City of Rahway, NJ Off-Street Parking and Loading

Off-street parking. The off-street parking, unloading and service requirements of this section shall apply and govern in all zones within the City of Rahway, except as stipulated in §§ 421-22 and 421-44. Except as provided in this section, no application for a building permit shall be approved unless there is included with the plan for such building, improvement or use a plot plan showing the required space reserved for off-street parking, unloading and service purposes. A certificate of occupancy shall not be issued unless the required off-street parking, unloading and service facilities have been provided in accordance with those shown on the approved plan.

Off-street loading. On the same premises with every building, structure or part thereof erected and occupied for commercial, industrial, institutional or other uses similarly involving the receipt or distribution of vehicles, materials or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained on the lot adequate space for off-street standing, turning, loading and unloading services in order to avoid interference with the public use of the streets, sidewalks and other public rights-of-way.

Maintenance of off-street parking and loading. No land shall be used or occupied, no structure shall be designed, created, altered, used or occupied, and no use shall be operated, unless off-street parking and loading facilities are provided in at least the amount and maintained in the manner required by this section.

Joint parking facilities. The off-street parking requirements for two or more neighboring uses may be satisfied by the allocation of the required number of spaces for each use in a common parking facility, provided that the number of off-street parking spaces is not less than the sum of individual requirements; provided, further, that there be compliance with all other provisions of these regulations.

Off-site parking facilities. Off-street parking spaces for all uses shall be located on the same lot as the principal building to be served.

Sharing of parking facilities. Off-street parking facilities for one use shall not be considered as providing the required facilities for any other use, except that 1/2 of the off-street parking space required by any use whose peak attendance will be at night or on Sundays, such as places of worship, theaters and assembly halls, may be assigned to a use which will be closed at night or on Sundays. This provision will only apply with approval of the Planning Board.

Driveway spaces. Parking spaces provided in driveways leading to an attached or detached garage in a single-family residential use may be counted towards the satisfaction of parking requirements. Driveways on properties containing all other uses shall not be used to satisfy the parking requirements.

[Amended 9-14-2009 by Ord. No. O-32-09]

Except for permitted residential uses, all lawfully established uses within existing structures in the B-5 Central Business District at the time of the passage of this chapter and all conforming uses within existing structures in the B-5 Central Business District shall not be required to provide off-street parking and loading facilities unless the structure in which such a use is to be carried out is enlarged. In the event that new nonresidential construction of replacement and/or additional square footage is approved to replace square footage in existing structures containing lawfully established uses, off-street parking and loading facilities shall be required only to the extent that the existing square footage is enlarged. However, no existing off-street parking and loading spaces or the access thereto provided at the time of the passage of this chapter in conjunction with such a conforming use shall be removed, reduced or altered or used for any other purpose except off-street parking or loading.

[Amended 2-13-2006 by Ord. No. O-2-06]

Parking for permitted residential uses in the B-5 Central Business District may, at the discretion of the Planning Board and in conjunction with a site plan and/or subdivision application, be granted relief from the off-street parking requirements, provided credible evidence is presented that the parking needs of such uses can be met by existing on-street spaces and off-street public or private parking lots. The Planning Board may require the furnishing of written authorization of the owners of such off-street parking lots that the specified number of parking spaces in such a lot are available and will be designated for daily or overnight parking for the residents of such a use.