[Amended 5-14-2007 ATM, Art. 18]
The objectives of this article are as follows:
A. 
Promote traffic safety by assuring adequate places for storing motor vehicles off the street and for their orderly access and egress to and from the public streets.
B. 
Increase the traffic carrying capacity of streets and highway in the Town.
C. 
Reduce the hazards to pedestrians on public sidewalks.
D. 
Protect adjoining lots and the general public from nuisances and hazards such as:
(1) 
Noise, glare of headlights, dust and fumes resulting from the operation of motor vehicles;
(2) 
Glare and heat from parking lots;
(3) 
A lack of visual relief from expanses of paving; and
(4) 
Accelerated runoff of surface water from land covered by impervious materials.
Off-street parking must be provided in all zoning districts for new construction, change of use, conversion, expansion, redevelopment or increase in use for any structure.
The standards below must be met for the additional parking demand created by new construction, change of use, conversion, expansion, redevelopment or increase in use for any structure unless reduced on special permit from the Board of Appeals, upon the Board's determination that special circumstances render a lesser provision adequate for all parking needs, or as defined in § 201-12.10. In the case of mixed uses, the minimum parking shall be the sum of the requirements of the individual uses computed separately. Parking facilities for one use shall not be considered as providing the required parking for another use, unless it can be clearly demonstrated that the need for parking occurs at different times.
A parking space shall not be less than nine feet in width by 20 feet in length together with an aisle of at least 24 feet. Where parallel parking is utilized, parallel spaces shall not be less than eight feet in width and 22 feet in length.
Parking for persons with disabilities shall be provided in designated spaces as outlined in the State Building Code and the requirements of the Architectural Access Board, latest edition. Accessible parking spaces serving a particular building, facility or temporary event shall be located on the shortest accessible route of travel from adjacent parking to an accessible entrance.
Residential
Dwelling unit having 2 or more bedrooms
2 spaces
Dwelling unit having fewer than 2 bedrooms
1 space
Nonresidential
Retail sales, services
1 space per 250 square feet gross floor area, but not fewer than 5 spaces per separate enterprise
Retail, auto dealership
1 space per 400 square feet gross floor area
Business or professional office per 300 square feet
Business District C: 1 space per 300 square feet gross floor area
All other districts: 1 space per 200 square feet gross floor area
Bank
1 space per 200 square feet gross floor area
Restaurant
1 space per 150 square feet gross floor area
Medical or dental offices
6 spaces per doctor or dentist
Industrial, wholesale
1 space per employee; parking per employee to be measured by largest employee shift, as the requirements are to be calculated per the total workers present at any one time, not total employees
Place of public assembly
1 space per 3 persons capacity based on State Building Code
Hotel or motel guest unit
1 1/10 spaces per unit
Guesthouse, lodging house, other group accommodation
1 space per 2 persons accommodated
Nursing home
1 space per 3 beds
All other uses
1 space per 150 square feet or such smaller number of spaces as the Board of Appeals may, on special permit, determine adequate to accommodate all normal demand
A. 
Location. Required parking shall be either on the same premises as the activity it serves or on a separate parcel if located within 300 feet of the building entrance, and if not separated by a state-numbered highway, and if in a zoning district allowing the activity it serves.
B. 
Setback. No more than five parking spaces shall be located within a required front yard, unless set back from the street line by more than 10% of the lesser of lot or district depth. It is the intent of this requirement that substantially all parking areas shall be located to the sides and rear of a building or buildings, and that the front yard setback shall be used primarily for walkways, landscaping, driveways, and the required buffer.
C. 
Surface. All required parking areas, entrances and driveways, except those serving single-family residences, shall be paved, unless exempted on special permit from the Board of Appeals for cases such as seasonal or periodic use where an alternative surface will prevent dust, erosion, water accumulation or unsightly conditions.
D. 
Backing. Parking areas with five or more spaces or reached from a state-numbered highway shall be designed and located so that their use does not involve vehicles backing onto a public way. Each parking area shall be designed to provide a circulation system within the lot so that all vehicles may exit from and enter into the adjacent street or way by being driven in a forward direction and no vehicle shall be required to enter or leave the parking area by traveling in reverse.
E. 
Egress and access. For business districts only, driveway openings on the same side of the street shall be separated by at least 100 feet if on the same premises or by at least 50 feet if on separate premises, measured center line to center line at the street line. The maximum number of driveways permitting entrance and exit from a lot shall be limited to two per street line. At intersections, no driveway side line shall be located within 50 feet of the intersection of street way lines. The minimum width of a driveway servicing one-way traffic shall be 14 feet. The minimum width of a driveway used for two-way traffic shall be 24 feet and no driveway openings shall exceed 24 feet in width at the street line. All driveways serving five or more parking spaces shall be constructed with a minimum edge radius of five feet on both sides. Access and egress from all parking areas shall be only via driveways which meet the design standards of this section. Each required off-street parking space and loading area shall be designed so that any motor vehicle may proceed to and from said parking space or loading space without requiring the moving of any other vehicle or passing over of any other parking space or loading area. Lot division which would preclude meeting the above requirements shall provide access easements or other means of satisfying those requirements on each lot. Driveways shall be located so as to minimize conflict with traffic on public streets and where visibility and sight distances are available to observe approaching pedestrian and vehicular traffic. All driveways serving a business must comply with the corner clearance requirements of this section. Parking plans shall include the delineation of the clear sight triangle. Clear sight distance at the intersection of a driveway serving a business and an existing way shall be defined by a clear sight triangle at the intersection per ITE and AASHTO standards. Measurements of clear sight distance shall be based on a line of sight at a level 3.5 feet above road surface at each end of the clear sight distance. Inside the clear sight triangle, no vision obstructing object or landscaping shall be permitted between a height of 3.5 feet and eight feet above the plane identified by the adjacent curb grades.
F. 
Parking lot plantings. Parking lots containing 10 or more parking spaces shall have at least one tree per eight parking spaces, such trees to be located either within the lot or within five feet of it. Such trees shall be at least two inches trunk diameter with not less than 60 square feet of unpaved soil or other permeable surface area per tree. At least 5% of the interior of any parking lot having 25 or more spaces shall be maintained with landscaping, including trees, in plots of at least eight feet in width. Trees and soil plots shall be so located as to provide visual relief and sun and wind interruption within the parking area, and to assure safe patterns of internal circulation.
G. 
Bicycle racks. For parking areas of 10 or more spaces, bicycle racks facilitating locking shall be provided to accommodate one bicycle per 20 parking spaces required or fraction thereof. No more than two bicycle racks shall be required to be supplied regardless of parking lot size.
H. 
Design standards. Parking areas, access and egress must be constructed as follows:
(1) 
Twelve-inch gravel base course with 95% compaction.
(2) 
The gravel base course shall be primed at a rate of 1/2 gallon per square yard of MC-70 (or the equivalent) cut back asphalt (tack coat).
(3) 
Parking lot pavement shall be a minimum of three inches in thickness set in two courses as follows:
(a) 
Binder: two inches (minimum).
(b) 
Top course: one inch (minimum).
(c) 
Pavement shall comply with MassDOT standards and shall be compacted to a minimum of 95% laboratory density.
[Amended 5-6-2019 ATM, Art. 30]
(4) 
Parking lot perimeter curbs. Suitable curbing as approved by the Board shall be installed along the exterior perimeters of the parking lot.
(5) 
Interior parking lot islands. Interior parking lot islands shall be installed with either Cape Cod berms, vertical or sloped granite curbing or portland cement type concrete as approved by the Board.
(6) 
All illumination of parking, loading and service areas must be designed so as to not create glare on abutting properties. Light intensity at the property line shall be zero footcandle or less to comply with this bylaw.
(7) 
The design of each parking area shall provide adequate amenities to pedestrian safety, including but not limited to placement of crosswalks situated within and to the lot itself.
I. 
Grading and drainage.
(1) 
Storm sewer systems shall be designed for the twenty-five-year twenty-four-hour storm at a minimum.
(2) 
Drainage systems shall be designed to accommodate the two-, ten-, twenty-five- and one-hundred-year frequency storms, so that the peak rate of runoff under the post-construction conditions shall not exceed the peak rate of runoff under existing conditions. Drainage systems shall also be designed so there will be no increase in off-site flooding for the two-, ten-, twenty-five- and one-hundred-year twenty-four-hour frequency storms. Rainfall depths shall be based on the Northeast Regional Climate Center's "Atlas of Precipitation Extremes for the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada," Publication No. RR 93-5 [(Cornell University, Ithaca, NY: September 1983 (The Cornell Standard)].
(3) 
Roof drainage must be designed to connect to the drainage system or otherwise be infiltrated on site in dry wells to accommodate the twenty-five-year frequency storm. The Board may, at its discretion, require subsurface disposal of roof drainage.
(4) 
Spot elevations must be included along with proposed and existing contours. Minimum slope of any parking lot and access and egress road shall not be less than 1%.
(5) 
Parking and loading areas shall be designed and constructed to manage all stormwater runoff on the premises. In the event that stormwater cannot be controlled on the premises, stormwater may be permitted to run off site through drainage easements from all property owners upon whose property drainage will pass or end. The drainage system must be designed and constructed to include the following:
[Amended 5-6-2019 ATM, Art. 30]
(a) 
Oil and grease traps;
(b) 
Best management practices in accordance with industry standards and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Stormwater Management Policy and the associated Guidelines for Stormwater Management, as revised; and
(c) 
All structures within parking and loading areas shall be designed for H-20 loading capacity.
(6) 
The following information must be submitted for review of the drainage design:
(a) 
Location and types of inlets.
(b) 
Drainage watershed limits, flow paths, acreage of areas tributary to drainage structures and water detention areas.
(c) 
The location, type, size, length, invert elevations and slope of all drainage pipes and culverts.
(d) 
Construction details of proposed drainage structures including inlets, outlets, manholes, pipes, headwalls and other proposed drainage structures.
(e) 
The location of wetlands and water bodies within 100 feet of the site; the boundaries of the wetland areas must be approved by the Norwell Conservation Commission.
(f) 
Drainage calculations prepared by a registered professional engineer, licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
(7) 
Consideration must be given to the location of snow piles and where meltwater will travel; this must be accounted for in the drainage design.
(8) 
All drainage systems must be constructed to adequately dispose of surface water generated on that property and to low maintenance.
During and after construction, all soils, mulch, wood chips, etc., shall be confined to the property. The Planning Board or its agent shall have the authority to require the applicant to provide specific erosion controls and placement thereof on site as needed during construction.
A. 
An adequate number of off-street loading areas shall be provided for any use serviced by delivery vehicles.
B. 
Loading area must be located in the side or rear yards only.
C. 
Each loading area shall be separately located from employee and customer parking and shall be designed to protect pedestrian safety and avoid traffic conflicts within, entering, and leaving the lot where the loading area is located.
D. 
No area may be utilized and counted as both required parking space and required loading area unless the applicant can prove that loading activities will not conflict in any way with parking demand in that location during the times in which loading will take place.
E. 
Each loading area shall consist of a bay measuring 30 feet long by 12 feet wide, and 14 feet high if covered, and a maneuvering space equal to the length of the bay.
F. 
Under no circumstances is the idling of any truck or vehicle engine allowed in the loading or parking area for more than five minutes of continuous time.
Lesser parking requirements than those specified in § 201-12.6 may also be authorized by the Board of Appeals via a "shared parking plan." Shared parking will be defined as the ability of entities to share parking spaces if the demand times generated in the area in question are largely mutually exclusive for each of the parties involved. Shared parking means that parking spaces are shared by more than one user, which allows parking facilities to be used more efficiently. Shared parking takes advantage of the fact that most parking spaces are only used part time by a particular motorist or group, and many parking facilities have a significant portion of unused spaces, with utilization patterns that follow predictable daily, weekly and annual cycles. The applicant must demonstrate during the site plan review process that lower parking requirements are warranted based on the utilization of shared parking. Shared parking shall be either on the same premises as the activity it serves or on a separate parcel if located within 300 feet of the building entrance, and not separated by a state-numbered highway, and if in a zoning district allowing the activity it serves.
A. 
Any request to utilize shared parking must be accompanied by:
(1) 
The current and proposed hours of operation;
(2) 
The anticipated parking demand generated for the proposed use(s);
(3) 
A description of the character of the land use and the parking patterns of adjacent uses;
(4) 
An estimate of the anticipated turnover in parking space use over a twenty-four-hour period of time;
(5) 
A site plan showing what the off-street parking provision would be if built to the specification of § 201-12.6, without the proposed reduction;
(6) 
A site plan showing the shared use spaces in the lot, walking distance to the uses sharing the lot and pedestrian amenities within and to all shared areas. Uses sharing the parking facility do not need to be contained within the same lot, but shall be a maximum of 500 feet from the closest parking space; and
(7) 
A reciprocal agreement executed by all parties concerned that ensures the long-term joint use of such shared parking, and that a copy has been submitted and found acceptable during the site plan review process. Such agreement must be recorded at the Registry of Deeds.
B. 
In rendering a decision regarding a reduced parking scheme, the Board of Appeals should consider the following criteria:
(1) 
The hours of operation and peak demand of the uses involved;
(2) 
The number of spaces required for each individual use pursuant to § 201-12.6;
(3) 
The applicant's sufficient demonstration that actual parking needs will be satisfied under the reduced required minimum and shared parking plan; and
(4) 
That the proposal not only satisfies the drainage requirements of § 201-12.7I for the proposed parking via a shared plan, but that the drainage system is designed to accommodate parking need, based on the minimum requirements set forth under § 201-12.6 for the cumulative uses proposed.
C. 
In the event that the conditions for shared parking change, or if shared parking arrangement is discontinued, the applicant shall notify the Board of Appeals within 10 days. The Board shall then require the applicant to meet the applicable parking requirements found in § 201-12.6 of this article, as the affected sites will be considered in violation of this bylaw upon the expiration of the shared parking agreement.
Parking area must be used for registered motor vehicle parking only, with no sales, dead storage, repair work, or servicing of any kind. The required parking areas must be permanently available for use by patrons and employees of establishments for which such space was provided.
Parking areas, loading spaces and landscaping shall be continuously maintained. Whenever necessary, surfacing, lighting, parking space markings and plantings shall be replaced or repaired, and drainage structures maintained. Failure to adequately maintain parking facilities shall be considered a violation of the bylaw.