Township of Reserve, PA Off-Street Parking

Lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking or loading areas shall be arranged so as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises or the adjoining street; and

Off-street parking facilities for multifamily structures containing four or more families shall be so adequately lighted.

Drainage. Any off-street parking area and off-street loading areas shall be graded and drained so as to dispose of all surface water without detriment to surrounding uses.

Striping. All parking lot markings and striping is required to meet PennDOT specifications.

Sight triangles. Clear sight triangles must be provided wherever a parking lot entrance road intersects with another entrance/egress streets. Sight triangle landscaping is regulated in Article VII, § 430-86 (dimensions should be in Chapter 375, Subdivision and Land Development).

§ 430-58 Location of parking.

All parking and loading areas shall be properly screened and landscaped as required. It is the purpose and intent of this section to require adequate protection for contiguous property against undesirable effects from the creation and operation of parking or loading areas and to protect and preserve the appearance and character of the surrounding neighborhoods and of the Township through the screening effects and aesthetic qualities of such landscaping and, as such, additional requirements may be imposed by the Township in circumstances that warrant such requirements.

Off-street parking spaces for special zones and all other uses shall not be located between the front building line and street line. On corner lots, this restriction shall also apply to the space between the side street line and the side building line;

Where there is no substantial grade differential between the street and parking area and parking is permitted between the front building line and the street line, whether by ordinance, land development plan modification, or variance, a safety island or raised median separating the public street from the parking area shall be provided in accordance with the following minimum requirements:

The width of the safety island shall be that width between the proposed street curbline to a point five feet inside the property line.

Safety islands shall be raised a minimum of six inches above the adjacent parking area.

Safety islands shall be topsoiled and seeded or otherwise landscaped to provide a clear and unmistakable distinction between the parking area and the safety island;

Not withstanding the use of maintenance-free materials, there shall be provided at least one deciduous shade tree two inches in diameter at breast height every 40 feet or part thereof, on all safety islands. A greater distance will be allowed for plantings if necessary for traffic safety.

No commercial signs shall be permitted in the safety islands; provided, however, directional signs no more than two square feet in size and no more than 24 inches in height at the top edge of each sign, shall be permitted and the location shown on the land development plan; and

(6)

When parking areas abut the safety island, a continuous wheel stop shall be provided three feet from the normal edges of the island, and the minimum depth of stalls shall be increased by one foot. If a cast-in-place curb is used for the wheel stop, it shall be placed as above stated and the stall depth measured from a point two feet outside the face of the curb.

§ 430-59 Small parking areas.

Parking lots having 50 or fewer spaces shall be designed to provide the following minimum design requirements:

A safety island or raised median as herein described;

A five-foot unbroken landscaped dividing strips along all side property lines from the street line to the rear lot line, unless otherwise specified herein;

Not more than one two-way access drive or two one-way access drives on any one street unless approval otherwise is obtained from the Planning Committee, Board of Commissioners and officials having jurisdiction over the plan;

All safety islands and landscaped dividing strips planted with at least one deciduous tree with a trunk of two inch diameter at six feet in height at the time of field planting every 40 feet, or part thereof, and the area between trees planted with a minimum of three evergreen-type shrubs;

All plantings in landscape islands; except trees, must not exceed 24 inches in height when mature in the sight triangle designated areas, in other areas the plantings may not exceed eight feet in height; and

All entrance and exit drives shall be curbed on both sides from the street curb to a point at the beginning of the access drive or parking stalls.

§ 430-60 Large parking areas.

Parking lots, which have a capacity for parking more than 50 vehicles, shall incorporate the following minimum design standards:

All entrance and exit drives shall be curbed on both sides a minimum distance of 100 feet back from the street curb or to a major collector aisle;

No parking stalls which require the use of the entrance and exit drives as access aisles shall be permitted;

All access drives located along one-way streets of divided highways shall be separate one-way drives. Said drives shall be located so that vehicles enter the parking area at the beginning of the property and exit at the far end of the property unless other considerations, such as median opening, dictate otherwise;

All directional (one-way) drives shall be marked by appropriate signs facing all peripheral service roads serving the property as well as the parking area;

On lots having a frontage of 100 feet or fewer driveways, exits and entrances shall be located as far as practical from an intersection. On lots having a frontage in excess of 100 feet, driveways, exits and entrances shall be located as near the middle line as practical. However, on such lots the entrance or exit driveways need not be located more than 500 feet from the intersection. Measurements shall be taken for the purpose of locating the driveways from the curbline of the intersection;

No driveway shall be located less than 10 feet from the side property line or within 30 feet of an existing drive, whichever is greater;

No property having a frontage of less than 100 feet shall have more than one two-way driveway on one street. No property having less than 1,000-foot frontage shall have more than two driveways on one street. Any frontage greater than 1,000 feet may have more than two drives on one street; however, the number, location, size, and design shall be subject to approval of the Planning Committee and the Board of Commissioners.

All safety islands and landscaped dividing strips planted with at least one deciduous tree with and two low land evergreen shrubs with a trunk of two inch diameter at six feet in height at the time of field planting every 40 feet, or part thereof, and the area between trees planted with a minimum of three evergreen-type shrubs;

All plantings in landscape islands, except trees, must not exceed 24 inches in height when mature; and

There shall be provided internal landscaped areas. The planting required within the parking area shall be considered exclusive from any other plantings that may be required for screening or foundation planting. The following criteria, in addition to the provisions required by Article VI, § 430-61, Parking area landscaping for large scale areas, of this chapter, shall apply for internal landscaping within parking areas:

They shall have a minimum width of seven feet and a minimum area of 100 square feet;

They shall be topsoiled, seeded, or mulched;

They shall be planted with deciduous trees of two-inch diameter at six feet height having a maximum distance between trunks at ground level of 40 feet;

The area between trees shall be planted with an appropriate mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs and ground cover and may contain light standards; and

The landscaped areas shall have harmonious design within the parking area and the landscaped areas in the aggregate shall equal or exceed five square feet of landscaped area for each one parking space.

§ 430-61 Parking area landscaping for large scale areas.

Every parking lot with 100 or more spaces shall be divided as nearly as possible into smaller lots of 50 spaces separated by landscaped dividing strips, excepting the area for access aisles. The planting required within the parking area shall be considered exclusive from any other plantings that may be required for screening or foundation planting. The following criteria shall apply for internal landscaped dividing strips:

They shall have a minimum width of seven feet;

They shall be topsoiled, seeded, or mulched;

They shall be planted with deciduous trees of two inch diameter at six feet in height at the time of field planting having a maximum distance between trunks at ground level of 40 feet; and

The area between trees shall be planted with an appropriate mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs and ground cover.

All plantings in landscape islands; except trees, must not exceed 24 inches in height when mature; and[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: So in original.

§ 430-62 Retaining walls and embankments.

Retaining Walls and Embankments must be designed to comply with Chapter 240, Grading and Excavation, of the Code;

When retaining walls, embankments, or similar types of earthen materials necessitated adjacent to or within parking area, they shall be kept in good repair or otherwise maintained to keep the parking area free of debris and dirt.

All retaining walls must match the color of the exterior of the building on the site on which the retaining wall is located.

§ 430-63 Screening of refuse area.

Those areas adjacent to or within the parking area designated as refuse, storage and pickup areas shall be properly screened to prevent the unsightly display and the scattering of debris. The following minimum requirements shall apply:

The area shall be surrounded on at least three sides by a solid uniform fence or a wall not less than five feet nor more than eight feet in height and maintained in good condition. The wall of an adjacent building may serve as one side. Said fence shall be exempt from the provisions of any ordinance of this municipality regulating the height of fences and requiring permits therefor; and

The opening in said screen wall or fence shall be located as to prevent the visual display of refuse from any adjacent parking area or street.

§ 430-64 Screening of equipment and machinery.

When the effective operation of a building or structure, or equipment within a building or structure, necessitates placing machinery, motors, generators, or similar devices for cooling, heating or generating purposes outside or on top of any structure, it shall be screened from public view as the same may be seen from an elevation equal to that of the principle entrance to the building such equipment serves. Said screening not withstanding any other provisions of this article may consist of any of the following materials:

Densely planted evergreen shrubs which shall grow to not less than five feet after one growing season;

A solid and uniform fence at least five feet in height on four sides of said equipment; or

A masonry wall at least five feet in height on four sides of said equipment; or

Any similar type of solid uniform screening, which will prevent exposure of such equipment to public view.

The above requirements shall not be construed to prevent an opening in any required screening for maintenance purposes. However, any such opening shall be made as inconspicuous as possible so as not to present a display of said equipment to public view.

§ 430-65 Minimum off-street parking spaces required.

No building or structure shall be erected nor any major reconstruction or change in use be made to an existing building or structure unless there already is existing upon the lot or unless provisions are made for off-street parking facilities providing adequate parking spaces on the basis of the following minimum requirements:

Automotive repair, garage, or body shop: one parking space for each 400 square feet of gross floor area;

Automobile sales: three parking spaces for each 1,000 square feet of gross floor area for exclusive use of customers. In addition, there shall be provided at least 170 square feet of lot area for each vehicle stored on the premises to be sold, rented, or otherwise used in the operation of the business. The lot area to be used to compute the number of vehicles that can be stored on the premises shall be the total lot area not used for building or customer parking as herein provided;

Automotive service station: four parking spaces for each service bay, exclusive of vehicle service area. In no instance shall there be fewer than four off-street parking spaces;

Banks, savings and loan associations and similar financial institutions: one parking space for each 300 square feet of gross floor area;

Bar, cocktail lounge or nightclub, including restaurants with bars: one parking space for each 75 square feet of gross floor area;

(6)

Barber and beauty shop: two parking spaces for each chair;

(7)

Bowling alley: four parking spaces for each alley. Other commercial uses within the same building will be computed separately in accordance with this chapter;

(8)

Business offices: one parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area;

(9)

Car washes: five parking spaces for employees plus off-street storage space equal to at least five times the number of cars that can be in the wash process at one time. Self-wash or self-service car washes, the requirement for employee parking shall be eliminated;

(10)

Church, temple or chapel: one parking space for each four seats in the main auditorium. Where no individual seats are provided, 20 inches of bench shall be considered as one seat;

(11)

School:

(a)

Elementary: two spaces/classroom, but not less than 1 per teacher and staff plus 10%.

(b)

Intermediate: two spaces/classroom, but not less than 1 per teacher and staff plus 10%.

(c)

Secondary: 10 spaces/classroom, but not less than 1 per teacher and staff plus 10%.

(12)

Community center, library, museum or art gallery: one parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area;

(13)

Community Club, private club or lodge: one parking space for each 100 square feet of gross floor area, plus two spaces for each boat slip where applicable;

(14)

Convalescent home, nursing home or rest home: one parking space for each three beds, plus one parking space for each two employees, including nurses and other staff;

(15)

Meeting rooms, assembly or exhibition halls: without fixed seats, one parking space for each 50 square feet of gross floor area; with fixed seats, one parking space for every four seats;

(16)

Dwellings: two parking spaces for each single-family dwelling;

(17)

Dental or medical offices: two parking spaces for each doctor, plus one parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area;

(18)

Drive-in restaurant: one parking space for each 50 square feet of enclosed floor area, plus one parking space for each four seats;

(19)

Driving range or miniature golf: one parking space for each tee or hole;

(20)

Furniture, appliance stores or similar types of uses requiring large amounts of storage: one parking space for each 400 square feet up to 4,000 plus one parking space each 800 square feet of gross floor area above 4,000;

(21)

Government, county, or municipal offices: four parking spaces for each 1,000 square feet of gross floor area;

(22)

Hardware or auto supply stores: one parking space for each 400 square feet of gross floor area;

(23)

Hospital (general, mental or sanitarium): one parking space for each three beds plus one space for each employee on the shift having the greatest number of employees, plus one space for each visiting doctor;

(24)

Hotel or motel: one parking space for each rental unit. Each commercial use within the building shall be computed separately according to the requirements for such use set forth herein. The Board of Commissioners may allow up to 50% of the required parking for commercial uses in the hotel or motel to be satisfied by guest room parking;

(25)

Laundromats or similar coin-operation cleaning: one parking space for each four cleaning units or fraction of four cleaning units;

(26)

Manufacturing or industrial establishment, research or testing laboratory, bottling plant or similar uses: one parking space for each 800 square feet of gross floor area or two parking spaces for each three employees, whichever is greater. If the number of employees or the gross square footage of the principal building(s) cannot be determined at the time of application, the sufficient land area shall be reserved to provide a total number of spaces at the rate of one space for each 300 square feet of maximum lot coverage;

(27)

Marina, boat yard or boat sales: one parking space for each boat slip, plus one space for each employee;

(28)

Mortuary funeral home: one parking space for every 50 square feet in slumber rooms, parlors and funeral service rooms;

(29)

Multifamily apartments: two parking spaces per unit up to one bedroom and den or two bedrooms; every two additional bedrooms shall require an one additional parking space;

(30)

Nursery school, day camp or similar uses: one parking space for each employee, plus one parking space for each vehicle used for transportation of students;

(31)

Personal service establishment: one parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area, plus one space for each vehicle used in connection with the business;

(32)

Professional office, such as architectural, clerical engineering, legal and similar uses: one parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area;

(33)

Public and private utilities (electrical substation, gas regulator, water works, station and similar facilities): one parking space for each vehicle stored on the premises, plus one parking space for each employee on the shift which has the greatest number of employees;

(34)

Restaurant, cafe or diner: one parking space for each 75 square feet of gross floor area;

(35)

Recreation facilities: those not specifically mentioned herein shall be determined by the Board of Commissioners.

(36)

Retail stores, except otherwise specified: one parking space for each 200 feet of gross floor area;

(37)

Studio (art, music or dance for the purpose of giving instruction): one parking space for each 100 square feet of floor area used for giving such instructions;

(38)

Shopping centers: one parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area;

(39)

Theater: one parking space for each three seats;

(40)

Veterinary or animal hospital: one parking space for each 400 square feet of gross floor area;

(41)

Warehouse, wholesale, machinery or large equipment sales: one parking space for each 5,000 square feet of gross floor area, plus one space for each vehicle used in connection with the business; and

(42)

Colleges or universities: two parking spaces for each three students, plus one parking space for each administrator teacher and any other employees.

§ 430-66 Miscellaneous.

In computing the number of the above-required parking spaces, the following rules shall govern:

Where fractional spaces result, the required number shall be construed to be the nearest whole number of the higher degree; and

The parking space required for a use not specifically listed in § 430-65, Minimum off-street parking spaces required, above should be that for a listed use of a similar nature as determined by the Planning Committee.

§ 430-67 Off-street loading.

In all zones except residential, in connection with buildings occupied by industrial, commercial and certain institutional uses, there shall be provided and maintained on the same lot with such building, off-street loading spaces in accordance with the requirement of the table following;

Size and location: each loading space shall be not less than 12 feet in width, 35 feet in length and have a minimum vertical clearance of 14 feet and may occupy only areas previously designated by this chapter.

Required number of off-street loading spaces:

Table V-A
Use	Loading Space
School, hospital; square feet of gross floor area	1
Under 10,000	1
10,000 to 30,000	2
Funeral home, office, hotel, retail service, wholesale, warehouse, manufacturing, processing or repairing
Floor area
Under 10,000	0
10,000 to 25,000	1
25,001 to 40,000	2
40,001 to 60,000	3
60,001 to 100,000	4
Shopping center; for each building exceeding 75,000 square feet	2

Loading areas will be designed in accordance with all articles of this section.

§ 430-68 Lighting.

[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]

Lighting shall be provided to illuminate any off-street parking or loading spaces to be used at night, in accordance with the zoning regulations. If provided, lighting shall be maintained, arranged, and installed to deflect, shade, and focus lights away from adjacent properties. The height, type, spacing, and degree of cutoff of a light standard may be further regulated by the Planning Committee in relation to specific site conditions or types of development.

§ 430-69 Signage.

All signs in all parking areas must comply with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation specifications regarding their location, height, mountings, reflective coatings, materials, dimensions, colors, notice of the amount of the fine to be paid for handicapped and designated areas.

Internal traffic control signs. Stop signs should have a reflective red background with a reflective white border and lettering, octagonal in shape and mounted at a clearance of seven foot to the bottom of the sign.

Pedestrian crossing signs and striping. Pedestrian crossing signs should have a yellow background with a black border and lettering, inverted triangular in shape and mounted at a clearance of seven foot to the bottom of the sign.

§ 430-70 Maintenance.

Any person operating or owning a parking lot shall keep it free, as may be practical, of dust and loose particles and shall promptly remove the snow and ice from the surface of the parking lot. Such persons shall also keep all adjacent sidewalks free from dirt, ice, sleet, and snow and shall keep all sidewalks in a safe condition for use by pedestrians. All signs, markers, location of parking spaces shall be maintained in a neat and legible condition. Likewise, any walls, landscaping including trees and shrubbery, as well as surfacing and curbing of the parking lot, shall be maintained in good condition throughout its use for parking purposes. Failure to maintain any parking and loading facilities, including but not limited to landscaping areas, shall be a violation of this chapter and subject to enforcement pursuant to these requirements of Reserve Township. The following parking, access road, and load space design standards shall apply:

Parking lot, driveway, and loading area designed standards:

All paved areas shall be constructed to the following specifications:

2"	FABC - 1 surface course
5"	Stabilized base course
6"	Type 1-5 sub base

Paving thickness may be reduced based upon the certified results of soil testing and analysis conducted by the applicant to determine the bearing strength at the subgrade soil together with the projected use of the street or highway with an adequate margin to cover all contingencies and extraordinary conditions. Such pavement design must be reviewed by and approved by the Township Engineer.

Sizes and access.

Each dead storage by an off-street parking space may be perpendicular with the aisle, parallel with the aisle, or at any angle between 60° and 90°. The following are minimum stall and aisle dimensions:

(a)

Perpendicular: 90°: stall width - nine feet; stall depth - 18 feet; aisle width - 20 feet; commercial vehicles and trailers stalls will be 30 feet in width, 60 feet in depth and maintain an aisle width of 60 feet;

(b)

Angle: 60° to 90°: stall width - 10 feet; stall depth - 24 feet; aisle width - 20 feet; commercial vehicles and trailers stalls will be 30 feet in width, 60 feet in depth and maintain an aisle width of 60 feet;

(c)

Parallel: stall width - 21 feet; stall depth - nine feet; aisle width - twelve-foot single lane, twenty-foot double lane; and

(d)

Handicapped stalls shall be perpendicular and have a stall depth of 20 feet and width of 12 feet with railings on both sides.

No area shall be used for parking if it is not large enough to provide for at least three contiguous stalls, unless approval is obtained from the Planning Committee.

When the parking area is designed for angle parking, the stalls on both sides shall be inclined so as to permit a driver approaching from one end of the aisle only to have access to the stalls on two sides.

In lots having capacity of more than 100 cars, a main access drive shall be provided from points of ingress and egress. No parking shall be permitted on the main access drive, nor shall it serve as an access aisle to adjacent parking spaces.