[Amended 6-26-1987; 9-21-1987; 7-10-1989; 3-19-1991; 7-1-1992; 8-27-1996 by Ord. No. 169; 11-6-2008 by Ord. No. 207; 7-9-2009 by Ord. No. 72; 7-12-2011 by Ord. No. 61; 7-17-2013 by Ord. No. 52]
[Amended 2-16-2016 by Ord. No. 013; 4-19-2016 by Ord. No. 014; 7-23-2019 by Order No. 393; 2-13-2023 by Ord. No. 279; 10-21-2024 by Ord. No. 236]
A. 
For any use newly established use; or any change from one use to another; or for any use increased in intensity or physically enlarged by more than 25% under this chapter, off-street parking and loading space shall be provided in accordance with the following schedule in this section. Off-street parking and/or loading requirements for uses other than those cited in this article shall be determined in consultation with the applicant by the Building Inspector on recommendation from the Planning Board. The Building Inspector, on recommendation from the Planning Board, may require additional spaces if the particular use so warrants.
B. 
Location of off-street parking generally.
(1) 
Residential uses.
(a) 
In all zoning districts, parking spaces for residential uses must be provided:
[1] 
On site; or
[2] 
Off site on a privately owned lot located within 500 feet of the property/use(s) it is designed to serve; or
[3] 
By special permit, off-site parking in a public parking facility within 500 feet of the property/use it is designed to serve.
(b) 
Five hundred feet shall be measured in a straight line from the nearest point of the subject property to the nearest point of the off-site parking facility.
(2) 
Nonresidential uses.
(a) 
In all zoning districts, except for the non-residential activated ground floor uses in the Mandatory Mixed Use Overlay Zone (see § 300-141D below), parking spaces for nonresidential uses must be provided:
[1] 
On site;
[2] 
Off site on a privately owned lot located within 500 feet of the property/use(s) it is designed to serve;
[3] 
Off site in a public parking facility located within 500 feet of the property/use(s) it is designed to serve; or
[4] 
On street, if and to the extent such parking spaces are completely contained within the frontage of the property.
(b) 
Five hundred feet shall be measured in a straight line from the nearest point of the subject property to the nearest point of the off-site parking facility.
(3) 
Whenever a privately owned parking lot is proposed to satisfy the parking requirements, evidence of authority to use such off-site location must be provided to the permit granting authority (which may be the Director of Municipal Inspections). In the event that conditions (such as a change in use) for off-site parking change, or if the off-site parking arrangement is discontinued, the owner(s) shall notify the Director of Municipal Inspections in writing within 10 days of such change or discontinuance. Whether or not such notice is given, if the Director of Municipal Inspections determines that a zoning violation exists as a result and the owner(s) fails to apply for the necessary remedial permit(s)/approval(s) within 60 days of notice of such determination, the Director of Municipal Inspections shall require the owners to comply with the original parking requirements, or those in effect at the time of the change.
C. 
Calculations for off-street parking requirements may involve two basic calculations:
(1) 
A baseline number of parking spaces shall be calculated in accordance with the parking schedule found in this § 300-59. Where mixed-use developments are proposed, the baseline parking requirement shall be calculated as the sum of the requirements for each use; or
(2) 
The baseline number of off-street parking spaces required under the parking schedule found in this § 300-59 may be reduced through any individual technique or combination of techniques found in § 300-62. Any such proposed reductions in the baseline number of spaces to be provided off-street may only be approved by the Planning Board by grant of a special permit as provided below, including in connection with the approval of a special permit under § 300-91.
D. 
Any other deviation from all or a portion of the requirements for off-street parking must be obtained by a special permit from the Planning Board upon determination that the applicable conditions set forth in § 300-91 will be satisfied.
E. 
Table of Off-Street Parking Requirements.
Use
Minimum Off-Street Parking Spaces Required
Residential uses in the CC Central Business/CC2 Central Business Cabot Districts:
Residential units of 1 bedroom or smaller
1 per residential unit
Residential units with 2 bedrooms located in the Depot Overlay District (as defined in § 300-41E)
1 per residential unit
All other residential units with 2 or more bedrooms
2 per residential unit
Residential units in the CG, CN, BHD, IG, IR, RHD, RSD, RMD, R-6, R-10, R-15, R-22, R-45, and R-90 Zoning Districts
2 per residential unit
Rooming house, hotel, motel
1 for each rental unit plus 1 for each 8 seats provided for eating and meeting facilities
Bed-and-breakfast establishment
1 for every room rented, plus 2
Hospital
1 for every 2 beds
Clubs, lodges, and similar uses
1 per 400 square feet of gross floor area
Auditorium, theater, general meeting facilities or place thereof
1 for every 4 seats, permanent or otherwise
Business and professional offices
1 for every 250 square feet of gross floor area
Retail trade establishment, personal service
1 for every 275 square feet of gross floor area for those establishments 10,000 square feet and under in gross floor area; 1 for every 200 square feet of gross floor area for those establishments over 10,000 square feet in gross floor area
Clinic or medical buildings, including medical offices as an accessory use in a residential dwelling
1 for every 150 square feet of gross floor area
Restaurant or similar indoor place dispensing food, drink, or refreshment
1 for every 4 seats, permanent or otherwise
Schools
1 for each 500 square feet of floor space, exclusive of basements
Wholesale and storage in enclosed buildings
1 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area for the first 20,000 square feet
1 for each 2,000 square feet of gross floor area for the second 20,000 square feet
1 for each 4,000 square feet of gross floor area for areas in excess of the initial 40,000 square feet of gross floor area
Open storage
1 for every 1,000 square feet of the lot devoted to the use thereon
Manufacturing, assembly, processing, research, printing, and publishing
2.5 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area
Congregate housing for the elderly and permanently disabled, including subsidized elderly housing facilities that provide shared living arrangements
0.75 per unit
Marina
0.5 per boat moored, docked, stored, or trailered. Between September 15 and May 15, up to 80% of the required parking spaces may be used for winter storage of boats, floats, runways, and associated equipment. On or before May 16, 70% of the required parking spaces must be clear and available for motor vehicle parking. By June 15, 100% of the required parking spaces must be clear and available for motor vehicle parking.
Brewery, distillery, winery
2 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area for area dedicated to manufacturing and process related activities; 1 space per 275 square feet of gross floor area for tasting room, as defined herein
Maker space
2 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area
Non-residential activated ground floor uses in the Mandatory Mixed Use Overlay Zone
No parking requirements
Off-street loading requirements for commercial and industrial uses, if established or expanded by more than 25% under this chapter, shall be required to provide adequate off-street loading space for loading and unloading all vehicles incidental to the operation of the establishment. The Building Inspector, on recommendation from the Planning Board, may waive all or a portion of the requirements for loading or may require additional space if the particular use so warrants.
A. 
Where a principal use of a lot is not enclosed in a building, the portion of the lot so used shall be considered as the gross floor area for calculating off-street parking space requirements.
B. 
No accessory off-street parking space shall be permitted within the required front yard in any R District, except that this shall not be construed as applying to parking required for a one- or two-family dwelling.
C. 
No employee parking shall be permitted within the required front yard in any IR District. No parking in any IR District shall be permitted less than 15 feet from any lot line.
D. 
Commercial or industrial vehicles with more than two axles not related to a home occupation or home professional office as defined in § 300-5 shall not be allowed to be parked or stored on a permanent basis in a residential district without a special permit.
E. 
"Piggy-back" parking, in which each space does not have independent access to a driveway or street, is not allowed, except when such spaces are permanently assigned to the same residential unit and except for one- and two-family homes.
F. 
For bed-and-breakfast establishments, all parking shall be off-street, not within the required front yard setback, and "piggy back" parking shall not be allowed except for those spaces assigned to the permanent resident(s) of the structure. All other requirements of the City's parking requirements will apply as well (size of spaces, surfacing materials, etc.).
A. 
Shared on-site parking.
(1) 
In all zoning districts (except for the IR Overlay District, which is regulated by § 300-65), the Planning Board may grant a special permit to allow implementation of a shared parking arrangement for a mix of uses defined in the application and otherwise permitted in the applicable zoning district for a particular project.
(2) 
The special permit may provide for a reduction of up to 50% in the number of parking spaces to be provided for a mixed-use project, subject to all of the following conditions/findings:
(a) 
The extent to which projected parking demands for the proposed uses overlap or conflict is not substantial;
(b) 
The mix of proposed uses can reasonably be expected to share spaces compatibly; and
(c) 
In the event that conditions (such as a change in use) change, or if the shared parking arrangement is discontinued, the owner(s) shall notify the Director of Municipal Inspections and Planning Board in writing within 10 days of such change or discontinuance. Whether or not such notice is given, if the Director of Municipal Inspections determines that a modification of the special permit is required and the owner(s) fails to apply to the Planning Board for such modification within 60 days of such notice of such determination, or if the required modification is not granted by the Planning Board, then the Director of Municipal Inspections shall require the owners to comply with the original parking requirements, or those in effect at the time of the change, if less burdensome, in each case without reference to this Subsection A.
[Amended 2-16-2016 by Ord. No. 013]
(3) 
All special permit applications for shared parking shall be forwarded to the Parking and Traffic Commission for its comments and recommendations, which comments/recommendations shall be received by the Planning Board within 30 days of submission to the Commission. Failure to forward comments within 30 days will be deemed conclusion of review by the Commission. An applicant may use the latest peak demand analyses published by the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) or another other source of information acceptable to the Planning Board to justify a request for shared parking implementation, but any such information shall not be deemed conclusive or binding on the Planning Board, and the Planning Board may grant greater or lesser relief than that requested.
B. 
Off-site parking in a public parking facility. Separate from, or in conjunction with, authorized shared parking arrangements, the Planning Board may grant a special permit to allow use of off-site parking in a public parking facility to satisfy a portion of the residential parking requirements of a particular project.
(1) 
The Planning Board may grant a special permit to allow up to 25% of the off-street parking required for residential uses to be provided in an off-site public parking facility, subject to the following conditions/findings:
(a) 
The off-site public parking facility is located within 500 feet of the property/use it is designed to serve. Five hundred feet shall be measured in a straight-line distance from the nearest point of the subject property to the nearest point of the public parking facility; and
(b) 
The off-site public parking facility can reasonably be expected to have sufficient capacity to accommodate:
[1] 
The additional demand, given such factors as peak demand times for the proposed uses; and
[2] 
Any other present or future uses or demands on such facility that may be reasonably foreseen by the Planning Board.
(2) 
In the event that conditions (such as a change in use) change, or if the off-site parking arrangement is discontinued, the owner(s) shall notify the Director of Municipal Inspections and Planning Board in writing within 10 days of such change or discontinuance. Whether or not such notice is given, if the Director of Municipal Inspections determines that a modification of the special permit is required and the owner(s) fails to apply to the Planning Board for such modification within 60 days of notice of such determination, or if the required modification is not granted by the Planning Board, then the Director of Municipal Inspections shall require the owner(s) to comply with the original parking requirements, or those in effect at the time of the change, if less burdensome.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).
(3) 
All special permit applications for off-site parking shall be forwarded to the Parking and Traffic Commission for its comments and recommendations, which comments/recommendations shall be received by the Planning Board within 30 days of submission to the Commission. Failure to forward comments within 30 days will be deemed conclusion of review by the Commission.
All parking or loading areas containing over three spaces, including automobile service and drive-in establishments, shall be either contained within buildings or other structures or be subject to the following, as well as all specifications of the City of Beverly:
A. 
Parking or loading spaces shall be effectively screened on each side of the parking area which adjoins or faces the side or rear lot line of premises situated in any R District. The screening shall be accomplished using one of the following methods: a five-foot-wide and five-foot-high evergreen landscaping strip; a wall or fence of uniform appearance six feet in height; or a landscaped earthen berm at least five feet in height. Such screening shall be maintained in good condition.
B. 
Every parking or loading area and access driveways thereto shall be surfaced with a durable and dustless material which shall meet with the approval of the Building Inspector and shall be graded and drained so as to disperse of all surface water and accumulation.
C. 
Any fixture used to illuminate any parking or loading area shall be so arranged as to direct the light away from street and away from adjoining premises used for residential purposes.
D. 
Any off-street parking area shall also be subject to the following:
[Amended 6-1-2015 by Ord. No. 314]
(1) 
There shall not be any motor vehicle parking within five feet of any side or rear lot line, except that this requirement shall not apply in the BHD District.
(2) 
There shall not be any vehicle repair facilities or any repair made to any motor vehicles. For purposes of this subsection, the terms "vehicle" and "motor vehicle" do not include boats or travel lifts or other mechanical equipment, as these activities are an accessory use customary in the operation of a boatyard or recreational boating facility located in the BHD District.
(3) 
There shall not be any storage of materials or equipment, except as part of approved building or site operations.
(4) 
Off-street parking spaces may be permitted within the required front yard in other than the R and IR Districts, but such space shall be set back from the street line by a minimum of 10 feet, except that this requirement shall not apply in the BHD District.
A. 
All off-street parking and loading areas containing three or more spaces shall be so arranged and marked as to provide for orderly and safe loading, unloading, parking and storage of vehicles, with individual parking spaces clearly defined.
B. 
Such areas shall meet the following requirements:
(1) 
Standard parking spaces. Each parking space shall be at least nine feet in width and 18 feet in length. Aisle width shall be a minimum of 18 feet for one-way traffic and 24 feet for two-way traffic.
(2) 
Compact parking spaces. Up to 25% of the proposed parking spaces may be designed for use by compact cars and/or motorcycles and other motorized bikes, provided:
(a) 
Each compact parking space shall be at least eight feet in width and 16 feet in length. Aisle widths shall be the same as for standard parking spaces except where aisles service(s) compact cars, motorcycles, and/or motorbikes exclusively. In those instances, aisle widths of 16 feet for one-way traffic and 22 feet for two-way traffic are permitted.
(b) 
The parking lot or area in which compact spaces will be provided must be designed and equipped with a signage system that clearly and effectively indicates the location of compact car spaces within the lot.
(3) 
Each loading space shall not be less than 1,000 square feet, including space for maneuvering; and arrangement or layout of off-street loading areas shall be approved by the Building Inspector.
(4) 
No portion of any entrance or exit driveway shall be closer than 20 feet to the curb of an intersecting street.
(5) 
No two drives leading from a street to a single lot shall be within 30 feet of each other at a street.
(6) 
No entrance or exit driveway shall exceed 25 feet in width at a street.
(7) 
A maximum of two driveway accesses at a street per lot are allowed; for example, a lot with frontage on two streets may have a maximum of four driveway accesses, two on each street.
(8) 
The arrangement of all parking spaces and parking lots shall be approved by the Building Inspector, adhering to the requirements of the State Building Code, and shall provide for safe pedestrian access in and around such parking areas.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).
C. 
Incorporation in parking area design of electric-car charging stations and low-impact development techniques such as vegetated swales, rain gardens and permeable pavers is highly encouraged.
A. 
In a mixed-use development on a lot zoned IR Overlay on the official City Zoning District Map, the number of required parking spaces shall be as provided above in this Article X, unless in performing site plan review or in acting on a special permit the Planning Board determines that a lesser number of spaces would be adequate for all parking needs because of special circumstances such as shared parking for uses having peak parking demands at different times or other measures reducing parking demand.
B. 
When considering shared parking, the following method will be used to determine the appropriate parking requirements: multiply the minimum parking requirement for each individual use, as set forth in Article X, by the listed percentage, as set forth below in the Schedule of Parking Occupancy Rates, for each of the five designated time periods and then add the resulting sums from each vertical column. The column total having the highest total value is the minimum shared parking space requirement for that combination of land uses.
C. 
Schedule of Parking Occupancy Rates.
Weekday
Weekend
Night
12:00 Midnight to 7:00 a.m.
Day
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Evening
6:00 p.m. to 12:00 Midnight
Day
6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Evening
6:00 p.m. to 12:00 Midnight
Residential
100%
60%
90%
80%
90%
Manufacturing, assembly, processing
5%
100%
10%
10%
5%
Business and professional office
5%
100%
10%
10%
5%
Retail establishment
5%
80%
90%
100%
70%
Hotel
70%
70%
100%
70%
100%
Restaurant
10%
50%
100%
50%
100%
Eating and meeting facilities associated with hotel
10%
50%
60%
50%
60%
Auditorium, theater
10%
40%
100%
80%
100%
School, day-care facilities
5%
100%
10%
20%
5%
All other
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
D. 
Prior to issuance of an occupancy permit for shared parking, the owner(s) of a mixed-use development shall have in its possession and readily available for review by the Director of Municipal Inspections a reciprocal agreement executed by the owners and operators of the different sources or uses in the development ensuring the long-term joint use of such shared parking, and defining the terms upon which the parking is shared.
[Amended 2-19-2009 by Ord. No. 230[1]]
(1) 
In the event that the conditions (such as a change in use) for shared parking change, or if the shared parking arrangement is discontinued, the owner(s) shall notify the Director of Municipal Inspections within 10 days of such change or discontinuance. If the Director of Municipal Inspections determines that a modification of the special permit is required and the owner(s) fails to apply to the Planning Board for such modification within 60 days of such determination, or if modification of the special permit is not granted by the Planning Board within 90 days of application therefor, then the Director of Municipal Inspections shall require the owner(s) to comply with all applicable parking requirements.
(2) 
Noncompliance with this subsection may result in the revocation of occupancy permits for the violating uses.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).