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Sylvan Township City Zoning Code

ARTICLE V

- OFF-STREET PARKING AND LOADING

Sec. 30-668.- Off-street parking.

In all districts in connection with industrial, business, institutional, agricultural, recreational, residential, or other use, there shall be provided, at the time any building or structure use is erected or uses established, enlarged or increased in capacity, off-street parking spaces for automobiles with the requirements herein specified:

(1)

Plans and specifications showing required off-street parking spaces, including the means of access and interior circulation, for the above uses, shall be submitted to the zoning inspector for review at the time of application for a building permit for the erection or enlargement of building. Required off-street parking facilities shall be located on the same lot as the principal building or on a lot within 300 feet thereof, except that this distance and under the same ownership as the principal building shall not exceed 150 feet for single-family and two-family dwellings. This distance specified shall be measured from the nearest point of the parking facility to the nearest point of the lot occupied by the building or use that such facility is required to serve.

(2)

No parking area or parking space which exists at the time this article becomes effective or which subsequent thereto is provided for the purpose of complying with the provisions of this article shall thereafter be relinquished or reduced in any manner below the requirements established by this article, unless additional parking area or space is provided sufficient for the purpose of complying with the provisions of this article within 300 feet of the proposed or existing uses for which such parking will be available.

(3)

Parking of motor vehicles in residential zones shall be limited to passenger vehicles, and not more than one commercial vehicle of the light delivery type, not to exceed three-fourths ton shall be permitted per dwelling unit. The parking of any other type of commercial vehicle or bus, except for those parked on school or church property, is prohibited in a residential zone. Parking spaces for all types of uses may be provided either in garages or parking areas conforming with the provisions of this article.

(4)

Each off-street parking space for automobiles shall not be less than 200 square feet in area, with a minimum width of ten feet, exclusive of access drives or aisles, and shall be of usable shape and condition. There shall be provided a minimum access drive of ten feet in width, and, where a turning radius is necessary, it will be of such an arc as to reasonably allow an unobstructed flow of vehicles. Parking aisles for automobiles shall be of sufficient width to allow a minimum turning movement in and out of a parking space. The minimum width of such aisle shall be:

a.

For 90 degree or perpendicular parking, the aisle shall not be less than 22 feet in width.

b.

For 60 degree parking, the aisle shall not be less than 18 feet in width.

c.

For 45 degree parking, the aisle shall not be less than 13 feet in width.

d.

For parallel parking, the aisle shall not be less than 11 feet in width.

(5)

Off-street parking facilities required for churches may be reduced by 50 percent where churches are located in nonresidential districts and within 300 feet of usable public or private off-street parking areas. Off-street parking facilities for trucks at restaurants, service stations, and other similar and related uses shall be of sufficient size to adequately serve trucks and not interfere with other vehicles that use the same facilities. Such truck spaces shall not be less than ten feet in width and 55 feet in length.

(6)

Every parcel of land hereafter used as a public or private parking area shall be developed and maintained in accordance with the following requirements:

a.

All off-street parking spaces, and all driveways, except those in RC and AG districts, shall not be closer than ten feet to any property line, except where a wall, screen or compact planting strip exists as a parking barrier along the property line.

b.

No off-street parking spaces shall be located in the front yard setback or, when the lot is a corner lot, the parking spaces shall not be located within the required setback of either street.

c.

All off-street parking areas shall be drained so as to prevent drainage to abutting properties and shall be constructed of materials which will have dust-free surface resistant to erosion.

d.

Any lighting fixtures used to illuminate any off-street parking area shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from any adjoining residential lot or institutional premises.

e.

Any off-street parking area providing space for five or more vehicles shall be effectively screened on any side which adjoins or faces property adjoining a residential lot or institution by a wall, screen or compact planting not less than four feet in height. Plantings shall be maintained in good condition and not encroach on adjoining property.

f.

All off-street parking areas that make it necessary for vehicles to back out directly into a public road are prohibited, provided that this prohibition shall not apply to off-street parking areas of one- or two-family dwellings.

g.

Requirements for the provision of parking facilities with respect to two or more property uses of the same or different types may be satisfied if the permanent allocation of the requisite number of spaces designated is not less than the sum of individual requirements.

h.

The number of parking spaces required for land or buildings used for two or more purposes shall be the sum of the requirements for the various uses, computed in accordance with this chapter. Parking facilities for one use shall not be considered as providing the required parking facilities for any other use, except churches.

i.

Ingress and egress to parking lots shall be provided by means of clearly defined drives.

j.

Aisles for access to all parking spaces on two-way aisles shall be designed and clearly marked for two-way flow. Aisles for angle parking spaces shall have one-way movement only and shall be clearly marked for one-way movement.

k.

Where off-street parking areas are hard-surfaced, parking spaces shall be delineated by four-inch-wide stripes.

(7)

For the purposes of determining off-street parking requirements, the following units of measurement shall apply:

a.

Floor area. In the case of uses where the floor area is the unit for determining the required number of off-street parking spaces, said unit shall mean the gross floor area, except that such floor area need not include any area used for parking within the principal building and need not include any area used for incidental service storage installations of mechanical equipment, penthouses housing ventilators and heating systems, and similar uses.

b.

Place of assembly. In stadiums, sport arenas, churches, and other places of assembly in which those in attendance occupy benches, pews, or other similar seating facilities, each 18 inches of such seating facilities shall be counted as one seat. In cases where a place of assembly has both fixed seats and open assembly area, requirements shall be computed separately for each type and added together.

c.

Fractions. When units of measurement determining the number of required parking spaces result in requirement of a fractional space, any fraction shall be counted as one additional space.

d.

The minimum required off-street parking spaces shall be set forth as follows:

Use Parking Space Requirements
Automobile or machinery sales and service garages One space for each 200 square feet of showroom floor area, plus two spaces for each service bay, plus one space for each two employees
Banks, business and professional office One space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area
Barbershops and beauty parlors One space for each chair, plus one space for each employee
Bowling alleys Five spaces for each alley
Churches, auditoriums, stadiums, sport arenas, theaters, dance halls, assembly halls other than schools One space for each four seats
Dwellings (single-family) One space for each family or dwelling unit
Dwellings (two-family and multiple-family) Two spaces for each family or dwelling unit
Funeral homes and mortuaries Four spaces for each parlor or one space for each 50 square feet of floor area, plus one space for each fleet vehicle, whichever is greater One space for each three chapel seats
Furniture, appliance stores, household equipment and furniture repair shops One space for each 400 square feet of floor area
Hospitals One space for each bed, excluding bassinets, plus one space for each two employees
Hotels, motels, lodginghouses, tourist and boardinghouses One space for each living unit, plus one space for each two employees
Automobile, gasoline service stations One space for each 800 square feet of floor area, plus one space for each four employees
Manufacturing, fabricating processing and bottling plants, research and testing laboratories One space for each 1½ employees on maximum shift
Utility substations One space for each employee on maximum shift
Medical and dental clinics One space for each 100 square feet of floor area, plus one space for each employee
Restaurants, beer parlors, taverns, and nightclubs One space for each two patrons of maximum seating capacity, plus one space for each two employees
Retail sales, not elsewhere classified One space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area
Roadside stands Five spaces for each attendant
Self-service laundry or dry cleaning stores machines One space for each two washing and/or dry cleaning machines
Schools, private or public elementary and junior high schools One space for each employee normally engaged in or about the building or grounds, plus one space for each 30 students enrolled
Senior high school and institution of higher learning, private or public One space for each employee in or about the building or grounds, plus one space for each four students
Shopping centers 5.5 spaces per 1000 square feet of gross leasable floor area
Super market, self-service food and discount stores One space for each 200 square feet of floor area, plus one space for each two employees
Wholesale sales One space for each 400 square feet of floor area in wholesale sales
Retail sales in wholesale establishments One space for each 200 square feet of retail sales floor area
Warehousing/storage One space for each 1,000 square feet of floor area
Material distribution center (truck terminal) One space for automobile parking for each person employed on the premises, including truck drivers; one space for each truck stored on the premises
Mini-warehouse (self-storage) One space for each four storage units, equally distributed throughout the site; two spaces for the manager's residence; one space for each 25 storage units, to be located at the office of the storage complex

 

e.

Where a use is not specifically mentioned, the parking requirements of a similar or related use shall apply. The zoning inspector shall make the interpretation.

(Comp. Ords. 1994, § 15.631; Ord. No. 1, § 51.01, 8-19-1974; Ord. of 5-15-1980; Ord. of 8-3-1999)

Sec. 30-669. - Loading-unloading requirements.

In connection with every building or part thereof hereafter erected, except single- and two-family dwelling unit structures, there shall be provided on the same lot with such buildings, off-street loading and unloading spaces for uses which customarily receive or distribute material or merchandise by vehicle.

(1)

Plans and specifications showing required loading and unloading spaces including the means of ingress and egress and interior circulation shall be submitted to the zoning inspector for review at the time of application for a building permit for the erection or enlargement of a use or a building or structure.

(2)

Each off-street loading unloading space shall not be less than the following:

a.

In any residential district, a loading unloading space shall not be less than ten feet in width and 25 feet in length and, if a roofed space, not less than 14 feet in height.

b.

In any commercial or industrial district, a loading, unloading space shall not be less than ten feet in width and 55 feet in length, and if a roofed space, not less than 15 feet in height.

(3)

Subject to the limitations of the subsection (4) of this section, a loading-unloading space may occupy part of any required side or rear yard, except the side yard along a side street in the case of corner lot. In no event shall any part of a required front yard be occupied by such loading space.

(4)

Any loading-unloading space shall not be closer than 50 feet to any other lot located in any residential district unless wholly within a completely enclosed building or unless enclosed on all sides by a wall, fence or compact planting not less than six feet in height.

(5)

In the case of mixed uses, on one lot or parcel the total requirements for off-street loading-unloading facilities shall be the sum of the various uses computed separately.

(6)

All off-street loading-unloading facilities that make it necessary to back out directly into a public road shall be prohibited. All maneuvering of trucks, autos and other vehicles shall take place on the site and not within a public right-of-way.

(7)

Off-street loading-unloading requirements for residential (excluding single-family dwellings), hotels, hospitals, mortuaries, public assembly, offices, retail, wholesale, industrial or other uses similarly involving the receipt or distribution by vehicles, the uses having over 5,000 square feet of gross floor area shall be provided with at least one off-street loading-unloading space, and for every additional 20,000 square feet of gross floor space, or fraction thereof, one additional loading-unloading space, the site of such loading-unloading space subject to the provisions of this chapter.

(8)

Where a use is not specifically mentioned, the requirements of a similar or related use shall apply.

(Comp. Ords. 1994, § 15.632; Ord. No. 1, § 51.02, 8-19-1974)