Rochester City Zoning Code
ARTICLE 26
Roads and Parking
§ 275-26.1 Minimum parking requirements.
A.
Single-family. Minimum off-street parking requirements for single-family dwellings are two spaces.
B.
Two-family. Minimum off-street parking requirements for two-family dwellings are four spaces (two per dwelling unit).
C.
Size. Each parking space for single- and two-family uses shall be at least nine by 18 feet.
D.
Other uses. Minimum parking requirements for most uses are contained in the City of Rochester Site Plan Regulations. For any uses or changes of use which are not subject to site plan review the parking requirements contained in the Site Plan Regulations shall apply. However, in such cases, the Planning Board may adjust requirements by waiver.
§ 275-26.2 Driveways, curb cuts and parking design.
Note: Numerous additional requirements for parking and driveway design are contained in Article 5, Residential Zoning Districts, and in Article 6, Commercial Zoning Districts.
A.
Permit. A written permit from the Public Works Department is required prior to the construction or alteration of any driveway, curb cut, or access point into or out of the City of Rochester road system.
B.
Adequate surface. All parking areas and driveways shall have a smoothly graded, stabilized dust-free gravel surface or a paved/hard surface (asphalt, concrete, interlocking brick, etc.).
C.
Adequate drainage. Drainage for parking areas and driveways shall be designed to prevent stormwater from flowing onto adjacent property, sidewalks and public roads (unless adequate structures are present within the road right-of-way) as determined by Public Works.
D.
Setbacks. All driveways and parking areas shall be set back from side property lines at least five feet (the Site Plan Regulations may contain greater requirements). This requirement shall not apply to shared driveways and may be waived in situations where an abutting property owner consents to a reduced setback, or for driveways on lots in the R1, R2, NMU, or OC District where the setback would push the driveway into a space directly in front of the building (as determined by the Director of Building, Zoning, and Licensing Services, Zoning Administrator, Public Works Department, or Planning Board, as appropriate).
§ 275-26.3 Commercial vehicles.
Parking commercial vehicles outdoors overnight within residential districts is permitted as follows:
A.
No more than one commercial vehicle, a passenger automobile, pickup truck or van, is allowed.
B.
Other types of vehicles, such as truck tractors, box trucks or vehicles with more than two axles, are permitted on private property only by special exception subject to the property owner being able to provide adequate visual buffering, exhaust odor control, and sound mitigation.
C.
No commercial vehicle other than a passenger automobile, pickup truck or van may be parked overnight on a public road in a residential district (except when accommodating a residential relocation or by short-term permit/approval from the Police Department).
§ 275-26.4 Private roads.
Private roads are prohibited unless they are part of a plan approved by the Planning Board and noted as a private road on said plan. Building permits shall only be issued pursuant to the provisions of RSA 674:41.
§ 275-26.5 Shared driveways.
Shared driveways providing access to new, separately platted lots are only permitted where those lots will have adequate frontage on an approved public road.
§ 275-26.6 Class VI roads.
Development on Class VI roads is regulated as follows:
A.
General terms.
(1)
State law. This section is adopted pursuant to RSA 674:41. In case of conflict between this section and RSA 674:41, RSA 674:41 shall be determining.
(2)
Uses. Single-family use, farming, and forestry are the only permitted uses on lots accessed from Class VI roads.
(3)
Accessory uses. Any uses customarily accessory to a single-family residence may be established on the property. However, only home occupations-1 and -2 (for which there is only one employee other than household members) are permitted.
(4)
Subdivision. Any new lots to be subdivided out of existing lots on Class VI roads shall have a minimum frontage on the Class VI road of 300 feet and a minimum lot size of three acres.
B.
Approval process. Shall be subject to the provisions of RSA 674:41.
C.
Other provisions.
(1)
The applicant is not specifically required to maintain the road as part of any authorization for a building permit but he/she is urged to do so, on his/her own or in coordination with other property owners.
(2)
It is recognized that any applicant who chooses to build on a Class VI road does so at his/her own risk. If in the future abutting landowners seek to upgrade a Class VI road to a Class V road then the landowners, rather than the City of Rochester, shall be entirely responsible for the costs of upgrading that road (i.e., to be paid for by an individual developer, abutting landowners jointly through a private agreement, or through a betterment tax on abutting landowners if approved by City Council).
(3)
Any modifications to the road in the future must be approved by the City of Rochester Public Works Department.
(4)
If any Class VI road is brought up to City standards the reclassification to a Class V road must be approved by the Rochester City Council.
(5)
The Planning and Development Department shall maintain a record of Class VI roads or portions of Class VI roads upon which the City Council has authorized issuance of building permits.
(6)
See the Transportation Master Plan for a partial list of Class VI roads in the City.