The standards that follow shall be applied to the specific situations
indicated and are intended to supplement the standards in Article
IV. Standards contained in a specific section regulating a specific
use shall not exempt said use from other applicable regulations contained
in this chapter.
This §
180-24 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
153 (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 and for existing uses, the ongoing operation and maintenance of the off-street parking and loading facilities shall comply with the requirements of this §
180-24 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 §
180-24K or §
180-24L.
(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) Nonparking 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) Driveways, garages and carports. Driveways, 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. Illumination. All driveways, aisles, maneuvering spaces, vehicular service areas, and spaces between or around buildings, designed for use by more than four cars other than those accessory to a single dwelling, shall be illuminated according to §
180-67.
D. Public rights-of-way. Parking, loading and unloading of vehicles
shall not be permitted on public right-of-ways, 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.
E. Parking between principal structure and road. Lot coverage may be
increased by five percentage points if the required off-street parking
is located to the side or rear of the principal building.
F. Number of spaces to be provided. The number of parking spaces required by this §
180-24F shall be considered the minimum and maximum requirements unless modified in accord with this §
180-24F.
(1) Parking required for nonresidential uses. The number of spaces required by this §
180-24F shall be considered to the minimum and maximum requirements unless modified in accord with this §
180-24F.
(a)
Parking Demand Table. Off-street parking spaces shall be provided
and maintained in accord with the Parking Demand Table included as
an appendix to this chapter or the latest edition of Parking Generation published
by the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
[1]
Similar use. The parking provided for the proposed use shall
be based on the most similar use and unit of calculation listed in
the Parking Demand Table or the latest edition of Parking Generation
published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers as determined
by the Zoning Officer.
[2]
Table updates. The Parking Demand Table may be updated by resolution
of the Board of Supervisors to include more current data.
(b)
Land uses with 85th percentile data listed in the Parking Demand
Table.
[1]
Constructed. The number of paved parking spaces constructed
shall conform to the average peak period demand as noted in the Parking
Demand Table.
[2]
Reserved. Space shall be reserved to allow for expansion to the 85th percentile, as listed in the Parking Demand Table, unless a reduction is approved in accord with §
180-24F(4).
(c)
Land uses without 85th percentile data listed in the Parking
Demand Table.
[1]
Constructed. The number of paved parking spaces constructed
shall be the average peak period demand or 85% of the peak, whichever
is reported in the Parking Demand Table.
[2]
Reserved. Space shall be reserved to allow for expansion to 115% of the number of spaces required by §
180-24F(1)(c)[1] unless a reduction is approved in accord with §
180-24F(4).
(2) Parking required for residential uses. Off-street parking spaces
shall be provided and maintained for each dwelling unit as follows:
(a)
Single-family dwellings. Two per dwelling unit plus one per
two bedrooms rounded to the next highest number.
(b)
Two-family dwellings. Two per dwelling unit plus one per two
bedrooms rounded to the next highest number.
(c)
Multifamily dwellings. Two per dwelling unit located with the
unit plus 0.25 space per dwelling unit rounded to the next highest
number. No dwelling unit shall be less than 250 feet from a spillover
parking area. No spillover parking area shall have less than five
spaces.
(d)
Multifamily senior citizen and other senior citizen housing.
One per dwelling unit located with the unit plus 0.25 per dwelling
unit rounded to the next highest number. No dwelling unit shall be
less than 250 feet from a spillover parking area. No spillover parking
area shall have less than five spaces.
(e)
Assisted living facilities. One-half per dwelling unit.
(3) Township-required reduction. In the case of parking for conditional uses and special exceptions, if the Board of Supervisors/Zoning Hearing Board determines that the number of parking spaces required by this §
180-24F is not necessarily required to meet the immediate needs of the proposed use, the Township may require the number of spaces provided to be reduced by a maximum of 25% based on the average peak period demand or peak, whichever is reported for the use in the Parking Demand Table. The developer shall dedicate sufficient and suitable area to future parking to meet the normal standards in this §
180-24F.
(4) Applicant-proposed reduction increase. The required number of parking
spaces may be reduced or increased subject to conditional use approval
by the Board of Supervisors for uses classified as principal permitted
uses and conditional uses and by the Zoning Hearing Board for uses
classified as special exceptions. The applicant shall provide evidence
justifying the proposed reduction or increase 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
or increase shall be subject to the following:
(a)
Chapter and plan consistency. The project design and parking
space decrease shall be consistent with the purposes contained in
this chapter and the goals and objectives of the 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 spaces or the increase will not produce an excess
number of spaces for the use based on a specific study of the parking
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
or the Zoning Hearing Board 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.
[1]
If the Board of Supervisors or the Zoning Hearing Board, in
its sole discretion, determines that the applicant has met the burden
of proof, it may grant a conditional use for the decrease or increase.
[2]
In no case shall parking be reduced by more than 30% nor be
increased by more than 20% of the minimum parking requirement.
[3]
If the applicant provides more parking spaces than the minimum
required, the additional parking spaces shall not result in the removal
of specimen trees.
[4]
The Board of Supervisors or the Zoning Hearing Board may impose
such conditions as will, in its judgment, secure the objectives and
purposes of this chapter, including, but not limited to, reserving
parking.
(5) 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.
(6) 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.
(7) Multiple uses. (See also §
180-24L.) 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.
(8) 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 §
180-24.
G. Off-street loading and unloading areas.
(1) Required. In connection with any building or structure, which is erected or substantially altered and which requires the receipt or distribution of materials or merchandise by trucks or similar vehicles, off-street loading and unloading berths shall be provided as specified in this §
180-24. For the purposes of this section, the words "loading" and "unloading" are used interchangeably.
(2) Number. Each use shall provide off-street loading facilities sufficient
to accommodate the maximum demand generated by the use and the maximum
sized vehicle, in a manner that will not routinely obstruct traffic
on a public street. If a reasonable alternative does not exist, traffic
may be obstructed during off-peak hours for loading and unloading
along an alley, rear service lane or parking area. Loading areas shall
not be used to satisfy parking requirements.
(3) Location. All required loading areas shall be located on the same lot as the use to be served. No loading area for vehicles of more than two-ton capacity shall be located closer than 100 feet from any residential district. No loading area shall be located within 50 feet of a property line unless the lot is less than 200 feet wide, in which case such setback may be reduced to not less than 25 feet at the discretion of the Township. No loading facilities shall be constructed within any required setback areas. Loading facilities shall be located on either the side or rear of the building and screened in accord with §
180-60 and Chapter
153 (Subdivision and Land Development).
(4) Access. Each required off-street loading area shall be designed with
appropriate means of vehicular access to an interior drive in a manner
which will least interfere with traffic movements, and shall be subject
to the approval of the Township. Such access shall have paved surfaces
to provide safe and convenient access during all seasons.
(5) Repair and service. No storage of any kind, nor motor vehicle repair
work of any kind, except emergency work, shall be permitted within
any required loading area.
(6) Hours of operation. Where the use requiring loading and unloading
activities is located within 500 feet of a residential use or district,
the hours of operation for loading or unloading activities shall be
prohibited between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
(7) Fire lanes. All buildings shall be accessible to emergency vehicles
and shall meet applicable requirements.
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 Penn DOT for access to a state
road, the width of the driveway/accessway onto a public street at
the right-of-way shall comply with the most current Institute of Transportation
Engineers design standards for the type and volume of vehicles anticipated.
(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 PA DOT, as the case
may be. In the case of a change in use or the expansion of an existing
use, a highway occupancy permit or a revised highway occupancy permit
shall be required if there will be increase in average daily traffic
based on the most recent edition of the International Traffic Engineers
Traffic Generation Manual. 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.
(4) 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.
(5) Curbing. Access drives and landscaping shall be defined with concrete
curbing, or such alternate material as may be approved by the Township.
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 chapter provision or adjoining uses share parking in accord with §
180-24L.
(2) Measurement. The width of the buffer shall be measured from property
lines and from the curb line or from the legal right-of-way line after
development if no curbs will be provided.
(3) Uses prohibited. The buffer area shall be maintained in natural vegetative
ground cover and shall not include:
(a)
Paving except for approved driveway/accessway crossings.
(b)
Fences unless integral to landscaping.
(c)
Parking, storage or display of vehicles.
(4) Uses permitted. The buffer area may include the following:
(a)
Permitted freestanding signs.
(b)
Pervious stormwater facilities.
(c)
Approved driveway/accessway crossing.
(5) Sidewalks. Sidewalks, existing or proposed, may be included in the
buffer area.
(6) 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
chapter provision. This distance does not apply at vehicle entrances
into or under a building.
J. Grading and drainage; paving.
(1) Grading and drainage. Parking and loading facilities, including driveways,
shall be graded and adequately drained away from building areas, to
prevent erosion and to avoid increased or altered flow of stormwater
runoff into streets or onto adjacent properties.
(2) Grade. All areas provided for the parking of vehicles shall have
a minimum grade of 0.5%, and a maximum grade of 6%.
(3) Paving. Except for single-family homes, all portions of required parking areas, loading areas and accessways (except for landscaped areas) shall be surfaced with a minimum of 2.5 inches of asphalt paving, paving blocks, or porous pavers over a suitable base. Other surfacing systems of equal performance may be approved by the Board of Supervisors as a conditional use. Surfacing of parking and loading areas within a proposed project which is considered to be a land development shall be governed by Chapter
153 (Subdivision and Land Development).
(4) Low or seasonal use. The Board of Supervisors may, as a conditional
use, allow parking areas with low or seasonal use to be maintained
in stone, grass or other suitable surfaces. For example, the Board
may allow parking spaces to be grass, while the major aisles are surfaced
with 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. Shared parking. Shared parking may be permitted subject to conditional
use approval by the Board of Supervisors for uses classified as principal
permitted uses and conditional uses and by the Zoning Hearing Board
for uses classified as special exceptions. The following regulations
shall apply:
(1) Application for shared parking. Applicants seeking a shared parking
arrangement shall have a shared parking study prepared by a traffic
engineering firm qualified in the field of shared parking as demonstrated
through submission of qualifications and references to the Board of
Supervisors/Zoning Hearing Board. The applicants shall submit the
shared parking study to the Township for review. Factors to be considered
in evaluating the desirability of implementing parking arrangements
should include operating hours, seasonal/daily peaks in parking demand,
the site's orientation, location of access driveways, transit
service, accessibility to other nearby parking areas, pedestrian connections,
distance to parking area, availability of parking spaces, and cooperation
of adjacent owners.
(2) Calculation of parking spaces required. The minimum number of shared
parking spaces for a mixed use development or where shared parking
strategies are proposed shall be determined by a study prepared by
the applicant following the procedures of the Urban Land Institute
Shared Parking Report, ITE Shared Parking Guidelines, or other professionally
recognized procedures. A formal shared parking study may be waived
by the Board for developments proposing 12 or fewer shared parking
spaces and where the applicant has established to the Board of Supervisors/Zoning
Hearing Board's satisfaction that its impact is expected to be
minimal.
(3) Location of shared parking spaces. Shared spaces for residential
units shall be located within 300 feet of the dwelling unit entrances
they serve. Shared spaces for other uses shall be located within 600
feet of the principal building entrances of all sharing uses. However,
up to 20% of the spaces may be located greater than 600 feet but less
than 1,000 feet from the principal entrances. Clear, safe pedestrian
connections shall be provided. Pedestrians shall not be required to
cross an arterial street in order to access shared parking spaces.
(4) Easement agreements. If a privately owned parking facility is to
serve two or more separate properties, a legal agreement between property
owners guaranteeing access to, use, maintenance and management of
designated spaces is required. Such agreement shall be submitted to
the Township for review and approval. The Board of Supervisors/Zoning
Hearing Board may require that the property owners record the agreement
as an easement with the Carbon County Recorder of Deeds.
(5) Shared parking plan. A shared parking plan shall be submitted when
the shared parking study determines that the number of parking spaces
which would otherwise be required by this chapter can be reduced by
10% or more by the application of shared parking to the parcel or
parcels. Where a shared parking plan is submitted, it shall include:
(a)
Site plan of parking spaces intended for shared parking and
their proximity to the land uses they serve.
(b)
A signage plan that directs drivers to the most convenient parking
areas for each particular use or group of uses (if such distinctions
can be made).
(c)
A pedestrian circulation plan that shows connections and walkways
between parking areas and land uses. These paths should be as direct
and short as possible consistent with pedestrian safety.
(d)
A safety and security plan that addresses lighting and maintenance
of the parking areas.
(e)
A drawing identifying a location which shall be held in reserve
for future parking needs should changes in the tenant/occupant mix
on the parcel or other circumstances reduce the effectiveness of shared
parking among the parcels.
(6) Adoption of a shared parking plan. The Board of Supervisors/Zoning
Hearing Board may condition the grant of subdivision or land development
approval upon compliance by the applicant with a shared parking plan
acceptable to the Board.
(7) Modification of a shared parking plan. The owner of a property where parking has been provided pursuant to a shared parking plan may request the Board to approve a revision to that shared parking plan if the tenants/occupants of buildings on the involved parcels change such that a new shared parking study shows an increase by 10% or more for parking spaces on the parcel. The Board of Supervisors/Zoning Hearing Board may, in its sole discretion, grant or deny such request based upon its analysis of the parking needs of the site, the availability of parking on neighboring parcels or on the streets, and such other factors as it deems relevant. The request may only be granted if the affected parcel(s) have a reserved parking location as set forth in §
180-24L(5) above and only to the extent that the additional required parking spaces can be placed in that reserve area.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 181]
(8) Reserve area. The number of parking spaces to be constructed pursuant to a shared parking plan may be less than the number required under this §
180-24 pursuant to a shared parking plan only where the following conditions are met:
(a)
The land development plan submitted by the applicant shall identify an area which, if necessary, could be used to meeting the parking requirements of this §
180-24 without the use of shared parking (the "parking reserve area"). That area shall be set aside for possible future use as parking if necessary. The Board of Supervisors/Zoning Hearing Board may, upon application of the property owner and for good cause shown, allow such area to be converted to parking;
(b)
In no event shall the authorized portion of the required parking
area that is not to be constructed but reserved for possible future
use be counted towards satisfying any open space requirements which
must be met under the terms of this chapter;
(c)
The parking reserve area shall be designed so that, if required,
it will be easy to convert the area into parking;
(d)
Stormwater management plans proposed for the affected land development
shall be prepared on the assumption that the parking reserve areas
will be part of the impervious coverage; and
(e)
The parking reserve area shall be buffered and landscaped in accord with §§
180-60 and
180-61, respectively.
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
30 or more spaces shall include details for adequate snow storage
and removal.
O. Landscaping. All improved off-street parking areas not entirely contained in a garage or building shall comply with the buffering and landscaping requirements of §§
180-60 and
180-61, respectively.