The intent of these regulations is as follows:
A.
To provide uniform regulations for parking and loading within the
Borough of West Chester.
B.
To address the critical need for parking and loading space, to lessen
congestion and to aid in a more orderly flow of traffic.
C.
To promote the allocation of parking and loading space to improve
conditions related to safety and convenience.
A.
Each building, structure or use established, erected, enlarged or altered in any district shall provide and satisfactorily maintain off-street parking space in accordance with § 112-603 and all other regulations pertaining to parking.
B.
Changes in use; alterations to buildings; construction of new buildings
for all zoning districts except the Town Center District.
(1)
Change in use. In all zoning districts except the Town Center
District, whenever the use of a building changes, the number of parking
spaces which shall be provided for the new use shall be based upon
the applicable criteria without counting the number of parking spaces
that existed on the lot prior to the change in use.
(2)
Addition to existing buildings. In all zoning districts except
in the Town Center District, whenever an existing building is enlarged
by a building addition, the number of new parking spaces which shall
be required for the building addition shall be based on the use and
floor area of the addition, or in the case where additional dwelling
units are added, the number of additional dwelling units created without
counting the number of parking spaces that existed on the lot prior
to the building addition.
(3)
Demolition and construction of a new building. In all zoning
districts except the Town Center, whenever an existing building is
demolished in whole or in part, and a new building (or portion thereof)
is erected in its place, the number of new parking spaces which shall
be required shall be based on the use and floor area of the new building
(or portion thereof).
C.
Town Center parking regulations.
(1)
Change in use. In the Town Center District, whenever the use
of a building changes, no new off-street parking spaces shall be required;
provided, however, that if the use of a building in the Town Center
District is changed to provide five or more dwelling units, off-street
parking shall be provided for each dwelling unit in accordance with
the applicable criteria without counting the number of parking spaces
that existed on the lot prior to the change in use.
(2)
Addition to existing buildings. In the Town Center District,
whenever an existing building is enlarged by a building addition,
no new off-street parking spaces shall be required; provided, however,
that if the addition to the building in the Town Center District provides
five or more new dwelling units, off-street parking shall be provided
for each new dwelling unit in accordance with the applicable criteria
without counting the number of parking spaces that existed on the
lot prior to the building addition.
(3)
Demolition and construction of a new building. In the HARB Overlay
District only, whenever an existing building is demolished in whole
or in part, and a new building (or portion thereof) is erected in
its place, no new off-street parking spaces shall be required; provided,
however, that if the use of the new building in the HARB Overlay District
provides five or more dwelling units, off-street parking shall be
provided for each dwelling unit in accordance with the applicable
criteria. In the portions of the Town Center District which are not
included in the HARB Overlay District, if an existing building is
demolished in whole or in part and a new building (or portion thereof)
is erected in its place, off-street parking shall be provided for
the new building or part thereof in accordance with the applicable
criteria.
D.
Whenever an off-street parking area has a required capacity for two or fewer motor vehicles, such parking area shall be constructed in accordance with criteria as set forth in Chapter 97, Subdivision and Land Development.
E.
No parking area shall be used for any use that interferes with its
availability for the parking need it is required to serve.
F.
Continuing character of obligation. All required parking facilities
shall be provided and maintained so long as the use exists which the
facilities were designed to serve.
G.
Unless otherwise approved for lots in the Town Center District pursuant
to the applicable criteria, required off-street parking spaces shall
be on the same lot as the principal use.
H.
Two or more uses may provide for required parking in a common parking
lot if the total space provided is not less than the sum of the spaces
required for each use individually, unless otherwise specifically
set forth herein.
I.
All parking areas and accessways shall be built and maintained to
provide safe and orderly access at all times from a street, alley
or other approved accessway.
J.
Every parking area shall be designed so that its use does not constitute
a nuisance, hazard or unreasonable impediment to traffic.
K.
Parking in front of building.
(1)
Parking spaces shall not be located within any front yard areas,
except in the Industrial District, where parking in the front yard
may be permitted as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board,
provided that it does not comprise more than 50% of the front yard
areas.
L.
Except for properties in the TC-Town Center District and the NC-2
Neighborhood Conservation District, all parking spaces and access
drives shall be at least five feet from any lot line, except for common
driveways.
M.
For the purpose of servicing any property held under single and separate
ownership, entrance and exit drives crossing the lot line along a
street shall be limited to two along the frontage of any single street,
and their center lines shall be placed at least 80 feet apart. On
all corner properties, such drives shall be spaced a minimum of 60
feet, measured at the curbline, between the center line of any entrance
or exit drive and the street line of the street parallel to said access
drive.
N.
All artificial lighting used to illuminate any parking space or spaces
shall be so arranged and shielded that no direct rays from such lighting
shall fall upon any neighboring property. The angle for any such lighting
shall not exceed 30° from the source to the ground plane.
O.
All off-street parking areas which have three or more parking spaces
shall be designed in compliance with the following regulations:
(1)
Such parking area shall be designed so that each motor vehicle
may proceed to and from the parking space provided for it without
requiring any other motor vehicle to be moved, except in the case
of a single-family dwelling.
(2)
Such parking area shall not be built or maintained to permit
parked vehicles to back into a public street in order to leave a parking
space, except in the case of a single-family or two-family dwelling.
A.
Off-street parking shall be provided to meet the demand of the proposed
land uses. The applicant shall calculate the demand based on accepted
standards, such as those published in the Institute of Transportation
Engineer's Parking Generation Reports. Mixed-use projects shall provide
parking according to a shared parking analysis that projects parking
needs based on the peak hour of parking demand. For example, a building
with first-floor retail and office space and upper-floor residential
may be able to adjust total parking demand to address the time difference
in peak demand for each use. This analysis shall be based on accepted
methodologies, such as the Urban Land Institute Shared Parking Study.
The number of off-street parking spaces provided will be determined
by the Borough based on the information supplied by the applicant
and such other information and studies as the Borough shall determine
relevant.
B.
Notwithstanding Subsection A above, all single-family dwellings shall provide two off-street parking spaces per dwelling unit.
C.
All new single-family detached dwellings, single-family attached
dwellings, single-family semidetached dwellings, two-family attached
dwellings, two-family semidetached dwellings and two-family attached
dwellings, and any new garages or additions to existing garages that
are accessory to the dwelling unit types identified above, shall be
constructed to provide a dedicated branch circuit and overcurrent
protection to accommodate a future Level 2 EVCS installation, with
a wired receptacle and raceway terminating within close proximity
to vehicle parking.
[Added 2-21-2024 by Ord. No. 01-2024]
A.
A conforming or legally nonconforming parking facility, area or lot
which has a minimum of 100 parking spaces may be used as a commercial
parking lot.
B.
Where a commercial parking lot is located on land which is also used
for another permitted use, parking spaces may be utilized for commercial
parking as follows:
(1)
Where the number of required parking spaces is based in whole
or in part on a religious use, up to 80% of all parking spaces on
the lot may be utilized for commercial parking weekdays between 7:00
a.m. and 5:00 p.m. prevailing time.
(2)
In all instances, where the number of parking spaces exceeds
the number required for all uses on the property, the excess spaces
may be utilized for commercial parking at any time.
The parking spaces required for a multifamily use in the Town
Center District may be located on a different lot, subject to the
following:
A.
The owner of the multifamily use shall own the lot or lots to be
used for off-lot parking.
B.
The lot or lots to be used for off-lot parking shall be adjacent
to the lot on which the multifamily use is located or be directly
across the street from such lot.
C.
The owner of the multifamily use must submit a site plan showing
the location of the off-lot parking area and the number of spaces
to be provided on such lot.
D.
The owner of the multifamily use shall record a written declaration
that so long as the multifamily use continues, the lot used for off-lot
parking shall be used for that purpose and no other.
Screening and landscaping shall be provided as set forth in
this section.
A.
Screening between any parking area and the street line shall be effective
at the time of occupancy, subject to the following provisions:
(1)
All off-street parking areas which provide more than three parking
spaces shall be screened from any abutting residential property.
(2)
Effective screens may be accomplished through the use of the following:
plant materials, fencing or walls and/or mounding through the use
of earthen berms.
(3)
The area for planting, fencing, walls or earthen berms shall not
extend beyond the street line.
(4)
When planting screens are employed, the following shall apply:
(a)
A buffer planting strip shall be provided. It shall be a minimum
of eight feet in width.
(b)
The type of plant materials to be used shall be subject to review
and approval of the Borough Council, upon recommendation of the Tree
Commission.
(c)
Planting screens shall be of sufficient height and sufficient
density to constitute a visual buffer five feet in height at the time
of planting. The spacing of plant materials shall be subject to review
and approval of the Borough Council.
(d)
Trees and shrubs shall be typical of their species and variety;
have normal growth habits, well-developed, densely foliated branches
and vigorous, fibrous root systems; be free from defects and injuries;
and be free from diseases and insect infestations.
(e)
Any tree or shrub which dies within one year of planting shall
be replaced. Any tree or shrub which, within one year of planting
or replanting, is deemed, in the opinion of an agent authorized by
the Borough, not to have survived or grown in a manner characteristic
of its type shall be replaced.
(f)
Whenever fencing or walls are employed, they shall be no less
than six feet in height and subject to the height restrictions of
this chapter.
(g)
Whenever earthen berms are employed, they shall be no less than
4 1/2 feet in height and subject to the height restrictions in
this chapter.
B.
Landscaping within any parking area which provides more than three
parking spaces shall be subject to the following provisions:
(1)
Parking areas shall be landscaped to reduce wind and air turbulence,
heat and noise and the glare of automobile lights, to reduce the level
of carbon dioxide, to provide shade, to ameliorate stormwater drainage
problems and to provide for an attractive setting.
(2)
Each parking area shall have one properly-mulched shade tree of two-and-one-half-inch
to three-inch caliper, for every five parking spaces. Shrubs, ground
covers and other plant materials shall be used to complement the trees.
(3)
The type of plant materials to be used shall be subject to review
and approval of the Borough Council and shall be of a quality as specified
in this section.
(4)
The landscaping and planting areas shall be reasonably dispersed
and grouped throughout the parking area, except where there are more
than 20 parking spaces, in which case the following shall apply:
(a)
Landscaped islands shall be provided at the end of each parking
bay. Such islands shall be a minimum of eight feet in width and 18
feet in length. Such islands shall be provided to enhance the appearance
of the parking area and to control access and movement within the
parking area.
(b)
All planting islands and planting beds within a parking area
shall be surfaced with ground covers and/or dwarf shrubs and shall
not be grassed. Stone mulch may be used in conjunction with ground
covers and shrubs but shall not constitute more than 25% of the area
of any planting bed. Such islands shall be grade separated to protect
and preserve the plant material.
