No land shall be used or occupied and no structure shall be erected or used unless the off-street parking and loading spaces required herein are provided. Uses and structures which are nonconforming by parking are controlled by article VII of this chapter. Presently existing off-street parking or loading facilities may not be reduced below the requirements of this article. While it is the intent of this section to require minimum off-street parking and loading facilities, excessive paving of land that supplies significantly more than the minimum numbers of spaces is discouraged and prohibited.

(1)

Location of required spaces. Except as provided for in subsection 28-251(6) of this section and section 28-255, the off-street parking spaces required by this chapter shall be on the same lot as the structure or use they are intended to serve or on an abutting lot. Off-street parking spaces for commercial or industrial uses shall not be located in any residence district where such commercial or industrial use is prohibited. All loading spaces shall be on the same lot as the use which they serve. The loading area shall be located on the side or rear of the building which it is intended to serve.

(2)

Minimum size of spaces The minimum size of spaces shall be as follows:

a.

Each parking space shall be marked by painted lines and contain the following minimum dimensions affecting the width and length of individual parking stalls and the width of aisles in all districts, exclusive of necessary drives and other access ways. A driveway may be considered a required parking space only for a detached single or two-family dwelling and need not contain painted lines.

Standard parking spaces:

Minimum width .....10 feet

Minimum length .....18 feet

Parallel parking spaces:

Minimum width .....8 feet

Minimum length .....21 feet

Minimum aisle widths:

90° angle .....24 feet

60° angle .....18 feet

45° angle .....13 feet

30° angle .....11 feet

0° (parallel parking) .....12 feet

b.

For parking areas with more than 20 spaces, the painted lines for each parking stall shall be double-line striped, such that there is a minimum of two feet between each stall. This two-foot area shall be included in calculating the overall width of the parking space stall, provided that at least eight feet of width shall be provided between the inner edges of the stall.

c.

For parking areas with more than 20 spaces, up to 25 percent of the spaces may be reduced in size for small cars, provided that such spaces shall be prominently signed for small cars only. For parking areas in the downtown or waterfront zones, 50 percent of the spaces may be reduced in size for small cars, provided also that such spaces shall be prominently signed for small cars only. The painted lines for each small car parking stall shall also be double-line striped, such that there is a minimum of two feet between each stall. This two foot area shall be included in calculating the overall width of the parking space stall, provided that at least seven feet of width shall be provided between the inner edges of the stall. The overall size of the small car space may be reduced to nine feet wide by 16 feet long.

d.

Handicapped accessible spaces shall be provided as required by any other applicable law.

e.

Each loading space shall be marked by painted lines and contain the following minimum dimensions affecting the width, length and height.

Minimum width .....14 feet

Minimum length .....60 feet

Minimum vertical clearance .....15 feet

(3)

Setbacks. No parking or loading space or aisle (back-up space) shall be less than ten feet from any front lot line. No parking space or aisle shall be less than five feet from any building, except where greater setbacks are required. Parking spaces less than ten feet from any building shall be separated from such building by raised curb, bumper or wheel guards. The requirements of this subsection shall not apply to detached single or two-family dwellings.

(4)

Entrance and exit. Each parking and loading space shall be designed with adequate off-street area for approach, turning and exit without the need or ability to use any part of a street. All driveways shall be a minimum of 12 feet in width for each lane of traffic using such driveway. The width of any driveway shall not exceed 30 feet. The requirements of this subsection shall not apply to detached single or two-family dwellings.

(5)

Combined parking. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the combined use of off-street parking or off-street loading areas by two or more buildings or uses if the total number of spaces provided is not less than the requirements for each use computed separately in accordance with this article. In no case shall off-street loading space be considered as required off-street parking space, or vice-versa.

(6)

Shared parking. Where two different uses occur at non-simultaneous times, (e.g. a church with Sunday services and evening events together with a business that is closed evenings and on Sunday), the zoning enforcement officer may permit the shared use of parking spaces by multiple uses provided that a deed restriction is filed, indicating the specific conditions by which the parking is provided and setting forth the hours of use for each principal use. Such deed restriction may only be released by the zoning enforcement officer upon presentation of proof of compliance with this article by providing other parking.

(7)

Credit for shared access. Where a common curb cut and driveway are provided for two or more distinct lots or parcels, the required number of parking spaces for each use may be reduced by ten percent, or where a service road is provided, the required number of parking spaces for each use may be reduced by 20 percent.

(8)

Construction requirements. The area used for off-street parking or loading shall have a dust-free, hard surface and shall be provided with bumper or wheel guards where needed; provided, however, that the use of pervious materials such as gravel or shells, is allowed and encouraged within 200 feet of the Kickemuit River, Narragansett Bay or other water bodies and wetlands.

(9)

Illumination. Any illumination shall be of continuous white light and shall reflect the light away from adjoining properties and adjacent streets.

(10)

Screening. Where a loading area or an off-street parking area for four or more cars is located in or adjacent to a residential zone or use, a landscaped buffer of at least three feet in width, together with an opaque fence or a compact evergreen screen not less than five feet in height shall separate such area and the adjoining property or street.

(11)

Landscaping. For parking areas with more than 20 spaces located in any zone, the interior of such parking areas shall be suitably landscaped with trees, shrubs, vegetation or ground cover. Such areas shall be appropriately located to prevent long, uninterrupted rows of parking spaces. landscaped areas shall be separated and protected from parking areas by curbing or other means. Where trees are required, such trees shall meet the requirements set forth in the design guidelines of the town subdivision and development review regulations at F.2.B(13). The following landscaping shall be provided:

a.

Along the street frontage, a three-foot planted strip with one shade tree for every 40 feet of frontage.

b.

Along interior lot lines, a three-foot planted strip with one shade tree for every 50 feet of interior lot lines. A hedge of compact evergreens or other suitable plantings may be substituted for the planted strip.

c.

The interior of such parking areas shall have a minimum of ten square feet of landscaping for each parking space, and shall be shaded by deciduous trees. At maturity, each tree shall be presumed to shade a circular area having a radius of 15 feet with the trunk as the center. There shall be sufficient trees so that, using this standard, 20 percent of the parking area will be shaded. Trees shall be surrounded by a minimum of 180 square feet of unpaved area, which may be counted towards calculating the required landscaping.

(a)

Maximum number of spaces allowed. Except for residential uses, the maximum number of off-street parking spaces allowed for any lot or use shall not exceed ten percent, or 50 spaces, more than the required minimum number of spaces, whichever is less.

(b)

Exemption from parking requirements in downtown zone and for temporary restaurant expansion. In order to provide incentive for existing and new uses in the downtown (D) zone, retail, office, institutional and residential uses within the D zone shall be exempt from parking requirements. Additionally, parking requirements shall be suspended for restaurants in connection with a duly-authorized temporary expansion of a restaurant service area as provided for in section 25-16.

(c)

Minimum number of spaces required. The minimum number of off-street parking spaces required for each use shall be as set forth in the following table. The requirements are expressed as number of spaces required per dwelling unit (D.U.), rooming unit (R.U.) or gross floor area (GFA) as such terms are defined in this chapter. The zoning enforcement officer shall determine the appropriate category of this table where the use is not therein specified. Where more than one type of use is located in a single building or on a single lot or parcel, the number of required spaces shall be the sum of required spaces for each use. Where the resulting number of spaces includes a fraction thereof, the required number of spaces shall be rounded up to the next highest integer.

(1)

Residential:

(2)

Office:

(3)

Service:

(4)

Retail:

(5)

Transportation and utility:

(6)

Institutional:

(7)

Industrial*:

* See subsection 28-186(c)(4) for potential reductions in required off street parking for industrial/manufacturing uses.

(Ord. No. 2020-04, 7-1-20; Amend. of 1-27-21; Ord. No. 2021-12, 8-18-21)

(a)

Minimum number of spaces required. The minimum number of off-street loading spaces required for each commercial, industrial and institutional use shall be as set forth in the following tables. The zoning enforcement officer shall determine the appropriate category of this table where the use is not therein specified. Where the resulting number of spaces includes a fraction thereof, the required number of spaces shall be rounded up to the next highest integer.

(1)

Retail, wholesale, manufacturing and storage uses. Loading spaces for retail, wholesale, manufacturing and storage uses shall be as follows:

(2)

Hotel/motel, restaurant, office and institutional uses. Loading spaces for hotel/motel, restaurant, office and institutional uses shall be as follows:

(b)

Exemption from loading requirements in downtown and waterfront zones. In order to provide incentive for existing and new uses in the downtown (D) and waterfront (W) zones, retail, office, institutional and residential uses within the D and W zones having less than 40,000 square feet of gross floor area shall be exempt from loading requirements. See subsection 28-150(h)d.6. regarding loading zones associated with a formula business.

Plans and specifications for any required off-street parking area for more than 20 cars, or for any principal use of parking, or for any loading area shall be approved by the zoning enforcement officer before a building permit, or a certificate of occupancy in the case of a change of use where no building permit is required, may be issued.

The authorized permitting authority may approve proposed off-site parking. If the authorized permitting authority determines that the construction of off-street parking facilities on the same lot as the main use is impractical and that the provision of off-site parking will be adequate to meet the parking needs of the use-and will conform to good planning practice, then the authorized permitting authority may approve such off site parking. Off-site parking shall be located a reasonable distance from the use unless evidence is presented that there will be a shuttle or valet service to the use. In any such instance, appropriate deed restrictions shall be placed in the land evidence records for both the property on which the use is located and the property on which the parking is located.

(Ord. No. 2025-07, Att., 5-28-25)