Scranton City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VII
Off-Street Parking and Loading
§ 445-42 General regulations for parking facilities.
A.
Availability of facilities. Off-street parking, loading, and unloading facilities shall be provided to lessen congestion in the streets. The facilities required herein shall be available throughout the hours of operation of the particular business or use for which such facilities are provided. As used herein, the term "parking space" includes either covered garage space or uncovered parking lot space located off the public right-of-way.
B.
Lighting. Any lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises and public right-of-ways.
C.
Public right-of-ways. Parking, loading, and unloading of vehicles shall not be permitted on public right-of-ways, except in designated areas and in accord with City parking regulations. No parking area shall be designed which requires or encourages parked vehicles to be backed into a public street, except for single-family and two-family dwellings with access onto a local street or parking court.
D.
Off-street parking in the D - City Downtown Mixed Use District. Uses in the D District shall not require off street parking as required by § 445-42E. In the D District no lands shall be converted to the principal use of public parking lots.
E.
Number of spaces to be provided.
(1)
Any structure or building not exempted by § 445-42E and which is hereafter erected, converted, or enlarged for any of the following uses, or any open area hereafter used for commercial purposes, shall be provided with off-street parking spaces adequate to serve such use but with not less than the minimum spaces, as set forth in this Article, which spaces shall be readily accessible to the uses served thereby. Fractional numbers of parking spaces shall be increased to the next whole number.
(2)
For projects involving more than one use and/or structure the total number of parking spaces required shall be determined by summing the number of spaces for each individual use.
(4)
Should the applicant provide evidence that the number of parking spaces required by this Article VII is not necessarily required to meet the immediate needs of the proposed use, the number of spaces provided may be reduced as a conditional use by a maximum of 50% provided sufficient and suitable area is dedicated to future parking to meet the normal standards in this Article VII and the applicant shall agree in writing to install the parking at the direction of the City Council. Reserve parking areas shall be included in the calculation of lot coverage area. Parking facilities used jointly by two or more principal uses may be considered for a parking reduction
F.
Parking and loading area buffers. All parking and loading areas (not including parking decks) and parallel circulation and service lanes serving any commercial, industrial, institutional, or mixed use shall be separated from any public road right-of-way or adjoining property lines by a buffer area not less than three feet in width unless adjoining uses share parking in accord with § 445-41I. In the case of adjoining Residential Districts, the buffer shall be increased to 10 feet. Buffers shall be improved in accord with § 445-43.
(1)
Measurement. The width of the buffer shall be measured from the curb line or from the legal right-of-way line after development if no curbs will be provided.
(4)
Sidewalks. If sidewalks exist or will be provided, the buffer area may be provided between the sidewalk and the street or between the sidewalk and the parking lot.
(5)
Clear sight triangles. All required clear sight triangles at intersections shall be maintained.
G.
Surfacing. Off-street parking areas and driveways/access ways shall be graded for proper drainage and shall be surf aced so as to provide a durable and dustless surface of concrete or bituminous concrete surface constructed in accord with accepted standards to assure durability.
H.
Off-lot parking. A principal use located within 400 feet of another use, within the same Zoning District, that has excess of available parking spaces due to the principal use operating at different time(s) or for any other reason, the principal use seeking the shared parking arrangement may, as a special exception, seek approval of a shared parking arrangement.
I.
Joint use parking. In cases where two principal uses share a common property line, shared parking facilities may be utilized. The arrangement for joint-use parking shall be provided by deed restriction for the portion of each parcel included in the shared arrangement. The joint-use parking area may span the common property line thereby eliminating the setback required in § 445-42F. The standards in § 445-42E for number of spaces to be provided shall apply to joint-use parking. To the extent that principal uses operate at different times, the same spaces may be credited to both uses. (Example: If a church parking lot is generally occupied only to 10% of capacity on days other than a Sunday, another development not operating on a Sunday could make use of the unused church lot spaces on weekdays.)
J.
Existing parking areas. Except in the D District where higher use development is encouraged for existing surface parking lots, no existing parking area or any off-street parking shall be eliminated, reduced in size, or otherwise altered so that any use is served by less parking than is required by this chapter.
K.
Parking for residential use. Off-street parking shall be provided in accord with this Article VII for all residential uses in all Districts except the D District.
L.
Handicapped parking.
(1)
Number of spaces. Any lot including four or more off-street parking spaces shall include a minimum of one handicapped space. The following number of handicapped spaces shall be provided, unless a revised regulation is established under the Federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).
Total # of Required Spaces on Parking Lot | Required Minimum # of Handicapped Parking Spaces |
|---|---|
4 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 required number of spaces |
1,001 or more | 20 plus 1% of required number of spaces over 1,000 |
(2)
Location. Handicapped parking spaces shall be located where access to the use is via the shortest reasonable accessible distance. Curb cuts with an appropriate slope shall be provided as needed to provide access from the handicapped spaces.
(3)
Minimum size. Each required handicapped parking space shall be a minimum of nine feet by 18 feet. In addition, each space shall be adjacent to an access aisle five feet in width. Such access aisle may be shared by two handicapped spaces by being placed between the spaces. In order to provide for van accessibility, one of every eight required handicapped spaces shall have an adjacent access aisle of eight feet in width instead of five feet.
(4)
Slope. In accord with ADA requirements, handicapped parking spaces shall be located in areas of less than 2% slope in all directions.
(5)
Marking. All required handicapped spaces shall be well-marked by clearly visible signs and/or pavement markings.
§ 445-42.1 Table of Off-Street Parking Requirements.
Use | Parking Spaces Required | ||
|---|---|---|---|
A. | Dwellings | 1 per dwelling unit | |
B. | Homes for handicapped or infirm, nursing homes, group homes, halfway houses, and similar uses | 1 per on duty employee on duty plus 2 per residents capable of driving a vehicle. | |
C. | Hotels, motels, boarding and tourist homes, bed and breakfast establishments and other uses providing overnight accommodations | 1.1 per bedroom | |
D. | Sales and rental of goods, merchandise, and equipment | ||
1. | Retail establishments | 1 per 200 SFGFA open to the public | |
2. | Wholesale establishments | 1 per 800 SFGFA | |
3. | Flea markets | 1 per 200 square feet of lot area designated for display or sales | |
E. | Offices, research facilities and services not primarily related to goods | ||
1. | Serving customers or clients on premises such as attorneys, physicians, insurance, banks, service establishments, and travel agents | 1 per 200 SFGFA | |
2. | Drive-in banks | 1 per 200 SFGFA open to the public plus reservoir lane capacity equal to 5 spaces per drive-in window | |
3. | Serving little or few customers or clients on premises, such as corporate offices | 1 per 250 SFGFA | |
4. | Funeral homes | 1 per 100 SFGFA open to the public | |
F. | Manufacturing, processing, renovating, assembling goods, merchandise, and equipment | 1 per 600 SFGFA | |
G. | Educational, cultural, religious, social, fraternal uses | ||
1. | Public schools | 1.75 per classroom for elementary and middle schools; and 5 per classroom for high schools | |
2. | Trade and vocational schools, colleges | 1 per 100 SFG FA open to the public | |
3. | Places of worship | 1 per every 4 seats used for services | |
4. | Libraries and museums, social, fraternal clubs, and lodges; and similar uses | 1 per 300 SFGFA open to the public | |
H. | Recreation, amusement, and entertainment | ||
1. | Bowling alleys, skating rinks, indoor athletic or exercise facilities and similar uses | 1 per every 3 persons of fully utilized design capacity (if measurable in such fashion), otherwise 1 per 200 SFGFA | |
2. | Movie theaters, stadiums, and similar uses with seating accommodations | 1 per every 4 seats | |
3. | Public and private outdoor recreation facilities such as golf courses, swimming pools and similar uses | 1 per 200 SFGFA open to the public plus 1 per every 3 persons of fully utilized design capacity | |
4. | Docking facilities | 1 per every 3 slips | |
I. | Health related facilities | ||
1. | Hospitals, clinics, and other medical treatment facilities | 1 per bed or 1 per 200 SFGFA, whichever is greater | |
2. | Nursing homes, personal care homes | 1 per five resident beds at maximum capacity | |
J. | Restaurants, bars, taverns, and other eating establishments | 1 per 50 SFGFA open to the public plus reservoir lane capacity equal to 5 spaces per drive-in window | |
K. | Vehicle related uses | ||
1. | Sales, service, repair | 1 per 250 SFGFA | |
2. | Gas sales | 1 per 250 SFG FA plus sufficient parking area at pumps which does not interfere with other required spaces | |
3. | Car or truck wash | 1 per employee plus 2 reservoir spaces in front of each stall for self-serve and 5 reservoir spaces for conveyor type | |
4. | Truck terminals | 1 per 200 SFGFA devoted to office use plus 2 per company vehicle using the facility | |
5. | Bus terminals | 1 per 200 SFGFA devoted to office use plus 0.75 per seat of the total capacity of buses serving riders who travel round-trip during the peak twelve-hour period of the day | |
L. | Warehousing and storage | 1 per 2,000 SFGFA | |
M. | Miscellaneous uses | ||
1. | Veterinary | 1 per 200 SFGFA | |
2. | Nursery schools and day care | 1 per staff member plus 1 per 5 clients at maximum capacity | |
3. | Greenhouses | 1 per 200 SFGFA open to the public | |
4. | Emergency services | 1 per 200 SFGFA open to the public | |
5. | Post office | 1 per 200 SFGFA open to the public | |
6. | Recycling centers | 1 per employee with a minimum of 2 | |
7. | Kennels | 1 per 400 SFGFA with a minimum of 4 | |
8. | Institutional uses | 1 per employee plus 1 per 25 inmates/residents | |
Note: SFGFA means "square feet of gross floor area". Gross floor area is the sum of the total horizontal areas of the several floors of a building measured from the exterior face of exterior walls, or from the centerline of a wall separating two buildings, but not including interior parking spaces, loading space for vehicles, or any space where the floor-to-ceiling height is less than six feet. |
For uses not specifically provided above, the Zoning Officer is authorized to determine the required number of spaces based upon the similarity of the proposed use to the uses provided. Any decision of the Zoning Officer may be appealed to the Zoning Hearing Board. It shall be the duty of the Zoning Hearing Board to render its determination with respect thereto.
§ 445-43 Design standards for parking facilities.
A.
Size and design of parking spaces. Parking shall be provided in accord with an overall parking plan prepared in accord with generally accepted design standards and which takes into consideration access design and control, size and shape of the parking area, types of vehicles using the parking area, traffic patterns and other applicable considerations. The net parking space per vehicle shall be not less than nine feet wide and 18 feet long. Garages and carports not in the public right-of-way may be considered parking spaces. Notwithstanding the above, all parking spaces shall be ample in size for the vehicles for which use is intended.
B.
Distance from intersections. At a minimum, the following distance shall be maintained between the centerline of any driveway/access way and the centerline of any street intersecting the same street as the driveway/access way:
Type of Street | Minimum Separation Distance |
|---|---|
State | 75 feet |
City | 50 feet |
C.
Highway occupancy permit. A City or State highway occupancy permit, as applicable, shall be required for any new access or access proposed for increased average daily traffic to any public street or any other regulated activity within the right-of-way.
D.
Landscaping. All improved off-street parking areas not entirely contained in a garage or building shall comply with the following landscaping standards:
(1)
Buffer areas. The buffer area required by § 441-42F shall be landscaped to a minimum of 30 inches in height including vegetation; of which a minimum of 50% shall be evergreen shrubbery; and shall average at least one shrub for every 10 feet of frontage.
(2)
Parking lot interiors. A minimum of 5% of the interior of any parking lot having 25 or more parking spaces shall be maintained with landscaping, including trees and shrubs in plots of at least 60 square feet in area. One deciduous tree with a trunk diameter of not less than one inch measured at a height of one foot above finished grade shall be provided for every 3,000 square feet of paved area. Trees and landscaping plots shall be so located to provide visual relief and sun and wind interruption within the parking area and to insure safe patterns of internal circulation. In no case shall more than 15 spaces be permitted in a continuous row without interruption by landscaping, and not more than 60 spaces shall be permitted in one lot, said lots being separated by landscaping plots a minimum of four feet in width.
(3)
Plants. Plant species shall be of a type proven suitable to local soil and climate conditions and which are resistant to disease, road salt and air pollution as determined by the City. All landscaping including plants shall be protected from damage by vehicles and shall be maintained in a good condition with plants that have died being replaced by similar plants.
(4)
Plan. A landscaping plan showing the arrangement of the landscaping and parking areas and including plant sizes and species shall be submitted by the applicant for approval by the City.
§ 445-44 Parking of unregistered vehicles, commercial vehicles and junk vehicles.
A.
Purpose. To prevent the character of residential areas from being harmed by nuisances, hazards, and visual blight, and to prevent the establishment of junkyards in residential districts.
B.
Storage of unregistered, commercial or junk vehicles.
(1)
Definitions. For the purposes of this §§ 445-44 and 445-45, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
A motor vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight of greater than 6,000 pounds and is primarily used for business purposes, including but not limited to making service calls, transporting equipment used in a business or in accomplishing physical work as part of a business (such as hauling material).
(b) TRACTOR OF A TRACTOR-TRAILER
A truck with a minimum of three axles that is primarily intended to pull a trailer, as defined below, and not primarily to carry goods itself.
(c) TRAILER OF A TRACTOR-TRAILER
A commercial vehicle with a length of 20 feet or more that is not self-propelled, that is intended to haul materials, vehicles, goods, gases, or liquids and that is intended to be pulled by a tractor (as defined above), and that is not a "recreational vehicle."
(2)
Residential district. Within a residential district, no motor vehicle or trailer that does not display current registration and current safety inspection (or safety inspection and registration that expired less than 90 days prior) and no motor home, recreational vehicle, camper, bus, or ambulance shall be parked or stored in any way that is visible from a public street or an adjacent dwelling.
(3)
Non-residential district. Within a non-residential district, no motor vehicle or trailer that does not display current registration and current safety inspection (or safety inspection and registration that expires less than 90 days prior) and no "abandoned or junk vehicle" (as defined by Article III), shall be parked or stored in any way that is visible from a public street or an adjacent structure. This § 445-44 shall not apply to a permitted auto sales use, auto service station, junkyard, or auto repair garage, provided that the regulations for that use are met.
(4)
Exceptions. This section does not apply to the following, provided they are in an operational condition:
(a)
Municipally owned vehicles.
(b)
Vehicles operated by the U.S. Postal Service or a level of government or a Municipal Authority.
(c)
Vehicles actively engaged in the construction or repair of buildings, streets, curbs, sidewalks, rehabilitation, or utilities in the immediate area.
(d)
Vehicles actively engaged in making routine household deliveries or rendering routine household services to a property that is adjacent or on the same lot as the vehicle is parked.
(5)
Commercial vehicles in a residential district.
(a)
In a residential district, a maximum of two "vehicles" which are commercial in nature (having a business name painted on it and/or other advertising on it) may be parked for more than eight hours in any forty-eight-hour period on private property. Such vehicles shall be permitted only if used by residents of the property as a means of transportation between their home and work. No commercial vehicle in a residential district shall have a gross vehicle weight of over 8,000 pounds if parked outside of an enclosed building.
(b)
In a residential district, the engine of a tractor of a tractor-trailer shall not be idled for more than 10 minutes on the property between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. or be repaired, except for clearly emergency repairs.
(c)
No trailer of tractor-trailer shall be parked, stored, maintained, or kept in a residential district for more than eight hours in any forty-eight-hour period.
(d)
See the requirements of the State Motor Vehicle Code that require vehicles parked on a public street to have current registration.
§ 445-45 Off-street loading.
A.
Loading and unloading areas. In addition to the required off-street parking spaces the developer of any building erected, converted or enlarged in any district. for commercial, office building, hotel, motel, restaurant, manufacturing, wholesale, hospital, or other non-residential uses, to provide adequate oft-street areas tor loading and unloading of vehicles. The applicant shall provide, to the satisfaction of the Zoning Officer, City Council or Zoning Hearing Board, as the case may be, documentation of the that the use will have sufficient numbers and sizes of loading facilities.
Largest Type of Truck Service | Minimum Width (feet) | Minimum Length (feet) |
|---|---|---|
Tractor trailer | 12 | 55 with 12 feet clear height |
Trucks other than tractor trailers, pick-ups, or vans | 10 | 25 |
Pick-up truck or van | 9 | 18 |
B.
Access to off-street parking and loading areas. There shall be adequate provisions for ingress and egress to all parking and loading spaces designed for use by employees, customers, delivery services, sales people and/or the general public. Access to and from all off-street parking, loading and vehicle service areas along public rights-of-way shall consist of well-defined separate or common entrances and exits and shall comply with the following provisions:
(1)
Width. Unless otherwise required by PennDOT for access to a state road, the width of the driveway/access way onto a public street at the edge of the cartway shall be as follows:
WIDTH | 1-Way Use | 2-Way Use |
|---|---|---|
Minimum | 12 feet | 20 feet |
Maximum | 35 feet | 50 feet |
(2)
Controlled access. Each entrance and exit shall be clearly defined with curbing, fencing, landscaping, or vegetative screening so as to prevent access to the area from other than the defined entrance and exit.
(3)
Distance between non-residential driveways. In no case shall one entrance or exit be located within 50 feet of any other on the same property or adjoining property along the same public right-of-way.