Chambersburg City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XIII
Off-Street Parking
§ 300-76 General parking regulations.
A.
Off-street parking facilities shall be provided to lessen congestion in the streets. The facilities required herein shall be available to patrons throughout the hours of operation of the particular business or use for which such facilities are provided. As used herein, the term "parking space" includes either covered garage space or uncovered parking space located off the public right-of-way.
B.
Outdoor parking space shall be deemed to be part of the open space of the lot on which it is located.
C.
A garage or carport may be located wholly or partly inside the walls of the principal building or attached to the outer walls. If separated from the principal building, the garage shall conform to all accessory or building requirements. The garage may be constructed under a yard or court, provided that the level of such yard or court shall conform to the general level of the other yards or courts on the lot. The space above an underground garage shall be deemed to be part of the open space of the lot on which it is located.
D.
A garage shall not be included for off-street parking calculations for single-family attached dwellings.
[Added 5-18-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-11]
E.
Recreational vehicles shall not be used as a dwelling place, living abode, or sleeping place while parked or stored on any lot.
[Added 2-13-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-05]
§ 300-77 Facilities required.
[Amended 1-27-1988 by Ord. No. 88-2; 10-12-1994 by Ord. No. 94-12; 10-28-1996 by Ord. No. 96-10]
A.
Any of the following buildings hereafter erected (or enlarged) and any building hereafter converted into one of the following buildings and any open area hereafter used for commercial or industrial purposes shall be provided with not fewer than the minimum parking spaces as set forth below:
[Amended 5-18-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-11; 10-19-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-18; 8-9-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-15; 12-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-17]
Off-Street Parking Space Requirements | ||
|---|---|---|
Uses | Required Parking Spaces | |
Automobile sales and service garages | 1 for each 400 square feet of floor area | |
Banks or professional offices, except medical and dental offices | 1 for each 200 square feet of floor area | |
Bowling alleys | 5 for each alley | |
Churches Coin-operated laundry | Sufficient spaces for 25% of the seating capacity located in the main sanctuary 1 for each 5 or fewer washers and 1 for each 5 or fewer dryers | |
Community buildings, social halls, dance halls, pool halls, swimming pools, roller rinks, clubs, lodges and other similar places and other similar commercial buildings | 1 for each 100 square feet of floor area or water area in swimming pool | |
Driving ranges and miniature golf | 1 for each tee | |
Dwellings | 2 per each family or dwelling | |
Elderly housing | For each unit with 1 bedroom, the requirement shall be 1 off-street parking space. For each unit with 2 bedrooms, the requirement shall be at least 1.5 off-street parking spaces (rounded up to the nearest whole number). For each unit with bedrooms in excess of 2, the requirement shall be two off-street parking spaces per unit. At such time the occu- pancy of the housing no longer meets the elderly housing definition, parking shall be provided in accordance with other applicable requirements of the Borough of Chambersburg. | |
Establishments for the sale and consumption on the premises of alcoholic beverages, food or refreshments (having more than 2,000 square feet of floor area) | 10, plus 1 for each 125 square feet of floor area over 2,000 square feet | |
Establishments having less than 2,000 square feet of floor area | 10 | |
Food supermarkets | 1 for each 200 square feet of floor area | |
Funeral homes or mortuaries | 5 for each parlor | |
Furniture or appliance stores | 1 for each 200 square feet of floor area | |
Hospitals and nursing and convalescing homes and group homes | 1 for each 3 beds, plus 1 for each employee | |
Hotels, motels, tourist houses and boardinghouses and lodging houses | 1 for each guest room, except for boardinghouses and lodging houses which require 1 for each guest room or for every 2 separately paying guests. In addition, if provision is made for the sale and consumption on the premises of alcoholic beverages, food or refreshments, 10 additional spaces plus 1 for each 125 square feet of floor area over 2,000 square feet that is used for the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, food or refreshments. | |
Manufacturing plants, plants | 1 for each 1,000 square feet of research or testing working shift. The total parking area shall be less than 25% of the building floor area. | |
Medical and dental offices | 5 for each doctor or dentist | |
Personal service establishments | 1 for each 100 square feet of floor area open to the public | |
Public libraries and museums | 1 for each 200 square feet of area open to the public | |
Retail stores | 1 for each 200 square feet of area open to the public | |
Schools (elementary) | 2 for each classroom, plus 1 for each noninstruction position, plus 1 for each 5 seats in any auditorium, gym or place of assembly | |
Schools (secondary) | 4 for each classroom, plus 1 for each noninstruction position, plus 1 for each 5 seats in any auditorium, gym, stadium or place of assembly | |
Sports arenas, auditoriums, theaters and assembly halls | 1 for each 3.5 seats | |
Trailer sales or monument sales or auctions | 1 for each 2,500 square feet of lot area | |
Wholesale establishment or warehouse | 1 for each 2 employees on maximum shift. The total parking area shall be not less than 25% of the building floor area. | |
B.
When units or measurements determining the number of required parking spaces result in requirements of a fractional space, any fraction up to and including 1/2 shall be disregarded, and fractions over 1/2 shall require one parking space. In the case (except the case of a church) of a use not specifically mentioned, the requirement for a similar use which is so mentioned shall apply.
C.
However, in the case of developments such as shopping centers or other commercial centers which would be required to provide more than 50 off-street parking spaces, the developer must set aside space to accommodate 100% of the area necessary to provide the parking requirements established by this chapter, but, upon the request of the developer, if agreed by the Borough, the developer may be permitted to set aside space to accommodate 100% of the area necessary to provide the parking requirements established by this chapter but not be required to construct more than 80% of the required parking spaces. In the event the developer is permitted to construct fewer than the required parking spaces, the remainder of the parking area set aside must be kept free of all construction and be planted and maintained as a grassy area. The Borough may require construction of the remaining parking spaces at any time by the then owner of the premises upon giving the owner not less than six months' advance written notice. In the event of the granting of the waiver herein described, the fact of the grant as well as the requirement that the owner maintain the space set aside as a level grass area and that the Borough has reserved the right to require construction of the remaining parking spaces upon six months' notice to the owner of the site must be reflected in a note appearing on the subdivision or site development plans recorded.
[Added 4-26-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-7]
§ 300-78 Location of parking spaces.
Parking spaces for multiple-dwelling buildings or commercial or industrial uses shall be readily accessible to and within a reasonable distance from the buildings served thereby. Such spaces shall be on the same lot and in the same zoning district as the principal building or open area, except when otherwise authorized as a special exception, conforming to the following regulations:
A.
The required parking spaces shall be situated within 600 feet of the principal building or open space in question.
B.
Such spaces shall be in the same ownership as the principal use to which they are accessory and shall be subject to deed restrictions, acceptable to the Zoning Hearing Board, binding the owner and his heirs or assigns to maintain the required number of parking spaces throughout the life of the principal use.
§ 300-79 Design standards.
[Amended 5-22-1991 by Ord. No. 91-5]
The minimum dimensions of parking facilities to be provided shall be as follows:
A.
In all districts, net parking space per vehicle shall be not less than nine feet wide and 16 feet long.
B.
Aside from a driveway leading to a dwelling, there shall be no less than 10 feet of open space between the edge of any off-street parking area and the outside wall of any building.
[Amended 5-18-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-11]
C.
Parking lot dimensions shall be not less than those listed in the following table:
Angle of Parking (degrees) | Parking Bay Width (feet) | Depth From Curb1 (feet) | Aisle Width One-Way (feet) | Two-Way (feet) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
90 | 9 | 16 | 24 | 24 | |
60 | 9 | 20 | 18 | 20 | |
45 | 9 | 19 | 15 | 20 | |
30 | 9 | 19 | 12 | 20 |
NOTES: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Depth from curb is the perpendicular measurement from the curb or edge of the parking lot toward the interior portion of the lot to be occupied by the parked vehicles and not including any part of the drive. | |||||
D.
All dead-end parking lots shall be designed to provide sufficient backup area for the end stalls of the parking area.
E.
Parking areas shall be designed so that each motor vehicle may proceed to and from parking space provided for it without requiring the moving of any other motor vehicle.
F.
The width of entrance and exit drives shall be a minimum of 12 feet for one-way use only and a minimum of 20 feet for two-way use, except where ninety-degree parking is used, in which case the minimum shall be not less than 24 feet and a maximum of 24 feet at the street line.
G.
The setback for parking areas shall be provided as follows:
[Amended 5-18-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-11]
(1)
All parking spaces and access drives shall be at least five feet from any exterior lot line, except where buffer yards are required, in which case such parking spaces and access drives may not encroach on the buffer yard area; and
(2)
Except at entrance and exit drives, parking areas shall be physically separated from any public and/or private streets by a minimum five-foot planting strip. In no case shall parking areas be designed to require or encourage cars to back into public or private streets in order to leave the parking areas.
H.
Separate parking areas on a parcel or development shall be physically separated from one another by eight-foot planting strips.
I.
For single-family attached dwellings, one of the following off-street parking arrangements must be used:
[Added 5-18-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-11]
(1)
A paved driveway at least 10 feet in width to accommodate front-to-rear parking bays in front of each dwelling that is accessed from a public street with a Borough-approved curb cut and driveway apron. The driveway must be designed to prohibit parked vehicles from overhanging a sidewalk and driveway apron within the public right-of-way. A paved driveway larger than 10 feet in width can be installed outside the public right-of-way to accommodate additional parking bays and/or a turnaround area.
(2)
A paved driveway at least 10 feet in width to accommodate front-to-rear parking bays to the rear of each dwelling that is accessed from an alley or private service drive as defined in the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1] A paved driveway larger than 10 feet in width can be installed to accommodate additional parking bays and/or a turnaround area.
J.
Landscaping of parking lots. All parking lots with 20 or more spaces shall be provided with interior landscaped areas equal to 10 square feet for each parking space, excluding those spaces located directly along the perimeter for which a planting strip has been provided.
[Added 9-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-15]
(1)
The interior landscaping shall be provided within a parking lot island having a minimum area of 144 square feet and shall have minimum dimensions of nine feet by 16 feet (the minimum dimensions of a parking space).
(2)
The interior parking lot landscaping shall be placed so as to delineate driving lanes, define rows of parking, and generally mitigate the visual impact of parking lots.
(3)
The interior parking lot landscaping shall be composed of a combination of ornamental vegetation or grass, shrubs, and trees. At least one shade or ornamental tree shall be required for each 20 parking spaces, and not less than one shade or ornamental tree shall be located within each island planter.
§ 300-80 Drainage, surfacing and maintenance standards.
A.
The area of the parking lots, including driveways, shall be graded, surfaced with asphalt or other suitable material and drained to the satisfaction of the Borough Engineer to the extent necessary to prevent dust, erosion or excessive water flow across streets or adjoining property.
B.
Parking areas shall be kept clean and free from rubbish and debris.
§ 300-81 Lighting.
Any lighting used to illuminate off-street parking or loading areas shall be arranged so that the direct rays from the lights will not fall on any residential district beyond the property line.
§ 300-82 Loading and unloading space.
A.
In addition to the off-street parking space required above, all commercial and industrial establishments, hospitals or sanitariums and other similar uses shall provide adequate off-street area for loading and unloading of supplies to and from vehicles.
B.
At least one loading berth shall be provided; however, should the gross floor area of the main building and buildings accessory thereto used for commercial and/or industrial purposes exceed 10,000 square feet, one additional loading berth shall be provided for each 10,000 square feet of gross floor area. The off-street loading berth shall be not less than 10 feet wide, 35 feet in length and 14 feet in height.
C.
Hotels shall have at least one loading berth, with an additional loading berth when the gross floor area exceeds 50,000 square feet.
§ 300-83 Visibility at intersections.
On any corner lot in all districts, no building, fence, wall, hedge or other structure or planting more than 3 1/2 feet in height (trees excepted) shall be erected or maintained within the triangular area formed by the intersecting street right-of-way lines and a straight line joining said street right-of-way lines at points which are 30 feet distant from the point of intersection measured along said street lines.