[3-6-2018; 1-5-2021; 1-3-2023 by Ord. No. 23-05; 7-2-2024 by Ord. No. 24-97; 7-1-2025 by Ord. No. 25-72; 8-5-2025 by Ord. No. 25-82]
A.
Off-street parking shall be considered as an accessory use when provided to serve a conforming use.
B.
The following minimum and maximum off-street parking and loading requirements shall be provided and maintained in case of new construction, alterations and changes of use, unless a parking waiver has been granted by the Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee. When the use of the property does not fit into one of the categories below, then the number of spaces shall be established by the Design Engineer, based on the Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Manual, latest edition, and reviewed for approval by the Town Engineer.
C.
The term "employee" when used herein is inclusive of all workers employed on a site, including contract employees.
D.
Spaces in residential, mixed-use, and nonresidential garages are parking spaces for the purpose of this Land Use and Development Code.
E.
For any uses not listed below, the applicant shall provide a parking analysis documenting the parking needs, to be reviewed by the Town Engineer and approved by the Planning Board or Minor Site Plan Review Committee.
Use | Required Parking (Any fractional numbers will be rounded up to the next whole number.) |
|---|---|
Business, professional offices and municipal buildings | 1 parking space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area |
Child-care or adult day-care centers | 1 parking space per 4 children or adults |
Construction, instructional, personal and/or repair services | 1 parking space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area |
Dog kennel | 1 parking space for every 5 dogs boarded |
Health treatment, medical and dental offices and medical quick-care facilities | 1 parking space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area, plus 1 space for each examination, treatment or consultation room |
Hospitals, assisted-living facilities, nursing homes | 1 parking space per 3 beds plus 1 per 2 employees per shift |
Hotels, inns, motels, bed-and-breakfast, and other types of temporary lodging | 1 parking space per guest room plus 1 per employee per shift |
Indoor sporting facilities, gymnasiums, recreation, and fitness centers | 1 parking space per 250 square feet of gross floor area |
Industrial, light industrial, manufacturing and warehousing | 1 parking space for each 1,000 square feet of floor area |
Outdoor facilities and sporting fields | 1 parking space per 250 square feet of gross floor area |
Places of worship, assemblies, event centers, museums, and theaters | 1 parking space for every 5 occupants of capacity in the structure |
Residential - single-family and duplex | 2 parking spaces per dwelling unit; accessory dwelling units are exempt |
Residential - multifamily | 1 parking space per unit for 1-bedroom units, studios and efficiencies 1 parking space per unit for 2-bedroom units 2.5 parking spaces per 3-bedroom or larger units, plus 1 additional visitor's parking space for every 6 dwelling units or fraction thereof |
Residential - multifamily age restricted to 55+ | 1 parking space per dwelling unit |
Retail stores | 1 parking space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area |
Restaurants | 1 parking space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area, excluding areas for food preparation/storage |
Rooming houses | 1 parking space for each sleeping room |
Schools - commercial | 1 parking space for each employee and staff; 1 per 3 students based on the maximum number of students attending the school at any period in the day |
Small dwelling unit structures | See § 300-1.25. |
F.
Required off-street parking in all districts shall be located on the same lot as the principal building or use, except that where it cannot reasonably be provided on the same lot.
(1)
In the growth areas as defined on the Comprehensive Plan's Future Land Use Map, required residential off-street parking in all districts shall be located on the same lot as the principal building or use; except that where it cannot reasonably be provided on the same lot, the Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee may authorize residential off-street parking to be located on another lot within 1,100 feet of the lot served, as measured along lines of public access, if determined safe and convenient by the Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee. Such parking areas shall be held under the same ownership or lease as the uses served, and evidence of such control or lease shall be required.
(2)
Required off-street parking in all mixed-use, municipal, commercial, or industrial uses shall be located on the same lot with the principal building or use, or within 1,500 feet measured along lines of public access; except that where off-street parking cannot be provided within these limits, the Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee may permit such off-street parking to be located a reasonable distance from the principal building or use, measured along lines of public access, if determined safe and convenient by the Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee. Such parking areas shall be held under the same ownership or lease, and evidence of such control or lease shall be required.
G.
Where commercial, mixed-use, multi-tenant, and condominium developments require parking lots to serve the development, such off-street parking is required or provided, the following construction requirements shall apply:
(1)
Perimeter screen location, coverage, and layout.
(a)
No parking shall be allowed in any front yard setback. For corner lots, no parking shall be allowed in the front setback for the primary street, with the secondary street parking not allowed within the distance of a side or rear setback.
(b)
The perimeter of parking lots, parking areas, and driving aisles shall be screened from the ground to three feet above the surface of the lot within a minimum ten-foot landscape strip.
[1]
The screen shall be evenly distributed horizontally but may vary in height.
[2]
The screen shall be located adjacent to the parking area but far enough from the edge so as to be protected from the bumpers of other vehicles.
[3]
The required screen coverage shall be dependent on the proximity of the parking lot to the lot line or edge of pavement on private streets. The table that follows identifies these coverage requirements. If plant material is used the density percentage shall be calculated at plant maturity.
[4]
Fences may not be used to meet this screening requirement when adjacent to a public street or private roadway.
Table 2.10-1 Required Screen Coverage | |
|---|---|
Proximity to Lot Line (feet) | Screen Coverage |
0 to 35 | 90% |
36 to 50 | 60% |
51 to 100 | 30% |
101 or greater | Not required |
(c)
In the residential or mixed-use zoning districts, the front 10 feet of the required front yard shall be entirely devoted to landscaping in accordance with parking lot design standards.
(2)
Perimeter screen exclusions and exceptions.
(a)
Driveway curb cuts shall be excluded from the required screen.
(b)
No screen shall be required between abutting parking lots or parking lots separated only by a drive aisle.
(c)
No screen shall be required between the parking lot and the building being served by that parking lot.
(d)
No screen shall be required in the front yard for a parking lot, parking area, or driving aisle on lots that have less than an average lot depth of 150 feet.
(e)
The required landscape strip may be reduced to five feet in width when a masonry wall or fence is to be used as a screen.
(3)
Interior landscaping location, coverage, and layout. In addition to typical landscaping plants and features, low-impact development stormwater treatment measures may be counted as landscaping or green spaces to meet these requirements.
(a)
For parking lots with under 50 parking spaces, interior landscaping or green space such as islands shall account for at least 5% of the total parking lot square footage.
(b)
For parking lots that exceed 50 stalls, interior landscaping or green space such as islands shall account for at least 10% of the total parking lot square footage.
(4)
Entrances/Exits. Parking lot entrance and exit locations and design shall be reviewed and approved by the Town Engineer. Entrances and exits shall also conform to the following:
(a)
A clear sight distance shall be provided and maintained on both sides of entrances and exits. The site distance limits shall meet the requirements outlined under Article 2-5.
(b)
Entrances and exits shall be located as far as possible from street intersections. Exact distances are determined on a case-by-case basis.
(c)
Parking lots shall be designed so that entering vehicles will not form lines that spill out onto the public street or require vehicles to back into a public street.
(d)
Entrance and exit width shall be appropriate to handle the traffic generated by the use and number of vehicles utilizing the site.
(e)
The number and spacing of entrances/exits shall meet the requirements under Part 2, Article 2-5, § 300-2.37.1, Standards for access management.
(5)
The surface of driveways, maneuvering areas, and parking areas shall be uniformly graded with a subgrade consisting of well-compacted gravel or equivalent materials at least six inches in depth. Commercial, industrial, institutional, and multifamily uses, the drives, maneuvering areas and parking areas shall be covered with two inches of bituminous concrete properly prepared and laid in two courses of one inch each in accordance with specifications prepared by the Town Engineer. All other installations shall have a wearing surface equivalent in qualities of compaction and durability to fine gravel.
H.
The Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee may reduce the minimum number of parking spaces required in one of the following situations:
(1)
Where legal on-street parking is located within 1,350 feet of a nonresidential or mixed-use development use and the Board or Committee determines that:
(2)
Where publicly supplied off-street parking is located within 1,350 feet of a nonresidential or mixed-use development and the Board or Committee determines that this parking will be pedestrian and vehicle safe, convenient, and available to meet some or all of the parking demand.
(3)
Where it is clearly demonstrated that the parking demand will be lower than that established by this section and that the reduction will not detract from neighborhood property values, inconvenience the public or increase congestion on adjacent streets.
(4)
For the reuse or redevelopment of a parcel in a nonresidential or mixed-use district if the Planning Board or Committee determines that the new use will not significantly increase the demand for parking compared to the former use.
(5)
The Planning Board or Committee determines that the demand for parking will be less than the standard because:
(a)
Some customers/users will walk or alternative transportation is provided or available within 1,350 feet of the site.
(b)
It is clearly demonstrated that one or more of the proposed uses will generate a demand for parking spaces primarily during periods when the other use or uses are not in operation.
I.
Nonresidential or mixed-use developments in the Gorham Village Centers, Urban Commercial, and Office Residential Districts are allowed a 50% reduction in the off-street parking requirements, provided that the applicant can prove to the satisfaction of the Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee that the reduction will not increase congestion on adjacent streets.
J.
Nonresidential or mixed-use developments along Main Street and within 1,350 feet of a bus stop are allowed a 50% reduction in the off-street parking requirements, provided that the applicant can prove to the satisfaction of the Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee that there is safe and convenient pedestrian access to and from the site to the bus stop.
K.
Nonresidential or mixed-use developments may be approved with a portion of the parking held in reserve if the applicant can clearly demonstrate to the Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee that, because of the nature of the operation or use, the parking or loading requirements of this chapter are unnecessary or excessive. The Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee shall have the ability to approve a site plan showing less parking area than required, provided that a landscaped area of sufficient size to meet the deficiency shall be set aside and reserved for the purpose or meeting future off-street parking and loading requirements in the event that a change of use makes the use of such additional off-street facilities necessary. The applicant, at the time of the initial site plan application, shall submit for approval of a design of this possible future parking area held in reserve. The reserved area shall be converted to parking in whole or part whenever the owner desires, or when deemed necessary by the Planning Board or Site Plan Review Committee upon a change of use request, expansion, or renovation. Notation describing these requirements shall be included on the face of the approved site or subdivision plan.