Littleton City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VII
Parking and Loading Requirements
§ 173-32 Parking requirements.
A.
General. Adequate off-street parking must be provided to service all parking demand created by new construction, whether through new structures or additions to old ones, and by change of use of existing structures. Such parking shall be either on the same premises as the activity it services or within 300 feet on a separate parcel, which may be jointly used with other premises for this purpose, provided that the continued joint use of such parcel is ensured through an agreement recorded in the Registry of Deeds.
B.
Schedule of parking area requirements. In applying for a building permit or certificate of use and occupancy, the applicant must demonstrate that the following minimums will be met, unless, in performing site plan review (see § 173-16), the Planning Board determines that special circumstances render a lesser provision adequate for all parking needs. If such lesser provision is allowed, the Planning Board may impose such conditions as it deems necessary. Applicant is encouraged to consider shared parking as a possible means of reducing total parking area, subject to Planning Board approval.
[Amended 5-8-1995 ATM, Art. 32; 5-4-1998 ATM, Art. 34; 5-8-2000 ATM, Art. 27; 11-8-2005 STM, Art. 5]
(1)
Dwellings: two spaces per dwelling unit.
(2)
Motels, hotels, lodging houses: one space per guest unit, plus one space per employee.
(3)
Retail stores: one space per 150 square feet of leasable floor area.
(4)
Offices: one space per 250 square feet of gross floor area, or, if the Planning Board determines that the occupancy can adequately be predicted and controlled, one space per 1.25 employees on the largest shift.
(5)
Industrial, wholesale: one space per 1.25 employees on the largest shift.
(6)
Restaurants: one space per four seats, plus one space per employee on the larger shift.
(7)
Places of assembly: one space per four seats.
(8)
Hospitals: three spaces per bed.
(9)
Nursing homes: one space per four beds.
(10)
Bowling alleys: four spaces per lane.
(11)
All others: one space per 250 square feet of gross leasable area.
(12)
Motor vehicle service stations: one space per pump plus one space per employee, plus three spaces per service bay.
(13)
Motor vehicle service station with retail store: one space per pump, plus one space per employee, plus three spaces per service bay, plus one space per 50 square feet of gross floor area.
(14)
Self-storage facilities: two spaces per 10,000 square feet of gross floor area.
C.
Parking area design. No off-street parking area shall be maintained within 10 feet of a street line. Required parking areas shall be paved and have bumper or wheel guards where needed unless serving a single-family residence or unless, in performing site plan review (see § 173-16), the Planning Board determines that, because of seasonal or otherwise limited use, an alternative surface will adequately prevent dust, erosion, water accumulation or unsightly conditions. For parking areas of eight cars or more, the following shall apply:
(1)
Parking area use shall not require backing onto a public way.
(2)
There shall not be more than one entrance and one exit from such lots per 200 feet of street frontage or fraction thereof. No entrance or exit shall be less than 50 feet from the intersection of side lines of intersecting streets. Wherever possible, lanes of entry shall be separated from lanes of egress by not less than 40 feet and shall be clearly distinguished by directional signs or markers. If necessary to meet these egress requirements, uses shall arrange for shared access.
(3)
Parking lots for eight or more cars shall be screened from any abutting residential use or public way by a four-foot width of densely planted shrubs or a fence of not less than four feet in height.
(4)
Parking spaces shall each provide space adequate to park an automobile, plus means of access, with dimensions meeting standards established by the Planning Board for standard, compact and handicapped spaces.
(5)
Parking areas for eight or more vehicles shall be drained through catch basins equipped with oil and grease traps and sediment traps unless the topography of the site prevents their use.
[Added 5-9-1988 ATM, Art. 14]
(6)
To reduce stormwater discharge and improve the attenuation of pollutants, applicants are required to use stormwater control Best Management Practices (BMPs) and Low Impact Development (LID) techniques in parking lot design (i.e., interior landscaping, vegetated/grassy swales, infiltration planters, permeable pavement, rain gardens, etc.).
[Added 11-8-2005 STM, Art. 5]
§ 173-33 Loading requirements.
Adequate off-street loading facilities and space must be provided to service all needs created by new construction, whether through new structures or additions to old ones, and by change of use of existing structures. Facilities shall be so sized and arranged that no trucks need back onto or off of a public way or be parked on a public way while loading, unloading or waiting to do so.