Middletown City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVI
Off-Street Parking
§ 260-170 General regulations.
A.
Existing use and permitted change of use. Any change of a permitted use to another use or any increase in the area of a use which by this chapter requires a greater number of parking spaces than existing conditions, shall meet the requirements of this chapter. All extensions, expansions, or changes of existing uses or structures shall meet the requirements of this chapter for the additional space proposed to be added or for the new use proposed.
B.
For the purposes of this chapter, expansion of a use shall include an increase in the number of uses within the original area of the existing use and an increase in floor area or outside area devoted to a use. All existing parking spaces shall be continued and maintained unless equivalent spaces are found elsewhere on the lot.
C.
A zoning permit must be secured from the Zoning Officer before any parking area is established or changed, if such change would result in a parking area of three or more spaces or deletion of any spaces. Application for a permit shall be made to the Zoning Officer in accordance with the following rules and regulations.
(1)
The applicant shall submit the required number of copies of the information requested on the application and a fee and or escrow amount set by resolution of the Council when the application is submitted.
(2)
The Zoning Officer shall forward copies of the application to the Borough Engineer for review. All engineering expenses incurred by the Borough in connection with the Borough Engineer's review of the application and inspection of the construction work shall be reimbursed by the applicant.
(3)
The Zoning Officer and/or the Borough Engineer shall inspect the work periodically to determine the degree of compliance with the regulations and permit governing the work.
D.
Conflict with other uses. No parking area or space shall be used for any use that interferes with its availability for the parking need it is required to serve.
E.
Multiple uses. Where two or more uses occupy a common structure, building, or lot, the total number of parking spaces provided and maintained will be calculated as the sum of the parking spaces required for the individual uses that occupy the structure, building or lot or as the combined gross floor area or number of seats devoted to customer or patron use.
F.
Joint use. Two or more uses may provide for required parking in a common lot, if the total spaces provided are not less than the sum of the spaces required for each use individually, unless such parking is shared as permitted and defined below in § 260-171.
G.
Parking may not be located in the front yard in the C-2 district.
§ 260-171 General provisions.
A.
For the purposes of this section, required standard parking spaces shall have an area of not less than 162 square feet, measured nine feet wide by 18 feet long, except that parallel parking spaces may be eight feet wide and 21 feet long. Spaces in parking lots shall be physically separated from a street or sidewalk by a barrier or landscape planting area and shall have access to a street or alley by way of an approved curb opening.
B.
Accessible parking spaces shall have dimensions not less than the dimensions listed in the Americans with Disabilities Act,[1] latest edition. Accessible parking spaces must be clearly marked on the pavement in the standard blue marking, with a sign heading the space using the international wheelchair profile symbol for handicapped persons. These spaces must be located as close as possible to public entrances and ramps to buildings.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.
C.
Accessible handicapped spaces shall be provided in the amounts required for parking areas serving multifamily dwellings with five or more units and commercial, institutional or public uses:
Total Number of Parking Spaces Provided in Parking Facility | Minimum Number of Required Accessible Parking Spaces |
|---|---|
1 to 25 | 1 |
26 to 50 | 2 |
51 to 75 | 3 |
76 to 100 | 4 |
101 to 150 | 5 |
151 to 200 | 6 |
201 to 300 | 7 |
301 to 400 | 8 |
401 to 500 | 9 |
501 to 1,000 | 2% of total |
1,001 and over | 20, plus 1 for each 100 or fraction thereof over 1,000 |
D.
The minimum width of aisles in parking areas shall be as noted below:
Parking Angle (degree) | Minimum Width of Aisle One Way (feet) | Minimum Width of Aisle Two Way (feet) |
|---|---|---|
30° | 16 | 22 |
45° | 18 | 22 |
60° | 20 | 22 |
90° | 24 | 24 |
E.
Parking areas for 10 or more vehicles shall be so divided by permanent raised curbing at end islands that access lanes and parking spaces are clearly defined, and that moving traffic will be confined to designated lanes. All parking spaces shall be line striped with white or yellow paint.
F.
A structurally sound curb or bumper guard to ensure safety shall be provided so that no part of any parked vehicle shall extend over the property line.
G.
Outdoor parking spaces and the approaches thereto shall be paved. Off-street parking lots must be provided with a minimum three-foot-wide vegetative planting area around the perimeter.
H.
Drive-through establishments such as fast food order and pick up, automatic bank teller and similar uses shall provide not fewer than three waiting spaces for each drive-up lane, in addition to the space where the transaction takes place and in addition to the required parking.
I.
Parking areas for nonresidential uses shall be designed such that vehicles will not back into public streets.
J.
Except for residential uses, for the purpose of traffic channelization, defining parking areas and the reduction of visual monotony, a minimum of 5% of all interior surface parking areas shall be devoted to vegetative cover planted with a mixture of trees, shrubs, ground covers and lawn areas.
K.
A garage or carport may be located wholly or partly inside the walls of the principal building or attached to the outer walls. If attached to the principal building, the garage shall conform to all principal building requirements. The garage may be constructed under a yard or court, provided that the level of such yard or court shall conform to the general level of the outer yards or courts on the lot.
L.
Porous type pavement shall be permitted for open space parking within a floodplain district to accommodate recreation activities and other municipal activities.
§ 260-172 Facilities required.
Parking spaces and connecting driveways shall hereafter be provided for each building or use in accordance with the provisions herein, including the table which follows and the preceding design standards.
A.
For newly constructed buildings, the enlargement portion of any addition to an existing building and any new or expanded commercial open area usage, parking shall be provided for each use, with the number of spaces not less than that indicated by the table.
B.
For existing buildings or existing commercial open area uses, when changes in uses occur, with or without building renovation, existing off-street parking shall not be reduced to less than the number of spaces indicated by the table. On properties where the land area is insufficient to enable provision of spaces in accordance with the table, spaces shall be provided in accordance with Subsections F and G, conformant with coverage and safety limitations.
C.
The number of parking spaces indicated by the table shall be the minimum number required.
D.
All required off-street parking spaces shall be on the same lot as the principal building or commercial open area and shall be readily accessible to and within a reasonable distance from the building or open area served by the spaces, except as noted elsewhere in this section.
E.
All parking areas and means of access, other than those relating to a dwelling, shall be illuminated during night hours of use.
F.
Alternative parking. Within all districts, any use existing as of the effective date of this chapter which can be lawfully expanded, or any new use that cannot meet the parking requirements of this chapter within the lot or boundary lines of the principal use may meet the parking requirements of this chapter in one of two ways listed below. If spaces are leased or licensed, the Borough shall require proof of the leasing or licensing arrangement and use of the spaces to be kept on file. Proof of ongoing leases or licenses and use of the spaces will be required every year. Parking spaces designated for one use may not be used to satisfy parking requirements for another use, unless the requirements of Subsection F(1) are met.
(1)
Valet parking. Valet parking may be used to meet any portion of the required off-street parking requirement, provided that the application indicates where the cars will be parked. An annual permit shall be required from the Borough for uses meeting parking requirements through valet parking arrangements. Valet parking arrangements shall be adequately managed and staffed to minimize disruption to traffic on local roads. The use shall be discontinued immediately upon loss of parking arrangements; and/or
(2)
The applicant shall provide an agreement, in writing, at intervals determined by Middletown Borough that the parking spaces are available and secured by lease or license, or the applicant shall provide proof of the availability of the required parking spaces, which are not needed to meet the requirements of another use and which can be used for parking purposes by the applicant. This option may be used to meet any portion of the parking requirement. The use shall be discontinued immediately upon loss of parking arrangements, and/or new lease or license agreements must be secured. Alternative parking may be within 600 feet of the primary residence.
(3)
In the C-2 Commercial District, the applicant may credit those on-street parking spaces which abut their premises toward the parking requirement for the uses contained within the proposed development.
G.
For any building or use not covered above, the Zoning Officer shall apply the standard for off-street parking spaces in the below schedule deemed to most closely approximate the proposed building or use.
[Amended 4-6-2021 by Ord. No. 1372, approved 4-6-2021; 7-18-2023 by Ord. No. 1408, approved 7-18-2023]
Type of Use | Number of Parking Spaces Required |
|---|---|
Retail business and customer service establishments and public buildings | 1 for every 250 square feet of gross floor area 1 for every 400 square feet of gross floor area in the C-2 district |
Offices | 1 for every 250 square feet of gross floor area 1 for every 400 square feet of gross floor area in the C-2 district |
Restaurants, taverns and nightclubs | 1 for every 2.5 seats 1 for every 250 square feet of gross floor area in the C-2 district |
Medical and dental clinics | 4 for every doctor or dentist |
Motels, tourist homes or hotels | 4 for every 3 sleeping rooms |
Churches, theaters, auditoriums and places of assembly | 1 for every 3.5 seats |
Elementary and secondary public and parochial schools | 1 for every 2 teachers and employees, plus 1 for every 15 students |
Colleges, universities and commercial schools | 1 for every 5 classroom seats |
Social halls, clubs and lodges, health clubs and libraries | 1 for every 250 square feet of gross floor area |
Bowling alleys | 4 for every 1 alley, plus 1 per employee |
Single- and two-family dwellings | 2 for every dwelling unit |
Apartment houses/single-family attached dwellings | 2 for every dwelling unit |
Student housing | 2 for every dwelling unit |
Conversion apartments | 2 for every dwelling unit |
Funeral homes | 10 for every parlor |
Boarding-, lodging and rooming houses | 1 for each occupant |
Manufacturing plants | 1 for every 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Wholesale establishments and warehouses | 1 for every 1,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Nursing and convalescent homes | 1 for every 4 beds |
Vehicle washing facilities | 1 per each vacuum apparatus, plus 1 per employee on the largest shift |
NOTES: | |
|---|---|
1 | The parking space requirements set forth above shall not apply to the C-2 district, except in those situations in which a new building or structure is erected or a structural addition is added to an existing building or structure. |
2 | Existing structures and uses in existence on the effective date of this chapter shall not be subject to the requirements of this article so long as the kind or extent of use is not changed so as to require additional parking. |
§ 260-173 Vehicle parking regulations.
A.
Any vehicle may be parked in any garage or other suitable enclosed building, provided that said building is a conformant principal or accessory building or is a nonconforming building in accordance with the provisions of Article XIX.
B.
An inspected motor vehicle or licensed trailer may be parked on the public street in accordance with the street ordinances of Middletown Borough and the motor vehicle laws of Pennsylvania.
C.
Off-street parking for single-family detached, single-family semidetached and two-family detached dwellings may occur in front and side yards, in accordance with the following:
(1)
Parking shall be permitted only on a paved driveway or parking area.
(2)
No more than two parking spaces may be located end to end.
(3)
Only personal autos, personal trucks or light commercial vehicles (maximum of one per dwelling unit), may be parked in front yards.
(4)
Driveways are expected to connect a permitted garage, carport or side or rear parking area to the street.
(5)
The paving and spacing requirements of this article shall apply.
(6)
Rear yard parking is permitted if connected to a street.
D.
Off-street parking for two-family semidetached, townhouses, and apartments shall not be permitted in front yards.
E.
Repair of personal motor vehicles. The routine maintenance, repair and servicing of personal motor vehicles, including go-carts and racing vehicles, owned or leased by the person performing such services when performed outside of a building within the R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, and C-2 Zones, shall comply with Chapter 210 of the Borough of Middletown Codified Ordinances, and the International Property Maintenance Code.
F.
Storage of vehicles.
(1)
Except for licensed motor vehicles, no vehicle, machinery, trailer, mobile home, boat or other similar equipment shall be parked or stored outside, except as follows:
(2)
The parking or storage of any licensed motor vehicle in a front yard area shall occur only upon a driveway.
(3)
In commercial and industrial districts, motor vehicles and mobile homes of any type without current license plates must be parked or stored within completely enclosed accessory buildings, unless the motor vehicles or motor homes are for sale by a licensed agency.
§ 260-174 Loading and unloading spaces.
In addition to the off-street parking space required above, all commercial and industrial establishments, hospitals or sanitariums and other similar uses shall provide adequate off-street area for loading and unloading of supplies to and from vehicles. At least one loading berth shall be provided; however, should the gross floor area of the main buildings and buildings accessory thereto used for commercial and/or industrial purposes exceed 10,000 square feet, one additional loading berth shall be provided for each 20,000 square feet of gross floor area. The off-street loading berth shall be not less than 10 feet by 25 feet in size.