Ridley Park City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XIV
Parking
§ 213-77 Purpose.
The purposes of this article are to adequately provide for the parking needs of all uses in the Borough, to reduce traffic congestion on public streets by getting parking off streets, and to allow faster emergency access. The secondary purposes include providing for special parking needs of handicapped drivers and providing flexibility in meeting the Borough's parking needs by methods such as common parking arrangements.
§ 213-78 Off-street parking.
A.
Off-street parking and loading provisions as set forth in this article shall be required in all instances, except for the remodeling of existing buildings as follows:
(1)
In the event of a change of an existing use in an existing building, no additional off-street parking shall be required if the total floor space does not increase or if the new use does not require any more spaces under this article than the use it replaces.
(2)
On-street parking spaces immediately adjacent to the property line of existing buildings may be used to count toward the requirements of this article.
B.
All off-street parking and loading areas, whether required by this article or not, shall be developed, maintained, and used in accordance with the provisions set forth in this article.
§ 213-79 Off-street parking spaces.
A.
An off-street parking space shall have a dimension of nine feet by 20 feet.
B.
Parking lots with five or more spaces may designate up to 20% of the spaces as compact spaces with dimensions of eight feet by 15 feet.
D.
Interior aisles or maneuvering lanes shall have a minimum width as follows:
Angle of Parking Space | Parking Aisle Width (feet) |
|---|---|
Parallel | 12 |
Less than 45° | 17 |
60° to 45° | 19 |
90° to 61° | 22 |
E.
The minimum number of off-street parking spaces required is as follows:
Type of Use | Off-Street Parking Spaces Required | Bicycle Parking Standard | |
|---|---|---|---|
Single-family dwellings (detached and twins) | 3 spaces | ||
Multifamily dwellings and townhouses: | 1 space per 4 dwelling units | ||
Efficiency | 1 space per dwelling unit | ||
1 bedroom | 1 space per dwelling unit | ||
2 bedrooms | 2 spaces per dwelling unit | ||
3 or more bedrooms | 3 spaces per dwelling unit | ||
Educational facilities: | |||
Nursery | 1 space per employee | 1 space per classroom | |
Elementary | 1 space per teacher, 1 space for each 2 employees and administrative personnel, and 1 space for each classroom, plus safe and convenient loading and unloading of students | 2 spaces per 10 students | |
High | 1 space for each teacher, employee, and administrative personnel, plus 5 spaces for each classroom, plus safe and convenient loading and unloading of students | 1 space per 20 students | |
Business/trade school | 1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area | 1 space per 20 students | |
Professional offices or home occupations in a residential building | 1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area (in addition to spaces required for the principal residential use of the building) | ||
Retail sales and service (not otherwise specified below) | 1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area | 1 space per 500 square feet of gross floor area | |
Supermarkets | 1 space per 125 square feet of gross floor area | 1 space per 20 vehicle spaces | |
Furniture stores | 1 space per 500 square feet of gross floor area | ||
Automobile servicing and repair | 3 spaces per service bay | ||
Offices and banks | 1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area | 1 space per 20 vehicle spaces | |
Industrial (not otherwise specified below) | 1 space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, plus 1 for every employee on the shift of greatest employment | 1 space per 30 vehicle spaces | |
Warehouses, freight and trucking terminals, and wholesale businesses; building contractors and building material suppliers | Same as for industrial uses above | 1 space per 30 vehicle spaces | |
Research institutes or laboratories | 1 space for 750 square feet of gross floor area, plus 1 for every employee on the shift of greatest employment | 1 space per 20 vehicle spaces | |
Hotels and motels | 1 space per rentable room, plus 1 per 2 employees | 1 space per 20 employees | |
Restaurants: | |||
Sit-down | 1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area | 1 space per 500 square feet of gross floor area | |
Fast-food or carry-out | 1 space per 75 square feet of gross floor area | 1 space per 30 vehicle spaces | |
Auditoriums, theaters, and similar places of public assembly | 1 space per 5 seats | 1 space per 30 vehicle spaces | |
Churches and other places of worship | 1 space per 5 seats | 1 space per 30 vehicle spaces | |
Libraries, museums, post offices, civic centers, and similar establishments | 1 space per 400 square feet of gross floor area | 1 space per 20 vehicle spaces | |
Hospitals and convalescence or nursing homes | 1 space per 3 beds, plus 1 per 2 staff persons or employees from the largest shift | 1 space per 30 vehicle spaces | |
Medical and dental offices and clinics | 1 space per 100 square feet of waiting room space, plus 2 for each practitioner | 1 space per 30 vehicle spaces | |
Private clubs | 1 space per 6 persons of total capacity | 1 space per 30 vehicle spaces | |
Funeral homes | 1 space per 100 square feet of floor area in viewing rooms, plus 1 for every 2 employees, exclusive of the requirement for the resident family | ||
F.
The off-street parking requirements listed above in § 213-79E shall not apply to the C-1 District.
G.
Every required parking space shall have direct access from or to a public street or alley.
H.
The layout of any parking area shall be designed to allow vehicles to move forward when exiting onto a public street, except for the following:
§ 213-80 Handicapped parking.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the following provisions shall apply:
A.
Parking areas having spaces for 10 or more vehicles shall include paved handicapped accessible parking spaces.
B.
Accessible handicapped parking spaces shall be at least 15 feet wide, including three feet of cross hatch.
C.
Handicap accessible parking spaces and access aisles shall not exceed 2% slope in all directions.
D.
Handicap accessible parking spaces shall be provided in the following amounts relative to the total number of spaces provided in the parking area:
Total Parking Spaces in Lot | Required Accessible Spaces |
|---|---|
10 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% |
1,001 and over | 20 plus 1 for each 100 over 1,000 |
§ 213-81 Off-street parking surfaces.
A.
All off-street parking areas shall be properly graded and drained to dispose of all surface water accumulations within the area.
B.
No surface water from any parking or loading area shall be permitted to drain onto any adjoining property.
C.
Any parking area with egress directly onto a street 24 feet or wider in the C-1 and C-2 Districts, in the Medical Campus District, or serving multifamily dwellings with 12 units or more, shall be surfaced with an asphalt, bituminous, cement, brick, or other properly bound pavement so as to provide a durable and dustless surface. Other parking lots may be surfaced with gravel or other dust-free surface.
D.
Curbs, bumper guards, bollards, or wheel stops shall be installed in parking and loading areas where there is a protective fence, wall, or hedge to ensure that vehicles will not strike them or obstruct public rights-of-way.
§ 213-82 Overflow parking surfaces.
Off-street areas used for special event parking or to accommodate occasional overflow volume may be constructed of any dust-free, compacted, pervious ground cover. The owner of the property shall be responsible for the maintenance of such parking in a clean and dust-free condition. Grass and mulch are examples of acceptable pervious ground cover.
§ 213-83 Lighting of parking areas.
A.
All parking areas for more than 10 vehicles serving business uses and collective residential parking shall be adequately illuminated during the hours between sunset and sunrise when the use is in operation. Any lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking area shall be so arranged or shielded to protect any adjacent residential premises from the glare of the illumination.
B.
Fixtures shall be equipped with or be capable of being backfitted with light directing devices such as shields, visors, or hoods when necessary to redirect offending light distribution. Lights shall be installed or aimed so that they do not project their output into the window of a neighboring residence, an adjacent use, directly skyward, or onto a roadway.
§ 213-84 Access driveways.
A.
Each separate use or group of buildings constructed and maintained on a lot as a unified development shall have no more than two accessways connecting a tract to any one street or highway for each 300 feet of frontage.
B.
The accessway shall be from 10 feet to 20 feet wide in the C-1 and C-2 Districts.
C.
In the C-1 and C-2 Districts, the accessway shall be onto a side street at the rear of the property, not less than 30 feet from the corner, unless this is physically not possible.
§ 213-85 Remote parking lots.
Parking lots may be located on a lot or parcel separate from the nonresidential use they serve. Such remote lots shall be permitted in the C-2 and the Industrial Districts only, provided that they are located not more than 300 feet from the primary use, structure, or parcel that they serve.
§ 213-86 Shared parking lots.
A.
Multiple buildings or uses may share parking lots to meet the required parking spaces of this article, provided that the lot is owned by one or more of the users.
B.
Before a parking lot may serve multiple users, a formal written agreement containing a site plan and the number of spaces to be allocated to each user shall be signed by all of the parties. A copy of this agreement shall be kept on file by the Zoning Officer, who may revoke the zoning permits of the users if the agreement is not maintained.
C.
In order to encourage the maximum use of Ridley Park's parking lots, the following rules will govern:
(1)
If the applicants combine residential uses with nonresidential uses having normal business hours between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., each space may be counted for both uses.
(2)
If the applicants can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Borough that the peak business hours for each use are substantially different, such as an office having daytime hours combined with a restaurant or bar having peak use in the evening. Each space may be counted for both uses.
(3)
If the applicants' business hours are substantially the same, or if the applicants are all residential uses, the total spaces required shall be the total of all proposed uses.
§ 213-87 Off-street loading areas.
All uses requiring regular shipments and deliveries shall provide sufficient off-street areas for the standing, turning, loading, and unloading of trucks so that the parking and maneuvering of trucks on public streets will be avoided.
A.
Every building or use of land consisting of over 5,000 square feet of gross area designed or used for commercial or industrial uses shall be provided with a loading space as follows:
Total Gross Floor Area (square feet) | Number of Loading Spaces Required |
|---|---|
Between 5,001 and 15,000 | 1 |
15,000 to 50,000 | 2 |
50,000 to 100,000 | 3 |
Each additional 100,000 | 1 additional |
§ 213-88 Parking structures.
See standards for parking structures as conditional uses in § 213-140.
§ 213-89 Parking lot design.
Ridley Park's downtown and many of its traditional neighborhoods were constructed in the era before automobiles became widely used. Ridley Park's development pattern of closely spaced buildings, often placed up against the street, give it the distinct neighborhood feel and identity it enjoys today. To retain that special feel in the automobile era, Ridley Park needs to accommodate cars without demolishing buildings or otherwise destroying the character of its areas when accommodating parking lots for commercial, office, and apartment uses.
A.
Where it is physically possible, parking lots shall be located behind buildings, so that buildings separate parking areas from the street. In cases where this is not possible, parking may be located to the side of the building. Parking shall be permitted in front of principal buildings only where no other arrangement is feasible. However, the owner/applicant must obtain a special exception to authorize parking in front of the main building.
B.
Whenever a parking lot abuts a street, attempts should be made to screen it through landscaping and screening. A four-foot tall fence or wall may be permitted as a special exception, provided that it is constructed of wood, brick, stone, vinyl designed to look like wood, stucco over concrete block (capped with brick, slate, or stone), ornamental iron or ornamental aluminum, steel, or vinyl designed to look like iron.
§ 213-90 Landscaping and screening.
All parking areas containing 10 or more parking spaces and all loading areas shall be landscaped in accordance with the following requirements:
A.
At least 5% of the interior area of the parking facility (excluding parking structures) shall be landscaped. This does not include the perimeter planting provided for beautification or to satisfy screening requirements.
B.
Each planting area shall be at least 25 square feet in area and have no dimension less than five feet.
C.
Each planting area shall contain at least one tree, and the facility as a whole shall contain at least one tree for every 10 parking spaces.
D.
Trees used to satisfy parking lot landscaping requirements shall be a minimum of three inches in caliper at planting and shall be suitable for location in parking lots, as defined by the Ridley Park Borough Shade Tree Commission.
E.
Existing trees shall be preserved wherever possible.
F.
Existing and new trees shall be protected by bollards, high curbs, or other barriers sufficient to minimize damage.
G.
Extensive unbroken pavement areas in large at-grade open parking facilities shall not be permitted. In parking lots containing 25 or more spaces, a row shall contain no more than 15 contiguous parking spaces without a densely planted landscaped planting area of at least the dimensions of one parking space.