Greenwich Township City Zoning Code
§ 16-10.4
General requirements for off-street parking areas.
[Ord. No. 12/29/75 A.X § 10.4; amended by Ord. No. 1999-1; Ord. No. 2014-02]
No building permit or certificate of occupancy shall be issued by the building inspector for any construction or alteration of a building, the use of land or change in use in a nonresidential zone, until a site plan shall have been submitted to the Land Use Board as provided by ordinance and the Land Use Board shall have ascertained that all of the following requirements will be complied with:
a.
All off-street parking areas shall be surfaced with an asphalt, bituminous or cement binder pavement which shall be graded and drained to dispose of all surface water as approved by the Township Engineer.
b.
All lighting in connection with building exteriors, walks and off-street parking shall be so arranged and shielded as to reflect the light downward away from all adjoining and nearby residence buildings, residence zones and streets.
c.
In addition to required parking lot planting as designated in Subsection 16-10.4h below, the off-street parking area shall be effectively screened on any side which adjoins or faces premises situated in any residential zone by a screening consisting of an evergreen hedge of sufficient height and density as to obscure the view of such parking, using plant materials approved by the Land Use Board; provided, however, that a decorative fence or wall not less than four feet nor more than six feet in height, maintained in good condition, may be substituted if approved by the Land Use Board. The Land Use Board shall not approve a hedge of less than three feet in height measured at the time of planting. At the discretion of the reviewing Board, these additional plantings may be waived where such parking is screened by a frontage buffer or transition buffer provided pursuant to Subsection 16-4.14.
d.
No part of any off-street parking area shall extend into any required front yard more than the front yard setback requirement of the zone in which it is situated unless specifically permitted in the respective zone.
e.
All off-street parking areas shall be used solely for the parking of motor vehicles and no commercial repair work or service of any kind shall be conducted on such parking lot. No sign, other than entrance, exit, ownership, and condition of use signs, shall be maintained.
f.
Off-street parking facilities, as accessory to any use permitted in a residence zone, shall be provided on the same lot with the permitted principal building.
g.
Off-street parking facilities required by the provisions of this chapter shall be provided on the same lot with the permitted principal building, except that in the B-1 and MXD Zones, parking may be provided on an adjacent and contiguous property where preexisting undersized lot conditions prevent all parking from being accomplished on site and where the Land Use Board finds that no reasonable alternative to such parking exists. In addition, loading and unloading spaces shall be prohibited in the area between the front building line and the street. Not more than 25% of required nonresidential parking shall be located between the front building line and the street except as permitted below:
1.
There shall be no restriction of such parking where a transition buffer or frontage buffer is provided between the parking and the street in accordance with subsections 16-4.14b and 16-4.14d.1.
2.
To the extent possible, parking areas should be located within side or rear yards. Where the Board finds that the 25% limitation of parking location as indicated is impractical or unworkable due to particular site conditions, parking may be located in between the front building line and street, provided that all other chapter requirements are met. In such cases, additional landscaping may be required by the Board to further mitigate the view of front yard parking.
h.
Parking lot landscaping.
1.
Except for detached single-family dwelling units, a screen planting, berm, fence, wall or combination thereof, no less than three feet in height, shall be provided between the off-street parking areas (including drive-through lanes and interior drives running parallel to other roads) and any lot line or street line except where a building intervenes or where such area is screened behind a transition or frontage buffer provided pursuant to Subsection 16-4.14. When adjoining or facing premises situated in any residential zone, additional planting may be required to obscure the view of such parking pursuant to Subsection 16-10.4c, except where this intent is met with a required transition or frontage buffer.
2.
Parking lot street frontage screening and perimeter screening shall be a minimum of five feet wide. Shrubs used for screening shall be planted in a double row. At the discretion of the reviewing Board, these plantings may be waived where such parking is screened by a frontage buffer or transition buffer provided pursuant to Subsection 16-4.14.
3.
All loading areas shall be landscaped and screened sufficiently to obscure the view of trucks, loading platforms and loading activities from any lot line or street line throughout the year. Such screening shall be an extension of the building, fence, berm, wall, planting or combination thereof and shall not be less than six feet in height. At the discretion of the reviewing Board, these plantings may be waived where such parking is screened by a frontage buffer or transition buffer provided pursuant to Subsection 16-4.14.
4.
In parking lots, at least 5% of the total square footage of interior parking area, including accessways, shall be landscaped with shrub plantings no higher than three feet. Such landscaped areas shall be distributed throughout the parking area in order to break the view of parking cars in a manner not impairing visibility. The landscaping should be located in protected areas such as along walkways, in center islands or at the end of bays. In parking lots containing more than 100 vehicles, at least 8% of the interior parking area shall be landscaped with shrubs.
5.
Interior parking lot landscaping, as noted above, shall not be required for parking lots with 20 or less parking spaces.
6.
One shade tree measuring a minimum of 2 1/2 inch to three-inch caliper shall be provided for every four parking spaces in the vicinity of the parking lot and within planting islands. The preservation or relocation of existing trees is encouraged to meet this requirement. This provision excludes trees required for landscape buffers or street tree planting.
7.
Curbed planting islands of nine feet in width shall be placed at the end of each row of parking spaces along an internal traffic aisle.
8.
A maximum of 20 parking spaces shall be permitted in a row without a curbed planting island of nine feet in width. At the Board's discretion, seven-foot by seven-foot curbed planting diamonds containing shade trees may be considered if overall effect exceeds that which would be created by standard planting islands.
9.
Parking lots in excess of 100 vehicles shall, where practical, be subdivided into modules of not more than 60 spaces, utilizing continuous curbed planting islands of a minimum ten-foot width located perpendicular to the parking stalls.
10.
Landscaping within parking lots shall not obstruct the view of approaching vehicles. Shrubs within sight lines shall not exceed a mature height of three feet and trees shall not contain branches lower than seven feet in height as measured from the curbline.
11.
Parking areas shall be screened from interior drives using evergreen, deciduous and flowering trees and shrubs to create a continuous landscape strip. Pedestrian walkways shall be integrated within these strips where determined necessary by the Land Use Board.
12.
Interior parking and landscaping shall, insofar as possible be used to delineate and guide major traffic movement within the parking area so as to prevent cross-space driving wherever possible. A portion of the landscaping for interior parking spaces, not to exceed 40% of the total requirement, may be relocated so as to emphasize corridors or spatial landscaped areas within the general parking area, if helpful in achieving better traffic patterns or use, or in achieving greater overall aesthetic effect.
13.
Parking structures shall receive landscape treatment which softens the bulk and scale of the structures and screens the ground level cars from public rights-of-way and buildings. Deck level planting shall be treated similarly to a parking lot on grade.
i.
Any owner or group of owners of a business building or buildings may jointly sponsor off-street parking facilities, provided that the area of the parking facilities equals the total parking area requirement of each owner participating therein, and further provided that such jointly sponsored facilities comply with all the other requirements of this chapter. In addition, all entrances and exits shall be recorded as permanent easements or rights-of-way and deeded to the Township.
j.
Those portions of the property which are not used for off-street parking or landscaped in accordance with the requirements of Subsection 16-10.4h shall be attractively planted with trees, shrubs, plants in size and number, and grass lawns as may be required by the Land Use Board. Special plantings or fences as may be required by the Land Use Board in addition to those required in Subsection 16-10.4h shall be provided along the zone boundary lines so that parking areas shall not be visible from the adjoining or adjacent residential properties, where the required plantings in Subsection 16-10.4h are not sufficient to meet this purpose. All portions of the property which are landscaped shall be adequately maintained by the owner, keeping all plantings alive and healthy or replaced. See also Subsection 16-10.4r below.
k.
The entire perimeter of all parking areas and the edges of all entrances and exits shall be enclosed with a granite block or concrete curbing at least six inches above the paving surface and shall meet the requirements of the New Jersey Department of Transportation standard specifications. Curbing shall not be less than five feet from any fences or screening, nor less than five feet from any building. Where minimum distances from parking area to property lines, to buildings and to zone boundary lines as set forth in required conditions under the particular zone regulations, differ from five feet, the curbing shall be at the distance prescribed under the particular zone's required conditions.
l.
All parking areas shall be designed with service aisles to meet the following standards:
Parallel - to thirty-degree-angle parking — twelve-foot aisle width. |
Thirty-one-degree to forty-five-degree-angle parking — fourteen-foot aisle width. |
Forty-six-degree to sixty-degree-angle parking — eighteen-foot aisle width. |
Sixty-one-degree to ninety-degree-angle parking and access drives — twenty-four-foot aisle widths. |
Only one-way traffic circulation shall be permitted in 12, 14 and 18 foot aisle widths. |
Each parking space shall have a rectangular area of at least 200 square feet, exclusive of access drives or aisles, at least 10 feet in width and 20 feet in length. |
m.
Lines showing the proper width and depth of parking spaces as required by this chapter shall be painted on the parking surface and shall be maintained at all times. These parking space markings shall be double-sided between spaces with lines 18 inches on center. Lines shall be four inches wide. Markings for designated handicapped parking spaces shall be in accordance with applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
n.
All new uses or expansion of existing uses in nonresidential zones shall be required to provide curbs, sidewalks and shade trees within the street right-of-way. All such facilities shall be installed in accordance with Township specifications.
o.
The amount of off-street parking area to be paved may be reduced by the Land Use Board if it can be clearly demonstrated by the applicant that such additional parking area is not necessary; provided, however, that the entire amount of such unpaved parking area must at all times be kept attractively landscaped and available for parking in the event that future conditions should so require. In the event that any factors relied upon by the applicant for a reduction of the paved parking area shall change to such an extent, as determined by the Land Use Board, to require an addition to the paved parking area, the Land Use Board shall order such increase as it deems necessary after giving the applicant a reasonable opportunity to be heard thereon. No such increase so ordered shall be in excess of the requirements of this chapter.
p.
No certificate of occupancy shall be issued unless, at time of completion, said off-street parking area fully complies with all of the Land Use Board's requirements, as certified in writing by the Land Use Board.
q.
Parking areas for the physically handicapped shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Designated handicapped parking spaces shall be located on the shortest route of travel from adjacent parking to an accessible entrance.
r.
Maintenance of off-street parking and loading areas.
1.
Every parcel of land hereafter used as a public or private off-street parking or loading area shall be maintained in good condition, free of hazards and deterioration. All pavement areas, sidewalks, curbs, drainage facilities, lighting, bumpers, guardrails, markings, signs, bicycle parking devices, landscaping and other improvements shall be maintained in workable, safe and good conditions. Said maintenance shall be the subject of a developer's agreement which shall be part of the requirement for the grant of any nonresidential preliminary approval.
2.
The governing body may authorize repairs for such improvements if, after proper notice, the owner falls to maintain such improvements and/or such conditions constitute a hazard to health and safety or where such improvements are governed by a development or other similar agreement which are described in subsections 14-3.6c.2 and 15-8.9c.2.
s.
Where pedestrians must cross service roads or access roads to reach parking areas, crosswalks should be clearly designated by pavement markings and be in accordance with applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
t.
In business districts, provision for pedestrian access between adjoining commercial lots should be encouraged.
u.
All parking and loading spaces and driveways shall be so arranged that cars and trucks may be turned on the lot so that it is not necessary to back into any street.