Chatham City Zoning Code
ARTICLE IX
Off-Street Parking and Loading Requirements
§ 110-28 Off-street parking.
A.
Purpose. The village finds that large and highly visible parking areas represent one of the most objectionable aspects of commercial development. Such parking lots may damage the historic layout and architectural fabric of downtown areas, harm the natural environment and visual character of the community, interfere with pedestrian safety and accessibility and reduce the quality of life in developed areas. However, the village also recognizes that inadequate parking can diminish quality of life by creating traffic congestion, safety hazards and inconvenience. The village therefore seeks to balance the need for adequate parking with the need to minimize harm resulting from the provision of parking and to avoid the negative impacts of excessive parking requirements.
B.
Minimum parking required for residential and related uses.
(1)
For single-family or two-family dwellings: two spaces per dwelling unit.
(2)
For multifamily dwellings: 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit.
(3)
Home occupation: one space for each 300 square feet devoted to such home occupation, plus one space for each nonresident employee, as well as the required spaces per dwelling unit.
(4)
These requirements may be reduced for dwelling units with less than 1,000 square feet of livable floor area, senior citizen housing, mixed-use development or other appropriate circumstances if the Planning Board determines that such reductions are warranted.
C.
Parking requirements for nonresidential uses. The number and layout of parking spaces for nonresidential uses shall be based on the need to protect public safety and convenience while minimizing harm to the character of the community and to historic, cultural and environmental resources. Since nonresidential uses vary widely in their need for off-street parking, it is most appropriate to establish parking requirements based on the specific operational characteristics of the proposed uses. The parking standards in Subsection C(1) below shall be applied and may be varied by the Planning Board according to the criteria in Subsection C(2).
(1)
Parking standards.
(a)
Retail or service business uses: three to five spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.
(b)
Industrial/warehouse uses: one to three spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.
(c)
Office uses: two to four spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.
(d)
Lodging facility: one space for each bedroom plus one space for each nonresident employee and one space for every 50 to 200 square feet of floor space for meetings and functions.
(e)
Restaurants, theaters and other places of public assembly: one space for every three to five seats.
(f)
Uses not listed above: as appropriate to the circumstances.
(2)
Criteria for applying parking standards. In applying or modifying the parking standards for any proposed nonresidential use, the Planning Board shall consider:
(a)
The maximum number of persons who would be driving to the use at times of peak usage. Parking spaces shall be sufficient to satisfy 85% of the anticipated peak demand. The likelihood of people walking or bicycling to the proposed use shall also be taken into consideration.
(b)
The size of the structure(s) and the site.
(c)
The historic and environmental sensitivity of the site. In cases where sufficient area for parking cannot be created on the site without disturbance to these resource values, the Planning Board may require a reduction in the size of the structure so that the available parking will be sufficient.
(d)
The availability of safely usable on-street parking along the lot's street frontage.
(e)
The availability of off-site off-street parking within 400 feet that is open to the public, owned or controlled by the applicant or available on a shared-use basis, provided that the applicant dedicates needed off-site land for public parking or demonstrates a legal right to shared use.
(f)
Standards used in generally accepted traffic engineering and planning manuals; however, such standards shall be used as a guide only and should be viewed as likely to require more parking spaces than are appropriate to an historic village setting.
(3)
Exemption for Main Street, Park Row and Hudson Avenue. The Planning Board may waive these parking standards for any use on Main Street, Park Row or Hudson Avenue between Railroad Avenue and Maiden Lane, where compliance would be impractical.
(4)
Set-aside for future parking. The Planning Board may require that an applicant set aside additional land to meet potential future parking needs. Such land may remain in its natural state or be attractively landscaped but may not be used in a manner that would prevent it from being used for parking in the future.
(5)
Fee in lieu of parking space. Where the required spaces cannot be provided on site and are not currently available on the street and/or in municipal parking lots, the applicant shall pay a fee in lieu of one or more required spaces, in an amount established by the Village Board of Trustees sufficient to cover the cost of providing additional public parking spaces. Such fee shall be kept in a dedicated fund for municipal parking purposes.
D.
Design, layout and construction of parking areas.
(1)
Location and screening.
(a)
All off-street outdoor parking shall be located behind or to the side of the principal building, at least six feet from the side or rear lot line in the R, RS and RC Districts and 10 feet in all other districts. Parking areas for multifamily home occupations and nonresidential uses shall, to the extent practical, be screened from public view. Adjoining parking areas shall be connected directly to one another or to a service road or alley wherever feasible to reduce turning movements onto roads.
(b)
Within the C2 and I Districts only, a maximum of one row of parking may be located in front of the principal building. Such parking shall be set back from the front lot line by a landscaped buffer at least 15 feet in width.
(c)
Parking areas shall be designed and landscaped to avoid long, uninterrupted rows of vehicles. Parking areas containing 30 or more spaces shall be broken into separate lots by tree lines, alleys, pedestrian activity areas or buildings.
(2)
Construction of parking areas. Parking spaces shall be at least nine by 19 feet, unless the Planning Board allows a smaller size. Parking areas containing five or fewer spaces shall be surfaced with a suitable durable surface that minimizes dust and is appropriate for the use of the land, with adequate drainage. Parking areas containing six or more spaces shall be paved with an all-weather surface of asphalt and/or concrete upon which the individual spaces shall be marked with paint or other durable material.
(3)
Lighting of parking areas. Parking areas to be used at night shall be lighted in a manner that does not result in the direct lighting of or glare to adjoining properties or cause a traffic hazard due to glare or color.
(4)
Bicycle parking. Bicycle parking facilities, if determined to be warranted by the Planning Board, shall be provided as close as possible to the principal building in an area of high visibility.
(5)
Pedestrian pathways. Safe and convenient pedestrian pathways shall be provided between parking areas and buildings, streets and other parking areas.
(6)
Landscaping of parking areas.
(a)
In addition to the buffer and screening requirements in Subsection D(1) above, at least 20% of the area of a lot used for off-street parking with 30 or more spaces shall be landscaped with lawn, trees, shrubs or other plant material approved by the Planning Board.
(b)
The "area of a lot used for off-street parking" includes and is limited to all parking spaces, parking lot vehicle lanes, fire lanes and interior landscaping that adjoins parking spaces or vehicle lanes. It does not include sidewalks, loading areas or landscaping located around the perimeter of the parking lot or between the parking lot and the principal building.
(c)
Landscaped areas shall contain sufficient permeable surface area to enable the plants to grow to maturity.
§ 110-29 Off-street loading requirements.
As with parking, loading requirements vary with the specific uses proposed. Loading requirements shall ensure that vehicles load and unload cargo in a manner that minimizes interference with pedestrian and automobile movements. Requirements for the number and location of loading facilities shall be established case-by-case by the Planning Board based upon the following considerations:
A.
The expected maximum number of trucks using the loading facilities at times of peak usage.
B.
The type of use, size of the structure and size of trucks to be servicing the structure.
C.
The need to ensure pedestrian and automobile safety by separating truck traffic and loading operations from pedestrian and automobile circulation.
D.
The need to screen trucks and loading facilities from publicly accessible areas as well as from abutting properties, including the need for vegetative screening, buffers and/or fencing.
E.
The desirability of requiring service roads or alleys to achieve the purposes of this subsection.
F.
Applicable planning and engineering standards, adapted to meet the needs of the particular use proposed.
G.
Other operational characteristics of the use or physical characteristics of the site deemed appropriate by the Planning Board.
§ 110-30 Maintenance of areas.
Any owner of premises containing landscaping, off-street parking and/or loading areas shall maintain such areas in proper repair, free of potholes, refuse, dead vegetation and hazards to public safety. Dead vegetation removed from landscaped areas that were established in conjunction with zoning shall be replaced with new plants of the same type and size as was originally planted.