The intent of this article is to prevent or alleviate congestion
on public streets and to promote the public safety and welfare by
establishing standards for the provision of off-street parking and
loading spaces.
A.
In all districts, every industrial, business, institutional, recreational, residential or other use shall provide, at the time of any change of use or when any building or structure is erected, enlarged or increased in capacity, off-street parking for motor vehicles in accordance with the requirements of this and other applicable sections of these regulations, especially site plan approval in accordance with Article XIV and landscaping with Article IX.
B.
Loading spaces shall be provided and maintained on the same premises
with every building or structure erected, occupied, enlarged or intended
to be used, involving the receipt or distribution by vehicles of material
or merchandise. No such activity shall use public right-of-way or
parking area for standing, loading and unloading services.
C.
Bus, taxi or passenger loading spaces may also be required, depending
on the use.
D.
The Planning Board may require off-street bicycle parking if not
provided within a reasonable distance from a proposed residence, business,
recreational use, or industrial use where appropriate.
E.
Adequacy of parking shall be determined by the Planning Board and
based upon the building's size and use.
Parking and loading spaces shall be located in accordance with
the following:
A.
Parking areas setback from lot lines and streets. In all districts,
no part of any parking area, other than driveways for ingress and
egress, shall be located closer to a street or lot line than the minimum
setback required for a principal building in the relevant district.
B.
Parking of motor vehicles is prohibited on sidewalks, areas between
the sidewalk and curb and median strips separating travel lanes as
defined in the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.
C.
For single-family detached, two-family, attached and accessory dwelling
units, off-street parking shall be provided on the same lot with the
building it serves.
D.
For multifamily dwellings, required off-street parking shall be located
as close to the use as possible, given site conditions, and in no
case more than 200 feet from the building it is required to serve.
E.
Access drives to any commercial or industrial district through any
residential or transitional district shall not be considered to be
a permitted use.
F.
The location, dimensions and signage of handicapped parking shall
meet the requirements of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention
and Building Code.
A.
Unless otherwise specified, off-street parking standards are based
on square feet of the total floor area, including the area of any
accessory buildings. Such floor area shall be the sum of the gross
horizontal area of all the floors measured from the exterior faces
of the building.
B.
In places of public assembly in which patrons or occupants are accommodated
in pews, benches or other similar seating facilities, off-street parking
standards will be based on seating capacity. Such capacity shall mean
the number of seating units installed or indicated, or when fixed
seats are not indicated, the capacity shall be determined as being
one seat for each 20 square feet of floor area of the assembly room.
C.
Where employees are the standard for determining parking space requirements,
employees shall mean the maximum number of employees on any two successive
shifts.
D.
Fractional numbers shall be increased to the next whole number.
At the discretion of the Planning Board, uses within 800 feet
of a municipal parking lot or designated on-street parking may be
wholly or partially exempt from off-street parking requirements. Such
uses may be required to make a cash payment in lieu of providing off-street
parking, with such moneys dedicated to expansion or improvement of
public parking facilities within the same commercial district.
A.
The collective provision of off-street parking areas for two or more buildings or uses located on adjacent lots is permitted. Unless it has been demonstrated that joint use is appropriate in accordance with Subsection C below, the total of such off-street parking facilities shall not be less than the sum required for the various buildings or uses computed separately. Furthermore, the land upon which the collective facilities are located must be owned or leased by one or more of the collective users.
B.
Off-site parking. Off-site parking meeting the location requirements of § 285-83 may be used to meet the requirements of this article. Such off-site parking shall be subject to deed, lease or contract restrictions acceptable to the Municipal Attorney binding the owner, heirs or assigns to maintain the required number of spaces available throughout the life of such use.
C.
Shared parking. Applicants may and are encouraged to propose shared
parking arrangements with other land uses in sufficient proximity
if it can be demonstrated that the peak use periods for the respective
land uses are complementary and will maximize the use of the parking
lots while reducing excessively large parking lots. The Planning Board
may accept a shared parking arrangement and determine the size of
the parking lot based upon consideration of the following:
(1)
A demonstration of complementary timing of the use of the parking
lot so that adequate space is available for each designated use, and
the proximity of the parking lots to each respective use.
(2)
Written binding agreements between the landowners for the use of
the parking lots and the maintenance thereof, and such agreements
shall be recorded as deed restrictions which shall provide that they
may not be canceled without the prior approval of the Planning Board.
(3)
A determination of the appropriate number of parking spaces for the
new development.
No building or lot alterations or change of use shall be allowed
which would increase the degree of nonconformity with the off-street
parking and loading regulations of this article.
The minimum required number of off-street parking spaces for
each facility or use shall be determined by application of the standards
noted in Table 1. In adopting
these standards, the City of Cohoes is providing guidance to future
developers, tenants and residents of uses requiring off-street parking.
From an environmental and cost perspective, it is always desirable
to construct the least number of parking spaces to accommodate a particular
use. The following general requirements apply to all off-street parking:
A.
Applicants are encouraged to provide evidence of lesser parking demand
if appropriate.
B.
The Planning Board, at its discretion, may require less off-street
parking if warranted based on the information presented. In any case
where less off-street parking is required, the Planning Board reserves
the right to require the set-aside of additional open space sufficient
to accommodate the amount of off-street parking which would ordinarily
be required.
C.
The Planning Board also reserves the right to request additional
information, such as but not limited to expected number of employees,
expected attendance, or expected deliveries, relevant to judging the
adequacy of specified parking standards. Such information may result
in application of off-street parking standards higher than those specified
in Table 1.
D.
For uses not specified in Table 1, the Planning Board shall apply
the standard for a specified use which the Board determines to be
most similar to the proposed use.
E.
In all cases, provided off-street parking should be sufficient to
prevent frequent on-street parking by users or employees.
F.
In addition to the off-street parking required based on the following
standards, one appropriately sized parking space shall be available
for each commercial vehicle used in any business conducted on or from
the premises.
G.
The Planning Board reserves the right to require off-street parking
spaces suitable for vehicles with boats or trailers in the City.
H.
Parking of any vehicle, bus, or tractor-trailer combinations which
exceed 35 feet, except those loading or unloading in conjunction with
provision of a commercial service to an owner or occupant of the property,
shall be prohibited in any district except industrial districts or
upon the written permission from the Police Department in which the
parking restriction would create an extreme hardship on the individual
or business using the vehicle. The Chief of Police shall have the
power to require such barricades, lighting and other safety measures
as he/she deems necessary. The parking of one tractor without an attached
trailer which is owned by or leased to the occupant of a dwelling
is allowed, subject to the availability of an off-street parking space
which meets all the requirements of these regulations.
I.
Adequate off-street parking space(s) shall be provided for any commercial,
institutional or industrial use which involves receipt or distribution
of goods.
|
Table 1
| |
|---|---|
|
Off-Street Parking Space Requirements
| |
|
Use
|
Required Spaces
|
|
Home occupation
|
1 per nonresidential employee and at least 1 client parking
space in addition to space(s) required for the dwelling
|
|
Hotels and motels
|
0.75 per guest room
|
|
Manufacturing
|
1 for each 1,000 square feet of gross floor area
|
|
Motor service station
|
3 per service bay, plus parking spaces as required for any accessory
retail uses
|
|
Office building
|
1 for each 400 square feet of net leasable area
|
|
Medical care offices
|
1 for each 400 square feet of office space
|
|
Place of worship
|
1 per 300 square feet of gross floor area
|
|
Dwelling, multifamily
|
1 per dwelling unit
|
|
Residential care facility
|
1 per every 3 beds
|
|
Dwelling, single-family
|
1 per dwelling unit
|
|
Dwelling, attached or row
|
2 per dwelling unit
|
|
Restaurant; bar; tavern; nightclub
|
1 for each 150 square feet of net leasable area (outdoor dining
area excluded)
|
|
Retail
|
1 for each 400 square feet of net leasable area
|
|
Shopping center
|
1 for every 250 square feet of leasable floor area
|
|
Warehouse
|
1 for each 2,000 square feet of floor area
|
A.
Notwithstanding Subsection B, a written request to exceed the minimum number of vehicle parking spaces, which is supported by adequate documentation to justify an increase over the minimum number of spaces, must be made to the Planning Board .
B.
Under no circumstances shall surface parking areas exceed 120% of
the required minimum number of vehicle parking spaces.
C.
Existing surface parking areas that exceed the parking maximums must
come into conformance with the maximum number of parking spaces permitted
by this section when the following occurs:
D.
When surface parking areas exceed the number of spaces permitted
by this section and are required to come into conformance, the excess
spaces must be converted into any combination of the following:
E.
Exemptions.
(1)
Uses in the MU-1 District are exempt from off-street parking
requirements if they are within 500 feet of a municipal lot with excess
capacity, unless the Planning Board determines off-street parking
is required.
(2)
If the property owner can provide a bicycle parking plan that
would replace off-street parking with bicycle parking, they can reduce
their required off-street car parking by 3/4 of what is currently
required in the Table of Off-Street Parking Space Requirements.
A.
Upon the request of an applicant, the minimum number of parking spaces in Table 1 of § 285-88 may be reduced by up to 25% for residential units dedicated for affordable housing, affordable rental housing, and senior housing upon a demonstration that the minimum number in Table 1 is unnecessary and will not cause congestion in the parking lot or adjacent on-street parking.
B.
In approving any reduction in off-street parking for such residential
uses, the Planning Board shall consider whether the applicant is providing
the off-street parking in garages and if so shall determine if sufficient
storage space is included for each unit to avoid occupants using the
garage for storage of personal items.
C.
Upon a demonstration from an applicant for any permitted use that
there will be adjacent on-street publicly available parking spaces
and that such spaces are underutilized, that applicant may include
said spaces in its count for minimum required off-street parking.
Land banking allows for designating a portion of land on a site that would be required for parking to be held and preserved as landscape, in accordance with Article IX, rather than constructed as parking. The Planning Board may permit land banking of parking spaces, subject to the following:
A.
Evidence is provided by the applicant that supports the reduced parking
needs.
B.
The area proposed for land banking of parking spaces must be an area
suitable for parking at a future time.
C.
Landscaping of the land-banked area must be in full compliance with
this chapter and, at a minimum, be decompacted, and landscape with
native vegetation may not be used as a stormwater management area.
D.
The land-banked area cannot be used for any other use and must be
part of the same zoning lot and all under the same ownership.
E.
As part of the site plan review process, the applicant must show
the area to be banked on the site plan and marked as "Land-Banked
Future Parking."
F.
The Zoning Officer, upon a determination of parking demand for the use, may require the conversion of all or part of the land-banked area to offset parking spaces. Where a property owner disagrees with a determination by the Zoning Officer, that decision may be reviewed by the Zoning Board of Appeals pursuant to § 285-12.
A.
All off-street parking areas shall be located to the side or rear
of the primary use. In some instances, at the discretion of the Planning
Board, one row of convenience parking, not to exceed the primary building
front length, may be located to the front of the primary structure
if sufficient space is available and an appropriate ingress and egress
point is located with adequate buffering provided to separate the
parking area from the roadway.
B.
Site plans should include internal connections to adjacent businesses
and roads to facilitate easier pedestrian and vehicle access.
C.
The size of standard perpendicular off-street parking spaces shall
be a maximum of nine feet wide by a maximum of 18 feet long with the
exception of limited spaces designated for buses, delivery trucks
not using loading docks, and designated shopping cart carrels.
D.
Off-street parking areas of more than 20 spaces should be designed
with angled parking and one-way traffic aisles. Such parking spaces
shall be a maximum of nine feet wide by a maximum of 18 feet long.
Two-way traffic aisles may be used, upon a demonstration to the Planning
Board that they are necessary for safe and efficient traffic flow.
If such angled parking cannot be utilized, the applicant shall provide
an explanation in writing as to why the design cannot be achieved.
E.
All off-street parking areas, passageways and driveways serving commercial
or industrial uses shall be illuminated adequately during the hours
between sunset and sunrise when the parking areas are in operation.
Adequate shielding shall be provided by commercial and industrial
uses to protect adjacent residential uses from the glare of such illumination
and from that of automobile headlights.
F.
Off-street parking areas shall include landscaping in accordance with Article IX. Utilities shall not be located within a landscaped area unless the applicant can demonstrate avoidance of the landscaped area will result in unnecessary hardship.
G.
Where an applicant proposes a multistory parking structure which
reduces the amount of landscaping otherwise required, the applicant
shall propose alternative means of providing an equivalent benefit,
including the utilization of up to 50% of the structure's roof
as a green roof.
H.
Where parking spaces abut sidewalks, landscaped areas, lighting fixtures,
fences or buildings, appropriate car stops shall be installed to prevent
encroachment on or damage to such features.
I.
All off-street parking areas of more than 20 spaces shall also provide
a snow storage and disposal area independent of required parking and
loading areas that provides for snow melt over a vegetated area or
into a green infrastructure area. In redevelopment areas, porous pavement
parking lots shall satisfy this requirement.
J.
All required parking areas shall be independent of required emergency
access lanes, loading areas and drive-in queuing lanes.
K.
No driveway to an off-street parking area shall be located closer
than 50 feet to the intersection of any two streets or within 20 feet
of any side lot line, provided that sufficient distance will always
remain for all required radii for said driveway. The distances from
the driveway to the intersection shall be measured by extending the
curbline of the intersecting street until it intersects the curbline,
extending, if necessary, of the driveway in question.
L.
Driveways shall be designed to provide for the safe and efficient
movement of traffic between the roadway and the site, to eliminate
the potential for stacking of vehicles along the public right-of-way
and to minimize interference with pedestrians and vehicles using the
site and the public right-of-way.
M.
Parking spaces in excess of the minimum number of spaces required in Table 1 of § 285-88 shall be constructed of pervious materials (permeable pavers, porous asphalt, porous concrete, grass-crete or gravelcrete, structural grass or similar materials) unless site or soil conditions or future use of the area as stormwater hot spot, as defined in the New York State Stormwater Management Design Manual, preclude the use of pervious materials.
A.
Required loading spaces shall be 12 feet by 35 feet, with a fourteen-foot
height clearance. If tractor-trailer deliveries are expected, at least
one loading space 12 feet by 55 feet shall be provided.
B.
All required loading areas shall be independent of required emergency
access lanes, parking areas and drive-in queuing lanes.
