[Amended 9-4-2025 by Ord. No. 25.300]
For all zoning districts, off-street parking spaces shall be provided for every new structure, the enlargement of an existing structure, and new or expanded uses, except as noted below, in accordance with the Table of Off-Street Parking Regulations and other requirements contained herein.
A. 
For all zoning districts, except General Business (GB) Districts, in cases of a change in use where the existing use (or in cases of vacancy, the next previous use) did not provide for the number of off-street parking spaces required under this chapter, then the proposed use shall only have to provide an additional number of off-street parking spaces equal to the increase, if any, between the number required under this chapter for the existing use and the number required for the proposed use.
B. 
For General Business (GB) Districts only, no additional off-street parking is required for the following:
(1) 
Continued use or reuse of existing buildings, as long as that use or reuse does not increase the total floor area within the building nor include outside storage of cars for sale or rent.
(2) 
The replacement of existing finished floor space and unfinished basements on the same parcel with site plan approval (but no increase in net floor space).
(3) 
The addition of a second floor to one-story (for the purpose of this section, basements shall not count as a story) buildings existing in the CB Districts only on January 1, 1996. (This is to encourage the restoration of building heights in the CB Districts which are more uniform and consistent with the scale of development which has historically existed.) However, the addition of additional floors or an expanded building footprint shall be subject to the parking requirements.
(4) 
Municipal facilities and municipal properties.
C. 
Table of Off-Street Parking Regulations. Parking shall be provided to serve the parking needs which are generated by a particular use or structure. When there is more than one primary use of a structure, the parking requirements for each use must be met unless one use is incidental to the principal use of the structure. Additional spaces where passengers may be dropped off may be required by the Planning Board for projects which require site plan approval.
Table of Off-Street Parking Regulations
Use
In Central Business (CBc and CBs)
(one space per)
All Other Districts Including CBg
(one space per)
Any dwelling unit (including residential component of mixed residential/work space), except as noted below
See specific district use table. If not listed in the use table, 1 space for each unit.
Multifamily dwelling for elderly and people with disabilities, lodging house, dormitory, SRO, and halfway house
2,000 square feet of gross floor area, up to a maximum of one per dwelling unit for multifamily dwellings
Theater, gymnasium, auditorium, church or similar place of public assembly, with seating facilities
Three seats of total seating capacity
Automobile retail, sales, rental, service, and wash, and nonauto retail and service establishment utilizing extensive indoor and outdoor display areas
800 square feet of gross floor space, including outdoor display areas.
Hotel, motel, bed-and-breakfast (See restaurant entry for associated restaurants which are open to nonguests.)
Establishment, plus one per sleeping room, plus one per 400 square feet of meeting rooms
Takeout restaurants (establishments selling foods prepared on premises, where consumption is primarily off the premises)
1.3 seats of seating capacity, plus one per 100 square feet of kitchen and waiting areas
Sit-down restaurants
Two seats of total seating capacity
Bars and nightclubs
Two seats of total seating capacity
Commercial, retail, personal service, professional and business offices, including banks, insurance and real estate establishments, but not medical uses
300 square feet of gross floor area
Medical/Dentist offices medical marijuana dispensaries
200 square feet of gross floor area
Manufacturing, industrial, utility, power plant, warehouse, storage, or wholesale establishment (calculate associated office with office use)
1,000 square feet gross floor space
Hospital (excluding medical offices and uses which are not part of the hospital definition)
500 square feet gross floor area
Kindergarten to 12th grade schools, YMCA, community facility (City building, recreation), library, museum, funeral parlor, and country club
400 square feet of gross floor area
College, business, trade, or industrial school classroom, laboratory, and other teaching areas
200 square feet of gross floor area (no parking required for on-campus auditoriums of 300+ seats)
Mixed use
Sum of various uses computed separately
Temporary and seasonal uses in unheated outdoor space in any business or industrial district
None required
Any permitted use not covered by this schedule
Closest use determined by Building Commissioner
A. 
Provisions must be made for adequate off-street loading for all uses, except for residential and agricultural use. At a minimum, each retail, wholesale and industrial use over 25,000 square feet of gross floor area and all other service, community facility, utility and business uses over 75,000 square feet of gross floor area shall have at least one loading space. The Planning Board may, as part of site plan approval, require additional loading spaces or reduce the requirement for loading spaces.
B. 
The loading spaces shall be on the same lot as the use they are intended to serve. Loading spaces shall not be used to satisfy parking requirements.
A. 
Parking or loading spaces being maintained in any district in connection with any existing use on the effective date of this chapter, or any spaces subsequently provided in accordance with this chapter, shall not be decreased or any way removed from service to the use originally intended to be served, so long as said use remains, unless a number of parking or loading spaces is constructed elsewhere, such that the total number of spaces conforms to the zoning requirements. This regulation shall not, however, require the maintenance of more parking or loading spaces than is otherwise required. Existing or new parking spaces that are not allocated to specific projects or uses can be allocated to future projects that are developed within two years by site plan approval.
B. 
Off-street parking or loading spaces which are developed to serve a use or structure and which are subsequently accepted by the City of Northampton for parking or loading purposes shall be considered to continue to meet the parking and loading space requirements so long as said use and structure remains.
When the computation of required parking or loading spaces results in the requirement of a fractional space, any fraction of 1/2 or more shall require one space.
The Planning Board may issue a special permit permitting two or more buildings or uses located on separate lots to provide for their required parking in combined facilities on the same lot, subject to the provisions of § 350-8.7.
In all zoning districts, except the Central Business (CB) Districts, the Planning Board may:
A. 
Through site plan approval, allow the reduction of the parking space requirements of up to 20% of that required in the Table of Off-Street Parking Regulations where conditions unique to the use will reasonably justify such a reduction, including two-story buildings in the Highway Business (HB) District.
B. 
Through site plan approval, reduce parking requirements for major projects listed in § § 350-8.1 by up to 20% of parking needed for employees (no credit for parking needed for visitors or customers) if:
(1) 
The applicant incorporates satisfactory methods, acceptable to the permit granting authority, to reduce the need for parking into their design and into the trip-reduction plan described in § § 350-11.5B(3)by at least the same percentage; and
(2) 
If the site plan approval is conditioned on the on-going use of those trip-reduction methods with effective enforcement tools included.
C. 
Through a special permit, allow a greater percentage reduction where joint use of the same spaces by two or more uses or establishments is justifiable by virtue of the fact that the uses or establishments generate peak demand at substantially different time periods.
A. 
Required off-street parking spaces shall be provided on the same lot as the principal use they are required to serve. When practical difficulties exist which prevent their establishment on the same lot, the Planning Board may grant a special permit to allow off-site parking spaces in a nonmunicipal lot. When measured along pedestrianways from the edge of the principal use's parcel, the closest point of that nonmunicipal lot must be:
(1) 
Five hundred feet; or
(2) 
One thousand feet from the premises to which they serve if:
(a) 
The off-site parking will be shared by more than one land use; and
(b) 
The greater distance is justified because of pedestrian traffic patterns and the vitality of the adjacent land uses that would be part of the walk; and
(c) 
Patrons or employees of the principal land are likely to actually utilize the provided off-site parking; or
(3) 
Parking spaces for colleges or educational uses shall be located on contiguous or adjacent land owned by the college or educational use. For the purposes of this section, contiguous or adjacent land shall include land in common ownership, even if separated by public or private roads, or rivers, or streams, or private property, when said private property is not more than 150 feet wide.
B. 
A special permit issued under this provision shall be coterminous with the length of the lease and shall expire if and when the lease for said parking expires.
All parking and loading areas shall comply with the following:
A. 
A parking space shall be at least 8 1/2 feet in width and 18 feet in length, with at least 18 feet of backing-up and maneuvering area directly behind the space (which may be shared with other spaces). Except for parking spaces for the same residential housing unit, each space must be laid out so that it does not block access to another parking space.
B. 
The layout of the parking area shall allow sufficient space for the storage of plowed snow without reducing the number of required parking spaces, unless removal by some other means is provided.
C. 
Any fixture used to illuminate any parking area shall be so arranged as to direct the light away from the street and away from adjoining premises used for residential purposes and shall be in conformance with § 350-12.2.
D. 
Parking shall not be located within five feet from the front lot line for residential uses, 15 feet for uses in M District, nor 10 feet for other uses.
(1) 
For all residential uses in all residential districts except for URC, parking for more than two vehicles shall not be permitted within the front yard setback.
(2) 
Within the URA, B and C Districts, no more than one parking space may be located between a public street and directly in front of a dwelling's front facade. The width of pavement for driveways and parking shall be no greater than 20 feet across the width of the parcel between the house and the street. Parking may be located in the frontage to the side of the front facade.
E. 
Parking and loading spaces, other than those required for single- and two-family dwellings, shall be so arranged as to prohibit backing of vehicles onto any street.
F. 
Unless directly opposite an intersecting street, no portion of a driveway entrance or exit shall be closer than 50 feet to the curbline of an intersecting street nor shall it be closer than 50 feet to any portion of an existing driveway located in a business or industrial district.
G. 
There shall be a maximum of one driveway curb cut per lot. In GB and HB Districts, and for all new two-family lots, a special permit from the Planning Board is required for more than one curb cut. See also requirements in §§ 350-21 and 350-22 for Character District standards as applicable. The Planning Board may only issue a second curb cut if the applicant can show that there is something unique about the property that would otherwise render flow to and from the property unsafe and unmanageable. If the Board finds that more than one curb cut is necessary for traffic safety purposes, then additional off-site traffic mitigation may be required by the Planning Board to address pedestrian safety within the abutting street network. In all other districts, the Planning Board may, as part of site plan approval, allow additional driveways/curb cuts if, and only if, such permit will promote and improve safe and efficient traffic circulation. Residential driveways shall generally be over the front lot line directly from the street. Residential driveways may be constructed across side and rear lot lines directly from the street, however, when the Department of Public Works finds, or the Planning Board issues a site plan approval, that the driveway will not degrade safety. Driveways shall not cross lot lines of adjoining properties without Planning Board site plan approval.
H. 
A driveway's entrance or exit shall not exceed, at its intersection with the front lot line, a width of 15 feet for single-, two- and three-family uses and 24 feet for all other uses, except that the Planning Board may, as part of site plan approval, allow a thirty-foot width if, and only if, such approval will promote safe and efficient traffic circulation. See also requirements in §§ 350-21 and 350-22 for Character Districts as applicable.
I. 
The parking area and access driveways thereto shall be graded and drained so as to dispose of all surface water accumulation in accordance with acceptable engineering practices.
J. 
Except on a farm, not more than one commercial vehicle, and said vehicle shall not exceed a weight of 10,000 pounds gross weight shall be garaged or in any way stored on any lot in any Residential (R) District.
K. 
No private access street or driveway serving a parking lot for nonresidential use shall cross property in a residential district except with a special permit granted by the Planning Board.
L. 
No more than two unregistered motor vehicles (any vehicle that does not have a valid registration legally issued by a governmental authority), and no motor vehicle accessories which are not parts of said two vehicles may be parked, stored or otherwise placed on a parcel of land in the City of Northampton without a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. This section shall not apply to the parking, storage or otherwise placing of unregistered motor vehicles and/or motor vehicle accessories where such parking, storage or placement is in connection with a legally established business selling new and/or used automobiles and trucks, or automotive repair or automobile service stations. This section shall also not apply to trucks and tractors which are in use for bona fide agricultural purposes.
M. 
All permitted unregistered motor vehicles and/or motor vehicle accessories shall be screened from the view of the public and from abutting public ways and from abutting properties by being enclosed within a structure or sight impervious fencing or screening.
N. 
A zoning permit must be received from the Building Commissioner and a driveway permit from the Department of Public Works, for all new or relocated driveways or parking lots.
O. 
Any use (drive-ins, etc.) which requires the "stacking" of vehicles waiting in line must be able to provide for the stacking of at least five vehicles in each line without the cars exceeding the boundaries of the lot.
P. 
No portion of individual, private driveways shall exceed a slope of 10% with switchbacks and turns reasonable for emergency vehicle access. However, driveways between 10% and a maximum of 12% on south-facing slopes with no curves may be approved by the Office of Planning and Sustainability in consultation with the Fire Department when it is determined that no public safety issues will be created with such driveways. However, the Planning Board may allow steeper grades by special permit, when it is determined that no public safety issues will be created with such driveways.
Q. 
For all driveways with grades greater than 8% or longer than 500 feet and which do not result in total site disturbance of one acre or more triggering a Department of Public Works stormwater permit, a drainage plan shall be submitted to the Office of Planning and Sustainability for review and approval.
R. 
Shared driveways for residential access in residential districts require site plan approval from the Planning Board and:
(1) 
Shall not service more than three lots (six lots for common driveways that loop to a road in two locations and are not dead-ends in any location).
(2) 
Shall provide the only vehicular access to the lots being serviced by it, and shall be so stated in the lot deeds.
(3) 
Shall be of suitable construction, grade, length and location, in the opinion of the Planning Board, for the access and turnaround of cars, trucks, ambulances, fire, and police, which will be utilizing such driveway. At a minimum, a common driveway shall not exceed grade of 10%, shall have a width of a least 15 feet, shall have passing turnouts providing a total width of at least 20 feet along a distance of at least 25 feet, spaced with no more than 300 feet between turnouts, and with the first such passing turnout being located within 10 feet of the driveway connection to the street, and shall conform to all other driveway requirements of this chapter.
(4) 
Shall be described on easements and easement plans approved with the site plan
In addition to § 350-8.8 above, all parking and loading areas containing over five spaces, including automotive and drive-in establishments of all types, shall either be contained within structures or shall also comply with the following:
A. 
The area shall be effectively screened with suitable planting or site impervious fencing on each side which adjoins or faces the side or rear lot line of a lot situated in any Residential R District.
B. 
The area and access driveways thereto shall be surfaced with bituminous concrete, cement concrete or pervious pavement (not to include any form of gravel or equivalent). The location of spaces shall be suitably marked by painted lines or other appropriate markings.
C. 
A substantial bumper of masonry, steel, or heavy timber, or a concrete curb or berm curb which is backed, shall be placed at the edge of surfaced areas except driveways in order to protect abutting structures, properties and sidewalks and screening materials.
D. 
There shall not be any business operation for vehicle repair for profit or gasoline or oil service facilities or any repair made to any motor vehicles, except on a lot occupied by a permitted automotive use. Any gasoline or oil facilities shall be at least 25 feet from any lot line.
E. 
There shall not be any storage of materials or equipment or display of merchandise within parking areas except as part of approved building operations.
F. 
In surface parking lots with more than 75 parking spaces, the expanse of pavement shall be interrupted by separating rows of parking spaces from each other and from driveways by using planting strips which may also contain pedestrian sidewalks at least six feet in width. Provision of these planting strips shall take into account the need to store snow, to locate light poles, to allow safe pedestrian movement, to maximize emergency access, and to separate different traffic movements. In addition, if an existing parking lot is expanded to over 75 spaces, planting strips shall be required for the entire lot. All proposals to construct or modify such parking lots shall be reviewed by the Planning Board in light of the requirements of this section. The Planning Board may waive planting strips if it deems appropriate only for the portion and number of parking spaces that are covered by one or more photovoltaic canopies.
G. 
Fire lanes or emergency access points required for buildings or other structures shall be protected from unauthorized parking through the provision of curbs, mountable barriers, landscaped areas or such other improvements subject to the approval of the Fire Chief and Chief of Police, which in turn meets the objective of precluding parking in the restricted area.
H. 
Surface parking lots with over 15 parking spaces serving uses located in Business, Industrial or Planned Village Districts must have at least one shade tree (minimum two-inch caliper) for every 15 provided parking spaces. The number of trees per 15 parking spaces shall be tabulated for all spaces unless the Planning Board finds that, for the spaces covered by photovoltaic canopies, there is no adequate location on site to meet the requirement for those covered spaces.
I. 
For new or expanded parking lots that result in the provision of 25 or more spaces, one electric vehicle charging port space per 15 parking spaces shall be installed.
A. 
Payment made to the City of Northampton in lieu of providing some or all of the required off-street parking spaces for a project in the CB Districts shall be allowed by right.
B. 
The fee to be paid shall be $2,000 per parking space. Fees paid to the City of Northampton, in lieu of providing required parking spaces on site shall be deposited into a Downtown Parking Reserve Account to be used solely for expenses (land acquisition, design engineering services and construction costs, but not maintenance costs) related to adding parking spaces, improving the utilization of existing parking spaces, or reducing the need for new parking to serve the Central Business District. Requests to appropriate funds out of this reserve account shall be filed with the City Council and referred to the Office of Planning and Sustainability, Planning Board, and Northampton Transportation and Parking Commission, which shall have 60 days to forward their comments and recommendations before a City Council vote of the appropriation is taken.
[Amended 9-4-2025 by Ord. No. 25.300]
A. 
Bicycle parking shall be provided for any new building, addition or enlargement of existing building, or for any change in the use of a building, except that in the Central Business Core District it is only required for any new building, addition or enlargement of existing building for residential use.
B. 
The number of bicycle parking spaces shall be calculated using the following table.
Table of Short-Term and Long-Term Bicycle Parking Requirements
Use
Bicycle Parking Requirement*
Residential
1 space per dwelling unit (of which at least 50% shall be long-term)
Hotel, motel, bed-and-breakfast
10% of the number of parking spaces or rooms, whichever is greater (100% long term)
Theater, gymnasium, auditorium, church, takeout or sit-down restaurant, bar, nightclub, YMCA, library, museum, funeral parlor, country club, community facility, commercial, retail, seasonal retail, personal service
1.0 space per 1,000 square feet
Office, hospital, other medical uses
4 spaces per 10,000 square feet (of which at least 50% shall be long term); minimum 2
Manufacturing, industrial, utility, power plant, warehouse, storage, wholesale establishment, automobile retail, sales, rental, service and wash
2 spaces per 10,000 square feet; minimum 2
K-12 school, college, classroom, laboratory, and other teaching areas
5.0 spaces per classroom
Mixed use
Requirements for each use
Business, trade, or industrial school
2 per classroom
Temporary uses in unheated outdoor space in any business or industrial district
None required
Any permitted use not covered by this schedule
Closest use determined by Building Commissioner
NOTE:
*The Office of Planning and Sustainability can authorize a reduction in parking requirements when there are unique reasons why new bicycle parking is not required, including the availability of adequate public bicycle parking, or accept payment in-lieu of bicycle racks when providing racks on public property provides a better option.
C. 
All short-term bicycle parking shall incorporate bicycle racks and the following additional specifications (See Northampton Bicycle Parking Guide for graphics and precedents.):
(1) 
Bicycle racks shall be located within 50 feet of the primary building entrance. If the primary building entrance is within 50 feet of the public right-of-way, the bicycle rack should also be located adjacent to public streets or sidewalks or, with City approval, within the public right-of-way.
(2) 
Bicycle racks shall allow at least 2.5 feet of clear horizontal distance from the center point of the bicycle rack in a direction perpendicular to the length of the bicycle, and at least three feet of clear horizontal distance from the center point of the bicycle rack in each direction parallel to the length of the bicycle, to provide adequate space to store and remove a standard bicycle.
(3) 
Bicycle racks shall be arranged either in rows (bicycles are parked side-to-side) or in alignment (bicycles are parked end-to-end). Where bicycle racks are arranged in rows, they shall be spaced at least 2.5 feet apart on center. Where bicycle racks are arranged in alignment, they shall be spaced at least eight feet on center.
(4) 
When a bicycle rack is placed perpendicular to the curb, it must be located on the sidewalk with at least four feet from the curb to the nearest vertical component of the bicycle rack, and units placed parallel to the curb must be placed on the sidewalk with at least two feet from the curb to the bicycle rack.
(5) 
Bicycle racks shall be at least eight feet from a curbside or wall fire hydrant.
(6) 
Where 20 or more bicycle parking spaces are required, at least 5% of the required spaces must provide an additional two feet of space parallel to the length of the bicycle to accommodate tandem bicycles or bicycles with trailers.
(7) 
Bicycle racks shall include surfacing that is designed and maintained to be mud and dust free. The use of rock or gravel areas is permitted, provided that edging materials, such as landscape timbers, are used so that the bicycle parking space is clearly demarcated and the rock material is contained.
(8) 
With the exception of residential uses, bicycle racks must be sufficiently separated from motor vehicle parking areas to protect parked bicycles. The separation may be accomplished through grade separation, distance or physical barrier, such as curbs, wheel stops, poles, vegetation, or similar features.
(9) 
With the exception of single- and two-family uses, bicycle racks must be accessible by way of at least one clear, lighted, ADA-accessible stabilized-surface five-foot-wide access route from bicycle parking to a public right-of-way that does not require carrying the bicycle and is free of any obstructions.
(10) 
Bicycle racks that require a use-supplied locking device shall be designed to accommodate both chain and U-shaped locking devices and shall support the bicycle frame at two locations (not just the wheel).
(11) 
Bicycle racks may provide bicycle parking spaces on each side, provided that both sides meet the spacing requirements set forth herein. If a bicycle rack meets the spacing requirements on one side of the stand but not the other (as may be the case where a bicycle rack is attached to a wall), then it may provide bicycle parking spaces on that side only.
(12) 
The preferred designs for bicycle racks are post and loop, and inverted "U." Other designs may be approved by Planning Board or Office of Planning and Sustainability to allow new or innovative technologies that provide equal or greater convenience and accessibility to bicyclists when compared to facilities designed according to the Northampton Bicycle Parking Guide standards.