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Trenton City Zoning Code

ARTICLE VII

OFF-STREET PARKING AND LOADING REGULATIONS

Sec. 48-241.- Applicability of article.

Off-street parking and loading shall be provided in accordance with this article for all structures and uses erected or established after the effective date of this Code.

(Ord. No. 1769, § 1(Att. 48.7.1), 9-21-2020)

Sec. 48-242. - Existing parking/loading facilities.

(a)

Existing off-street parking or loading facilities located on the same lot as the use served shall not be reduced below, or if already less than, shall not be further reduced below the requirements and standards for similar new structures or uses.

(b)

When an existing structure or use is damaged or destroyed and subsequently repaired or rebuilt, additional off-street parking and loading facilities need not be provided, but parking/loading facilities equivalent to any maintained at the time of such damage or destruction shall be restored.

(c)

Whenever the use of any structure or premises is intensified through addition of dwelling units, gross floor area, seating capacity, etc., additional parking and loading facilities commensurate with such increase in use-intensity shall be provided.

(d)

Whenever the existing use of a structure is changed to a different use, parking or loading facilities shall be provided as required herein for such new use.

(Ord. No. 1769, § 1(Att. 48.7.2), 9-21-2020)

Sec. 48-243. - Parking design and maintenance standards.

(a)

Spaces.

(1)

Each required parking space shall be at least nine feet wide and 19 feet long, and shall have at least seven feet of vertical clearance. Every space shall be situated so that no part of any parked vehicle overhangs the public right-of-way.

(2)

All pavement markings, when required, shall be laid and restored as often as necessary to clearly delineate each parking space.

(b)

Interior aisles. Aisles within parking lots in business and industrial districts shall be sufficiently wide to permit safe and efficient vehicular movement in the aisles, and into and out of parking spaces. Aisles designed for two-way traffic shall be at least 22 feet wide. One-way aisles designed for 60 degree parking shall be at least 18 feet wide.

(c)

Access ways.

(1)

Parking areas in the business and industrial districts shall be designed so that ingress to and egress from a parking space is from an aisle or driveway, not directly from the public right-of-way.

(2)

No access way to any parking area shall be located within 30 feet of any corner formed by the intersection of the rights-of-way of two or more streets. At intersections where traffic control devices are installed, the administrator may increase this requirement as necessary to prevent traffic hazards.

(3)

Parking lot access ways (as well as residential driveways) and public streets shall be aligned to form, as closely as feasible, right angles.

(4)

The access way to every parking lot located in any business and industrial zoning district shall be at least 24 feet wide unless two one-way drives, each 12 feet wide, are provided.

(5)

The access way to every parking area located in any residential zoning district shall be at least ten feet wide; but if the parking area contains more than eight parking spaces or if the access way is longer than 100 feet, access shall be provided either by one two-way drive at least 20 feet wide or by two one-way drives, each at least ten feet wide.

(d)

Surfacing. Parking lots shall be graded and improved with a compacted stone base at least seven inches thick, surfaced with at least two inches of asphaltic concrete or approved comparable material. Parking lots used exclusively for agricultural purposes are hereby exempt from these requirements. (Note: "Oil and chip" is not an approved material.)

(e)

Lighting. Any light(s) used to illuminate any parking lot shall be arranged or shielded so as to confine direct light rays within the lot lines of the parking lot to the greatest extent possible and in no case, shall the light(s) shine on or into nearby residences.

(Ord. No. 1769, § 1(Att. 48.7.3), 9-21-2020)

Sec. 48-244. - Landscaping.

In order to reduce heat and glare, to minimize blowing of dust and trash, and to reduce the oppressive visual effects of large open parking areas, landscaping shall be provided and maintained within every parking lot that contains 20 or more parking spaces. Parking lots used exclusively for employees are hereby exempt from these requirements, but shall be constructed of an approved dustless surface.

(1)

A landscaping plan (either a separate document or an element of a more inclusive development plan) shall accompany every application for a certificate of zoning compliance to develop any parking lot that will contain 20 or more parking spaces.

(2)

The landscaping plan shall include the following information:

a.

Proposed type, amount, size and spacing of plantings, including trees, shrubbery and ground cover;

b.

Proposed size, construction materials, and drainage of landscaped islands; and

c.

Sketch indicating proposed spatial relationships of landscaped areas, parking spaces, automobile circulation, and pedestrian movement.

(Ord. No. 1769, § 1(Att. 48.7.4), 9-21-2020)

Sec. 48-245. - Location of parking.

All off-street parking shall be located in conformity with the following requirements:

(1)

For dwellings.

a.

Parking spaces accessory to dwellings located in any residential zoning district shall be 70 located on the same lot as the dwelling. Such parking spaces shall not be located in any front yard except in the driveway, but may be located in the side or rear yards. Each parking space accessory to a multi-family dwelling shall be unobstructed so that no vehicle need be moved in order to allow another vehicle to enter/exit the parking area.

b.

All parking spaces accessory to permitted non-dwelling uses located in the residential zoning district generally shall be located on the same lot as the use served. However, by special use permit, such parking facilities may be located on another parcel within 200 feet of the use served. No commercial vehicle exceeding one ton cargo capacity shall be parked anywhere in a residential district (except for normal loading, unloading, and service call), unless a special use permit has been obtained. No vehicle repair work shall be permitted on any parking lot located in any residential district.

c.

No commercial vehicle exceeding one ton cargo capacity shall be parked in a residential district (except for normal loading, unloading and service call), unless a special use permit has been obtained. No more than one commercial vehicle shall be parked, stored, or housed within the boundaries of or adjacent to a residential property. The commercial vehicle parked, stored, or housed within a residential district shall be owned or assigned to the occupant of the premises where the vehicle is situated and shall be parked on or immediately alongside the operator's lot in such a manner that it does not create a safety hazard or inconvenience any member of the neighborhood. The vehicle shall not exceed seven feet in height and shall not be a school bus, tractor, trailer, dump truck, front loader, crane, tow truck or similar vehicle. The commercial vehicle shall be parked to the side or rear of a building so as to be screened from view from the public right-of-way as much as possible. For the purposes of this Section, a commercial vehicle is a vehicle having been issued a "B" or a "D" license plate by the secretary of state. All other commercial vehicles having greater than a "D" license plate shall not be parked, stored, or housed within a residential district.

(2)

Business and industrial districts.

a.

No parking is required for uses in the "B-2" District requiring less than five stalls as per section 48-248. Uses in the "B-2" District requiring more than five stalls may seek a waiver from the joint planning and zoning commission authorizing a reduction in the required parking requirements provided an alternative parking solutions is provided.

b.

Parking spaces accessory to any dwelling located in any business district shall be located within 200 feet of the dwelling. Parking spaces accessory to any other conforming use located in any business or industrial district shall be located within 500 feet of the use served.

c.

No parking space accessory to any use located in business or industrial district shall be located in any residential district except by special use permit; and in no case shall any such parking areas extend more than 500 feet into a residential district.

d.

In any business or industrial district, off-street parking facilities for different buildings or uses may be provided collectively if the total number of spaces so located together is not less than the sum of the separate requirements for each use, and if all regulations governing location of parking spaces in relation to the use served are observed.

(Ord. No. 1769, § 1(Att. 48.7.5), 9-21-2020)

Sec. 48-246. - Design and location of off-street loading facilities.

All off-street loading facilities shall conform to the minimum standards indicated below:

(1)

Size of loading space. Every required off-street loading space shall be at least ten feet wide and 40 feet long exclusive of aisle and maneuver space, and shall have vertical clearance of at least 14 feet. In no case shall a vehicle being loaded or unloaded overhang into the public right-of-way.

(2)

Access way. Every off-street loading space shall have a safe means of vehicular access to a street or alley. Such access way shall be at least 12 feet wide.

(3)

Surfacing. Every off-street loading area shall be improved with a compacted stone base at least seven inches thick, surfaced with at least two inches of asphaltic concrete or approved comparable material. (No "oil and chip")

(4)

Buffer strips. No loading space or area for vehicles over two ton cargo capacity shall be developed closer than 50 feet to the lot line of any lot located in any residential district or in the agricultural district unless such space/area is completely enclosed by walls, a solid fence, or closely planted shrubbery at least ten feet in height and of sufficient density to block the view from residential property.

(5)

Location. Every off-street loading space shall be located on the same parcel of land as the use served, and not closer than 50 feet to the intersection of the rights-of-way of two or more streets, and not on any required front yard.

(Ord. No. 1769, § 1(Att. 48.7.6), 9-21-2020)

Sec. 48-247. - Computation of required parking/loading spaces.

In computing the number of parking spaces required by this Code, the following rules shall apply:

(1)

In computing parking space requirements based on the number of employees, the maximum number of employees on the premises at any period of the day shall be used. "Employee parking" means one parking space shall be required per one and one-half employees", unless otherwise stated.

(2)

In computing parking or loading space requirements on the basis of building floor area, the gross floor area shall be used.

(3)

Whenever it is necessary to translate gross parking lot area into number of parking spaces, 350 square feet of gross area shall be deemed one parking space.

(4)

If computation of the number of parking or loading spaces required by this Code results in a fractional space, any fraction of one-half or more shall be counted as one space.

(5)

No space or portion thereof needed to satisfy the minimum applicable requirement for number of off-street parking or loading spaces shall be counted as part of the off-street parking or loading spaces required for another structure or use.

(6)

When a structure or development contains mixed uses, the off-street parking requirements shall be calculated for each individual use and the total parking requirement shall be the sum of the individual parking requirements.

(Ord. No. 1769, § 1(Att. 48.7.7), 9-21-2020)

Sec. 48-248. - Number of parking and loading spaces required.

Off-street parking and loading spaces shall be provided as indicated in tabular form below. For any use that is not listed in the table, the same amount of parking and loading space shall be provided as is required for the most similar listed use. The city's designated official shall make the determination of similarity:

UseParking Spaces RequiredLoading Spaces Required (if any)
A. Dwellings, Lodgings:
Motels, boarding houses 1 space per lodging unit, plus 1 space per employee 1 space if the use has 20,000 sq. ft. or more floor area
Manufactured homes & immobilized homes 2 spaces per unit Not applicable
Multi-family dwellings 2 spaces per dwelling unit Not applicable
Single-family & two-family dwellings 2 spaces per dwelling unit Not applicable
Manufactured Home 2 spaces per dwelling unit Not applicable
B. Educational, Institutional, Recreational:
Churches, assembly halls 1 space per 4 seats in the largest eating area Not applicable
Libraries, museums 1 space per 500 sq. ft. of As determined by the Administrator
Nursing homes 1 space per 3 residents or beds floor area 1 space per 50,000 sq. ft. of
Schools
  Elementary and junior high 1 space for every 20 students that the building is designed to accommodate, plus employee parking. As determined by the administrator
  Senior high A space for every 4 students that the building is designed to accommodate, plus employee parking. As determined by the administrator
C. Commercial, office, service:
Note: All commercial and service uses, unless specifically indicated otherwise below 1 space per 300 sq. ft. of floor area To 10,000 sq. ft. of floor area…1 space;
more than 10,000 sq. ft…1 space plus 1 additional space per 50,000 sq. ft. of floor area in excess of 10,000 sq. ft.
Financial Institutions
Walk-in 1 space per 300 sq. ft. of floor area, plus employee parking (Both walk-in and drive-in): To 30,000 sq. ft. of floor area…none required;
30,001 to 100,000 sq. ft.…1 space
Drive-in service lane 5 queue spaces per teller/service lane
Beauty and Barber shops 2 spaces per chair, plus employee parking Not applicable
Bowling alleys 4 spaces per bowling lane plus additional spaces as required herein for affiliated uses such as restaurants and taverns Not applicable, except as required for affiliated uses
Car wash 3 spaces per wash lane Not applicable
Furniture and appliance 1 space per 600 sq. ft. of floor area To 25,000 sq. ft. of floor area…2 spaces;
More than 25,000 sq. ft. of floor area…2 spaces, plus additional space per 25,000 sq. ft. of floor area in excess of 25,000 sq. ft.
Home occupations 1 space per 150 sq. ft. of floor area devoted to the home occupation in addition to the parking requirements for the dwelling Not applicable
Offices generally, but not medical/dental offices 1 space per 300 sq. ft. of floor area To 30,000 sq. ft. of floor area…none required.
Offices, medical/dental 1 space per 200 sq. ft. of floor area or 3 spaces per professional, whichever is greater. Not applicable
Mortuaries 1 space per 5 seats plus 1 space per funeral vehicle, but not less than 20 spaces per chapel or state room 1 space per 10,000 sq. ft. or more of floor area
Restaurants; refreshment stands (Both sit-down and drive-in):
  Sit-down 1 space per 4 seats or 1 space per 50 sq. ft. of floor area, whichever is greater 1 space per structure having 10,000 sq. ft. or more floor area
  Drive-in 1 space per 25 sq. ft. of floor area
  Service stations 2 spaces per service stall, plus employee parking Not applicable
  Taverns 1 space per 2 seats or 1 space per 50 sq. ft. of floor area, whichever is greater 1 space per structure having 10,000 sq. ft. or more of floor area
Theaters Not applicable
  Indoor 1 space per 4 seats
  Drive-in As required by the administrator
Vehicle sales (autos, boats, trailers, etc.) 1 space per 600 sq. ft. of enclosed floor area plus: Up to 10,000 sq. ft. of open lot area devoted to sale/display of vehicles…1 space per 2,500 sq. ft. of open lot area. Above 10,000 sq. ft. 4 spaces plus 1 additional space per 5,000 sq. ft. of open lot are in excess of 10,000 sq. ft. To 25,000 sq. ft. of floor area and open lot area…2
More than 25,000 sq. ft. of floor area and open lot area…2 space, plus 1 additional space per 25,000 sq. ft. in excess of 25,000 sq. ft.
D. Industrial:
INDUSTRIAL USES of all types, except warehousing and transportation terminals
Employee parking One (1) space per 1½ employees on maximum shift or not less than one (1) parking space for each 500 square feet of gross floor area; when more than one shift is employed, parking for both shifts shall be provided, unless sufficient time is allowed between shifts to provide for the maximum use of the required parking. To 20,000 sq. ft. of floor area…1 space;
20,001—50,000 sq. ft…2 spaces;
50,001—90,000 sq. ft…3 spaces;
above 90,000 sq. ft. … 3 spaces plus 1 additional space per 50,000 sq. ft. of floor area in excess of 90,000 sq. ft.
Visitor parking One (1) parking space for each 25 employees on main shift, with a minimum of 2 parking spaces and a maximum of 20 required visitor spaces.
Company vehicles One (1) parking space to accommodate each company-owned or leased truck or vehicle usually found on the premises; size of parking space for trucks shall be approved by the administrative official.
WAREHOUSING
Employee parking One (1) space for each 1,000 square feet of gross floor area or one (1) parking space for 1½ employees, whichever is greater; whenever all or any portion of a warehouse area, facility or building is proposed to be converted, remodeled, or changed to a non-warehouse use, the number of parking spaces required by this section for the intended use shall be secured and provided for prior to conversion of use or remodeling of the warehouse facility or building. To 20,000 sq. ft. of floor area…1 space;
20,001—50,000 sq. ft.…2 spaces;
50,000—90,000 sq. ft…3 spaces;
above 90,000 sq. ft…3 spaces plus 1 additional space per 50,000 sq. ft. of floor area in excess of 90,000 sq. ft.
Company vehicles One (1) parking space to accommodate each company-owned or leased truck or vehicle usually found on the premises; size of parking space for trucks shall be approved by the administrative official
TRANSPORTATION OR TRUCKING YARD TERMINALS
Employee parking One (1) parking space for each 1,000 square feet of warehousing, shop area, or loading area and one (1) parking space for each driver of a company vehicle which is dispatched from said terminal. To 20,000 sq. ft. of floor area…1 space;
20,001—50,000 sq. ft.…2 spaces;
50,001—90,000 sq. ft.…3 spaces;
above 90,000 sq. ft.…3 spaces plus 1 addition space per 50,000 sq. ft. of floor area in excess of 90,000 sq. ft.
Company vehicles One (1) parking space to accommodate each company-owned or leased truck or vehicle usually found on the premises; size of parking space for trucks shall be approved by the administrative official.

 

(Ord. No. 1769, § 1(Att. 48.7.8), 9-21-2020)