Southeast City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XI
Off-Street Parking and Loading
§ 138-64 General.
The following provisions shall apply to the establishment of off-street parking and loading spaces. It is the intent of this chapter to encourage indoor parking whenever possible, especially vehicles to be left on site overnight.
§ 138-65 Definitions.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
Constitutes an unobstructed area 12 feet in width and 30 feet in length with a vertical clearance of 15 feet and having such slope and unobstructed shape and access as to accommodate one truck having an overall length of 30 feet.
Constitutes an area having the following minimum unobstructed width and having such slope and unobstructed shape, vertical clearance and access as to accommodate one automobile as follows:
[Amended 8-20-2015 by L.L. No. 7-2015]
§ 138-66 Design standards for commercial uses.
[Amended 4-24-2003 by L.L. No. 7-2003]
All off-street parking and loading spaces for commercial uses shall conform to the following design standards, except that the requirements of this section shall not apply to parking spaces provided in connection with a permitted office, customary home occupation or leasing of rooms in a dwelling unit.
A.
Parking spaces. Each parking space shall be provided with adequate area for an automobile, having an overall length of 18 feet, to approach the space and exit and execute any necessary backing and turning movements without need to use any part of a street right-of-way.
B.
Loading spaces. No off-street loading space, including any truck loading bay, ramp or dock, shall be designed or arranged in a manner that trucks must back within any part of a street right-of-way in order to use such space.
C.
Access. Driveway entrances and exits onto any street shall be provided in such a manner that no undue traffic hazards or traffic congestion will be created. There shall be no more than two driveways entering any lot from any one additional driveway for each additional 300 feet of lot frontage, or fraction thereof, in excess of 300 feet. Driveways shall not exceed 30 feet in width at the street line unless a greater width is required by the County of Putnam or State of New York.
D.
Setbacks. No off-street parking or loading space or access aisle in connection therewith shall extend within the minimum yards set forth in the Commercial Zoning Schedule;[1] provided, however, that the Planning Board may approve the following modifications in connection with a site plan under Article IX:
(1)
The owners of two abutting lots in other than residence districts may establish a continuous parking area or loading area across the common property line when there are connecting aisles across such line and serving such areas.
(2)
In NB-1 and NB-2 Districts, off-street parking spaces and access aisles therefor may extend into the area required for setback from a street line but shall not occupy more than 50% of such area.
(3)
Where the street line frontage of a lot, the property line of a lot or a residence district boundary line on a lot is irregular and would cause a setback unusually irregular for layout of a parking or loading area, an averaged street line, property line or residence district boundary line may be established on the site development plan for the purpose of measurement of the required setback.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Commercial Zoning Schedule is located as an attachment to this chapter.
E.
Improvements. All off-street parking and loading spaces shall be suitably improved, graded, stabilized and maintained so as to cause no nuisance or danger from dust or from stormwater flow onto any street. All off-street parking and loading spaces located within 10 feet of any street line shall be separated from such line by a curb, fence, wall, embankment or other barrier and shall be provided with such barrier in such a manner that cars will not overhang the street line.
F.
Vehicle storage. Storage of vehicles used for commercial purposes (excluding passenger vehicles) and recreational vehicles and boats shall be located in the rear portions of a lot (outside of all side and rear yard lines) and shall be suitably screened from adjoining properties.
§ 138-66.1 Design standards for residential uses.
[Added 4-24-2003 by L.L. No. 7-2003]
All off-street parking spaces for residential uses shall conform to the following design standards:
A.
One-family residential and two-family residential uses.
(1)
Parking spaces required for one-family or two-family dwellings may be reduced in width to eight feet and may be provided in accessory garages or carports or in a side or rear yard or in a driveway not less than eight feet and no more than 30 feet in width, or in a combination thereof.
(2)
No parking spaces shall exist outside of a driveway that is not less than eight feet and no more than 30 feet in width, in the front yard of any one-family or two-family residential use. All parking spaces and driveways shall be at least five feet from any side or rear lot line.
B.
Multifamily uses.
(1)
No parking space accessory to a multifamily use shall be closer than 10 feet to any side or rear lot line. No parking space or parking area other than approved entrance and exit driveways shall be permitted in any front yard.
(2)
All off-street parking and loading spaces shall be suitably improved, graded, stabilized and maintained so as to cause no nuisance or danger from dust or from stormwater flow onto any street. All off-street parking and loading spaces located within 10 feet of any street line shall be separated from such line by a curb, fence, wall, embankment or other barrier and shall be provided with such barrier in such a manner that cars will not overhang the street line.
(3)
Where an off-street parking area for a multifamily use adjoins a single-family residential zoning district, a park, or public open space, there shall be a suitably maintained landscaped strip of a minimum of 10 feet in width.
C.
Vehicle storage. Storage of recreational vehicles and boats shall be located in the rear portions of a lot (outside of all side and rear yard lines) and shall be suitably screened from adjoining properties.
§ 138-67 Required parking spaces.
[Amended 7-12-2007 by L.L. No. 4-2007; 3-21-2024 by L.L. No. 2-2024]
For each use of land and buildings and other structures, off-street parking spaces in residential districts shall be provided in such number as specified in the Table of General Use Requirements.[1] For nonresidential districts, the number of off-street parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with the following:
A.
Motor vehicle repair garages: 10 spaces and located on the same lot with the building. No parking of vehicles and no temporary or permanent storage of vehicles shall be permitted outside of those 10 spaces.
B.
Undertaker establishments: 10 spaces and located on the same lot with the building.
C.
Retail stores and shops, personal and business services: one space for each 350 square feet of gross floor area.
D.
Motels and hotels: one space for each sleeping room and located on the same lot with the building.
E.
Restaurants, taverns, bars, dance halls and skating rinks: one space for each 50 square feet of patron floor area and located on a lot distant not more than 300 feet in a direct line from the building.
F.
Assembly halls, churches and places of worship: one space for each three seats and located on the same lot as the building or a lot in a nonresidential district and distant not more than 500 feet in a direct line from the building.
G.
Athletic fields and stadia: one space for each five seats and located on a lot distant not more than 1,000 feet from the field or stadium.
H.
Warehouses, wholesale businesses, research laboratories, and establishments for the manufacture, processing or assembling of goods: one space for each 1 1/2 employees during the largest daily work shift period and located on a lot distant not more than 500 feet in a direct line from the building.
I.
Theaters: one space for each three seats if a theater is a standalone facility or not integrated with other uses or a majority tenant of a center. If a theater is a minority tenant of a center and it can be demonstrated that, as a result of space use overlap and offset timing of peak parking utilization, a modification of the parking standard is appropriate, then the Planning Board may apply the provisions of § 138-71; however, such parking standard shall not be modified to less than one space for each five seats.
J.
Offices: one space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area.
K.
Banks: one space for each 333 square feet of gross floor area.
L.
Office buildings (not primarily serving customers or clients on the premises): one space for each 500 square feet of gross floor area.
M.
Medical offices: one space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area.
N.
Medical office complex: one space for each 150 square of gross floor area.
O.
Animal hospitals: one space for each 300 square of gross floor area.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Table of General Use Requirements is located at the end of this chapter.
§ 138-68 Classification of uses.
Whenever two or more classifications provided in § 138-67 shall apply to a use of land or buildings or other structures, the standard requiring the larger number of parking spaces shall apply, but where separate parts of a building or structure are used for purposes requiring a different number of parking spaces, the number of required spaces shall be determined by adding the number of spaces required for each type of use.
§ 138-69 Required loading spaces.
[Amended 3-21-2024 by L.L. No. 2-2024]
Each hospital, hotel, motel, retail store building, undertaker's establishment, restaurant, tavern, bar, warehouse, wholesale business, trucking terminal, contractor's business, research laboratory, office building, medical office, extended hours medical office, medical office complex, and establishment for the manufacture, processing or assembling of goods, having a ground floor area in excess of 4,000 square feet, shall have one off-street loading space for each 40,000 square feet of gross floor area or fraction thereof, excluding basements and located on the same lot with the building or as provided in § 138-70.
§ 138-70 Joint use of spaces.
Except where off-street parking spaces are required under § 138-67 to be located on the same lot with the building, joint parking areas and loading spaces may be established by the owners of separate lots in order to provide the total number of off-street parking and loading spaces required.
§ 138-71 Modification of standards.
[Amended 8-20-2015 by L.L. No. 7-2015]
The Planning Board, in connection with its action on a site plan, may approve modification of off-street parking and loading standards as follows:
A.
Number. The Planning Board may authorize off-street parking and/or loading spaces up to 15% less in number than specified in §§ 138-67 and 138-69 if the Board determines that the following standards and conditions are met:
(1)
The number of spaces provided on the plan are sufficient to accommodate the vehicles of all persons using and visiting the particular use or occupancy of land and buildings and other structures specified in the application for a building permit and certificate of occupancy.
(3)
The authorization of such spaces, less in number, is applicable only to the particular use or occupancy of land and buildings and other structures specified in such application, and approval of the site plan shall be null and void in the event that such use or occupancy is changed to another use or occupancy.
B.
Overnight parking of vehicles associated with a principal permitted use. If the general health, safety and welfare of the residents of the Town of Southeast or the performance standards as expressed in § 138-12 are better served by the indoor parking of vehicles associated with a principal use, then the Planning Board should have the power to mandate such indoor parking.