Township of Schuylkill, PA Article XXII Vehicle Controls

§ 370-180 Purpose.

It is the purpose of this article to protect public safety and welfare by encouraging the provision of adequate areas for the parking of vehicles, to minimize dangers due to vehicle congestion in parking areas, and to promote efficient vehicle circulation in and around parking areas.

§ 370-181 Required off-street parking facilities.

Any building or other structure erected or used, and any lot used or occupied, in any district in which the following uses may exist or be permitted, shall be provided and maintained with minimum off-street parking spaces as set forth hereinbelow, together with, and in addition to, adequate vehicular passageways, aisles, or to the means of vehicular circulation and access to and from a street. Where multiple uses occur, the minimum parking requirements shall be additive.

A. Dwelling. Two all-weather parking spaces per dwelling, plus those required for any home occupation; provided, however, that for multifamily housing, such spaces shall be paved and curbed.

B. For any of the following uses, the required spaces and movement lanes shall be paved and the perimeter of the parking area shall be curbed.

(1) Church, school, public auditorium, or other similar place for assembly: one space for every four seats for assembly.

(2) Stadium or theater: one space for every three seats.

(3) Hospital, nursing home or congregate care senior housing:

(a) For hospitals: one space per bed, plus one space for every two employees on the day shift.

(b) For nursing homes and congregate care senior housing: three spaces for every four beds, or fraction thereof, plus one space for every two employees on the day shift.

(4) Library: one space for every 50 square feet devoted to visitor use, excluding offices, stairways, storage space, and utility rooms.

(5) Motel: 1 1/2 spaces for each rental unit, plus the required spaces for each accessory use, such as dining room, meeting room, restaurant, etc.

(6) Bowling alley: eight spaces per lane, plus the required spaces for each accessory use, such as restaurant.

(7) Bank: three spaces for each teller window, but in no case less than 12 spaces, when not located in a shopping center.

(8) Restaurant: one space for every three seats, plus one space for every two employees during the daytime shift, when not located in a shopping center.

(9) Retail store (other than super market and department store): one space for every 100 square feet of interior building area devoted to sales, when not in a shopping center, with a minimum of four spaces per store or shop.

(10) Office buildings: one space for each 150 square feet of usable floor space exclusive of storage, stairwells, and utility space.

(11) Professional office: one space for each 150 square feet of usable floor space exclusive of storage, stairwell, and utility space; provided, however, that for any medical or dental office or clinic, the parking requirements shall be six spaces per doctor or practitioner plus one space for each employee.

(12) Warehouse and other similar establishment: one space for every one employee in the two largest shifts combined; provided, however, there shall be provided additional unpaved spaced on the lot, graded and maintained in grass which would, if paved, provide a total of one space for every 100 square feet of usable floor space to provide for possible conversion of the warehouse to office space.

(13) Laboratory and industrial establishment: one space for every one employee; if more than a single work shift is used, then one space for every one employee in the two largest shifts combined.

(14) Supermarket and department store: When not in a shopping center, one space for every 75 square feet of building space devoted to customer sales, exclusive of offices, storage and other space from which customers are excluded.

(15) Shopping center: One space for every 180 square feet of gross leasable area, the spaces required above for certain individual establishments to the contrary notwithstanding, providing that up to 10% of the gross leasable area may be office space with no additional off-street parking required, but for every 100 square feet of office space in excess of such 10%, there shall be provided one additional space.

(16) Other commercial building: One space for every 200 square feet of floor area in commercial use.

(17) Open areas used for commercial or recreational purposes: one space for every employee, plus one space for every 1,000 square feet of open area used for commercial or recreational purposes.

[Amended 11-5-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-04]

(18) Funeral homes: one space for every 50 square feet of floor space or fraction thereof.

(19) Convenience store: one space for every 100 square feet of interior building area devoted to sales; and if the retail sale of automotive fuel and lubricants are included, the Board of Supervisors, at conditional use, may require an additional two spaces for each gasoline pump (one space per dispenser) located at either the pump or on the lot as additional parking spaces.

[Added 10-2-2002 by Ord. No. 02-09]

(20) Commercial solar power facilities: one space.

[Added 6-1-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-05]

(21) Special exceptions: In cases of uses which are permitted only by special exception, the number of parking spaces shall be determined by the Zoning Hearing Board.

§ 370-182 Location of off-street parking.

Off-street parking required for those uses listed under § 370-181 above shall be located on the same lot with the use to which it relates; provided, however, that:

A. Nothing herein shall preclude the location of the required off-street parking spaces for dwellings in common parking areas designed and constructed for this purpose so long as none of such dwellings shall be more than 200 feet from spaces designated for such dwellings.

B. Three or more establishments on adjacent lots in any commercial district, but not in a shopping center, may combine their off-street parking facilities, in which case the total combined parking space requirements may be reduced by 10% when authorized as a special exception, so long as none of such establishments is a department store or supermarket, and provided that, in no case shall such reduction result in less off-street parking spaces than would be required of such establishments if they were in a shopping center.

§ 370-183 General parking and loading requirements.

A. Garaging. Any number or proportion of the required parking spaces may be provided within an enclosed structure or garage, which, however, must meet all the building requirements of the district.

B. Loading and unloading. In addition to required off-street parking spaces, every use permitted in this chapter shall be provided with off-street loading and unloading space, which, except for single-family, semidetached, and two-family detached dwellings, shall be completely separate and not a part of the required off-street parking space or circulation thereof.

C. Required yards. Except where otherwise in this chapter prohibited, required off-street parking shall be permitted in required yards but not closer to the lot line than 1/2 the yard width or depth, and the unpaved portion of the yard shall be maintained in grass or other appropriate ground cover.

D. Lighting. All lots containing more than five parking spaces must be illuminated with shielded lights at night when the lot is in use. Exterior lighting where required, shall be installed as prescribed in § 370-130 of Article XIX herein.

§ 370-184 Reduction or alteration of facilities.

A. Reduction. Off-street parking and loading facilities existing on the effective date of this chapter, and such facilities provided to comply with this chapter, shall not subsequently be reduced below the requirements of this chapter except as otherwise provided herein.

B. Change of use. Before a use of a building can be changed, the parking requirements of the proposed new use must be met.

C. Future parking. The Township Engineer and the Township Panning Commission may recommend and the Township Supervisors may approve a reduction of off-street parking facilities required for each use, or groups or uses, as stated in this chapter, provided that an equivalent suitable land area for such reduced parking spaces shall be shown and listed on all subdivision plans and shall be clearly denoted as "reserved for future parking when required"; and, further provided that the landowner or developer shall certify to the Township Supervisors that the parking needs for the use(s) are less than those required by this chapter. Any plan showing a parking reduction shall also be so noted on the plan that:

(1) When deemed necessary by the Township Supervisors, the parking reserve area or portion thereof required shall be constructed and completed with the parking facilities as shown on the original plan.

(2) Reserved future parking areas may not be counted as open space which may be required by other sections of this chapter.