The standards that follow shall be applied to the specific situations
indicated and are intended to supplement the other standards of this
chapter. The standards contained in a specific section regulating
a specific use shall not exempt said use from other applicable regulations
contained in this chapter.
This section shall apply to all new and expanded uses and to changes of use and all such uses shall be provided with parking and loading areas adequate to meet the needs of the use. Any proposal which is considered a land development as defined by Chapter
355, Subdivision and Land Development, shall be governed by the parking and loading area design standards in that chapter. Following the establishment of any land development, the ongoing operation and maintenance of the off-street parking and loading facilities shall comply with the requirements of this section, and violations shall be subject to the enforcement provisions of this chapter.
A. Availability and use of facilities.
(1) Availability. The facilities required herein shall be available throughout
the hours of operation of the particular business or use for which
such facilities are provided. As used herein, the term parking space
includes either covered garage space or uncovered parking lot space
located off the public right-of-way.
(2) Location of parking. Required off-street parking spaces shall be on the same lot with the principal use served, except as approved in Subsections
K and
L.
(3) Continuing obligation of parking and loading spaces. All required
numbers of parking spaces and off-street loading spaces shall be available
as long as the use or building which the spaces serve still exists,
and such spaces shall not be reduced in number below the minimum required
by this chapter.
(4) Non-parking use. Required off-street parking, loading, and unloading
facilities and accessways shall not be used for any other purpose,
including, but not limited to, sales, display or storage areas, or
the parking of any vehicles for which the area was not approved (e.g.,
parking of tractor trailers in required passenger vehicle areas).
(5) Existing parking. Any parking spaces serving such preexisting structures
or uses at the time of the adoption of this chapter shall not in the
future be reduced in number below the number required by this chapter.
If a new principal nonresidential building is constructed on a lot,
then any existing parking on such lot that serves such building shall
be reconfigured to comply with this chapter, including, but not limited
to, required parking and areas reserved for additional parking if
needed, requirements for channelization of traffic from adjacent streets,
channelization of traffic within the lot, minimum aisle widths, paving
and landscaping.
(6) Garages and carports. Garages and carports not in the public right-of-way
may be considered parking spaces.
B. Site plan; design.
(1) Site plan. The project application shall include a site plan that
shows the parking, loading and unloading area, and access design.
(2) General. Parking spaces, loading and unloading areas, and accessways
shall be laid out to result in safe and orderly use and to fully address
all of the following: vehicular access onto and off the site, vehicular
movement within the site, pedestrian patterns and any drive-through
facilities. No parking area shall cause a safety hazard or impediment
to traffic on or off the lot.
(3) Pedestrian access and circulation. The parking and access plan shall
include details of pedestrian access to the site and pedestrian circulation
within the site. The intent shall be to facilitate pedestrian access
and provide safe and convenient circulation from parking areas to
the structure or use.
(4) Design. Off-street parking areas, accessways, fire lanes, traffic
flow signs, pavement markings, and other necessary facilities shall
be designed and provided in accord with the most current Institute
of Transportation Engineers Traffic Engineering Handbook, or other
generally accepted methodology approved by the Township. The applicant
shall provide copies of the methodology used for the design. Notwithstanding
the above, all parking spaces and the overall design shall be ample
in size for the vehicles for which use is intended and stalls shall
be a minimum of 10 feet by 20 feet with aisles of not less than 24
feet unless designed as required above.
C. Lighting. In addition to the other applicable standards in this chapter,
all lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking shall be so
arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises and
public rights-of-way.
D. Public rights-of-way. Parking, loading and unloading of vehicles
shall not be permitted on public rights-of-way, except in designated
areas and in accord with municipal parking regulations. No parking
area shall be designed which requires or encourages parked vehicles
to be backed into a public street.
F. Number of vehicle parking and stacking spaces to be provided. The number of parking spaces required by this Subsection
F shall be considered the minimum requirements unless modified in accordance with this Subsection
F.
[Amended 7-5-2023 by Ord. No. 150-2023]
(1) Vehicle parking and stacking spaces required for nonresidential uses.
(a)
Refer to Table of Required Parking and Stacking Spaces. (Attachment 3 in Chapter
400 of the Code of Ordinances) See §
400-19F(1)(c) for uses not listed in the Table of Required Parking and Stacking Spaces.
(b)
Table of Required Parking and Stacking Spaces. The minimum number
of off-street parking spaces and vehicle stacking spaces shall be
provided and maintained in accordance with the Table of Required Parking
and Stacking Spaces included as Attachment 3 in this Chapter.
(c)
Land uses not listed in the Table of Required Parking and Stacking
Spaces If the proposed use is not included in the Table of Required
Parking and Stacking Spaces, the minimum number of required parking
and stacking spaces shall be based on the most similar use included
in the Table, as determined and/or approved by the Zoning Officer
and/or Township Engineer. If the Zoning Officer determines that none
of the uses included in the Table is of sufficiently similar character
to the proposed use, the Zoning Officer shall use information provided
by the applicant, the Township Engineer and the Zoning Officer to
make the determination of the required minimum number of parking and
stacking spaces.
(2) Parking required for residential uses. Two off-street parking spaces
shall be provided and maintained for each residential dwelling unit
except as follows:
(a)
Single-family dwellings: three per dwelling unit.
(b)
Two-family dwellings and multifamily dwellings: two per dwelling
unit.
(c)
Multifamily senior citizen and other senior citizen housing:
one per dwelling unit.
(d)
Assisted-living facilities: 0.5 per dwelling unit.
(3) Applicant-proposed reduction. The required number of parking and/or
stacking spaces may be reduced subject to approval by the Board of
Supervisors during its review of a subdivision and land development
application for the use, if applicable. If there is no subdivision
and land development application, the required number of parking and/or
stacking spaces may be reduced subject to conditional use approval
by the Board of Supervisors. The applicant shall provide evidence
justifying the proposed reduction of spaces, such as studies of similar
developments during peak hours. The applicant shall also provide relevant
data, such as number of employees and peak expected number of customers/visitors.
Any approval to permit such decrease shall be subject to the following:
(a)
Ordinance and plan consistency. The project design and parking
and/or stacking space decrease shall be consistent with the purposes
contained in this chapter and the goals and objectives of the Township's
Comprehensive Plan.
(b)
Quality of design. The applicant shall demonstrate to the Board
of Supervisors that the proposed decrease will result in an adequate
number of parking and stacking spaces based on a specific study of
the parking and stacking demands for the proposed use or empirical
data reported by a generally accepted source such as the Institute
of Transportation Engineers, the Urban Land Institute, the American
Planning Association, or similar entity.
(c)
Local conditions. In making its determination, the Board of
Supervisors shall also consider, among others, the demographics and
character of the neighborhood, demographics of targeted customers
and employees, availability of mass transit, existing on-street parking
conditions, and any employer-instituted transportation demand management
programs.
(d)
Burden; conditions. If the Board of Supervisors, in its sole
discretion, determines that the applicant has met the burden of proof,
it may grant approval for the decrease. The Board of Supervisors may
impose such conditions as will, in its judgment, secure the objectives
and purposes of this Chapter, including, but not limited to, requiring
area reserved for additional future parking.
(4) Form of reservation. Each parking reservation shall be in a form
acceptable to the Township Solicitor that legally binds current and
future owners of the land to keep the reserved parking area in open
space and, if the Township determines it is necessary, to provide
the additional parking in the time and manner as stipulated in the
reservation document. Proof of recording of the agreement shall also
be provided to the Township before the issuance of a zoning permit
for the project.
(5) Reserved parking disturbance and stormwater. The reserve parking
areas shall remain undisturbed or shall be landscaped, but shall be
included in the calculations of lot coverage area and for stormwater
management and for the requirement of a NPDES permit. The stormwater
facilities shall be constructed in accord with the approved sequencing
design as parking areas are constructed.
(6) Multiple uses. (See also Subsection
L.) For projects involving more than one use and/or structure, the total number of parking spaces required shall be determined by summing the number of spaces for each individual use.
(7) Handicapped parking. Parking for the handicapped shall be provided
in accord with the Americans With Disabilities Act and shall count
as part of the spaces required for the use by this section.
(8) Stacking lanes for drive-through facilities. All uses and facilities
providing drive- through services shall provide stacking lanes and
stacking spaces in compliance with the standards of this section.
(a)
Required Stacking Spaces. Each service window, lane or point
shall have the minimum number of stacking spaces provided for in Attachment
3 of this chapter, Table of Required Parking and Stacking Spaces.
All uses shall have at least one space in each lane after the last
island, window, bay or other service point, but shall have more if
required by Attachment 3 of this chapter.
(b)
Stacking space dimensions. Each stacking space shall be a minimum
of 20 feet long and 10 feet wide on straight segments, and minimum
12 feet wide on curved segments with a minimum 25 feet centerline
radius.
(c)
Stacking lane design.
[1]
Stacking lanes shall be delineated from traffic aisles, other
stacking lanes and parking areas with striping, curbing, landscaping,
or use of alternative paving materials.
[2]
Entrances and exits of stacking lanes shall be clearly marked
with directional signs.
[3]
Stacking lanes shall be designed to prevent circulation congestion
both within the site and on adjacent public streets. The circulation
shall:
[a] Separate drive-through traffic from other on-site
circulation;
[b] Not impede or impair access to or out of parking
stalls;
[c] Not impede or impair vehicle or pedestrian traffic
movement;
[d] Minimize conflict between pedestrian and vehicle
traffic with physical and visual separation;
[e] Not interfere with required loading/unloading and
trash storage areas.
(d)
Stacking space location.
[1]
No stacking space shall be located closer than 50 feet from
any lot in a residential zone.
[2]
A solid wall or fence shall be placed along the property line
of any abutting lot zoned for residential use so as to block lights
from vehicles in the stacking lanes.
(e)
Order-placing facilities.
[1]
Outdoor facilities such as menu boards, speakers, windows, dispensers,
etc., shall be a minimum of 50 feet from any residential zone.
[2]
Menu boards shall be a maximum of 30 square feet, and shall
be designed, placed and shielded so as to not cast glare on public
streets or adjacent properties. The term "menu board" is not limited
to food, but may be any listing of products, services, etc., from
which the customer makes a choice or which provides product information.
[3]
Outdoor speakers must comply with the noise restrictions of the Coolbaugh Township Code of Ordinances at §
262-6.
(9) Administrative adjustment to parking or stacking lane capacity, or
compact parking limitation.
(a)
The Township Zoning Officer shall have the authority to administratively reduce the parking capacity requirements of §
400-19F(1) and Attachment 3 of this chapter by not more than 10% upon presentation of empirical evidence acceptable to the Zoning Officer that a particular use of property will generate different parking demands than other similar uses. Such evidence may include:
[1]
Parking studies performed by a qualified engineer or professional
parking consultant.
[2]
Parking surveys conducted at similar and comparably situated
uses. The applicant or owner shall bear the burden of demonstrating
that the survey methodology is correct and applicable to the situation.
[3]
Other empirical evidence that in the professional judgment of
the Zoning Officer clearly demonstrates that the particular use or
property will generate less parking demand than similar uses.
[4]
A plan, map or diagram showing the proposed parking layout and
how vehicular ingress/egress, pedestrian access, landscaping, and
all other requirements of this code and applicable design guidelines
will be provided.
(b)
On approving such administrative reduction, the Zoning Officer
shall make written findings that:
[1]
The reduction will not be a grant of special privilege inconsistent
with parking requirements for similar uses.
[2]
The level or amount of the reduction granted is consistent with
the empirical evidence in the study or survey.
[3]
Granting the reduction will not be detrimental to the public
welfare, or injurious to other property or improvements in the vicinity.
[4]
The nature or configuration of the use or facility is such that
its future occupancy by uses generating significantly higher parking
demand is unlikely.
[5]
The reduction is consistent with the purpose and intent of the
Township's Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance.
(c)
The Zoning Officer may require a parking management plan or agreement, or other conditions of approval reasonably necessary to ensure compliance with any of the findings required by Subsection
F(9)(b) of this section.
(d)
A reduction in parking allowed by this section may not be in addition to parking reductions allowed by §
400-19F(3) or uses which require submission of a specific parking demand analysis unless supported by a professional parking study that justifies the entire reduction and approved by the Board of Supervisors.
G. Loading and unloading areas.
(1) Type and size. In addition to the required off-street parking spaces,
all uses shall provide adequate off-street areas for loading and unloading
of vehicles where necessary. The applicant shall provide details on
the type and frequency of vehicles operating in connection with the
proposed use to justify any necessary loading and unloading areas.
Each required space shall meet the following dimensions:
|
Largest Type of Truck Service
|
Minimum Width
(feet)
|
Minimum Length
(feet)
|
---|
|
Tractor trailer
|
14
|
74 with 14 clear height
|
|
Trucks other than tractor trailers, pickups or vans
|
12
|
30
|
|
Pickup truck or van
|
10
|
20
|
(2) Interior travelways. The applicant shall demonstrate that travelways
within the property are adequate to safely and efficiently serve vehicles
which are reasonably expected to visit the property. Turning radius
templates developed by the American Association of State Highway Transportation
Officials (AASHTO) shall serve as the design standard.
H. Access to off-street parking and loading areas. There shall be adequate
provisions for ingress and egress to all parking and loading spaces
designed for use by employees, customers, delivery services, sales
people and/or the general public. Access to and from all off-street
parking, loading and vehicle service areas along public rights-of-way
shall consist of well-defined separate or common entrances and exits
and shall comply with the following provisions:
(1) Width. Unless otherwise required by PennDOT for access to a state
road, the width of the driveway/access way onto a public street at
the right-of-way shall be as follows:
|
Width*
|
One-Way Use
(feet)
|
Two-Way Use
(feet)
|
---|
|
Minimum
|
12
|
24
|
|
Maximum
|
20
|
50
|
|
NOTES:
|
|
*
|
Exclusive of the turning radius.
|
(2) Controlled access. Each entrance and exit shall be clearly defined
with curbing, fencing, landscaping or vegetative screening so as to
prevent access to the area from other than the defined entrance and
exit.
(3) Highway occupancy permit. All new uses shall be required to obtain
a highway occupancy permit from the Township or PennDOT, as the case
may be. In the case of a change in use or the expansion of an existing
use, the Township shall require the applicant to obtain a highway
occupancy permit or a revised highway occupancy permit. Where a use
accesses the public right-of-way via a private road, the highway occupancy
permit requirement and criteria shall be applied at the public right-of-way
intersection.
I. Parking and loading area setbacks.
(1) Roads and property lines. All parking and loading areas (not including parking decks) and parallel circulation and service lanes serving any commercial, industrial, institutional or multifamily use shall be separated from any public road right-of-way or adjoining property lines by a landscaped buffer area not less than 10 feet wide unless a wider buffer is required by another ordinance provision or adjoining uses share parking in accord with Subsection
L.
(a)
Measurement. The width of the buffer shall be measured from
property lines and from the curbline or from the legal right-of-way
line after development if no curbs will be provided.
(b)
Uses prohibited. The buffer area shall be maintained in natural
vegetative ground cover and shall not include:
[1]
Paving except for approved driveway/accessway crossings.
[2]
Fences unless integral to landscaping.
[3]
Parking, storage or display of vehicles.
(c)
Uses permitted. The buffer area may include the following:
[1]
Permitted freestanding signs.
[2]
Pervious stormwater facilities.
[3]
Approved driveway/accessway crossings.
(d)
Sidewalks. Sidewalks, existing or proposed, may be included
in the buffer area.
(2) Buildings. Parking spaces serving principal nonresidential buildings
and multifamily dwellings shall be located a minimum of 10 feet from
any building wall, unless a larger distance is required by another
ordinance provision. This distance does not apply at vehicle entrances
into or under a building.
J. Grading and drainage; paving.
(1) Parking and loading facilities, including driveways, shall be graded
and adequately drained to prevent erosion or excessive water flow
across streets or adjoining properties.
(2) In cases where 10 or more parking spaces are required, all portions
of required parking, loading facilities and access ways, except for
landscaped areas, shall be surfaced with a durable, hard, all-weather
surface consisting of a minimum of 2 1/2 inches of ID-2 bituminous
pavement on a base course consisting of eight inches of crushed aggregate
or, as deemed to be equivalent by the Zoning Officer, of concrete,
paving block or porous pavement or pavers on a suitable base.
(3) The Board of Supervisors may, as a conditional use, allow parking
areas with low or seasonal usage to be maintained in stone, grass
or other suitable surfaces, For example, the Board of Supervisors
may allow parking spaces to be grass, while major aisles are covered
by stone.
K. Off-lot parking. Required parking may be provided on a different
lot than on the lot on which the principal use is located, provided
the parking is not more than 400 feet from the principal use lot.
Off-lot parking areas shall be permitted only in a district where
the principal use is permitted. Both parcels shall be under the same
control, either by deed or long-term lease, as the property occupied
by such principal use, and the owner shall be bound by covenants of
record filed in the office of the County Recorder of Deeds requiring
the owner and his or her heirs and assigns to maintain the required
number of off-street parking spaces during the existence of said principal
use.
L. Joint use parking. In the case of multiple use on the same premises
or where more than one principal uses share a common property line,
shared parking facilities may be approved by the Zoning Officer.
(1) Documentation. The applicant shall provide information to establish
that the shared spaces will be used at different times of the day,
week, month, and/or year.
(2) Reduction. Parking provided may be credited to both uses based on
the extent that the uses operate at different times. However, the
required parking shall not be reduced by more than 50% of the combined
parking required for each use. (Example: If a church parking lot is
generally occupied only to 10% of capacity on days other than a Sunday,
another development not operating on a Sunday could make use of the
unused church lot spaces on weekdays.)
(3) Agreement. Joint use parking shall be secured in a form acceptable
to the Township Solicitor that legally binds current and future owners
of the land to maintain the parking. An attested copy of the agreement
between the owners of record shall be provided to the Township. Proof
of recording of the agreement shall also be provided to the Township
before the issuance of a zoning permit for the project.
(4) Common property line. The joint-use parking area may span a common property line, thereby eliminating the setback required in Subsection
I.
M. Shopping carts. Establishments furnishing carts or mobile baskets
shall provide definite areas on the site for the storage of the said
carts. Storage areas shall be clearly marked and designed for the
storage of shopping carts and/or mobile baskets. Establishments furnishing
carts or mobile baskets shall provide definite areas on the site for
the storage of the said carts. Storage areas shall be clearly marked
and designed for the storage of shopping carts and/or mobile baskets.
N. Snow storage and removal. All plans for proposed parking areas of
50 or more spaces shall include details for adequate snow storage
and removal.