Melrose City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XI
Off-Street Parking
§ 235-11.1 Motor vehicle parking.
[Amended 4-7-2025 by Order No. 2025-2]
A.
Off-street parking spaces shall be provided for every new structure, the enlargement of an existing structure, the development of a new land use or any change in an existing use of a structure in its entirety according to Table 11.1 Off-Street Parking Requirements. The parking code stipulated in the Table of Use and Parking Regulations corresponds to the parking code in the Table of Off-Street Parking Regulations. The parking requirements for the overlay districts are found in Article VII (Overlay Districts and Special Regulations).
B.
When the computation of required parking spaces results in the requirement of a fractional space, any fraction of 1/2 or more shall require one space.
C.
Required parking that exists for an established use cannot be reduced or eliminated.
Table 11.1 Off-Street Parking Requirements | ||
|---|---|---|
Parking Code | Use | Number of Off-Street Parking Spaces |
A1 | Dwelling, single-family | 2 |
A2 | Dwelling, two-family | 4 |
B | Dwelling, multifamily | 2 per dwelling unit, except in the BA-1 and BA-2 Districts, in which case it shall be 1 per dwelling unit |
C | Lodging house, dormitory, fraternity, sorority, YMCA, YWCA and similar types of group quarters | 1 per rental or sleeping unit; any bedroom or group of 2 beds in a single room constitutes a sleeping unit |
D | Theater, restaurant, gymnasium, auditorium or similar place of public assembly with seating facilities | 1 for each 4 seats of total seating capacity |
E | Automotive retail and service establishment and other retail and service establishments utilizing extensive display areas, either indoor or outdoor, which are unusually extensive in relation to customer traffic | 1 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor space; in the case of outdoor display areas, 1 for each 1,000 square feet of lot area in such use |
F | Hotel, motel or tourist court | 1 for each sleeping room and 1 for each 400 square feet of meeting area and restaurant space |
G | Other retail, service, finance, insurance or real estate establishment or adult use | 1 per each 300 square feet of gross floor space |
G-1 | Medical office | 1 per each 200 square feet of gross floor area |
H | Wholesale establishment, warehouse or storage establishment | 1 per each 1,000 square feet of gross floor space |
I | Manufacturing or industrial establishment | 1 per each 600 square feet of gross floor space or 0.75 per each employee of the combined employment of the 2 largest successive shifts, whichever is larger |
J | Hospital | 1 per each 600 square feet of gross floor area |
K | Nursing home | 1 per bed at design capacity |
L | Business, trade or industrial school or college; country club | 1 for each 200 square feet of gross floor area in classrooms and other teaching stations, plus space for gymnasium or auditorium, whichever has the larger capacity (refer to Code D) |
M | Other school | 2 per classroom in an elementary and junior high school; 4 per classroom in a senior high school, plus space for auditorium or gymnasium, whichever has the larger capacity (refer to Code D) |
N | Community facility (City building, recreation, etc.) | 1 per each 400 square feet of gross floor space |
O | Public utility | 1 for each 400 square feet of gross floor area devoted to office use; 1 for each 800 square feet of gross floor area per other use |
P | Transportation terminal establishment; home occupation | 1 for each 600 square feet of gross floor area |
Q | Mixed-use | Sum of various uses computed separately, except that for a mixed-use building with residential and commercial uses, there is no parking requirement for the commercial uses |
R | Any use permitted by this chapter not interpreted to be covered by this schedule | Closest similar use as shall be determined by the Building Commissioner |
T | Mixed residential and home occupation use | The applicable residential off-street parking requirement plus 1 for each 600 square feet of gross floor area used for home occupation |
U | Accessory Dwelling Unit | Minimum: None. Maximum: one per ADU. |
§ 235-11.2 Bicycle parking.
A.
Bicycle parking spaces shall be provided for every new structure, the enlargement of an existing structure, the development of a new land use or any change in an existing use in its entirety in accordance. The minimum number of parking spaces must comply with the regulations in Table 11.2.
B.
Where multiple uses exist on a property the requirement shall be provided for each use.
C.
When the computation of required parking spaces results in the requirement of a fractional space, any fraction of 1/2 or more shall require one space.
D.
Required parking that exists for a use cannot be reduced or eliminated.
Table 11.2 Bicycle Parking Requirements | ||
|---|---|---|
Use | Minimum Long-term Parking Spaces | Minimum Short-term Parking Spaces |
Single- or two-family dwelling; townhouse | No minimum | No minimum |
Other residential | 1.25 per unit | 0.2 per unit |
Assisted living facility | 0.2 per 1,000 square feet of common space | 0.5 per 1,000 square feet of common space |
Retail service commercial; registered marijuana dispensary; marijuana retailer | 0.2 per 1,000 square feet | 0.5 per 1,000 square feet |
Wholesale, transportation, industrial; marijuana-related uses not listed above | 0.2 per 1,000 square feet | 1 per 1,000 square feet |
E.
Long-term and short-term bicycle parking spaces shall meet the following intent:
(1)
Long-term bicycle parking shall be intended primarily to serve residents, employees, and other persons who would require storage of a bicycle for a substantial portion of the day, for an overnight period, or for multiple days; however, it may serve as short-term parking if needed. Long-term bicycle parking is typically located within an enclosed, limited-access area designed so as to protect bicycles from precipitation and from theft.
(2)
Short-term bicycle parking shall be intended primarily to serve visitors, such as retail patrons, making trips of up to two hours to a particular use; however, it may serve other bicycle users as needed. Short-term bicycle parking is typically located in a publicly accessible area near pedestrian entrances to the use they are intended to serve.
§ 235-11.3 Loading.
A.
The off-street loading and unloading requirements presented in the Table 11.3 Off-Street Loading Regulations shall apply to all existing buildings where the use has been changed to retail service commercial, wholesale, transportation and industrial and community facility use as specified in the Table of Use and Parking Regulations or to any building hereafter erected for such uses.
B.
When the computation of required loading spaces results in the requirement of a fractional space, any fraction of 1/2 or more shall require one space.
C.
Required loading that exists for a use cannot be reduced or eliminated.
Table 11.3 Loading Requirements | |
|---|---|
Use | Number of Loading Spaces Per Unit |
Retail trade, manufacturing and hospital establishment with over 5,000 square feet of gross floor area per use/establishment | 1 per 20,000 square feet or fraction thereof of gross floor area up to 2 spaces; 1 additional space for each 60,000 square feet or fraction thereof of gross floor area over 40,000 square feet; space used for ambulance receiving at a hospital is not to be used to meet these loading requirements |
Business services, other services, community facility (school, church, town building, recreation, etc.) or public utility establishment with over 5,000 square feet of gross floor area per use/establishment | 1 per 75,000 square feet or fraction thereof of gross floor area up to 2 spaces; 1 additional space for each 200,000 square feet or fraction thereof of gross floor area over 150,000 square feet |
§ 235-11.4 Allowances for reduced number of parking spaces.
A.
The Zoning Board of Appeals by special permit may allow the substitution of motor vehicle spaces within municipal parking lots in lieu of the parking requirements of this article, provided they are located within 1,000 feet of the building which is intended to be served.
B.
Any structures on lots recorded prior to January 1, 1980, abutting municipal parking lots located in the area bounded northerly by Essex and Upham Streets, southerly by Grove Street, easterly by the boundary of the BA-1 District between Grove Street and Upham Street and westerly by Myrtle Street are permitted the use of said lots in lieu of providing parking onsite without the requirement of a special permit.
C.
In conjunction with a proposal that requires site plan review by the Planning Board, the Planning Board may by special permit allow shared or reduced motor vehicle or bicycle parking requirements for uses having different peak times of parking demand requirements or if a use needs a lesser number of parking spaces than is required. Evidence which supports these shared or reduced parking requirements shall be produced in a report from a traffic engineer engaged by the applicant and approved by the Planning Board as part of site plan review. Where shared parking is to serve uses on separate lots, documentation shall be provided establishing the permanent legal right for such shared use. Factors that the Planning Board may consider include but are not limited to:
(1)
Proximity to public transportation.
(2)
Proximity to available public parking with demonstrated availability to support the project.
(3)
Characteristics of the residential or commercial units that create less parking demand.
(4)
Provision of a mix of uses on site with offset peak parking demand times.
(5)
A shared parking agreement with proximate properties with offset parking demand times.
(6)
A Transportation Demand Management Plan.
(7)
Dedication of spaces for car-sharing services (e.g., Zipcar).
(8)
Employers who provide transit incentives for their employees.
(9)
Provisions for bicycle parking.
D.
For any application or project for which site plan review is not otherwise required, the Zoning Board of Appeals may grant a special permit to reduce the motor vehicle or bicycle parking space requirements to 80% of that required where conditions unique to the use will reasonably justify such a reduction.
§ 235-11.5 Dimensions.
A.
Motor vehicle parking.
(1)
Required parking spaces shall have the following dimensions except as allowed for compact spaces. Stall width shall be nine feet and stall length shall be 18 feet for angled parking or 22 feet in length for parallel parking.
(2)
Compact parking space stall width shall be eight feet and the stall length shall be 16 feet for angled parking or 20 feet in length for parallel parking. For sites with five to 19 parking spaces, up to 20% of the spaces may be compact in size, and with 20 or more spaces, up to 30% may be compact. In conjunction with a proposal that requires site plan review by the Planning Board, the Planning Board may by special permit allow for up to 50% of the parking spaces to be compact in size. Compact car spaces shall be located in one or more continuous areas and shall be clearly designated by signs or pavement marking.
B.
Aisles.
(1)
Each parking space shall have direct access to an aisle or a driveway, except for single- and two-family dwellings, which are allowed to have two parking spaces in tandem. Parking and loading spaces other than those required for single- and two-family dwellings shall be so arranged as not to permit backing of vehicles onto any street. The minimum aisle widths required for vehicles backing out of parking spaces are as follows:
Angle of Parking | Minimum Aisle Width (feet) |
|---|---|
Parallel | 12 one-way/20 two-way |
30° | 11 one-way |
45° | 13 one-way |
60° | 18 one-way |
90° | 20 one-way and two-way residential or mixed-use with residential 24 for one-way and two-way for all other uses |
C.
Driveways.
(1)
Any portion of any entrance or exit driveway shall not be closer than 50 feet to the curbline of an intersecting street.
(2)
Any two driveways leading to or from a street, to or from a single lot, shall not be within 30 feet of each other at their intersections with the front lot line for an interior lot and 40 feet for a corner lot.
(4)
Driveway width regulations are in the following tables:
Driveways for One- and Two-Families | Minimum Width (feet) | Maximum Width (feet) |
|---|---|---|
One-way | 8 | 20 |
Two-way | 20 | 20 |
Driveways for Multifamily Residential or Mixed-Use with Residential | Minimum Width (feet) | Maximum Width (feet) |
|---|---|---|
One-way | 10 | 24 |
Two-way | 20 | 24 |
Driveways for All Other Uses | Minimum Width (feet) | Maximum Width (feet) |
|---|---|---|
One-way | 10 | 24 |
Two-way | 20 | 24 |
D.
Bicycle parking.
(1)
Bicycle parking dimensions should be consistent with the City of Melrose Bicycle Parking Guidelines adopted by the Planning Board. As guidelines, the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, or Building Commissioner may determine that the intent of the guidelines is met without strict adherence to them during the zoning review of a project.
E.
Loading.
(1)
Required loading spaces shall have the following dimensions. Stall width shall be at least 12 feet in width, 50 feet in length and with a vertical clearance of at least 14 feet, having an area of not less than 1,300 square feet, which includes access and maneuvering space, used exclusively for loading and unloading of goods and materials from one vehicle. The driveway dimensions of the loading space may be reduced by the Building Commissioner to not less than 300 square feet, which includes access and maneuvering space, when it is clearly evident that service vehicles utilizing said space will not require the area listed above.
§ 235-11.6 Parking and loading specifications.
All parking and loading areas, shall be subject to the following where applicable:
A.
Locations:
(1)
Required off-street motor vehicle and bicycle parking and loading spaces shall be provided on the same lot as the principal use they are required to serve except as allowed herein.
(2)
Parking required for two or more buildings or uses may be provided in combined facilities on the same or adjacent lots, where it is evident that such facilities will continue to be available for the several buildings or uses.
(3)
Offsite parking is allowed when practical difficulties prevent the establishment upon the same lot. The Zoning Board of Appeals may grant a special permit to allow parking spaces to be established no further than 300 feet from the premises.
(4)
Parking shall not be located within the required front yard setback area except for one-family and two-family dwellings. See Open Space Specifications, § 235-6.3 for impervious surfaces regulations.
(5)
In no case shall the required loading spaces be part of the area used to satisfy the parking requirements of this chapter.
B.
Where required parking is located underground and under the building, the building coverage may be increased as allowed in Dimensional Regulation Specifications, § 235-6.3.
C.
The area and access driveways shall be surfaced with bituminous or cement concrete material and shall be graded and drained so as to dispose of all surface water accumulation in accordance with acceptable engineering practices.
D.
Driveways and contiguous parking areas in residential districts shall be surfaced with pervious material systems that utilize porous pavement, pavers, brick or other materials in accordance with acceptable engineering practices or bituminous or cement concrete. When an impervious material is used and it is near a property line, any portion within one foot of the property line must have a change to a pervious material to reduce stormwater runoff onto abutting properties.
E.
The location of spaces shall be suitably marked by painted lines or other appropriate markings for required parking, except for parking for one- and two-family dwellings.
F.
A substantial bumper of masonry, steel or heavy timber or a concrete curb or berm curb which is backed shall be placed at the edge of surfaced areas except driveways in order to protect abutting structures, properties and sidewalks and screening materials.
G.
The layout of the parking area shall allow sufficient space for the storage of plowed snow unless removal by some other means is assured.
H.
Any fixture used to illuminate any area shall be so arranged as to direct the light away from the street and away from adjoining premises used for residential purposes.