East Lansdowne City Zoning Code
PART 8
PARKING
§ 27-800 Purposes.
The purposes of this Part are to adequately provide for the parking needs of all uses in the Borough and to set reasonable standards and controls to assure sufficient parking capacity for the uses or potential uses of land within the Borough.
§ 27-801 General Requirements.
1.
As a general requirement, each use in the Borough shall provide sufficient off-street parking and loading area to serve its uses.
2.
In instances where it is physically impossible to provide adequate off-street parking, particularly throughout the Commercial District on Baltimore Avenue, the regulations in § 27-803, Off-Street Parking Standards, will not apply. This exception is only valid where it is physically impossible to provide off-street parking. Where it is possible to provide adequate off-street parking, regulations in § 27-803 shall apply.
§ 27-802 Off-Street Parking.
1.
Off-street parking and loading provisions as set forth in this Part shall be required in all instances, except the remodeling of existing buildings as follows:
A.
In the event of a change of an existing use in an existing building, no additional off-street parking shall be required if the total floor space does not increase and if the new existing use does not require any more spaces under this Part than the use it replaces.
B.
On-street parking spaces immediately adjacent to the property line of existing buildings may be used to count toward the requirements of this Part.
2.
All off-street parking and loading areas, whether required by this Part or not, shall be developed, maintained, and used in accordance with the provisions set forth in this Part.
3.
Parking lots as independent uses shall not be permitted in the Residential District.
§ 27-803 Off-Street Parking Standards.
1.
A parking space shall have a dimension of nine feet by 18 feet. Parking lots with five or more spaces may designate up to 20% of the spaces as compact spaces with dimensions of eight feet by 15 feet.
2.
Parking lots shall comply with the latest adopted Delaware County Land Development and Subdivision Ordinance.
3.
Interior aisles or maneuvering lanes shall have a minimum width as follows:
Angle of Parking Space | Parking Aisle Width (feet) |
|---|---|
Parallel | 12 |
Less than 45° | 17 |
60° to 45° | 19 |
90° to 60° | 22 |
4.
The number of parking spaces required is as follows:
Type of Use | Parking Spaces Required |
|---|---|
Dwelling, single-family detached, semidetached, or attached (townhouse) - 1 bedroom | 1 space |
Dwelling, single-family detached, semidetached, or attached (townhouse) - 2 or more bedrooms | 2 spaces |
Dwelling, multifamily - studio apartment or 1 bedroom | 1 space per dwelling unit |
Dwelling, multifamily - 2 or more bedrooms | 2 spaces per dwelling unit |
Dwelling, multifamily for ages 55 or older | 1 space per 4 dwelling units |
Commercial, office, and institutional | 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet |
Industrial | 1 space per 1,000 square feet |
Warehouse | 0.25 space per 1,000 square feet |
5.
Every required parking space shall have direct access from or to a public street or alley without first requiring movement of another motor vehicle.
6.
The layout of any parking area shall be designed to allow vehicles to move forward when exiting onto a public street, except for the following:
7.
When a use is not specifically listed in the above section, the Zoning Officer shall apply the standard of the most-similar use listed to determine the number of parking spaces required.
8.
No commercial motor vehicle with more than a single rear axle may be stored on a lot in the Residential District, unless such vehicle is kept in a garage at all times.
9.
Parking or storage of disabled or partially dismantled or junk cars, trucks, boats, or other vehicles shall be permitted on a property for a continuous period of no more than 30 days.
11.
Not more than one commercial vehicle with commercial lettering shall be parked in a driveway in the Residential District.
12.
In the Residential District, the parking, storing, or standing of any passenger motor vehicle, trailer, bus, boat, motorcycle, motor scooter, or similar vehicle in the area between the sidewalk and the curb or on the driveway apron (the area between the sidewalk and the curb which is intersected by the driveway) shall be prohibited.
§ 27-804 Off-Street Parking Surfaces.
1.
All off-street parking areas shall be properly graded and drained to dispose of all surface water accumulations within the area.
2.
No surface water from any parking or loading area shall be permitted to drain onto any adjoining property.
3.
Any parking area with access or egress directly onto a street 24 feet or wider in the Commercial District shall be surfaced with an asphalt, bituminous, cement, brick, or other properly bound pavement so as to provide a durable and dustless surface. Other parking lots may be surfaced with pavement or gravel.
4.
Curbs, bumper guards, bollards, or wheel stops shall be installed in parking and loading areas where there is a protective fence, wall, or hedge to ensure that vehicles will not strike them or obstruct public rights-of-way.
§ 27-805 Overflow Parking Surfaces.
Off-street areas used for special event parking (to accommodate occasional overflow volumes) may be constructed of any dust-free, compacted, pervious ground cover. The owner of the property shall be responsible for the maintenance of such parking in a clean and dust-free condition. Grass and mulch are examples of acceptable pervious ground cover.
§ 27-806 Lighting of Parking Areas.
1.
All parking areas for more than 10 vehicles serving business uses and collective residential parking shall be adequately illuminated during the hours between sunset and sunrise when the use is in operation. Any lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking area, whether required or not, shall be so arranged or shielded to protect any adjacent residential premises from the glare of the illumination.
2.
Fixtures shall be equipped with or be capable of being backfitted with light-directing devices such as shields, visors, or hoods when necessary to redirect offending light distribution. Lights shall be installed or aimed so that they do not project their output into the window of a neighboring residence, an adjacent use, directly skyward, or onto a roadway.
§ 27-807 Access Driveways.
1.
Each separate use or group of buildings constructed and maintained on a lot as a unified development shall have no more than two accessways connecting a tract to any one street or highway for each 300 feet of frontage.
2.
The accessway shall be from 11 feet to 22 feet wide in the Commercial District.
3.
In the Commercial District, the accessway shall be on a side street at the rear of the property no less than 30 feet from the corner, unless this is physically not possible.
§ 27-808 Remote Parking Lots.
1.
In the Commercial District, parking lots may be located on a land parcel separate from the building or use they serve. All required parking spaces shall be within 300 feet of the primary use parcel for nonresidential uses.
§ 27-809 Shared Parking Lots.
1.
In the Commercial District, multiple buildings or uses may share parking lots to meet the required parking spaces of this Part, provided that the lot is owned by one or more of the users.
2.
Before a parking lot may serve multiple users, a formal written agreement containing a site plan and the number of spaces to be allocated to each user shall be signed by all of the parties. A copy of this agreement shall be kept on file by the Zoning Officer, who may revoke the zoning permits of the users if the agreement is not maintained.
3.
In order to encourage the maximum use of East Lansdowne's parking lots, the following rules will govern:
A.
If the applicants can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Borough that the peak business hours for each use are substantially different, such as an office having daytime hours combined with a restaurant having peak use in the evening, each space may be counted for both uses.
B.
If the applicants' business hours are substantially the same, the total spaces required shall be the total for all proposed uses.
4.
The applicants shall obtain a special exception from the Zoning Hearing Board.
§ 27-810 Off-Street Loading Areas.
All uses requiring regular shipments and deliveries shall provide sufficient off-street areas for the standing, turning, loading, and unloading of trucks so that the parking and maneuvering of trucks on public streets will be avoided.
1.
Spaces for off-street loading and unloading of motor vehicles shall be provided in accordance with the following table:
Use | Minimum Number of Loading/Unloading Spaces Required |
|---|---|
Retail business and service establishments | 1 for the first 5,000 square feet of gross floor area; 1 for the next 7,500 square feet of gross floor area; 1 for each subsequent 15,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Industrial uses | 1 for the first 15,000 square feet of gross floor area; 1 for the next 25,000 square feet of gross floor area; 1 for each subsequent 20,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Offices | 1 for the first 4,000 square feet of gross floor area; 1 for the next 7,500 square feet of gross floor area; 1 for each subsequent 4,000 square feet of gross floor area |
§ 27-811 Parking Lot Design.
East Lansdowne's Commercial District and many of its traditional neighborhoods were constructed in the era before automobiles became widely used. East Lansdowne's development pattern of closely spaced buildings, often placed up against the street, gives it the distinct neighborhood feel and identity it enjoys today. To retain that special feel in the automobile era, East Lansdowne needs to accommodate cars without demolishing buildings or otherwise destroying the character of its commercial and residential neighborhoods.
1.
Where it is physically possible, parking lots shall be located behind buildings such that buildings separate parking areas from the street. In cases where this is not possible, parking may be located to the side of the building, but in no case shall the parking area be wider than 50% of the lot frontage, and in no case shall parking be located in front of a building. Parking shall not be placed to the side of a building adjacent to a street unless there is no other feasible alternative.
2.
Whenever a parking lot abuts a street, it shall be screened by a four-foot-tall fence constructed of wood, brick, stone, vinyl designed to look like wood, brick, or stone, stucco over concrete block (capped with brick, slate, or stone), or ornamental iron (or ornamental aluminum, steel, or vinyl designed to look like iron). Although hedges and other landscaping are encouraged, they may not substitute for a fence or wall.
§ 27-812 Landscaping and Screening Requirements.
1.
All parking areas containing 10 or more parking spaces and all loading areas shall be landscaped in accordance with the following requirements:
A.
At least 5% of the interior area of the parking facility shall be landscaped. This does not include the perimeter planting provided for beautification or to satisfy screening requirements.
B.
Each planting area shall be at least 25 square feet in area and have no dimension less than five feet.
C.
Each planting area shall contain at least one tree, and the facility as a whole shall contain at least one tree for every 10 parking spaces.
D.
Trees used to satisfy parking lot landscaping requirements shall be a minimum of three-inch caliper at planting and shall be suitable for location in parking lots.
E.
Existing trees shall be preserved wherever possible.
F.
Existing and new trees shall be protected by bollards, high curbs, or other barriers sufficient to minimize damage.
G.
Extensive unbroken pavement areas in large at-grade open parking facilities shall not be permitted. In parking lots containing 25 or more spaces, a row shall contain no more than 15 contiguous parking spaces without a densely planted landscaped buffer of at least the dimensions of one space.