Mount Joy City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VI
Off-Street Parking and Loading
§ 270-81 Required number of parking spaces.
A.
Overall requirements.
(1)
Number of spaces. Each use that is newly developed, enlarged, significantly changed in type or increased in number of establishments shall provide and maintain off-street parking spaces in accordance with the Table of Off-Street Parking Requirements at the end of this chapter[1] and the regulations of this article.
[1]
Editor's Note: This table is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(2)
Uses not listed. Uses not specifically listed in the Table of Off-Street Parking Requirements shall comply with the requirements for the most similar use listed in the Table of Off-Street Parking Requirements, unless the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Officer that an alternative standard should be used for that use.
(3)
Multiple uses. Where a proposed lot contains or includes more than one type of use, the number of parking spaces required shall be the sum of the parking requirements for each separate use.
B.
Parking reduction in CBD Downtown Commercial District.
(1)
Purposes: to recognize the availability of on-street parking in the CBD District and the limited ability to provide parking to serve existing buildings and the potential of customers walking to businesses in the CBD District.
(2)
The parking requirements in the Table of Off-Street Parking Requirements[2] shall be modified within the CBD District as follows:
(a)
No off-street parking shall be required for lawful nonresidential uses within the CBD District within buildings that existed prior to the adoption of this chapter.
(b)
Off-street parking shall be required for any additional dwelling units or any new construction of any building or any expansion of a building beyond the ten-percent waiver provided in § 270-82C(2).
(c)
Optional fee in lieu of parking.
[1]
As a special exception, the Zoning Hearing Board may permit the reduction of off-street parking requirements in the CBD District if the applicant commits to pay a fee in lieu of providing a certain number of required off-street parking spaces.
[2]
For each required off-street parking that is waived, a fee shall be required of $2,000, unless such amount is modified by resolution of Borough Council.
[3]
All such fees shall be paid to the Borough or an authority authorized by the Borough to receive such fees. All such fees shall be accounted for separately. All such fees shall only be used for the creation of additional on-street or off-street public parking to serve the downtown. Such fees may also be used for the payment of debt for improvements to increase the amount of public parking or for the acquisition of land for public parking.
[4]
The fee shall be a one-time payment. The reduction of the required number of parking spaces shall continue with the land over time, regardless of ownership or use of the property.
[5]
The application shall be offered to the Borough Planning Commission and Borough Council for any review they care to make prior to an approval by the Zoning Hearing Board.
[2]
Editor's Note: This table is included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 270-82 General regulations for off-street parking.
A.
General. Parking spaces and accessways shall be laid out to result in safe and orderly use and to fully take into account all of the following: vehicular access onto and off the site, vehicular movement within the site, loading areas, pedestrian patterns and any drive-through facilities. No parking area shall cause a safety hazard or impediment to traffic off the lot.
B.
Existing parking. Any parking spaces serving such preexisting structures or uses at the time of adoption of this chapter shall not in the future be reduced in number below the number required by this chapter.
C.
Change in use or expansion.
(1)
A structure or use in existence at the effective date of this chapter that expands or changes the use of an existing principal building shall be required to provide all of the required parking for the entire size and type of the resulting use, except as follows:
(a)
If an existing lawful use includes less parking than would be required, then that deficit of parking shall be grandfathered for new uses. For example, if an existing store included three parking spaces and was required to provide seven spaces, there is a deficit of four spaces. Therefore, if that store is converted to an office that would need 10 spaces, the office would need to provide a total of six spaces, 10 minus the preexisting deficit of four.
(2)
If a use expands by an aggregate total maximum of 10% in the applicable measurement (such as building floor area) beyond what existed at the time of adoption of this chapter, then no additional parking is required. For example, if an existing building included 3,000 square feet, and a single minor addition of 300 square feet was proposed, then additional parking would not be required.
D.
Continuing obligation of parking and loading spaces. All required numbers of parking spaces and off-street loading spaces shall be available as long as the use or building which the spaces serve still exists, and such spaces shall not be reduced in number below the minimum required by this chapter. No required parking area or off-street loading spaces shall be used for any other use (such as storage or display of materials) that interferes with the area's availability for parking.
E.
Location of parking.
(1)
Required off-street parking spaces shall be on the same lot or abutting lot with the principal use served, unless the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Hearing Board that a method of providing the spaces is guaranteed to be available during all of the years the use is in operation within 300 feet of walking distance from the entrance of the principal use being served. Such distance may be increased to 500 feet for employee parking of a nonresidential use. A written and signed lease shall be provided.
(a)
The Zoning Hearing Board may require that the use be approved for period of time consistent with the lease of the parking and that a renewal of the permit shall only be approved if the parking lease is renewed.
(2)
CBD District. In the CBD District, special exception approval shall be required for three or more new off-street parking space(s) proposed between the street curb of Main Street and an existing or proposed principal building if such spaces would be at least partially within 50 feet of the curb. The Zoning Hearing Board shall only approve such parking if the applicant proves that:
F.
Flexibility in parking. As a special exception, an applicant may prove to the satisfaction of the Zoning Hearing Board that the minimum amount of off-street parking should be modified for a specific application because of one or more of the following characteristics:
(1)
The applicant proves that parking will be shared with another use that will reduce the total amount of parking needed because the uses have different peak times of parking need and that there is a legally guaranteed method to make sure that the parking will continue to be available during all of the years that the use is in operation; or
(2)
The applicant proves that the parking demand for a particular use is unusually low because of some unusual and peculiar characteristic of the use.
§ 270-83 Design standards for off-street parking.
A.
General requirements.
(1)
Backing onto a street. 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, except for a single-family or two-family dwelling with its access onto a local street or parking court. Parking spaces may back onto an alley.
(2)
Every required parking space 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 vehicle, except for spaces serving a single-family dwelling, semi-detached dwelling or townhouse dwelling.
(3)
Parking areas shall not be within a required buffer yard or street right-of-way.
(4)
Separation from street. Except for parking spaces immediately in front of individual dwellings, all areas for off-street parking, off-street loading and unloading and the storage or movement of motor vehicles shall be physically separated from the street by a continuous grass or landscaped planting strip, except for necessary and approved vehicle entrances and exits to the lot.
(5)
Stacking and obstructions. Each lot shall provide adequate area upon the lot to prevent backup of vehicles on a public street while waiting entry to the lot or while waiting for service at a drive-through facility.
B.
Size and marking of parking spaces.
(1)
Each parking space shall be a rectangle with a minimum width of 10 feet and a minimum length of 18 feet, except the minimum length shall be 22 feet for parallel parking.
(2)
If a parking area includes 15 or more spaces, then a maximum of 20% of the spaces may include a rectangle with a minimum width of nine feet and a minimum length of 16 feet. Such spaces shall be clearly marked "For Compact Cars Only" and shall not include the most desirable spaces within the parking area.
(4)
All spaces shall be marked to indicate their location, except those of a one- or two- family dwelling.
C.
Aisles. The following parking aisle widths shall supersede the aisle widths stated in Chapter 240, Subdivision and Land Development:
(1)
Each aisle providing for one-way traffic to access parking stalls shall have the following minimum width:
Angle of Parking | Minimum Aisle Width (feet) |
|---|---|
Parallel or 30° | 12 |
45° | 14 |
60° | 18 |
90° | 24 |
(2)
Each aisle providing access to stalls for two-way traffic shall be a minimum of 24 feet in width, except a width of 20 feet may be allowed for parking areas with spaces that are parallel or involve an angle of parking of 45° or less.
D.
Access drives and driveways.
(1)
Width of driveways/accessways at entrance onto a public street, at the edge of the cartway:*
One-Way Use (feet) | Two-Way Use (feet) | |
|---|---|---|
Minimum | 12 | 25 |
Maximum | 20 | 30 |
* | Unless a different standard is required by PennDOT for an entrance to a state road, or the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Officer that a wider width is needed for tractor-trailer trucks. |
(2)
Drainage. Adequate provisions shall be made to maintain uninterrupted parallel drainage along a public street at the point of driveway entry. The Borough may require an applicant to install an appropriate type and size of pipe at a driveway crossing.
E.
Paving, grading and drainage.
(1)
Parking and loading facilities, including driveways, shall be graded and adequately drained to prevent erosion or excessive water flow across streets or adjoining properties.
(2)
Except for landscaped areas, all portions of required parking, loading facilities and driveways shall be surfaced with asphalt or concrete or paving block.
G.
Handicapped parking. Handicap parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and any state or federal regulations adopted in accordance with the ADA.
§ 270-84 Off-street loading.
A.
Each use shall provide off-street loading facilities which meet the requirements of this section, sufficient to accommodate the maximum demand generated by the use and the maximum size vehicle, in a manner that will not routinely obstruct traffic on a public street. If a reasonable alternative does not exist, traffic may be obstructed for occasional loading and unloading along an alley.
B.
At the time of review under this chapter, the applicant shall provide evidence to the Zoning Officer on whether the use will have sufficient numbers and sizes of loading facilities. The Planning Commission and/or Borough Council may provide advice to the Zoning Officer on this matter as part of any plan review by such boards. For the purposes of this section, the words "loading" and "unloading" are used interchangeably.
C.
Each space and the needed maneuvering room shall not intrude into approved buffer areas and landscaped areas.
D.
Fire lanes. Fire lanes shall be provided where required by state or federal regulations or other local ordinances. The specific locations of these lanes are subject to review by Borough Fire Officials.