Bridgewater City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VI
Off-Street Parking and Loading
§ 400-601 Required number of parking spaces.
A.
Overall requirements.
(1)
Number of spaces. Each use that is newly developed, enlarged, significantly changed in type or increased in number of establishments shall provide and maintain off-street parking spaces in accordance with Table 6.1 and the regulations of this article.
(2)
Uses not listed. Uses not specifically listed in Table 6.1 shall comply with the requirements for the most similar use listed in Table 6.1, unless the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Officer that an alternative standard should be used for that use.
(3)
Multiple uses. Where a proposed lot contains or includes more than one type of use, the number of parking spaces required shall be the sum of the parking requirements for each separate use, except as may be allowed under Subsection B.
(4)
Calculation. Where the calculation of required parking spaces does not result in a whole number, the calculation shall be rounded to the closest whole number.
B.
Reduction of parking requirements as a conditional use.
(1)
Purposes. To minimize impervious surfaces, while ensuring adequate parking; to recognize unique circumstances may justify a reduction in parking.
(2)
The Borough Council may permit a reduction, as indicated in § 400-117, Conditional use process, of the number of parking spaces required to be developed if the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Borough Council that fewer parking spaces are needed.
(a)
Proof. To prove that fewer parking spaces are needed, the applicant shall provide existing and projected employment, customer, resident or other relevant data. Such data may include a study of parking at similar developments during peak periods of use.
(b)
Shared parking. Under this section, an applicant may seek to prove that parking permanently shared with another use or another lot with shared internal access will reduce the total amount of parking needed because the uses have different peak times of parking need or overlapping customers.
(c)
Reservation of future parking areas. If a reduction is permitted under this section, the Borough Council may require as a condition of the approval that the lot include the reservation, permanently or for a specified number of years, of areas for use if needed in the future for additional parking.
[1]
Such reservation shall be provided in a legal form acceptable to the Borough Solicitor.
[2]
In such case, the applicant shall be required to submit site plans to the Zoning Officer showing where and how the additional parking could be accomplished.
[3]
Such additional parking shall be required to be provided within one year by the owner of the lot at that time after the Zoning Officer may determine, in writing, to such owner that such parking has become needed to meet actual use. Such determination shall be based upon the Zoning Officer's on-site review on least three different days.
Table 6.1 | ||
|---|---|---|
Off-Street Parking Requirements (See definition of "employees" in Article II) [Amended 5-20-2015 by Ord. No. 461] | ||
Use | Number of Off-Street Parking Spaces Required | Plus 1 Off-Street Parking Space for Each: |
Agricultural Uses | ||
Crop farming or raising of livestock | — | Employee |
Kennel (min. of 4) | 1 per employee | 15 animals of capacity |
Plant nursery | 1 per employee | 250 square feet of indoor sales floor area and 10,000 square feet of outdoor sales area. |
Stable, nonhousehold (min. of 2) | 1 per employee | 8 animals of capacity |
Seasonal sale of agricultural products (min. > of 5) | 1 per employee | 250 square feet of sales floor area |
Residential Uses | ||
Dwelling unit | 1.5 per dwelling unit | |
Home occupation | 2 spaces for any business expected to routinely have visitors, plus the spaces for the dwelling unit | Nonresident employee |
Boardinghouse | 1 per rental unit or bed, whichever is greater | 1 per nonresident employee |
Group home | 2 per group home | |
Manufactured/mobile home park | 2 per dwelling unit | |
Institutional Uses | ||
Place of worship or church | 1 per 4 seats in room of largest capacity | 1 per employee |
Hospital | 1 per bed | 1.2 per employee |
Nursing home | 1 per 6 beds | 1.2 per employee |
Personal care home | 1 per 4 beds | 1.2 per employee |
Day-care center | 1 per 10 children, with spaces designed for safe and convenient dropoff and pickup | 1.2 per employee |
School, primary or secondary | 1 per 4 students aged 16 or older | 1 per employee |
Utility | 1 per vehicle routinely needed to service | |
Trade school | 1 per 1.5 students | 1 per employee |
Library, community center or cultural center or museum | 1 per 4 seats or 1 per 250 square feet of floor area accessible to patrons and users if seats are not typically provided | 1 per employee |
Treatment center | 1 per 2 residents aged 16 years or older plus 1 per nonresident intended to be treated on-site at peak times | 1 per nonresident employee |
Swimming pool, nonhousehold | 1 per 40 square feet of water surface, other than wading pool | 1 per employee |
Commercial uses | All commercial uses, as applicable, shall provide additional parking or storage needed for maximum number of vehicles stored, displayed or based at the lot at any point in time. These additional spaces are not required to meet the stall size and parking aisle width requirements | |
Auto service station or repair garage | 5 per repair or service bay and 0.25 per fuel nozzle with such spaces separated from accessways to pumps | 1 per employee; plus any parking needed for a convenience store under "retail sales" |
Auto, boat, recreational vehicle or manufactured homes sales | 1 per 15 vehicles, boats, RVs or homes displayed | 1 per employee |
Adult use (including adult bookstore, adult live entertainment use or massage parlor) | 1 per 30 square feet of total floor area (min. of 10) | 1 per employee |
Bed-and-breakfast | See § 400-402 | |
Bowling alley | 2 per lane plus 2 per pool table | 1.2 per employee |
Car wash | 2 per washing lane or stall, which may be located in drying or vacuuming areas | 1.2 per employee |
Financial institution | 1 per 200 square feet of floor area accessible to customers, plus 3 convenient spaces for each automatic banking transaction machine | 1 per employee |
Funeral home | 1 per 5 seats in rooms intended to be in use at one time for visitors | 1 per employee |
Golf driving range | 1 per tee | 1.2 per employee |
Miniature golf | 2 per hole | 1.2 per employee |
Golf course | 3 per hole plus spaces required for any membership club or restaurant | 1.2 per employee |
Ice skating/roller skating | 1 per 200 square feet of floor area accessible to users | 1.2 per employee |
Hair cutting/hair styling | 2 per customer seat used for hair cutting, hair styling, hair washing, manicuring or similar work | 1.2 per employee |
Hotel/motel | 1 per rental unit plus 1 per 4 seats in any meeting room plus any required by any restaurant | 1.2 per employee |
Laundromat | 1 per 3 washing machines | 1 per on-site employee |
Offices or clinic, medical/dental | 6 per physician and 4 per dentist | 1.2 per employee |
Offices (other than medical/dental) | 1 per 225 square feet of total floor area accessible to people | |
Personal service use (other than hair cutting/hair styling) | 1 per 150 square feet of floor area accessible to customers (min. of 2 per establishment) | 1 per employee |
Indoor recreation (other than bowling alley), membership club or exercise club | 1 per 200 square feet of floor area other than racquet ball courts accessible to customers/members, plus parking required by any additional uses, such as restaurant) plus 2 spaces per racquetball court | 1 per employee |
Outdoor recreation (other than uses specifically listed in this table) | 1 per 3 persons of capacity (50% may be on grass overflow areas with major driveways in gravel) | 1.2 per employee |
Restaurant | 1 per 3 seats | 1.2 per employee |
Retail sales (other than types listed separately) or shopping center (min. 5 per establishment, except 10 per video rental store) | 1 per 175 square feet of floor area of rooms accessible to customers, except 1 per 225 square feet of total leasable floor area if use is greater than 20,000 square feet | |
Retail sales of only furniture, lumber, carpeting, bedding or floor covering | 1 per 400 square feet of floor area accessible to customers | |
Tavern or nightclub | 1 per 30 square feet of total floor area | 1.2 per employee |
Veterinarian office | 5 per veterinarian | 1 per employee |
Theater or auditorium | 1 per 4 seats | 1.2 per employee |
Industrial uses | ||
All industrial uses, including warehousing, distribution and manufacturing | In addition to parking or storage needed for maximum number of vehicles stored, displayed or based at the lot at any point in time, which spaces are not required to meet the stall size and aisle width required of the Zoning chapter 1 per 1.2 per employee, based on the maximum number of employees on site at peak period of times (including any overlapping shifts) | 1 visitor space for every 10 managers on the site |
Self-storage development | 1 per 15 storage units | 1 per employee |
§ 400-602 General regulations for off-street parking.
A.
General. Parking spaces and accessways shall be laid out to result in safe and orderly use, and to fully take into account all of the following: vehicular access onto and off the site, vehicular movement within the site, loading areas, pedestrian patterns and any drive-through facilities. No parking area shall cause a safety hazard or impediment to traffic off the lot.
B.
Existing parking. Any parking spaces serving such preexisting structures or uses at the time of adoption of this Zoning chapter shall not in the future be reduced in number below the number required by this Zoning chapter.
C.
Change in use or expansion. A structure or use in existence at the effective date of this Zoning chapter that expands or significantly changes in use of an existing principal building shall be required to provide all of the required parking for the entire size and type of the resulting use, except as follows:
(1)
If the use expands in total building floor area by an aggregate total maximum of 5% in the applicable measurement (such as building floor area) beyond what existed at the time of adoption of this Zoning chapter, then no additional parking is required; or
(2)
If the change in use would increase the number of required parking spaces by less than 20 spaces beyond what was required by the previous use, then an applicant may choose to only add the additional number of spaces required by the new use compared to the previous use.
D.
Continuing obligation of parking and loading spaces. All required numbers of parking spaces and off-street loading spaces shall be available as long as the use or building which the spaces serve still exist, and such spaces shall not be reduced in number below the minimum required by this chapter. No required parking area or off-street loading spaces shall be used for any other use (such as storage or display of materials) that interferes with the area's availability for parking.
E.
Location of parking. Required off-street parking spaces shall be on the same lot or abutting lot with the principal use served, unless the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Officer that a permanent method of providing the spaces is available using area of a lot within 250 feet of the entrance of the principal use being served.
§ 400-603 Design standards for off-street parking.
A.
General requirements.
(1)
No parking area shall be designed to require or encourage parked vehicles to back into a public street in order to leave a parking space, except for a single-family or two-family dwelling with its access onto a local street or parking court.
(2)
Every required parking space shall be designed so that each motor vehicle may proceed to and from the parking space provided for it without requiring the moving of any other vehicle, except for spaces of a single-family detached dwelling.
(3)
Parking areas shall not be within any of the following: a required buffer yard, a future or existing street right-of-way or a required paved area setback.
(4)
Defined traffic ways. All parking areas shall include clearly defined and marked traffic patterns. In any lot with more than 30 off-street parking spaces, raised curbs and landscaped areas shall be used to direct traffic within the lot. Major vehicular routes shall be separated as much as is reasonable from major pedestrian routes within the lot.
(5)
Separation from street. All areas for off-street parking, off-street loading and unloading and the storage or movement of motor vehicles shall be physically separated from the street by a raised curb, planting strip, wall or other suitable barrier against unchanneled motor vehicle entrance or exit, except for necessary and approved vehicle entrances and exits to the lot. All commercial and industrial parking areas approved after the adoption of this Zoning chapter shall be separated from the street by a grass or landscaped strip of land.
B.
Size and marking of parking spaces. Each parking space shall be a rectangle with a minimum width of 10 feet and a minimum length of 20 feet, except:
C.
Aisles.
(1)
Each aisle providing access to stalls for one-way traffic only shall be at least the minimum aisle width specified as follows:
Angle of Parking | Minimum Aisle Width (feet) |
|---|---|
Parallel or 30° | 12 |
45° | 14 |
60° | 18 |
90° | 20 |
(2)
Each aisle providing access to stalls for two-way traffic shall be at least 24 feet in width, except a width of 20 feet may be allowed for areas of parking that are clearly primarily for employees or parking areas with spaces that are parallel or involve an angle of parking of 45° or less.
(3)
Maximum length of parking aisle: 250 feet.
D.
Access drives and driveways.
(1)
Access drives and driveways.
Width of Driveway/Accessway at Entrance onto Public Street (at the edge of the cartway)* | 1-Way Use | 2-Way Use |
|---|---|---|
Minimum | 12 feet | 20 feet |
Maximum | 35 feet | 50 feet |
* | Unless a different standard is required by PennDOT for an entrance to a state road. |
(2)
Maximum grades of driveway. See the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
(3)
Drainage. Adequate provisions shall be made to maintain uninterrupted parallel drainage along a public street at the point of driveway or access drive entry.
(4)
Separation between driveways. At least 80 feet shall be provided between the center lines of any two accessways or driveways along one street within one lot.
(5)
State permit. Where there will be new or intensified access to a state street or other work within the right-of-way of a state street, a State Highway Occupancy Permit shall be obtained, as applicable.
E.
Paving, grading and drainage.
(1)
Parking and loading facilities and including driveways shall be graded and adequately limited to prevent erosion or excessive water flow across streets or adjoining properties.
(2)
Except for landscaped areas, all portions of required parking, loading facilities and driveways abutting dwellings shall be surfaced with asphalt or concrete or decorative paving blocks.
G.
Paved area setbacks (including off-street parking setbacks).
(1)
Intent. To ensure that parked or moving vehicles within a lot do not obstruct sight distance or interfere with pedestrian traffic, to aid in stormwater management along streets and to prevent vehicles from entering or exiting a lot other than at approved driveways.
(2)
Uses within the paved area setback.
(a)
The paved area setback required by this section, together with any existing legal street right-of-way area that is not used as a cartway, street shoulder or on-street parking shall be maintained in natural ground cover (such as grass) and shall not be used for any of the following:
(3)
Width of paved area parking setbacks. Any commercial, industrial, institutional, townhouse or low-rise apartment use shall provide paved area setbacks as follows:
If a Paved Area Abuts: | Minimum Paved Area Setback (measured from the proposed edge of paving and gravel of the street after development) (feet) |
|---|---|
Arterial or collector street: | |
For lot with 2 acres or less of impervious coverage | 10 |
For lot with more than 2 acres of impervious coverage | 15 |
Local street: | 5 |
H.
Paved area landscaping (parking lot trees).
(1)
Intent. This section is primarily intended to reduce the thermal pollution of surface waters from parking lot runoff.
(2)
Any lot that would include more than five parking spaces shall be required to provide landscaped areas within the paved area.
(3)
One deciduous tree shall be required for every 3,000 square feet of paved area. This number of trees shall be in addition to any trees required by any other section of this Zoning chapter or by the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
(4)
Trees required by this section shall meet the following standards:
(a)
Type of trees permitted. Required trees shall be chosen from the following list of approved street trees, unless the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Officer that another type of tree would shade paved areas, be resistant to disease, road salt and air pollution and be attractive.
Types of Deciduous Trees Permitted to Meet Zoning Chapter Requirements | |
|---|---|
Acer rubrum - American Red Maple | Quercus borealis - Red Oak |
Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple | Quercus coccinea - Scarlet Oak |
Ceitis occidentalis - Common Hackberry | Quercus macrocarpa - Bur Oak |
Fagus sylvatica - European Beech | Quercus imbricaria - Shingle Oak |
Fraxinus americans - White Ash | Quercus montana - Chestnut Oak |
Fraxinus Pennsylvania - Green Ash | Quercus veiutina - Black Oak |
Ginko biloba fastigiata - Maiden Hair Tree | Quercus phellos - Willow Oak |
(male only; female has noxious odor) | Sophora japonica - Chinese Scholar Tree |
Gleditsia triacanthos - Thornless Locust | Tilia americans - American Linden |
Liriodendron tulipifera - Tulip Poplar | Tilia cordata - Little Leaf European Linden |
Quercus alba - White Oak | Tilia euchlora - Crimean Linden |
Quercus acutissima - Sawtooth Oak | Tilia petiolaris - Silver Linden |
Zelkova serrata - Zelkova | |
Note: |
This Zoning chapter only regulates the species of trees used to meet requirements of the Borough. The species of trees that are not required by Borough ordinances are not regulated. |
(b)
Minimum size. The trunk diameter (measured at a height of one foot above the finished grade level) shall be a minimum of two inches or greater.
I.
Handicapped parking spaces.
(1)
Number of spaces. Any lot including four or more off-street parking spaces shall include a minimum of one handicapped space. The following number of handicapped spaces shall be provided, unless a revised regulation is officially established under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act:
Total Number of Required Parking Spaces on the Lot | Required Minimum Number or Percent of Handicapped Parking Spaces |
|---|---|
4 to 25 | 1 |
26 to 50 | 2 |
51 to 75 | 3 |
76 to 100 | 4 |
101 to 150 | 5 |
151 to 200 | 6 |
201 to 300 | 7 |
301 to 400 | 8 |
401 to 500 | 9 |
501 to 1,000 | 2% of required spaces |
1,001 or more | 20 plus 1% of required number over 1,000 |
(2)
Location. Handicapped parking spaces shall be located where they would result in the shortest reasonable accessible distance to a handicapped accessible building entrance. Curb cuts shall be provided as needed to provide access from the handicapped spaces.
(3)
Minimum size. Each required handicapped parking space shall be 10 by 20 feet. In addition, each space shall be adjacent to a five-foot wide access aisle. Such access aisle may be shared by two handicapped spaces by being placed between them. However, one out of every eight required handicapped parking spaces shall have an adjacent access aisle of eight feet width instead of five feet.
(4)
Handicapped parking spaces shall be located in areas of less than 6% slope in any direction.
(5)
Marking. All required handicapped spaces shall be well-marked by clearly visible signs or pavement markings. Blue paint is recommended.
§ 400-604 Parking and storage of unregistered vehicles and tractor-trailers.
A.
Purpose. To prevent the character of residential areas from being harmed by nuisances, hazards and visual blight, and to prevent the establishment of junkyards in residential districts.
B.
Storage of unregistered vehicles and parking of tractor-trailer trucks.
(1)
Temporary and permanent parking and storing of unregistered vehicles shall be limited to the interior of automobile garages or other available on-lot accessory buildings or to that portion of the lot behind the principal building.
(2)
Exempted uses. This section shall not apply to a permitted auto sales use, auto service station, junkyard or auto repair garage, provided that the regulations for that use are met.
(3)
Exempted vehicles. Vehicles eligible for a state certificate of exemption shall not be regulated by the above Subsection B(1).
(4)
Tractor-trailers. On a lot of less than five acres in a residential district, the parking of tractor-trailer trucks, separated tractor or separated trailer of a tractor-trailer combination shall not be permitted, except for customary parking as part of a lawful nonconforming use. On a lot of more than five acres in a residential district, a maximum of one tractor-trailer truck or one separated tractor or one separated trailer of a tractor-tractor trailer combination shall be permitted to be parked, except for customary parking as part of a lawful nonconforming use.
C.
Storage of mobile homes, camping and recreational equipment. Mobile homes and trailers as defined within this chapter, and including travel trailers, pickup coaches, motorized homes, boats, boat trailers, personal water craft and personal water craft trailers may be parked or stored subject to the following requirements:
(1)
Mobile homes shall be parked and stored in mobile home parks only.
(2)
At no time shall parked or stored camping or recreational equipment be occupied or used for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes.
(3)
Temporary and permanent parking and storing of camping and recreational equipment shall be limited to the interior of automobile garages or other available on-lot accessory buildings or to that portion of the lot behind the principal building.
§ 400-605 Off-street loading.
A.
General requirements.
(1)
Each use shall provide off-street loading facilities, which meet the requirements of this section, sufficient to accommodate the maximum demand generated by the use.
(2)
At the time of site plan or land development review, the applicant shall provide evidence to the Planning Commission, who may advise the Zoning Officer, on whether the use will have sufficient numbers and sizes of loading facilities. For the purposes of this section, the words "loading" and "unloading" are used interchangeably.
B.
Design and layout of loading facilities. Off-street loading facilities shall meet the following requirements:
(1)
Each off-street loading space shall be sufficient in size to accommodate the largest vehicle that can reasonably be expected to use such space.
(2)
Each space shall have sufficient maneuvering room to avoid conflicts with parking and traffic movements within and outside of the lot. No facility shall be designed or used in such a manner that it threatens a safety hazard, public nuisance or a serious impediment to traffic off the lot.
(3)
Each space and the needed maneuvering room shall be located entirely on the lot being served and be located outside of required buffer areas, paved area setbacks and street rights-of-way.
C.
Fire lanes. Fire lanes shall be provided where required by state or federal regulations or other local ordinances. The specific locations of these lanes are subject to review by Borough Fire Officials.