City of Rehoboth Beach, DE Article IV Off-Street Parking, Loading and Unloading

§ 270-29 Applicability of article.

A. Except as provided in Article VI, this article shall govern off-street parking and loading and unloading requirements where any new structure is erected or the use of any existing structure is changed. It shall also cover alterations to structures as provided in Subsection B of this section.

B. This article shall not apply to any existing structure unless 75% or more of the gross floor area of the structure is altered or the gross floor area of the structure is increased in size. In the case of a structure being increased in size only, the gross floor area of the portion of the structure being increased shall be used to compute the number of parking and loading and unloading spaces required.

§ 270-30 Size of parking space; ingress and egress; maintenance.

A. Every parking space on the premises, outdoors or in a garage, and every parking space in a public lot or private lot serving a specific property, shall consist of not less than 162 square feet of usable area for each vehicle, and the dimensions thereof shall be not less than nine feet in width and 18 feet in length.

B. In all public and private parking lots and garages a circulation and turning aisle shall be installed with a minimum width of 24 feet to serve angle parking of 75° or greater, and a minimum width of 20 feet to serve angle parking of less than 75°.

C. The required parking areas shall be measured exclusive of interior driveways or maneuvering areas. In computing the number of parking spaces required by § 270-35, if the computation shall result in a fraction, a space shall be required for each fractional amount.

D. Except for property used for single-family dwellings, every parking space shall be connected with a street or alley by a paved driveway which affords ingress and egress for a motor vehicle without requiring another motor vehicle to be moved.

E. Except for dwelling units having an individual driveway, off-street parking areas that make it necessary for motor vehicles to back directly into a public road are prohibited unless approved by the Building Inspector as being in compliance with applicable City standards and the State of Delaware Department of Transportation specifications and not unsafe for pedestrian traffic. The burden of establishing compliance with these three criteria rests with the applicant.

F. Outdoor parking or service areas for uses open to the public and the approaches thereto shall be paved according to City specifications and shall be graded, properly drained and maintained in good condition.

§ 270-31 Reduction of parking facility prohibited.

All off-street parking facilities existing on or after December 23, 1972, shall not subsequently be reduced to an amount less than required under this article for a similar building or new use. Any off-street parking facility required to comply with the provisions of this article shall not subsequently be reduced below the requirements of this article.

§ 270-32 Cooperative establishment of facilities.

In any commercial district, requirements for the provision of parking spaces with respect to two or more property uses of the same or different types may be satisfied by the permanent allocation of the requisite number of spaces for each use in a common parking lot or facility, cooperatively established and operated, provided that the number of spaces designated is not less than the sum of the individual requirements for each use and that all regulations contained in this chapter are complied with.

§ 270-33 Encroachment upon front yard depths.

Except in an R-1(S), R-1 or R-2 District, no parking space or portion thereof shall be allowed to encroach upon the minimum front yard depth for the relevant districts listed in § 270-24.

§ 270-34 Parking lots to be enclosed.

A parking lot which is a main or accessory use shall be enclosed as stipulated in § 270-43C.

§ 270-35 Minimum parking spaces required; exceptions.

A. Off-street parking space, with proper access from a street, alley or driveway, shall be provided in all districts in the amount indicated in Subsection D of this section.

B. Except as provided in Subsection D of this section, the parking spaces required by this section shall be provided on the lot on which any structure referred to in Subsection D is situated or is hereafter situated, including any structure within the meaning of § 270-29B herein. In no case shall the number of parking spaces provided be less than the minimum requirements of this section, except as provided in § 270-29A, as further limited by § 270-29B.

C. For structures not used for dwelling in a commercial district, up to 50% of the required parking space may be provided on a separate lot or in a separate facility in the same ownership whose principal point of pedestrian access is not more than 700 feet from the principal entrance of the building and which is located in a commercial district.

D. Number of spaces required.

[Amended 8-4-2003 by Ord. No. 0803-01; 7-16-2010 by Ord. No. 0710-02; 3-19-2021 by Ord. No. 0321-02; 7-21-2023 by Ord. No. 0723-01]

Use			Number of Spaces Required
(1)	All residential units including accessory structures used as dwellings or dwelling units		2 per dwelling or dwelling unit
(2)	Tourist, rooming house or boardinghouse		1 for each rental room, plus 2 for the resident family
(3)	Hotel, motel or inn		1 for each rental room, plus 2 for each hotel, motel or inn
(4)	Office, office building or bank, and public buildings, private clubs and institutions		1 for each 400 square feet of gross floor area, exclusive of basement if not used for office purposes, and exclusive of underground parking areas
(5)	Medical, dental and legal offices:
		Less than 10,000 square feet in size	No spaces required
		10,000 or more square feet in size	1 for each 400 square feet of gross floor area, exclusive of basement if not used for office purposes, and exclusive of underground parking areas
(6)	Each food establishment, restaurant or catering, with or without entertainment:
		Less than 10,000 square feet of gross floor area, exclusive of underground parking areas	No spaces required
		10,000 or more square feet of gross floor area, exclusive of underground parking areas	1 for each 400 square feet of gross floor area, exclusive of underground parking areas
(7)	Each retail store or service shop:
		Less than 15,000 square feet of gross floor area, exclusive of underground parking areas	No spaces required
		15,000 or more square feet of gross floor area, exclusive of underground parking areas	1 for each 200 square feet of floor area devoted to sales or service, and exclusive of underground parking areas
(8)	All other commercial uses		1 for each 200 square feet of floor area devoted to sales or service, and exclusive of underground parking areas
(9)	Retail stores, service shops, cafes or restaurants fronting only on the Boardwalk		No spaces required
(10)	Elementary school		2 for every teacher, administrator and employee
(11)	Secondary school		1 for every 10 students, plus 1 for every teacher, administrator and employee
(12)	Higher education centers		1 for every 2 students, plus 1 for every teacher, administrator and employee
(13)	Education-related services		1 for every 2 students, plus 1 for every teacher, administrator and employee

§ 270-36 Loading and unloading berths.

No building to be used in any district for the uses specified in the following table shall be erected unless loading/unloading berths are provided on the premises in accordance with the requirements of said table:

Use and District	Minimum Number of Loading/ Unloading Berths
Apartment house with more than 20 family units in districts where permitted	1
Office building or hotel with over 15,000 to 100,000 square feet of gross floor area in commercial districts	1
Office building or hotel with over 100,000 square feet of gross floor area in commercial districts	2
Retail or service establishment or other commercial use with over 15,000 square feet of gross floor area in commercial districts	1

§ 270-37 Parking meters in R-1(S) and R-1 Districts.

No parking meters may be installed in any block of any street in any R-1(S) or R-1 District unless a petition, signed by more than 50% of all the lot owners on the block, shall be presented to the Commissioners of Rehoboth Beach requesting the installation of such meters and the Commissioners approve the same.