The purpose of this section is to ensure that all existing and future land uses are accompanied by a sufficient amount of off-street parking and loading areas to allow for easy access, convenience, and free flow of traffic. In the enforcement of this section, it is understood that a balance shall be sought between meeting these objectives and not requiring an amount of parking in excess of that realistically necessary for the associated use.

(a)

Parking area requirements.

(1)

Off-street parking and loading spaces shall be provided as further specified in this chapter and shall be furnished with necessary passageways and driveways. All such spaces shall be deemed to be required space on the lot on which it is situated, and shall not be encroached upon or reduced in any manner. All parking areas, passageways, and driveways shall be surfaced with a dustless, durable, all-weather pavement parking surface, shall be clearly marked for car spaces, and shall be adequately drained in conformance with city standards prior to issuance of an occupancy permit.

(2)

Parking space sizes and aisle widths shall comply with the requirements of subsection (c) (parking area dimensional standards) unless modifications are recommended in accordance with the required site plan review under article VIII.

(3)

None of the off-street parking facilities as required in this chapter shall be required for any existing building or use not now conforming to these requirements unless said building or use shall be expanded up to twenty-five (25) percent, in which case the provisions of this chapter shall apply only to that portion of the building or use so expanded. If the existing building or use is expanded more that twenty-five (25) percent, off-street parking shall be provided for both the existing and expanded building or use in accordance with this chapter.

(4)

Vehicle parking or storage space maintained in connection with an existing and continuing principal building, structure, or land use on the effective date of this chapter, or amendment thereto, up to the number required by this chapter shall be continued and may not be counted as serving as a new building, structure, addition, or land use; nor shall any required parking space be substituted for an off-street loading and unloading space, nor any required loading and unloading space be substituted for a parking space.

(5)

All parking areas and appurtenant passageways and driveways serving non-residential uses shall be illuminated adequately during the hours of use. Adequate shielding shall be provided to protect adjacent residential zones from the glare of such illumination and from that of automobile headlights.

(6)

Parking areas serving non-residential uses may be located in residential districts provided such parking areas are within six hundred (600) feet walking distance from the principal use served and provided that screening, lighting, and use of parking areas are in accordance with other applicable provisions of this chapter.

(7)

All parking areas designed to store eight (8) or more vehicles and located adjacent to side or rear yards of residentially used and/or zoned districts (R-E, R-O, R-S, R-U) shall be screened from the residential district by a landscaped buffer strip in accordance with provisions in article XIII.

(8)

Adequate provisions shall be made for the disposal of stormwater from parking areas in conformance with the city stormwater management ordinance, insuring that such water shall not flow onto adjoining property or adjacent sidewalks in a quantity or manner that would be detrimental thereto, or inconvenient to persons using the sidewalk.

(9)

A structurally sound wall or bumper guard to insure safety shall be installed around each side of any parking area so that no part of any vehicle shall extend over any property line.

(10)

Truck and business vehicle parking requirements. For purposes of this section, residential zones shall be the R-E, R-S, R-U, and R-0 zoning districts. A residential property shall mean a property containing an existing residential use or a vacant property in a residential zone.

a.

Commercial motor vehicles, including trucks and trailers either together as a unit or separately, shall not be stored on any lot or along the street adjoining a lot in a residential zone (where such on-street parking is permitted) for any purpose other than for the immediate loading and unloading of packages or merchandise. Nothing in this requirement shall be interpreted to prohibit the storage and parking of one (1) or more commercial motor vehicles on a lot in a residential zone that is occupied by an active permitted nonresidential use, an active pre-existing, non-conforming nonresidential use, or an active conditional use approved for the lot by the board of zoning appeals, provided that:

1.

All commercial motor vehicles stored on the lot are used specifically and exclusively by the nonresidential use on the property; and

2.

The vehicle parking and storage areas are adequately screened from all adjoining residential properties by an opaque fence or landscaping in accordance with the applicable buffer requirements in article XIII.

b.

A single commercial moving van or truck may be temporarily parked on or along the street adjoining a residential lot in a residential zone for a period of not more than thirty-six (36) consecutive hours to facilitate a moving operation only. If the moving van or truck is deemed to constitute an impediment to the safe flow of traffic or emergency service access along a street, the vehicle shall be required to be temporarily stored on the lot for the duration of the moving operation.

c.

Not more than one (1) motor vehicle displaying a business sign or advertisement and not larger than a one-ton pickup truck in size shall be stored on a lot or in a private garage on a residential lot.

d.

Personal on-demand storage units or similar temporary rental storage devices shall not be placed or stored in the front yard of any lot in a residential zone, and shall not be stored on any lot in a residential zone for more than thirty (30) consecutive days. Motor vehicle trailers or box trucks shall not be used as on-site storage units on any residential property, and shall not be used on any non-residential property as on-site storage or warehouse units for items and goods that are not scheduled for shipment or delivery to customers or clients. Flat tires or the absence of wheels on a stored truck or trailer shall constitute credible evidence of its intended use as a storage unit.

e.

Specialized vehicles such as recreational vehicles, campers, manufactured home coaches, boats and boat trailers may be parked or stored in all residential zones under the following conditions:

1.

That such vehicles are not used as living quarters or occupied while stored on the lot.

2.

That the location of the parking or storage area shall not be within the front yard of the principal structure.

(11)

Structures and uses in existence at the date of adoption of this chapter shall not be subject to the requirements of this section so long as the kind or extent of use is not changed, and provided that any parking facility now serving such structures or uses shall not, in the future, be reduced below such requirements.

(12)

No inoperable, unregistered, or untagged motor vehicle and/or vehicle part(s) may be parked or stored on any lot in a residential, gateway, or viewshed protection overlay zone, unless such motor vehicle and/or vehicle part(s) are stored within a completely enclosed building, or stored within the rear yard of the lot and covered by a manufactured vehicle cover. Under no circumstances shall more than one (1) inoperable, unregistered, or untagged motor vehicle be stored on any residential lot.

(b)

Conditional reduction in off-street parking areas.

(1)

The city recognizes:

a.

The importance of providing adequate, well-designed off-street parking areas;

b.

The need to limit the amount of paved parking areas to preserve open space and control storm water runoff: and

c.

That unique circumstances associated with a land use may justify a reduction in the parking requirements of this article.

(2)

The zoning board may permit a reduction, through the conditional use review process, of the number of parking spaces to be initially developed as required by this article provided each of the following conditions are satisfied:

a.

The applicant shall demonstrate, using existing and projected (five (5) years) employment, customer, or other relevant data, that a reduction in the off-street parking spaces to be initially developed as required by this article is warranted.

1.

The applicant shall submit plans of the parking lot(s) which designate a layout for the total number of parking spaces needed to comply with the parking requirements in this article.

2.

The plans shall clearly designate which of these parking spaces are proposed to be conditionally reserved for potential future use.

3.

The portion of the required parking spaces conditionally reserved for future use shall not be within areas for required buffer yards, setbacks, or areas which would otherwise be unsuitable for parking due to the physical characteristics of the land or other requirements of this chapter.

4.

Areas conditionally reserved for potential future use shall be attractively landscaped, remain in open space, and not be used for any structure or building.

b.

The applicant shall enter into an agreement with the city requiring the applicant to:

1.

Maintain each conditionally reserved area as attractively landscaped open space; and

2.

Convert some or all of the conditionally reserved area to additional off-street parking if at any time the zoning board finds (based upon the results of field investigations and recommendations of the zoning official) that additional parking spaces are needed.

(c)

Parking area dimensional standards.

(1)

Each standard size parallel parking place shall be a rectangle with minimum dimensions of seven (7) feet by twenty-two (22) feet. A parallel parking space is defined as one in which the long side of the space is parallel to the travel lane.

(2)

Each standard size perpendicular parking space shall be a rectangle with minimum dimensions of eight and one-half (8-1/2) feet by eighteen (18) feet. A perpendicular parking space is defined as one in which the long side of the space is a straight line that intersects the travel lane and curb at a right angle.

(3)

Each standard size angled parking space shall be a parallelogram having minimum dimensions in accordance with the table contained in subsection (c)(6). An angled parking space is one in which the acute angle formed by the intersection of the long side of the space and the curb is between forty-five (45) degrees and seventy-five (75) degrees. The width of an angled parking space is measured parallel to the curb or travel lane along the short side of the parallelogram; and the length of the space is measured along the side of the parallelogram, from the curb to the travel lane.

(4)

Each compact car vehicle parking space shall have minimum dimensions in accordance with the table contained in subsection (c)(6). The zoning administrator may permit a maximum of twenty (20) percent of the required parking spaces to be reserved for compact vehicles. If such spaces are provided, they shall be conspicuously designated as reserved for small or compact cars only.

(5)

If a column or other obstruction is adjacent to a parking space and would interfere with car door openings, then the minimum stall width of that space shall be increased by one (1) foot. The inner face of the column or other obstruction shall form the actual boundary of the space when measuring the width or length of the spaces.

(6)

The minimum lengths and widths for parking spaces shall be as prescribed in the following table:

(7)

Parking areas shall be designed to permit each motor vehicle to proceed to and from the parking space provided for it without requiring the moving of any other motor vehicle.

(8)

The width of entrance and exit drives shall be:

a.

A minimum of ten (10) feet and a maximum of fifteen (15) feet at the curb line for one-way use only.

b.

A minimum of twenty (20) feet and a maximum of twenty-five (25) feet at the curb line for two-way use.

(9)

Parking aisles designed to accommodate two-way movement shall have a minimum width of twenty (20) feet.

(10)

Parking aisles designed to accommodate one-way movement shall have the following minimum widths based on the configuration of the adjacent parking spaces: Perpendicular, twenty (20) feet; sixty (60) to seventy-five (75) degrees, eighteen (18) feet; forty-five (45) to fifty-nine (59) degrees, sixteen (16) feet; parallel, ten (10) feet.

(11)

In no case shall parking areas for three (3) or more vehicles be designed to require or encourage cars to back into a public street in order to leave the lot.

(d)

Loading area requirements.

(1)

Subject to subsection (d)(5), whenever the normal operation of any development requires that goods, merchandise, or equipment be routinely delivered to or shipped from that development, a sufficient off-street loading and unloading area must be provided in accordance with this section to accommodate the delivery or shipment operations in a safe and convenient manner.

(2)

The loading and unloading area must be of sufficient size to accommodate the numbers and types of vehicles that are likely to use this area, given the nature of the development in question. The following table indicates the number and size of spaces that should satisfy this standard. However, the zoning administrator may require more or less loading and unloading area if reasonably necessary to satisfy the standard.

* Minimum dimensions of twelve (12) feet by fifty-five (55) feet and overhead clearance of fourteen (14) feet from street grade required.

** Seven (7) plus one (1) space for each additional seventy-two thousand (72,000) square feet or fraction thereof.

(3)

Loading and unloading areas shall be so located and designed that the vehicles intended to use them can:

a.

Maneuver safely and conveniently to and from a public right-of-way, and

b.

Complete the loading and unloading operations without obstructing or interfering with any public right-of-way or any parking space or parking lot aisle.

(4)

No area allocated to loading and unloading facilities may be used to satisfy the area requirements for off-street parking, nor shall any portion of off-street parking area be used to satisfy the area requirements for loading and unloading facilities.

(5)

No such space shall be located closer than fifty (50) feet to any other lot in any residential district unless wholly within a completely enclosed building or unless enclosed on all sides by a wall or uniformly painted board fence not less than six (6) feet in height.

(e)

Schedule of uses and parking quantity regulations. All uses permitted by this chapter or hereafter permitted in any of the zones herein established, except Central Business District, shall provide, as a minimum, the number of off-street parking spaces specified in the following schedule. Parking spaces for employees shall be computed on the basis of maximum employment, including seasonal and part-time, on the largest shift. For uses not specified in the following schedule the same requirements of the most similar use in the schedule shall apply. Where calculations of spaces result in fractional space, any fraction under one-half (1/2) may be disregarded and any fraction of one-half (1/2) and over shall be construed as one (1) whole space. Where the applicable parking requirement is based on floor area square footage, areas within the principal use building dedicated exclusively to business material and inventory warehousing and storage area shall not be included within the calculation.

(1)

Bowling alleys: Four (4) parking spaces for each alley, plus one (1) for every two (2) employees.

(2)

Churches: One (1) parking space for every five (5) seats. Where individual seats are not provided, each twenty (20) inches of pews or similar seating shall be considered as one (1) seat for the purposes of determining this requirement.

(3)

Clubhouses and permanent meeting places of veteran, business, civic, fraternal, and similar organizations: One (1) parking space for every fifty (50) square feet of aggregate floor area in the auditorium, assembly halls, and dining areas of such buildings, plus one (1) space for every two (2) employees, plus such additional space as required by this schedule because of any supplementary parking-generating activities.

(4)

Commercial indoor recreation: One (1) parking space for every two hundred (200) square feet of floor area.

(5)

Elderly housing: One (1) parking space per every two (2) dwelling units.

(6)

Funeral homes: One (1) parking space for each family residing on the premises, plus one (1) space for every two (2) employees (other than resident on the premises), plus one (1) space for every fifty (50) square feet of aggregate floor area in the viewing rooms, slumber rooms, parlors or individual funeral service rooms, or a minimum total of twenty-five (25) spaces, whichever is greater.

(7)

Hospitals and nursing and convalescent homes:

a.

Hospitals: One (1) parking space for every three (3) patient beds excluding bassinets, plus one (1) space for each staff and/or visiting doctor, plus one (1) space for every two (2) employees including nurses. Loading and unloading space for ambulances and similar vehicles are not included in the spaces required herein.

b.

Nursing and convalescent homes: One (1) parking space for every five (5) beds, plus one (1) space for each staff doctor, plus one (1) space for every two (2) employees including nurses. Loading and unloading space for ambulances and similar vehicles are not included in the spaces required herein.

(8)

Hotels: One (1) parking space for every three (3) guests or sleeping rooms and suites, plus one (1) space for every five (5) employees, plus such additional space as required by this parking schedule because of any supplementary parking-generating activities representing business uses other than guest and sleeping rooms.

(9)

Industrial or manufacturing establishment: One (1) parking space for every four (4) employees, plus one (1) space for every one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross habitable floor area intended for use by visitors.

(10)

Libraries, museums, post offices, and similar establishments: Parking or storage space for all vehicles used directly in the operation of such establishments, plus four (4) spaces for the first one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross habitable floor area, plus one (1) space for every additional one hundred fifty (150) square feet of floor area.

(11)

Medical and dental clinics: Three (3) parking spaces for each doctor or dentist, plus one (1) space for every two (2) employees.

(12)

Mini-storage facilities: One (1) space for every twenty (20) storage stalls.

(13)

Office, professional or public buildings: One (1) space for each two (2) occupants or employees working on the premises, plus one (1) space for each five hundred (500) square feet.

(14)

Repair shops, plumbing shops, electrical shops, roofing shops, and other similar service establishments: Parking or storage space for all vehicles used directly in the conduct of the business, plus two (2) spaces for each employee.

(15)

Residences, apartments, and conversions (except as hereinafter modified):

a.

One (1) parking space for each efficiency unit.

b.

One and one-quarter (1-1/4) parking spaces for each one (1) bedroom unit.

c.

One (1) parking space for each subsidized low income public housing unit.

d.

One and one-half (1-1/2) parking spaces for each two (2) bedroom apartment unit.

e.

Two (2) parking spaces for each three (3) or more bedroom apartment unit, rowhouse, two-family dwelling, or single-family dwelling. In cases where existing single-family or two-family dwelling structures are expanded or converted to include more than one (1) or two (2) dwellings, respectively, the board of appeals may permit the parking for at least one (1) unit to take place on the street, provided that it can be clearly demonstrated that sufficient place for all required off-street parking is not possible and that on-street parking is permitted, and that such on-street parking will not increase traffic congestion in the neighborhood.

(16)

Restaurants, night clubs, tearooms, lunch counters, or the like: One (1) parking space for every four (4) employees, plus one (1) space for every four (4) seats for customers.

(17)

Retail stores, shopping centers: Five (5) parking spaces for every one thousand (1,000) square feet of retail sales area. Office uses and other major non-retail uses within a shopping center shall provide parking spaces as required in this schedule.

(18)

Roadside stands, drive-in restaurants, or other roadside service establishments: One (1) parking space for each employee, plus sufficient spaces to meet the reasonable demands of the business, as determined by the zoning administrator.

(19)

Rooming and boarding houses: One (1) parking space for every three (3) sleeping rooms to be occupied by roomers or boarders, plus one (1) space for each dwelling unit on the premises, plus one (1) space for every two (2) employees not living on the premises.

(20)

Schools: One (1) parking space for every two (2) employees including teachers and administrators, plus off-street space for loading and unloading of students, plus additional facilities for student parking at the high school level and above at the ratio of five (5) spaces for each classroom.

(21)

Self-service laundries and cleaning establishments: One (1) parking space for every four (4) washing, drying, and dry-cleaning machines in excess of twenty (20).

(22)

Service stations, public and repair garages: Parking space for all vehicles used directly in the conduct of the business, plus three (3) spaces for each vehicle lift or similar facility, plus one (1) space for every two (2) employees.

(23)

Short-term rentals.

a.

Two (2) parking spaces for each three (3) or more bedroom apartment unit, rowhouse, two-family dwelling, or single-family dwelling.

b.

In cases where existing single-family or two-family dwelling structures are expanded or converted to include more than one (1) or two (2) dwellings, respectively, the board of zoning appeals, through the conditional use review process, may lessen the number of required off-street spaces by one (1) space, provided it can be shown that it is not possible to provide all required off-street parking, on-street parking is permitted, and that such on-street parking will not increase traffic congestion in the neighborhood in accordance with section 25-337.

(24)

Theaters, auditoriums, civic centers, stadiums, sports areas, or similar uses: One (1) parking space for every six (6) seats, plus one (1) space for every two (2) employees. Where individual seats are not provided, each twenty (20) inches of benches or other similar seating shall be considered as one (1) seat for the purpose of determining this requirement.

(25)

Tourist homes, cabins, or motels: One (1) parking space for each guest or sleeping room or suite plus one (1) space for the owner or manager, if resident on the premises, plus such additional space as required by this parking schedule because of any supplementary parking-generating activities representing business uses other than guest and sleeping rooms.

(26)

Transportation terminals (passenger): One (1) parking space for every one hundred (100) square feet of waiting room space plus one (1) space for every two (2) employees.

(27)

Universities, colleges, academies, and similar institutions of higher learning: One (1) parking space for every two (2) employees on the premises at any one (1) time in classroom, museum, theater, library, student center, or physical education buildings, whether for faculty, administration, or maintenance personnel. In addition, a number of spaces equivalent to twenty (20) percent of the total staff spaces shall be constructed to accommodate visitors to each building. In the event that the above-named facilities are to be rented to outside public or private organizations, groups, or activities, the individual parking regulations of such facilities as herein specified shall apply.

(28)

Warehouses, freight and trucking terminals, wholesale businesses: Parking space for all vehicles used directly in the conduct of the business, plus two (2) spaces for each employee.

(29)

Welfare institutions such as asylums and orphanages: One (1) parking space for each staff doctor, plus one (1) space for every three (3) employees, plus one (1) space for every one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross habitable floor area for visitor and resident parking, plus such additional space as required by this schedule because of any supplementary parking-generating activities.

(30)

Other business and service establishments not specifically covered herein: One (1) parking space for every two hundred (200) square feet of gross habitable floor area or sufficient spaces to meet the reasonable demands of the business, as approved by the zoning administrator.

(Ord. No. 3965, § 4, 9-5-23)

(a)

One (1) parking area may contain required spaces for several different uses, but except as otherwise provided in this section, the required space assigned to one (1) use may not be credited to any other use.

(b)

To the extent that developments that wish to make joint use of the same parking spaces operate at different times, the same spaces may be credited to both uses. Eighty (80) percent of the parking spaces required for churches, theaters, or assembly halls whose peak attendance will be at night or on Sunday may be assigned to a use which will be closed at night or on Sunday.

(c)

If the joint use of the same parking spaces by two (2) or more principal uses involves satellite parking spaces (shared spaces), then the provisions of 25-341 (modification for off-site parking) are also applicable.

(d)

In the case of mixed uses (with different parking requirements occupying the same building or premises) or in the case of a joint use of a building or premises by more than one (1) use having the same parking requirements, the parking spaces required shall equal the sum of the requirements of the various uses computed separately, except that parking requirements for permitted accessory retail and service uses in a hotel, motel, or motor lodge that contains fifty (50) or more dwelling units may be reduced by the following percentages:

(e)

Parking must be located within six hundred (600) feet walking distance of the principal building.

(f)

Spaces reserved for specific uses and/or users may not be shared.

(g)

The applicant is responsible for providing the necessary information which demonstrates that shared parking is possible and appropriate at the proposed location.

(a)

Parking spaces for the physically handicapped shall be located as close as possible to ramps, walkways, entrances, and elevators. Where feasible, these parking spaces shall be located so that the physically handicapped are not forced to wheel or walk across main traffic lanes or behind parked cars to reach the ramps and other facilities previously listed. The spaces shall be situated in those areas of the parking lots located nearest to each primary building entrance.

(b)

Each handicap parking space shall contain a rectangular area of at least nineteen (19) feet long by thirteen (13) feet wide.

(c)

The required number of handicap parking spaces shall be as follows:

(d)

Such spaces shall be identified by signs eight (8) feet above grade stating, "Reserved for Physically Handicapped Persons." Where such signs are placed flush against buildings or structures, or in locations not accessible to vehicular or pedestrian traffic, a six (6) foot height is permitted.

(e)

Storm drain grates and similar devices shall not be located within the required means of access for the physically handicapped.

(f)

All handicap parking facilities shall be in conformance with the Maryland Building Code for the Handicapped and Aged.

(a)

All parking facilities containing more than fifty (50) parking spaces shall provide one (1) bicycle parking space or locker for every twenty (20) automobile parking spaces in the facility. No more than twenty (20) bicycle parking spaces or lockers shall be required in any one (1) facility.

(b)

Bicycle parking facilities shall be so located as to be safe from motor vehicle traffic and secure from theft. Interior storage and lockers are encouraged. They shall be properly maintained.

(c)

Any owner or operator of a parking facility who charges a fee for the storage of motor vehicles may charge a reasonable fee for bicycle storage.

(d)

All parking facilities containing more than fifty (50) parking spaces shall provide motorcycle stalls equal to at least two (2) percent of the number of automobile spaces. No more than ten (10) motorcycle stalls shall be required on any one (1) lot.

(a)

If the number of off-street parking spaces required by this chapter cannot reasonably be provided on the same lot where the principal use associated with these parking spaces is located, then spaces may be provided on adjacent or nearby lots in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(b)

All such off-site parking spaces must be located within six hundred (600) feet of the principal building housing the use associated with such parking, or within six hundred (600) feet of the lot on which the use associated with such parking is located if the use is not housed within any principal building. Off-site parking spaces intended for employee use may be located within any reasonable distance.

(c)

The developer wishing to take advantage of the provisions of this section must present satisfactory evidence that he has the permission of the owner or other person in charge of the off-site parking spaces to use such spaces. The developer must also sign an acknowledgment that the continuing validity of the permit depends upon his continuing ability to provide the requisite number of parking spaces.

(d)

Off-site parking spaces shall be used solely for the parking of passenger automobiles. No commercial repair work or service of any kind shall be conducted, and no charge shall be made for parking.

(e)

All off-site parking areas shall be subject to all other applicable requirements of this section.

(f)

The applicant is responsible for providing the necessary information which demonstrates that off-site parking is necessary and that the proposed off-site facility satisfies the all parking requirements of this section.

(g)

Should existing off-site parking spaces which provide the required parking for a use be eliminated, the owner shall secure the necessary parking spaces elsewhere to continue conformance with the requirements of this section.