Allow flexibility in addressing parking, loading and access by permitting construction of a reduced number of parking spaces under appropriate conditions.

Set reasonable standards and provide reasonable controls to assure sufficient parking capacity for the uses or potential uses of land in the Borough.

Prevent hazards to public safety caused by the intrusion of parking upon public rights-of-way.

All parking areas must meet the requirements of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1]

Pedestrian access. Safe provisions for pedestrian access to and through a parking lot shall be required.

Exterior lighting. All exterior lighting shall be designed to prevent glare onto adjacent properties. Surface parking areas and pedestrian pathways need to be clearly marked and well lit. Lighting should be sufficient for security and identification without allowing light to trespass onto adjacent sites. The height of fixtures shall be a maximum of 20 feet for parking lots and 14 feet for pedestrian walkways and shall comply with the Borough's Revitalization Master Plan, where applicable.

Vehicular access. Vehicular access to surface parking shall be from an alley or side street where possible.

Location of surface parking. Parking shall be set back 10 feet from the street right-of-way or property line.

Parking space dimensions. A required off-street parking space shall be nine feet in width and 18 feet in length exclusive of any access drives, aisles or columns.

Interconnected parking areas. New parking areas on abutting nonresidential lots should be interconnected by access driveways. Each nonresidential lot shall provide cross-access easements for its parking areas and access driveways, guaranteeing access to adjacent lots for future connections. Interconnections shall be logically placed and easily identifiable to ensure convenient traffic flow.

For the purposes of this section, a required motor vehicle parking space shall consist of not less than 162 square feet of usable area, shall have dimensions of not less than nine feet in width and 18 feet in length, exclusive of aisles, driveways and maneuvering areas, and shall be suitable for the parking of a motor vehicle. Spaces in parking lots, wherever possible, shall be physically separated from a street or sidewalk by a barrier or buffer area and shall have access to a street or alley by way of an approved curb opening. Aisle space between rows of parked vehicles shall be not less than 24 feet for 90° parking and not less than 20 feet for 60° (or less) parking. In lots without a parking attendant, spaces for customers and clients shall be located with free access to exit aisles. Outdoor parking spaces, and the approaches thereto, shall be paved or covered with gravel or cinders to a minimum depth of two inches. Such outdoor parking space shall be deemed to be part of the open space on the lot on which it is located.

The use is located within 750 feet walking distance from a public parking facility that has available parking spaces for the use proposed or intended at the subject property. Available parking spaces shall mean those spaces that are available for the proposed or intended use at the subject property in consideration of the number of currently unused parking spaces at the public parking facility during peak and nonpeak times.

On-street parking is provided directly in front of or directly behind the building.

Fee-in-lieu of parking spaces, per the requirements of § 181-75 below.

Shared parking, per the requirements of § 181-76 below.

If a new use or change in use cannot meet the minimum on-site parking requirements for a proposed property or use in the TC, NCR or G Districts, Borough Council may allow the payment of a fee in lieu of parking per parking space through an annual zoning use permit to meet all or part of the reduction allowed in § 181-74, On-site parking reduction by special exception.

The fee in lieu shall be an annual fee per space for each parking space reduction requested. The fee amount shall be in accordance with a fee schedule adopted from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council upon the enactment or as such schedule may be amended by resolution of the Borough Council. Said fee schedule will be kept on file at Borough Hall.

The Borough Parking Fund shall be used for:

A shared parking agreement (for two uses) or a shared parking district (for more than two uses), which involves a contractual agreement between users, is required and recorded. A shared parking agreement allows users an opportunity, if they choose, to redesign parking lots to be more efficient in serving multiple users. This may consist of making new curb cuts between parking lots, restriping lots, or redesigning internal traffic circulation and pedestrian walkways.

That some portion of the shared parking area lies within 750 feet from a regularly used entrance into the building served by the shared parking arrangement.

That sufficient area shall be set aside for the remainder of the required spaces, according to § 181-74, On-site parking reduction by special exception, above.

The minimum amount of shared parking required shall be calculated according to the following formula (see Table 4 below):

When a lawful building or use not meeting the requirements for motor vehicle parking is increased in gross floor area by 50% or less, then only the addition shall be required to meet the standards of this Article XIV. The existing building or use is not required to come into compliance with the standards of this Article XIV.

When a lawful building or use not meeting the requirements for motor vehicle parking is increased in gross floor area by more than 50%, then both the existing building or use and the addition shall be required to meet the standards of this Article XIV. This provision shall be cumulative and shall apply to any single or group of successive increases that occur after the effective date of this Article XIV.

Where possible, vehicular access to parking garages shall be taken from alleys or driveways off the street or located behind or to the side of a building. No vehicular access shall be taken from York Road.

For structures located on York Road, retail storefronts or other business uses on the street level shall be required for 100% of the frontage on York Road. These retail and service spaces shall incorporate display windows, canopies/awnings, and recessed entrance doors to enhance the parking structure.

When the parking garage is situated with one or more of its facades facing a street other than York Road, 100% of the first-floor frontage of each street-facing facade shall be maintained for walk-in retail and service uses, excluding the minimum area necessary for vehicular and pedestrian accessways to such garage structure. These retail and service spaces shall incorporate display windows, canopies/awnings, and recessed entrance doors to enhance the parking structure.

Utilitarian appearances of parking structures are not permitted. Structures shall have design treatments such as colonnades, arcades, awnings, landscaping, street furniture, and other public amenities to create the appearance of an occupied building. Blank walls are not permitted.

Cars shall be visually screened from adjacent buildings and the street, and such screening shall be in keeping with the rest of the building's architectural style and materials. Any portion of a parking garage that fronts a street shall have all openings (second story and above) screened along the entire facade of such structure. Screening techniques may include the use of display windows, decorative grillwork, decorative glass, decorative masonry or a combination of these methods or similar methods so as to ensure that vehicles within the garage are screened from the view of cars and pedestrians.

Deck structure visible from the street must be horizontal rather than sloping.

Parking structure facades that are visible to the public shall consist of high-quality materials such as brick, concrete banding, glass block banding or other materials characteristic of the Borough's architecture. Upper levels must use articulation or fenestration treatments that break up the massing of the garage and/or add visual interest.

For new construction, service and loading areas must be to the side and rear of the building. Loading docks shall not be on the main street and shall be visually screened from the street and pedestrianways. The Borough Zoning Officer shall have the authority to designate the area considered to be the main street.

The location and size of loading areas shall be adequate for the safe maneuvering and parking of trucks, so that ingress and egress can occur on the lot without backing out onto a public street.

Loading areas shall be lit to provide security and safety; however, lighting shall be shielded to prevent glare onto adjacent properties.