Chester Township City Zoning Code

Garages shall be accessory to the principal permitted use and shall be used exclusively for the parking of employees, patrons and visitors.

Parking beneath the building line of a principal building shall be prohibited, unless the parking area is located underground or is fully enclosed within the principal structure and integrated into the architectural design of the principal structure.

Enclosed and/or partially enclosed garages shall be properly lighted and equipped with adequate fire-fighting devices. Furthermore, mechanical or other ventilation systems shall be provided to prevent the accumulation of carbon monoxide or exhaust fumes in excess of one part per 10,000 (0.01%) or the concentration of gasoline vapors in excess of 20% of the lower explosive limit.

Garages located under a principal building shall have an automatic fire alarm system and a ceiling or protected construction of not less than one-and-one-half-hour fire resistance.

The garage shall be designed to be properly drained.

A garage which is within the building line of a principal building shall not contain more than 50 parking spaces. Such shall be lighted, equipped with fire extinguishers, shall have a ceiling height of at least 10 feet and shall be equipped with heat and smoke detectors and with natural and mechanical ventilation adequate to prevent the accumulation of exhaust fumes, as noted in Subsection A of this section.

No more than one level of the garage may be aboveground.

Garage entrances shall be designed to open to the rear, side or interior of the lot. No entrances shall be permitted which directly face a public street or existing residential use located within 100 feet of the property.

No freestanding garage structure shall be placed nearer than 100 feet to a side or rear property line. In no case shall a garage be permitted between a street frontage and building. No accessory garage shall exceed one story in height.

The architectural design and materials used in the construction of the enclosure of parking beneath the principal building or freestanding garage shall conform to the design and building materials used in the construction of the principal building. Exposed foundation walls or concrete block are not acceptable as an architectural treatment. Parking structures should be designed to be attractive from all vantage points. Materials and finishes shall be coordinated on all exterior elevations to achieve continuity of expression.

Only passenger vehicles, small vans, pickup trucks and similar vehicles, whether such carry passenger or commercial plates, may be parked in any parking space for extended periods.

Garages shall be used as automobile parking areas only, with no sales, dead storage, dismantling or servicing of any kind permitted.

Parked vehicles stored under a principal structure shall be enclosed and screened with plantings so that no vehicle will be visible from any street right-of-way or abutting property.

A minimum fifteen-foot-wide landscaped area, free of exterior parking, aisles or sidewalks, shall be provided adjacent to the perimeter of a garage or principal building if parking is located at grade beneath the structure. This area shall be planted with shade or ornamental trees and evergreen and deciduous shrubs of a sufficient density to provide a minimum three-foot-high screen around the base of the structure.

The requirement for the landscape screen can be reduced if the parking structure is sited a minimum of four feet lower than the surrounding grade or the structure is bermed to a minimum height of four feet.