Borough of Sewickley, PA Off-Street Parking and Loading

Private off-street parking areas shall be used exclusively for the parking of noncommercial vehicles and motorcycles owned and used by the occupants of the premises, including residents, tenants, employees and employers.

Unenclosed private off-street parking of boats, commercial vehicles, construction equipment, recreational vehicles and/or trailers owned and used by the occupants of the premises, including residents, tenants, employees and employers, shall not be permitted for more than an aggregate of 72 hours in any three-month period. After such time, the vehicle, implement and/or trailer shall either be moved from the lot or parked in an enclosed area where the vehicle, implement and/or trailer is not visible from any adjoining lot, public sidewalk or public right-of-way.

Public parking areas.

Public off-street parking areas shall be available to the general public for the parking of noncommercial vehicles. Boats, commercial vehicles, construction implements, recreational vehicles and trailers shall not be parked in public off-street parking areas for more than 72 consecutive hours in any three-month period.

On-street parking areas shall be available to the general public for the parking of noncommercial vehicles and motorcycles. Boats, commercial vehicles, construction implements, recreational vehicles and trailers shall not be parked on the street for more than 72 consecutive hours in any three-month period. After such time period, the vehicle must be moved from the street.

Shared parking analysis for C-1 (see Table 10C[1]).

The purpose of the shared parking analysis shall be to:

Optimize available parking resources within the C-1 District;

(b)

Minimize construction and maintenance costs associated with parking spaces;

(c)

Enhance existing character of the community such as its pedestrian-friendly streets and neighborhoods and traditional downtown; and

(d)

Maximize the land available for the development of buildings and/or structures.

The shared parking analysis assesses the amount of development square footage and the calculated number of parking spaces based on the typical hourly demands for all land uses situated within the proposed land development simultaneously.

For all proposed nonresidential uses located within the C-1 District, the applicant shall prepare a shared parking analysis or provide parking on the lot. Development less than 2,000 square feet in area shall not be required to provide parking if said development is within 300 feet of a public off-street parking lot.

The applicant shall obtain an electronic copy of the C-1 Parking Model from the Zoning Officer. The applicant shall determine the proposed development's total nonresidential square footage and/or total number of dwelling units and/or total of hotel rooms and insert the appropriate numbers into the C-1 Parking Model. Village townhouse use shall be excluded from all shared parking analysis in C-1.

[Amended 11-17-2014 by Ord. No. 1324]

To identify the peak-hour demand, the applicant shall submit one electronic and one hard copy of the completed C-1 Parking Model to the Zoning Officer.

The applicant shall submit a proposed parking plan demonstrating how the off-street parking requirements will be met. Borough Council reserves the right to accept the proposed parameters contained with the applicant's parking plan. Any parking plan that does not satisfy the demand calculated by the C-1 Parking Model shall be grounds for denial.

[1]

If a proposed parking plan satisfies all or a portion of the off-street parking requirements through off-site facilities, the applicant shall be responsible for obtaining a shared parking agreement. The final shared parking agreement shall be submitted and shall be made a part of the final developer's agreement (if applicable).

[2]

The landowner shall be responsible for providing a certification that the shared parking agreement remains in effect on an annual basis. Annual certifications shall be provided to the Zoning Officer by January 2 of each calendar year or the first business day thereafter by the current landowner.

[3]

If the agreement outlined above is changed, the landowner shall amend the final land development plan.

[1]

Editor's Note: Table 10C is included as an attachment to this chapter.

Shared parking for C-2, OMU and/or Institutional Zoning Districts.

Borough Council may approve an application for a joint parking plan submitted by two or more uses in C-2, OMU and/or Institutional Zoning District where one or more of the uses needs to count shared off-street parking spaces in order to meet its parking space requirements. Analysis shall be completed in accordance with Subsection C above.

Handicapped-accessible parking space requirements:

As per the UCC and the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code.

Parking for R-1, R-1A, R-2 and C-1/VO Districts.

No off-street parking spaces in the R-1, R-1A and R-2, C-1/VO Zoning Districts shall be located within the required front yard of the zoning district in the area immediately in front of a principal building or structure.

Private garages and enclosed off-street parking spaces.

No private garage or carport may be constructed in a front yard or at any location closer to the front lot line than the principal building. A private garage may be constructed in a rear or side yard that adjoins a public alley. The private garage shall be located at least five feet from the public alley or way and not closer than five feet to either side lot line. Detached private garages on interior lots shall be at least five feet from rear and side lot lines.

(b)

All private garages and all off-street parking enclosed within a principal building shall be connected directly to a street, public alley or way by a private driveway no wider than 12 feet. Where there are multiple off-street parking spaces in a private garage or enclosed within the principal building, the driveway may be widened to access the enclosed parking spaces.

Open off-street parking.

No open off-street parking may be constructed in a front yard or at any location closer to the front lot line than the principal building. When the rear or side lot line is adjoining or adjacent to a public alley or way, the open off-street parking may be constructed in this yard at least three feet from the public alley or way and not closer than five feet to either side lot line. Off street parking on interior lots shall be at least five feet from rear and side lot lines.

(b)

All open off-street parking shall be connected directly to a street, public alley or way by a single private driveway no wider than 12 feet.

(c)

The open off-street parking on any single-family, duplex and townhouse lot shall not exceed 400 square feet per dwelling unit, exclusive of a single private driveway.

Private driveways.

There shall be no more than one private driveway connecting an off-street parking area, whether open or enclosed, or any combination thereof, directly with the street forming the front lot line of said lot. Where one or both of the side lot lines and/or the rear lot line are streets, public alleys or ways, one additional private driveway connecting said off-street parking spaces to such additional street, public alley or way shall also be permitted but shall be considered a structure and included in lot coverage.

See § 330-610, Buffer yards, for applicable and/or additional buffer yard dimensions.

Parking area specifications.

Off-street parking spaces shall not be located any closer than five feet to a sidewalk or public right-of-way line or the cartway edge of a private road. The area between the public right-of-way and off-street parking spaces shall be seeded and planted with shrubbery, hedges, trees or other landscaped barrier that will prevent the shining of lights from the parking area onto the roadway.

One off-street parking space shall be a minimum of nine feet by 18 feet, exclusive of the access drive or driveway. One on-street parking space shall be a minimum of nine feet by 20 feet.

Handicapped parking spaces, driveways and accessible routes, except for a parking space accessory to a single-family or duplex dwelling unit, shall conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, U.S. Access Board.

See § 330-610, Buffer yards, for applicable buffer yard dimensions and requirements.

Compact car parking.

Compact parking spaces shall be eight feet in width and 16 feet in length.

All compact parking spaces shall be denoted with a pole sign located at the head of each parking space.

No compact spaces shall be permitted as parallel parking spaces.

Parking garage specifications.

No parking garage/structure shall exceed 35 feet in height above the average ground level immediately adjacent to the parking garage/structure.

Parking garages/structures shall be illuminated in conformance to the requirements of this chapter.

Ingress and egress to a parking garage/structure shall be to a public street and not an alley. If there is a change of use, parking ratios shall be recalculated according to the lot's proposed use(s).

Bicycle parking facilities.

A minimum of 1% of all off-street parking spaces shall be satisfied by the provision of a dedicated bicycle parking stall, rack or locker.

No bicycle parking stalls shall be permitted within a public right-of-way; bicycle parking stalls, racks and lockers shall be permitted within any required setbacks.

§ 330-1003 Loading requirements.

General standards. In all zoning districts other than OMU, C-1 and VO, the proportion of loading spaces for all nonresidential use shall be provided in accordance with the following Table 11. See Table 12 for loading requirement in the C-1 and VO zoning districts. See Table 10B for loading requirement in the OMU.

	Table 11: General Loading Requirements
	Floor Area of Building (square feet)	Number of Spaces
	Less than 25,000	1
	Greater than 25,000 to 40,000	2
	Greater than 40,000 to 125,000	3
	Greater than 125,000	1 for every 75,000 square feet or fraction thereof

For multifamily dwelling units, off-street loading spaces shall be provided according to the following:

No off-street loading space shall be required for buildings containing nine or fewer multifamily dwelling units;

One off-street loading space shall be required per building for any building containing 10 to 20 multifamily dwelling units;

If a building contains more than 20 multifamily dwelling units, one additional off-street loading space per building shall be required for each additional 20 units, or fraction thereof.

Adequate area (screened from public view) shall be provided for dumpsters and the disposal of waste. Off-street loading and unloading space(s) with proper and safe access from the street, service street or parking lot shall be provided on each lot in accordance with Tables 11 and 12. Each loading space shall:

Accommodate the size vehicles expected to frequent the site, providing adequate clearance and maneuvering area in accordance with good engineering practices.

Have a paved surface to provide safe and convenient access during all weather conditions.

Not be located between any public right-of-way and a building line.

Not use required parking spaces or aisles for loading and unloading purposes, except during hours when business operations are suspended.

Be designed so that vehicles do not back into or out onto any public right-of-way.

(6)

Not in any way block the effective flow of persons or vehicles or block any fire lane or fire protection apparatus.

Unless otherwise specified, a loading space shall be at least 40 feet in length and 10 feet in width exclusive of aisle and maneuvering space.

No permitted or required off-street loading space shall be located within 30 feet of the nearest point of intersection of any two streets.

For all zoning districts, except Industrial or as defined by § 330-1004, no off-street loading space shall be located in a front yard, and any off-street loading space located in a rear or side yard shall have ingress and egress from the rear yard only.

For the Industrial Zoning District, off-street loading spaces shall be permitted in a front yard. In addition, any off-street loading area located in a front yard shall be permitted to have ingress and egress from the front yard.

All driveways and off-street loading spaces shall be surfaced with a bituminous, brick, concrete or stone paving block material.

No vehicle repair work or service shall be permitted in an off-street loading space, except in emergency or sudden breakdown of vehicles.

For uses other than those prescribed in Table 10A and by special exception, the number and size of required off-street loading spaces shall be determined by the Zoning Hearing Board.

§ 330-1004 Loading in the C-1 and VO Districts.

Purpose and intent.

In order to provide adequate loading and service areas for establishments within the C-1 and VO Zoning Districts, while protecting the unique character and vitality of this mixed use district, minimum loading and service area standards are defined as part of this section.

Applicability.

All land development and any change in use within the C-1 and VO Zoning Districts must conform to the requirements of this section. The location of designated loading areas is on file at the Sewickley Borough Municipal Building Administrative Office.

For purposes of determining appropriate loading requirements in the C-1 and VO Zoning Districts, all permitted land uses have been categorized into two types, based on the general nature of each use's deliveries and shipments. The types of loading spaces are as follows:

Type 1 - A use that requires a dedicated off-street loading space.

Type 2 - A use that can utilize a dedicated, but common or shared, on-street loading space or that requires no loading space whatsoever.

The loading space requirements for the permitted land uses for the C-1 and VO Zoning Districts are classified as per the following:

Table 12: Loading Space Requirements within C-1 and VO Zoning Districts
Land Use	Type 1	Type 2
Automotive service station		•
Bakery, retail	•
Bed-and-breakfast		•
Beer store/distributor	•
Business office		•
Cafe/coffee shop		•
Communications antennas		•
Convenience store without fuel sales	•
Essential services	•
Financial establishments w/o drive-through		•
Forestry	•
Funeral home	•
Grocery store	•
Home occupation, low-impact		•
Home-based business, no-impact		•
Hotel	•
Medical office		•
Medical/dental clinic		•
Mixed use (based on proposed uses)
Multifamily - apartment (see § 330-1003B)	•
Multifamily - village townhouse (see § 330-1003B)	•
Museum/art center	•
Package liquor store	•
Personal services		•
Pharmacy w/o drive-through	•
Post office	•
Private club		•
Professional office (less than 2,500 GFA)		•
Professional office (greater than 2,500 GFA)	•
Public park		•
Public recreation facility		•
Restaurant w/o drive-through	•
Retail less than 7,000 GFA		•
Retail greater than 7,000 GFA	•
Spa		•
Studio (photography, artistic or musical)		•
Tavern/bar/pub		•
Theater, performance		•

General requirements.

Permitted uses within the C-1 Zoning District requiring a Type 1 loading space shall provide one off-street loading space for every 25,000 square feet of GFA or a fraction thereof.

Uses that require a Type 2 loading space shall be located within 200 feet of a dedicated on-street loading space as measured from the nearest point of the loading space to the lot.

The applicant shall submit a proposed loading plan demonstrating how loading space requirements will be met. Borough Council reserves the right to accept the specific parameters of the proposed loading plan. An unsatisfactory loading plan shall be grounds for denial of plan approval.

If a proposed loading plan utilizes a Type 2 loading space, the location of the Type 2 loading space shall be made a part of the final developer's agreement.

If an applicant is unable to meet the requirements of this section as relates to loading spaces, a variance from this article must be requested to the Zoning Hearing Board.

On-street Type 2 loading spaces.