Zoneomics Logo
search icon

Springfield Township York County
City Zoning Code

ARTICLE IX

Off-Street Parking Requirements

§ 500-107 Required off-street parking spaces.

Any building or other structure erected, altered, or used and any lot used or occupied for any of the following purposes shall be provided with minimum off-street parking spaces as set forth in Subsections A through H of this section, together with adequate access drives, driveways, or other means of circulation and access to and from a public street. Unless specifically waived in accordance with the requirements of § 500-108E of this chapter, parking space requirements for two or more uses on a lot shall be cumulative and not limited to a single principal use.
A. 
Agricultural uses. One off-street parking space for each employee.
B. 
Residential uses.
(1) 
Dwellings. Two off-street parking spaces for each dwelling unit, including accessory dwelling units and dwelling units in combination with an office or commercial use.
(2) 
Group home. Two off-street parking spaces.
(3) 
Rooming house, boardinghouse, dormitory, sorority, fraternity, and any other similar places providing living accommodations. One off-street parking space shall be provided for each three beds.
C. 
Institutional, social, and recreational uses.
(1) 
Cemetery. No requirements.
(2) 
Church. One off-street parking space for each four seats provided for patron use, or at least one off-street parking space for each 50 square feet of gross floor area used or intended to be used for service to patrons, guests, or members, whichever requires the greater number of off-street parking spaces, plus one additional space for each full-time employee.
(3) 
Cultural facility, not conducted as a private gainful business. One space per five seats or one space per 250 square feet of gross floor area where no seats are provided.
(4) 
Day-care center. One off-street parking space per employee, plus one space for each two classrooms and offices.
(5) 
Hospital. One off-street parking space for each three patient or inmate beds, plus at least one additional off-street parking space for each staff and visiting doctor, plus one additional off-street parking space for each employee (including nurses) on the two major shifts.
(6) 
Junior high school. One off-street parking space for each faculty member and employee, plus one space per two classrooms and offices.
(7) 
Kindergarten or elementary school. One off-street parking space for each faculty member and employee, plus one space per two classrooms and offices.
(8) 
Nursing home. One off-street parking space for each three patient or inmate beds; plus at least one additional off-street parking space for each staff and visiting doctor, plus one additional off-street parking space for each employee (including nurses) on the two major shifts.
(9) 
Private club or lodge, not operated as a private, gainful business. One off-street parking space for every five members of total capacity, or at least one off-street parking space for each 50 square feet of gross floor area used or intended to be used for service to customers, patrons, clients, guests, or members, whichever requires the greater number of off-street parking spaces, plus one additional space for each full-time employee.
(10) 
Recreational facility. One off-street parking space for each five persons of total recreational and spectator capacity, or the then current National Recreational Association guidelines for recreational facilities parking requirements, whichever is greater.
(11) 
Golf course. Eight off-street parking spaces per hole, plus one space per employee, plus 50% of the spaces required for any accessory uses.
(12) 
Senior high school or college. One off-street parking space per faculty member and employee, plus one space per six students of projected building capacity.
D. 
Office uses.
(1) 
Business, financial, professional, or public service office. One off-street parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area, plus one additional space for every two full-time employees.
(2) 
Health service or veterinary office. Four off-street parking spaces per doctor, plus one space for each on-duty employee on the largest shift.
E. 
Commercial uses.
(1) 
Automotive repair garage. Two off-street parking spaces for each service bay, plus one additional space for each full-time employee on the largest shift; all such spaces to be in addition to areas normally devoted to automobile storage.
(2) 
Automotive sales facility. One off-street parking space for each 400 square feet of gross floor area, plus one space for each 3,000 square feet of outside sales area, plus one additional space for each full-time employee.
(3) 
Automobile washing facility. Four off-street parking spaces for each washing bay.
(4) 
Commercial entertainment facilities. One off-street parking space for each four seats provided for patron use, or at least one off-street parking space for each 50 square feet of gross floor area used or intended to be used for service to customers, patrons, clients, guests, or members, which ever requires the greater number of off-street parking spaces, plus one additional space for each full-time employee.
(5) 
Gasoline service station. Two off-street parking spaces for each service bay or area, plus one space for each full-time employee on the largest shift. Said off-street parking spaces are not to be a part of, nor interfere with, the accessways to the pumps and shall be in addition to the requirements for any other principal use located upon the same site such as a convenience food store.
(6) 
Mortuary or funeral home. One off-street parking space for each four seats provided for patron use, plus one additional space for each full-time employee and each vehicle maintained on the premises.
(7) 
Motel, hotel. One off-street parking space for each rental room or suite, plus one additional off-street parking space for each employee on the largest shift. Spaces for associated restaurants and meeting rooms shall be in addition to these requirements.
(8) 
Quick-service restaurant. One off-street parking space for every two seats of maximum design capacity or one off-street parking space for every 50 square feet of gross floor area, whichever is larger; plus one space for each two employees on the largest shift.
(9) 
Recreational vehicle park. One off-street parking space for each campsite; plus one space for each employee; plus 50% of the spaces normally required for any accessory uses to the campground.
(10) 
Repair service business. One off-street parking space for each 300 square feet of gross floor area; plus one additional space for each full-time employee.
(11) 
Retail or personal service business. One off-street parking space for each 200 square feet of gross area used or intended to be used for servicing customers; plus one additional space for every two full-time employees on the largest shift.
(12) 
Sit-down restaurant. One off-street parking space for each four seats of maximum design capacity; plus one space for every two employees on the largest shift.
F. 
Utility and transportation uses.
(1) 
Airport, landing strip, or helistops. As required by the Zoning Hearing Board.
(2) 
Bus, taxi, or railroad terminal. As required by the Board of Supervisors.
(3) 
Fire station. Three off-street parking spaces for every four employees on the two major shifts at maximum employment, or four off-street parking spaces for each fire truck where no community room is a part of the building, whichever requires the greater number of parking spaces. Where a community room is provided, two off-street parking spaces for each fire truck, plus one off-street parking space for each 100 square feet of gross floor area shall be provided.
(4) 
Parking lot. No requirements.
(5) 
Utility station. One off-street parking space for each vehicle normally required to service such facility.
G. 
Industrial uses. Three off-street parking spaces for every four employees on the largest shift, plus one space for each company vehicle normally stored on the premises.
H. 
Accessory uses. The following off-street parking requirements shall be in addition to those required for the principal use(s) located upon a lot.
(1) 
Accessory building, swimming pool, and accessory kennel or stable: no requirements.
(2) 
Bed-and-breakfast inn. One off-street parking space for each rental room or suite.
(3) 
Home occupation or day care home. One off-street parking space in addition to spaces otherwise required.
(4) 
Principal use as an accessory use or temporary uses. As required by the appropriate regulation for the principal use involved.
(5) 
Roadside agricultural stand. A sufficient number of off-street parking spaces to accommodate the maximum number of vehicles stopping at any one time, but in no case fewer than three such spaces.

§ 500-108 Location and management requirements.

A. 
Existing parking. Structures and uses in existence on January 27, 1996, shall not be subject to the requirements of this article so long as the kind or extent of use is not changed, provided that any parking facility now serving such structures or uses shall not in the future be reduced below such requirements.
B. 
Change in requirements. Whenever there is an alteration of a structure or a change or extension of a use which increases the parking requirements according to the standards of § 500-107 of this chapter, the total additional parking required for the alteration, change, or extension shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of that section.
C. 
Conflict with other uses. No parking area shall be used for any use that interferes with its availability for the parking need it is required to serve.
D. 
Continuing obligation.
(1) 
All required parking facilities shall be provided and maintained so long as the use exists which the facilities were designed to serve. Off-street parking facilities shall not be reduced in total extent after their provision, except upon the approval of the Zoning Hearing Board and then only after proof that, by reason of diminution in floor area, seating area, number of employees, or change in other factors controlling the regulation of the number of parking spaces, such reduction is in conformity with the requirements of this article. Reasonable precautions are to be taken by the owner or sponsor of particular uses to assure the availability of required facilities for the employees or other persons whom the facilities are designed to serve. They shall at no time constitute a nuisance, hazard, or unreasonable impediment to traffic.
(2) 
For parking lots of three or more vehicles, the area not landscaped and so maintained, including driveways and access drives, shall be graded, surfaced, and drained to the satisfaction of the Township Engineer to the extent necessary to prevent nuisances of dust, erosion, or excessive water flow across streets or adjoining property. All off-street parking spaces shall be marked so as to indicate their location.
E. 
Joint use. Two or more uses may provide for required parking in a common parking lot if the total space provided is not less than the sum of the spaces required for each use individually. However, the number of spaces required in a common parking facility may be reduced below this total only as a special exception under Article XI of this chapter if it can be demonstrated to the Zoning Hearing Board that the hours or days of peak parking needed for the uses are so different that a lower total will provide adequately for all uses served by the facility.
F. 
Fractional spaces. Where the computation of required parking spaces results in a fractional number, any fraction equal to or exceeding 1/2 space shall be counted as one; any fraction less than 1/2 space may be dropped.
G. 
Location of spaces.
(1) 
In ROS, R, CI, and I Districts, required off-street parking spaces shall be on the same lot or premises with the use served.
(2) 
In VC and HC Districts, required off-street parking spaces may be on the same lot or premises with the use served or on a lot separated therefrom but within 200 feet of the use served. Where provision of required parking involves a lot separated from the use served, the applicant for a use or building permit shall submit, with his application, an instrument duly executed and acknowledged which subjects such parcels of land to parking uses in connection with the principal use to which it is accessory. Upon issuance of a permit, the Zoning Officer shall cause such instrument to be recorded in the office of the York County Recorder of Deeds.
H. 
Reduction of parking requirements. The minimum off-street parking provisions of § 500-107 of this chapter may be reduced upon application for a special exception to be approved by the Zoning Hearing Board and provided the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) 
The land development plan shows all required spaces, including required buffer strips and accessways.
(2) 
The land development plan shows specifically which spaces are to be waived.
(3) 
Satisfactory documentation is submitted attesting to the reduced need for off-street parking.
(4) 
The developer enters into an agreement and executes a performance bond to construct the waived spaces if, in the opinion of the Board of Supervisors, such additional parking is deemed necessary. The performance bond and agreement shall terminate after five years.
I. 
Lighting.
(1) 
All public parking areas shall be adequately lighted during after-dark operating hours. All light standards shall be located on raised parking islands and not on the parking surface.
(2) 
Any lighting used to illuminate off-street parking or loading areas shall be arranged so that the direct rays from the luminaries will not fall on any residential district beyond the property line.

§ 500-109 Design standards.

A. 
General layout.
(1) 
The layout of every parking lot shall be such as to permit safe and efficient internal circulation in accordance with accepted traffic engineering principles and standards.
(2) 
All dead-end parking lots shall be designed to provide sufficient back-up area for the end stalls of the parking lot.
(3) 
Parking lots 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 motor vehicle, and without backing onto any public street.
B. 
On-street parking. At no time shall angle or perpendicular parking be permitted along public streets. All parking lots and bays permitting parking, other than parallel parking, shall be physically separated from the street and confined by curbing or other suitable separating device.
C. 
Dimensions of stalls and aisles. Parking lot dimensions shall be no less than those listed in the table below, except that:
(1) 
In parking structures, aisle widths may be reduced by 20%; and
(2) 
Handicapped parking spaces shall be at least 12 feet wide.
Dimensions of Stalls and Aisles
Angle of Parking
(degrees)
Parking Space Width
(feet)
Parking Space Depth
(feet)
Aisle One-Way
(feet)
Aisle Two-Way
(feet)
90
9
18
24
24
60
9
20
18
20
45
9
19
15
20
30
9
15
12
20
Parallel
8
22
12
20
D. 
Separation.
(1) 
Separate lots on a parcel shall be physically separated from one another by landscape strips in accordance with § 425-37F of Chapter 425, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of Springfield Township.
(2) 
No one lot shall exceed 36 spaces.
(3) 
Pedestrian crosswalks and refuge islands shall be provided at intervals not exceeding 200 feet along the length of each parking lot.
E. 
Setbacks.
(1) 
All parking lots shall be set back from any street line in conformance with applicable building setback requirements, including clear sight triangles.
(2) 
In side and rear yards, setbacks may be reduced to 10 feet when planted and screened in accordance with § 425-37G of Chapter 425, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of Springfield Township.
(3) 
In ROS, R, VC, HC, CI, and I Districts, no less than 10 feet of open space shall be provided between the edge of any parking lot and the outside wall of any principal building other than a garage.
F. 
Interior landscaping of parking lots. In any parking lot, at least 10% of the total area of the lot shall be devoted to interior landscaping in accordance with the requirements of § 425-37F, as well as any other applicable subsections of § 425-37 of Chapter 425, Subdivision and Land Development. Landscaped areas situated outside the parking lot, such as peripheral areas and areas surrounding buildings, shall not constitute interior landscaping. For the purpose of computing the total area of any parking lot, all areas within the perimeter of the parking lot, such as parking spaces, access drives, aisles, islands, and curbed areas, shall be included. Parked vehicles shall not overhang interior landscaped areas by more than 2 1/2 feet. Where necessary, wheel stops or curbing shall be provided to ensure no greater overhang.
G. 
Perimeter landscaping of parking lots. Any portion of a parking lot for six or more vehicles which abuts a public street or a neighboring property shall be provided with perimeter landscaping in accordance with § 425-37G, as well as any other applicable subsections of § 425-37 of Chapter 425, Subdivision and Land Development. If a buffer yard is also required in accordance with § 500-100A of this chapter, the screening and landscaping requirements for a buffer yard shall be satisfied in lieu of the perimeter landscaping requirements.
H. 
Drainage, surfacing, and maintenance.
(1) 
All driveways, access drives, and entrance ways shall be graded, surfaced, and drained to the satisfaction of the Township Engineer to the extent necessary to prevent nuisances of dust, erosion, or excessive water flow across streets or adjoining property.
(2) 
Parking areas shall be kept clean and free from rubbish and debris.
I. 
Curb radius. No less than five-foot radius or curvature shall be permitted for all curblines in all parking lots.

§ 500-110 Off-street loading.

A. 
Required spaces and berths. For all institutional, recreational, social, commercial, industrial, and utility/transportation uses, excepting a church, whose principal buildings have an aggregate floor area exceeding 6,000 square feet, at least one off-street loading space/berth shall be provided. Where there is an aggregate of 20,000 square feet or more, one off-street loading space/berth shall be provided for the initial 20,000 square feet, plus one additional space/berth shall be provided for each 60,000 square feet above 20,000 square feet. All off-street loading spaces and berths shall be provided and maintained so long as the use exists which the facilities were designed to serve. They may, however, be reduced in number after their provision by special exception in a manner similar to that provided in § 500-108H of this chapter.
B. 
Specifications. Off-street loading facilities shall be designed to conform to the following specifications:
(1) 
Each required space/berth shall be not less than 12 feet in width, 45 feet in length, and 14 feet in height, exclusive of drives and maneuvering space and located entirely on the lot being served.
(2) 
There shall be appropriate means of access to a street, as well as adequate maneuvering space.
(3) 
The maximum width of access drives and sidewalk openings, measured at the street line, shall be 35 feet; the minimum width shall be 20 feet. All access drives and entranceways shall be graded, surfaced, and drained to the satisfaction of the Township Engineer to the extent necessary to prevent nuisances of dust, erosion, or excessive water flow across streets or adjoining property.
(4) 
The setback provisions of § 500-109E of this chapter shall be met when applicable.
C. 
Screening and landscaping. All off-street loading areas shall be screened from any abutting residential use, any adjacent ROS or R District, and any public street or pedestrian walkway in accordance with the screening and landscaping requirements set forth in § 425-37A and H of Chapter 425, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of Springfield Township.

§ 500-111 Motor vehicle access.

Access to each lot shall comply with the following regulations:
A. 
Number. The number of driveways/access drives may not exceed two per lot on any street frontage; however, for lots with a street frontage of less than 300 feet, only one such driveway/access drive shall be permitted on any such frontage. The Zoning Hearing Board may grant permission by special exception for additional access where required to meet exceptional circumstances and/or where frontage of unusual length exists.
B. 
Access limitation. Within any VC, HC, CI, or I District, vehicular access to any lot may not be taken directly from any arterial or collector street so specified by the Township Comprehensive Plan Update.
C. 
Width.
(1) 
Each driveway/access drive shall be not more than 35 feet in width, measured at right angles to the center line of the driveway/access drive, except as increased by permissible curb return radii. The entire flare of any return radius shall fall within the right-of-way.
(2) 
In VC, HC, CI, and I Districts, each access drive shall not be less than 18 feet in width and each driveway shall not be less than eight feet in width.
(3) 
In C, A, ROS, and R Districts, each driveway/access drive shall not be less than eight feet in width.
D. 
Location.
(1) 
Each driveway/access drive shall be located as far from the right-of-way line of an intersection as practical, and in no case shall any driveway/access drive cross a street right-of-way line within 40 feet of the street right-of-way line of an intersecting street or less than 10 feet from the point of tangency when the intersecting street lines are joined by a curve. Notwithstanding the above and when deemed necessary for safety by the Board of Supervisors, this dimension shall be increased for access drives.
(2) 
Each driveway/access drive shall not cross a street right-of-way within five feet of a fire hydrant, catch basin, or drain inlet.
(3) 
Where two driveways/access drives are permitted on the same lot frontage, such driveways/access drives shall not cross the street right-of-way within 40 feet of another driveway/access drive on the same lot, excepting in the case where dual driveways/access drives are deemed necessary to permit safe ingress and egress, these dimensions may be reduced to not less than 12 feet between two driveways/access drives.
(4) 
Access drives shall not cross the street right-of-way within 20 feet of a property line, unless two adjoining property owners mutually agree in a legally recorded instrument to a common access drive.
(5) 
A driveway/access drive shall not be closer than 10 feet of a side property line except where the front area lot width is less than 35 feet.
E. 
Slope. Driveways/access drives shall be located in safe relationship to sight distance and barriers to vision, and shall not exceed a slope of 10% within 12 feet of the street line. Where driveways/access drives enter a bank through a cut, unless a retaining wall is used, the side slopes of the cut shall be graded to not more than 1/2 foot vertical to one foot horizontal within 10 feet of the point the driveway/access drive intersects with the right-of-way line.
F. 
Sight distance. Access drives shall be so located to provide clear sight triangles which conform to the requirements for local streets as set forth in § 425-25L(6) of Chapter 425, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of Springfield Township.
G. 
General safety requirements.
(1) 
For nonresidential uses and multifamily developments, where there is an existing curb and gutter or sidewalk on the street, a safety island along the entire frontage of the property shall be provided, except for the permitted access driveway. On the two ends and street side of each such island shall be constructed a concrete curb, the height, location, and structural specifications of which shall be approved by the Township Engineer.
(2) 
For nonresidential uses and multifamily developments, where there is no existing curb or sidewalk, a curb, fence, or pipe rail, not exceeding two feet or less than eight inches in height, shall be constructed along the entire length of the property line, except in front of the permitted access drive(s).
(3) 
In VC, HC, CI, and I Districts, when deemed necessary to permit safe ingress and egress, acceleration and deceleration lanes paralleling the street shall be installed at the expense of the property owners.
(4) 
Entrances and exits to and from off-street parking lots shall be located so as to create minimum interference with street traffic.
(5) 
Every off-street parking lot shall include sufficient reservoir space to accommodate entering and exiting vehicles without overflowing out onto adjacent streets or service roadways.
(6) 
In designing the location of potential access drive(s) or driveway(s), the owner/developer shall consider all potential public street access points and will situate the access drive at a location to intersect the public street/road at a point that minimizes any adverse effect(s) to the local public street/road system, with considering, but not limited to, additional traffic, or probable vehicle type or size.
H. 
Each principal use on a lot shall be served by a separate and distinct driveway or access drive, as the case may be.