Purpose: This article ensures that new development provides adequate off-street parking to minimize spillover into residential areas and to protect emergency access, while avoiding the blighting and environmental effects of excessive parking. This article implements the following Master Plan policy:
•
The City's commercial parking standards should be reassessed in light of the most recent parking standards for all types of commercial land uses. For some commercial land use types, the present parking standards appear to require too few parking spaces, while for other land uses too many parking spaces may be required. In the latter situation, unnecessarily large parking lots are built, which are underutilized for most of the year.
A. 
This Part 4 applies to subdivision plans or site plans.
B. 
A waiver or appeal from any requirement of this article may be filed with the Planning Board pursuant to § 190-148. The Planning Board may waive the construction of some of the parking areas required by this article, provided that all of the following conditions are met:
(1) 
That the site plan indicates where all parking would be constructed in order to meet the general requirements set forth in this article;
(2) 
That such required space is reserved for use if such parking requirements must be met in the future;
(3) 
That the applicant demonstrates that the current use of the site shall not require additional parking beyond what is proposed to be built; and
(4) 
That such plan stipulate that a site plan amendment shall be necessary if the use of the site changes.
A. 
Off-street parking and loading spaces shall be provided for every new structure, the enlargement of an existing structure, the development of a new land use or any change in an existing use in its entirety in accordance with the Parking Matrix (§ 190-198, Table 198-1, below).
B. 
Required off-street parking or loading spaces shall continue to serve the uses or structures for which they were intended so long as such use or structure remains.
C. 
Required off-street loading spaces shall not be construed as being part of the required off-street parking spaces.
D. 
When the computation of required parking or loading spaces results in the requirement of a fractional space, any fraction over 1/2 shall require one space.
A. 
Required off-street parking spaces shall be provided on the same lot as the principal use they are required to serve. The Planning Board may permit parking spaces to be established as a separate lot, provided that:
(1) 
They shall be established no further than 300 feet from the closest lot line to which they are appurtenant; and
(2) 
The lot is either owned by the applicant or there is a permanent easement or agreement to use the separate lot.
B. 
The loading spaces required for the uses listed in § 190-199 shall in all cases be on the same lot as the use they are intended to serve.
C. 
Any off-street parking on a lot containing five or less spaces may not be situated in a front yard unless such parking is located on a driveway no wider than 24 feet and having an area not to exceed 50% of the area of the front yard.
A. 
Each required off-street parking space shall be at least nine feet in width and at least 20 feet in length, exclusive of access drives, aisles, ramps and columns, or areas utilized for other purposes, except that the spaces required for grocery stores of more than 5,000 square feet shall be at least 10 feet in width.
B. 
All parking spaces provided for retail sales establishments shall have two painted stripes at least two inches wide one foot apart, separating each parking stall.
C. 
For parallel parking, the length of the parking space shall be 23 feet.
D. 
Except on lots occupied by one- and two-family dwellings, each off-street parking space shall open directly upon an aisle or driveway. The width of the aisle or driveway, excluding the curb cut or frontage location, shall conform to Table 193-1 below. Driveway spacing and width is governed by § 190-209.
E. 
The aisle or driveway shall be unobstructed and allow for the passage of emergency vehicles at all times.
Table 193-1
Aisle or Driveway Width
Parking Angle
(degrees)
Aisle/Driveway Width
(feet)
45
12
60
18
90
20
The angle shall be measured between the center line of the parking space and the center line of the aisle.
All parking and loading areas containing over five spaces, including automotive and drive-in establishments of all types shall be either contained within structures or subject to the following:
A. 
The area shall comply with the parking lot landscaping standards in § 190-184.
B. 
The area and access driveways thereto shall be surfaced with bituminous or cement concrete material and shall be graded and drained so as to dispose of all surface water accumulation in accordance with acceptable engineering practices. The Planning Board may authorize use of pervious surfaces for driveways and parking areas under appropriate circumstances.
C. 
A bumper of masonry, steel or heavy timber, or a concrete or bituminous concrete curb or berm curb which is backed shall be placed at the edge of surfaced areas except driveways in order to protect abutting structures, properties and sidewalks, when such surface areas are within four feet of the abutting structure, properties or sidewalks.
D. 
Any fixture used to illuminate any area shall be so arranged as to direct the light away from the street and away from adjoining premises used for residential purposes.
E. 
There shall not be any motor vehicle repair or gasoline or oil service facilities for profit except on a lot occupied by a permitted automotive use. Any aboveground gasoline or oil facilities shall be at least 25 feet from any lot line.
F. 
There shall not be any storage of materials or equipment or display of merchandise within a required parking area except as part of approved building operations.
G. 
Parking shall not be located within the required front yard area in any district.
H. 
Parking and loading spaces shall be so arranged as not to permit backing of automobiles onto any street.
I. 
Driveway spacing and width is governed by § 190-209.
J. 
The Planning Board may grant a conditional use permit to permit the reduction of the parking space requirements to 80% of that required in the table of off-street regulations where conditions unique to the use will reasonably justify such a reduction.
The Planning Board may allow the substitution of space within municipal parking lots in lieu of the parking requirements of this article, provided they are located within 1,000 feet of the building which is intended to be served.
A. 
When the intensity of use of any building, structure or premise shall be increased through the addition of dwelling units, floor area, beds, seating capacity or other unit of measurement, parking and loading facilities, as required, shall be provided for such increase in intensity of use.
B. 
Whenever the existing use of a building, structure or premise is changed or converted to a new use permitted by this article, parking and loading facilities shall be provided, as required, for the new use.
[Amended 2-14-2023 by Ord. No. O-22-040; 11-25-2025 by Ord. No. O-25-075]
A. 
Number of required off-street parking spaces for any use within the City shall be as set forth in the Parking Matrix, Table 198-1.
B. 
In determining the minimum required number of off-street parking spaces, the following shall apply:
(1) 
In sports arenas, churches and other places of assembly in which patrons occupy benches, pews or other similar seating facilities, each 20 inches of such seating shall be construed as one seat.
(2) 
In the case of open space floor areas used for temporary seating purposes, an area of 16 square feet usable for seating shall be counted as one seat.
A. 
The following table of number of required off-street loading spaces shall apply throughout the City:
Table 199-1
Number of Required Off-Street Loading Regulations
Use Category
Minimum Number of Loading Spaces per Unit
(1)
Retail trade, manufacturing and hospital establishment with over 5,000 square feet of gross floor area
1 per 20,000 square feet or fraction thereof of gross floor area up to 2 spaces; 1 additional space for each 60,000 square feet or fraction thereof of gross floor area over 40,000 square feet; space used for ambulance receiving at a hospital is not to be used to meet these loading requirements
(2)
Business services, other services, community facility (school, church, City building, recreation, etc.) or public utility establishment with over 5,000 square feet of gross floor area
1 per 75,000 square feet or fraction thereof of gross floor area up to 2 spaces; 1 additional space for each 200,000 square feet or fraction thereof of gross floor area floor area over 150,000 square feet
B. 
Loading spaces shall be at least 12 feet in width and 45 feet in length and with a vertical clearance of at least 14 feet, and shall have an area of not less than 600 square feet plus access and maneuvering space. The dimensions of the loading space may be reduced by the Administrative Officer when it is clearly evident that service vehicles utilizing the space will not require the area listed above, not to be less than 200 square feet.
A. 
Properly signed or designated parking spaces for the physically handicapped shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of this section, and shall be located as close as possible to elevators, ramps, walkways and entrances.
B. 
Each required handicapped space shall conform to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Designated handicapped spaces shall be provided in all parking areas of five or more spaces (as required in § 190-198) in conformance with the following table:
Table 200-3
Required Handicapped Parking Spaces
Number of Spaces Required
(See § 190-198)
Required Number of Handicapped Spaces
5-25
1
26-50
2
51-75
3
76-100
4
101-150
5
151-200
6
201-300
7
301-400
8
401-500
9
501-1,000
2% of total
Over 1,000
20 plus 1 for each 100 over 1,000
C. 
Parking spaces required by this section shall be properly signed or otherwise designated and shall be counted toward the number of spaces required by § 190-198.
A. 
Applicability. This section applies to the construction or alteration of any parking structure.
B. 
Criteria.
(1) 
Parking structures shall be designed to have horizontal versus stepped or sloping levels at areas of public view.
(2) 
Sloped roofs are not required for parking structures, however:
(a) 
The upper and lowest level of parking shall incorporate sufficient screening to shield cars from public view.
(b) 
Parapet treatment is required to terminate the deck and given proper architectural finish to the structure. Cornices, overhands and other devices which are consistent with the design of historical buildings may be employed.
(3) 
The design of parking decks shall be complementary to the design of buildings in the area.
A. 
Parking required for two or more buildings or uses may be provided in combined facilities on the same or adjacent lots, subject to the criteria established in Subsections B through E below.
B. 
The parking areas shall be approved by the Administrative Officer, subject to the criteria established in this section.
C. 
The parking areas shall be available and reserved for the several buildings or uses by a contract or other legally binding agreement.
D. 
The number of such spaces shall comply with the minimum parking ratios established in Table 198-1 or, where approved by the Administrative Officer, an alternative ratio established under Subsection E below.
E. 
Developments that contain a mix of uses on the same parcel, as set forth in Table 202-1 below, may reduce the amount of required parking in accordance with the following methodology:
(1) 
Determine the minimum parking requirements in accordance with Table 198-1 for each land use as if it were a separate use,
(2) 
Multiply each amount by the corresponding percentages for each of the five time periods set forth in Table 202-1,
(3) 
Calculate the total for each time period, and
(4) 
Select the total with the highest value as the required minimum number of parking spaces.
Table 202-1
Shared Parking
Parking Ratio Reduction Factors
Weekday
Weekend
(A)
Land Use
(B)
Daytime
(9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
(C)
Evening
(6:00 p.m. to midnight)
(C)
Daytime
(9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
(E)
Evening
(6:00 p.m. to midnight)
(F)
Nighttime
(midnight to 6:00 a.m.)
Office/industrial
100%
10%
10%
5%
5%
Retail
60%
90%
100%
70%
5%
Hotel
75%
100%
75%
100%
75%
Restaurant
50%
100%
100%
100%
10%
Entertainment/
commercial
40%
100%
80%
100%
10%