(a)

Requirement.

(1)

Each use established, enlarged, or altered in any district shall provide and satisfactorily maintain off-street parking spaces in accordance with Table 7.1, the regulations of this article and the Kennett Square subdivision and land development ordinance.

(2)

Uses not specifically listed in Table 7.1 shall comply with the requirements for the most similar use listed in Table 7.1.

(3)

Where a proposed use contains or includes more than one type of use (regardless of whether each use is listed in Table 7.1 or is an unlisted use), the number of parking spaces required shall be the sum of the parking requirements for each separate use.

(4)

Where the computation of required parking spaces results in a fractional number, the fraction of one-quarter or more shall be counted as one.

(5)

Any of the following alternative standards, or a combination of them, may be utilized to comply with the parking requirements for a nonresidential use in the C-1, C-2, C-3, OI-1, or TBO district. The parking for the proposed use must be located in a zoning district where the proposed use is a permitted use, except for off-street parking meeting the requirements of section 23-66(g) of this chapter.

(A)

On-site parking spaces, including proper vehicular access;

(B)

For a use located within the C-1, C-2, C-3, or TBO district, the owner or occupant of the tract has a contract with an initial term of greater than five years duration with a public or private property owner for the required off-street parking within six hundred feet of a proposed use located within the C-1, C-2, C-3, or TBO district, or for a use located in the OI-1 district, within one thousand five hundred feet of the proposed use;

(C)

Sufficient parking spaces are or will be conveniently available in a public parking facility within six hundred feet of the proposed use located within the C-1, C-2, C-3, or TBO district, or for a use located in the OI-1 district, within one thousand five hundred feet of the proposed use. The sufficiency of parking shall be documented by an analysis and report of a qualified parking consultant. The report shall be reviewed and determined to be sufficient by the borough codes enforcement officer, or, on appeal, by application for special exception filed with the zoning hearing board;

(D)

An agreement with the borough showing compliance with the parking requirement through existing or planned public off-street parking spaces within one thousand five hundred feet of the proposed use located within the C-1, C-2, C-3, OI-1 or TBO district, together with a contribution to a borough parking fund pursuant to the fee schedule established by resolution.

(b)

Conditional Reduction in Off-Street Parking Areas.

(1)

The borough 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 limit stormwater runoff; and

(C)

That unique circumstances associated with a land use may justify a reduction in the parking requirements of section 23-65(a) of this chapter.

(2)

The borough council may permit a reduction, through the special exception review process of section 23-29(b) of this chapter, of the number of parking spaces to be initially developed as required by section 23-65(a) of this chapter, provided each of the following conditions are satisfied:

(A)

The applicant shall demonstrate to the board, using existing and projected (five years) employment, customer, or other relevant data, that a reduction in the off-street parking spaces to be initially developed as required by section 23-65(a), is warranted.

* Of all area occupied by equipment, furnishings, or inventory accessible to customers or patrons, but not including corridors, toilet rooms, and other such accessory rooms as may be provided.

** Of all area occupied by equipment, furnishings, or inventory accessible to employees, but not including corridors, toilet rooms, and other such accessory rooms as may be provided.

Note: Where the word "employee" is used in this table, it is intended to mean "full-time employee plus the full-time equivalent of part-time employees during the peak shift."

(B)

(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 requirement in section 23-65(a) of this chapter.

(2)

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

(3)

The portion of the required parking spaces conditionally reserved for potential future use shall not be within areas for required buffer yards, setbacks, or areas which would otherwise be unsuitable for parking spaces 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 and remain in open space.

(C)

(1)

The applicant shall enter into an agreement with the borough requiring the applicant to: (i) maintain each conditionally reserved area as attractively landscaped open space; and (ii) convert some or all of the conditionally reserved area to additional off-street parking if at any time borough council finds (based upon the results of field investigations and recommendations of the borough engineer) that additional parking is needed.

(2)

This agreement shall be recorded to the deed as a covenant running with the land.

(Ord. No. 761, § 701; Ord. No. 778, § 8; Ord. No. 798, § 22; Ord. No. 831 (part); Ord. No. 858 § 3; Ord. No. 898, §§ 3, 4, 7-2-2012; Ord. No. 940, § 10, 8-7-2017; Ord. No. 947, § 4, 4-15-2019; Ord. No. 963, § 1, 8-3-2020; Ord. No. 983, § 4, 8-4-2025; Ord. No. 985, § 4, 8-4-2025)

(a)

Existing Parking. Structures and uses in existence at the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter shall not be subject to the requirements of this article, provided that the kind or extent of use is not changed and that any parking facility now serving such structures or uses shall not in the future be reduced to an amount less than that required by this chapter.

(b)

Changes in Use. Whenever a building or use (including those specified in subsection (a) of this section) is changed or enlarged in floor area, number of employees, number of dwellings, seating capacity or otherwise to create a need, based upon the requirements of section 23-65 of this chapter for an increase of ten percent or more in the number of existing parking spaces, the number of additional spaces to be provided shall be based upon the incremental change or enlargement so required.

(c)

Handicapped Parking.

(1)

Number of Spaces. Any lot including four or more off-street parking spaces shall include a minimum of one handicapped space. The following number of handicapped spaces shall be provided, unless a revised regulation is officially established under the Federal Americans With Disabilities Act:

(2)

Location. Handicapped parking spaces shall be located where they would result in the shortest reasonable accessible distance to a handicapped accessible building entrance. Curb cuts shall be provided as needed to provide access from the handicapped spaces.

(3)

Minimum Size. Each required handicapped parking space shall be eight feet by eighteen feet. In addition, each space shall be adjacent to a five feet wide access aisle. Such access aisle may be shared by two handicapped spaces by being placed between them. However, one out of every eight required handicapped parking spaces shall have an adjacent access aisle of eight feet width instead of five feet.

(4)

Slope. Handicapped parking spaces shall be located in areas of less than six percent slope in any direction.

(5)

Marking. All required handicapped spaces shall be well marked by clearly visible signs and/or pavement markings.

(d)

Continuing Character of Obligation.

(1)

All required parking facilities shall be provided and maintained so long as the use which the facilities were designed to serve still exists.

(2)

Off-street parking facilities shall not be reduced in total extent except when such reduction is in conformity with the requirements of this article in conjunction with a change in the nature of the use.

(e)

Conflict With Other Uses. No parking area shall be used for any other use that interferes with its availability for the parking need it is required to serve.

(f)

Location of Parking Spaces.

(1)

Required off-street parking spaces shall be located on the same lot or premises with the principal use served, or for nonresidential use in a C-1, C-2, C-3, or TBO districts only, in accordance with section 23-65(a)(5) and/or section 23-66(f), or, on the occasion of conversion from single-family to two-family or multi-family occupancy in an R-3 District only, available on street parking or other neighborhood parking may be used pursuant to approval of a conditional use by borough council.

(2)

Off-street parking and loading areas may be placed in any required side, front or rear yard, but not closer than fifteen feet to any street line, except that no nonresidential parking area or lot shall be located in a required front yard in the residence and professional office districts, nor shall such parking area in a residence and professional office district be located closer than ten feet to any side yard line.

(g)

Joint Use.

(1)

In addition to and in combination with the alternative parking standards set forth in section 23-65(a)(5), two or more uses may provide for required parking in a common parking lot; the total number of spaces in such lot shall not be less than the sum of the spaces required for each use individually, unless such lot is provided as specified in subsection (g)(2) of this section.

(2)

Up to fifty percent of the parking spaces for: (i) bowling alleys, theaters, auditoriums or private clubs, and up to one hundred percent of the parking spaces required for churches, meeting halls, offices, public recreation centers or public uses may be provided collectively and used jointly by, (ii) banks, offices, retail stores, repair shops, restaurants, service establishments and similar uses not normally open, used or operated during the same hours as those listed in subsection (i) of this subsection (2); provided, however, that a written agreement assuring the continued availability of such parking areas shall be approved by the borough solicitor, and filed with the application for the zoning permit.

(h)

Parking of Commercial Vehicles. Only one commercial motor vehicle may park on a residential lot within a residential district, provided that it does not exceed eleven thousand pounds gross vehicle weight.

(i)

Temporary Parking for Civic and Charitable Events. Parking will be provided at the rate of one space for every three persons expected to attend the event, estimated from attendance in previous years, if available, and one space for every two workers. Also, the proper law enforcement officials shall be contacted and safe access and traffic control provided.

(Ord. No. 761, § 702; Ord. No. 806, § 10)

(Ord. No. 985, §§ 5, 6, 8-4-2025)

(a)

General Requirements.

(1)

The design standards specified in this section shall be mandatory for all new off-street parking facilities with a capacity of six or more vehicles.

(2)

Every parking facility shall be designed so that its use does not constitute a nuisance, hazard or unreasonable impediment to traffic.

(3)

Every parking area shall be arranged for orderly, safe movement.

(4)

No parking area shall be designed to require or encourage parked vehicles to back into a public street in order to leave a parking space.

(5)

Every parking area shall be designed so that each motor vehicle may proceed to and from the parking space provided for it without requiring the moving of any other motor vehicle.

(6)

No parking area shall be located in a required buffer yard.

(b)

Parking Spaces.

(1)

Each parking space shall have a stall width of at least nine feet except that this dimension may be reduced to eight and one-half feet in the C-1 District for parking garages and nine feet for other parking.

(2)

Each parking space shall have a stall depth of at least eighteen feet, except that the minimum depth shall be at least twenty-two feet for parallel parking.

(3)

All spaces shall be marked so as to indicate their location, except those of a single-family or two-family dwelling.

(c)

Aisles.

(1)

Each aisle providing access to stalls for one-way traffic only shall be at least the minimum aisle width specified as follows:

(2)

Each aisle providing access to stalls for two-way traffic shall be at least twenty-four feet in width.

(3)

No aisle shall exceed two hundred feet in length.

(d)

Entrance and Exit Drives.

(1)

Each entrance and exit drive shall have a minimum width of eighteen feet at the street line for one-way use only and a minimum width of thirty feet at the curb line for two-way use, except that for four spaces or less the driveway shall accommodate the use and shall be a minimum of nine feet wide.

(2)

Adequate provisions shall be made to maintain uninterrupted parallel drainage along a public street at the point of driveway or access drive entry.

(3)

At least forty feet shall be provided between any two access drives along one street for one lot.

(4)

No access drive or driveway shall be less than thirty feet from any street intersection. Clear sight triangle provisions as described in article IV, section 23-34(c)(2) of this chapter shall apply to these access points.

(5)

Where sidewalks and curbing exist on adjoining property, or are required for the subject property, adequate provisions shall be made for continuous curbing and sidewalks across the entrance and exit drives.

(e)

Grading, Surface Drainage. Except for areas that are landscaped and so maintained, all portions of required parking facilities, including driveways, shall be graded, surfaced with asphalt or other suitable material, and drained to the extent necessary to prevent dust, erosion, or excessive water flow across streets or adjoining properties, in a manner approved by the borough engineer.

(f)

Nighttime Illumination.

(1)

Any parking area designed for use by four or more cars after dusk shall be adequately illuminated.

(2)

All lighting fixtures used to illuminate parking areas shall be arranged to prevent glare into public streets and adjoining properties.

(g)

Street Separations. Except where entrance and exit drives cross street lines, all parking areas for any purpose other than single-family residences shall be physically separated from any public street by an approved curb and by a planting strip which shall not be less than ten feet in depth. This planting strip shall be parallel to the right-of-way line and shall be measured from the right-of-way line.

(h)

Screening and Landscaping. Any parking area of six or more spaces which is not within a building and abuts or is across a street from any lot in an R-1, R-2a and R-2b Residential District, shall be provided with a suitable fence, wall, or evergreen planting at least four feet in height, designed to screen visibility and headlight glare from such residential lot. Interior planter islands may be required by the borough to reduce glare and provide shade for the parked cars. Said plantings and landscaping materials shall be maintained.

(Ord. No. 761, § 703; Ord. No. 778, § 8)

(a)

General Requirement. Off-street loading sufficient to accommodate the maximum demand generated by the use of the lot and with proper access from the street or alley as determined by the zoning officer or another applicable review agent for the borough shall be provided on any lot on which a building for business or industry is hereafter erected. All off-street loading and unloading spaces shall be graded, surfaced with asphalt or other suitable material, and drained to the satisfaction of the borough engineer to the extent necessary to protect adjoining property.

(b)

Minimum Size. Each off-street loading and unloading space shall be a minimum of fourteen feet by seventy-five feet and in addition have sufficient maneuvering room separate from other parking to eliminate traffic conflicts within off-street loading and parking areas.

(c)

Driveways. In the General Commercial (C-2), and Industrial Districts (I-1) the maximum width of driveways and sidewalk openings measured at the street lot line shall be thirty-five feet; the minimum width shall be twenty feet. In all other districts the maximum width of driveways and sidewalk openings measured at the street lot line shall be thirty feet; the minimum width shall be eighteen feet.

(Ord. No. 761, § 704)