A.

No land shall be used or occupied and no structure shall be erected or used unless the off-street parking spaces required herein are provided. Such parking spaces are not required for any structure or use existing prior to the effective date of this ordinance or any amendment thereto this ordinance; provided, however, that parking spaces, as specified in this ordinance, shall be provided, subject to the requirements of article IV for any enlargement, alteration or change to any such existing structure or use. The following are the maximum number of parking spaces required:

1.

Dwellings: Two spaces for each unit.

2.

Hotels, motels and lodginghouses: Two parking spaces for each unit or room to be rented. (If [a] restaurant is included, see # [subsection] 5 of this section.)

3.

Office uses: One parking space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area, plus one parking space for each employee.

4.

Hospital, nursing homes or other institutions: One parking space for every two beds, plus one parking space for every employee.

5.

Restaurant, theater, country clubs, golf courses, churches or other places of public assembly or use: One parking space for every four seats or for every four persons of capacity. One parking space for every employee.

6.

Retail or personal service business: One parking space for every 300 square feet of floor area devoted to sales.

7.

Manufacturing, industrial, storage or wholesale use: One parking space for every employee and one parking space for every truck operated by the company at maximum employment level.

8.

Handicapped parking: Handicapped parking requirements shall conform to the Rhode Island State Building Code, section 14-16, as amended.

9.

The planning board shall determine parking standards for any use not defined above.

10.

Any use requiring in excess of 125 parking spaces shall apply to the zoning board of review for [a] special use permit.

B.

Construction requirements exempting single-family dwellings:

1.

In allocating area for off-street parking facilities, each parking space shall have a minimum width of nine feet, a minimum length of 18 feet, and shall be served by suitable aisles to permit access into all parking spaces. In no case shall the gross area per parking space be less than 300 square feet.

2.

Such parking area shall be treated with impervious or pervious surfacing materials and shall have appropriate bumper or wheel guards, where needed. However, pervious materials or surfacing approved by the planning board is encouraged within 200 feet of any freshwater wetlands and within the groundwater protection district as regulated by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM).

3.

The interior of parking areas shall be suitably landscaped and maintained with trees, shrubs, vegetation or other live vegetative ground cover. Standards shall be in accordance with the standards contained in the town's subdivision regulations.

4.

No parking shall be within a front yard setback which will be left in a vegetative state.

5.

All lights or lighting fixtures used to illuminate said parking area shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises and streets by means of shielding or similar manner.

6.

Entrances and exit[s] for each parking area shall be signed with adequate off-street area[s] for approach, turning and exit without the need of ability to use any part of a street. All driveways shall be a minimum of 12 feet in width for each lane of traffic using such driveway. However, the width of any driveway shall not exceed 30 feet. No driveway shall be within 20 feet of another driveway.

7.

No parking space or aisle shall be less than ten feet from any side or rear yard property line and no parking space or aisle shall be less than five feet from any building. Parking spaces less than ten feet from any building shall be separated from such building by raised curb, bumper or wheel guards. The equipment of this subsection shall not be applied to detached single-family dwellings.

8.

Where a parking facility lies within or adjoins a residential district, an opaque fence or a double row compact evergreen screen not less than six feet in height shall be erected or planted and maintained between the parking facility and any adjoining residential district.

C.

All parking plans for any structure other than a residential single-family dwelling must be presented to the planning board for approval.

D.

There shall be no parking or storage of commercial registered vehicles containing the weight of over 20,000 GVW (gross vehicle weight) in any residential zone except for the storage of farm vehicles. The parking or storage of said commercial vehicles shall not be parked within any front yard setback.

E.

The storage and parking of recreational vehicles in a residential district which is owned by an occupant, including travel trailers, pickup trucks, campers, tent trailers, motor homes, boats and boat trailers shall be governed by the following requirements:

1.

No such recreational vehicle, while parked or stored in any district, shall be used for permanent living or housekeeping purposes for more than one week.

2.

No such recreational vehicle shall be stored in required front yard area nor closer than 20 feet to a side or rear lot line.

3.

No such recreational vehicle shall be stored outdoors unless in condition for its intended function or can be brought to functional condition within a six-month period.

4.

Overnight parking of buses. Overnight parking of buses shall not be permitted in a residential (RE-2, RU-3, RU-4, CR-5) district.

(Ord. of 1-6-03(2), §§ 1—3)

A.

Off-street loading specifications:

1.

For each nonresidential use of structure under 1,000 square feet of gross floor area or ground area in which commodities are sold, displayed, repaired, serviced, fabricated or altered as the principal use of the land or buildings; off-street loading space of no less than 300 square feet of area shall be provided.

2.

For each use of over 1,000 square feet of gross floor area or land area devoted to such use, one off-street loading space at least 60 feet in length and 12 feet in width shall be provided with a minimum overhead clearance of no less than 14 feet.

3.

Additional off-street loading space may be required by the planning board when deemed necessary to provide adequate off-street loading space to serve the intended use.

B.

Location of off-street loading space: Required off-street loading space shall be on the site of the principal use or on a contiguous site and shall be designed to prevent intrusion of loading or unloading vehicles into any street or sidewalk during loading or unloading. In no case shall any of the required off-street loading space be part of the area used to fulfill the off-street parking requirement associated with the intended use of the land or structure.