berth.
(3) 
Commercial and institutional uses: one loading berth for the first 5,000 square feet up to a maximum of 10,000 square feet; one additional loading berth for each additional 10,000 square feet or fraction thereof.
(4) 
Each loading space shall not be less than 12 feet wide, 56 feet long and 14 feet high and may occupy part of any required side or rear yard, except that portion which is required to be used for a buffer area in compliance with Borough requirements.
(5) 
Loading and unloading space shall be separated from the street by a curbed planting strip a minimum of five feet in depth, with a suitable break for vehicular access, not more than 30 feet wide.