Wenham City Zoning Code
ARTICLE 6
Parking and Loading Requirements
§ 255-6.1 Table of Parking Requirements.
[Amended 10-17-2020 STM by Art. 4]
Off-street parking spaces shall be provided for every new building, the enlargement of an existing building, the development of a new land use or any change in any existing use in accordance with the Table of Parking Requirements in this section. Off-street parking may be provided either outside or within a structure.
Principal Use | Parking Requirement |
|---|---|
Single-family or multifamily dwelling | 2 parking spaces per dwelling unit |
Nursing home, assisted living or senior housing facility | 1 parking space per 2 rooms |
Place of public assembly | 1 parking space for each 4 seats; where no fixed seats are used (as in a museum or terminal), 1 parking space per each 200 square feet of gross floor area |
Retail business, personal or general service establishment | 1 parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area |
Office, bank | 1 parking space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area |
Restaurant | 1 parking space per 4 seats |
All other permitted uses | Sufficient parking spaces to accommodate, under all normal conditions, the cars of occupants, employees, members, customers, or visitors of the premises, as may be determined by the Planning Board |
§ 255-6.2 Special requirements: residential.
A.
Shared parking. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this bylaw, common parking areas may be permitted by the Planning Board, subject to site plan approval, for the purpose of servicing two or more principal uses on the same or separate lots, provided that:
(1)
Evidence is submitted that parking is available within 400 feet of the premises, which satisfies the requirements of this bylaw and has excess capacity during all or part of the day, which excess capacity shall be demonstrated by a competent parking survey conducted by a traffic engineer registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
(2)
A proposed contract, agreement, or suitable legal instrument acceptable to the Town's legal counsel shall be filed with the Planning Board, specifying the location of all spaces to be jointly used, the number of such spaces, the hours during the day that such parking shall be available, and the duration or limit, if any, on such parking.
(3)
Any space resulting from the reduction in area required for parking because of these joint use provisions may be required to be reserved as landscaped open space.
(4)
Nothing in this section shall relieve the owner from providing parking facilities in accordance with this bylaw if subsequently the joint use of parking facilities shall terminate.
§ 255-6.3 Special requirements: nonresidential.
The following standards shall apply to off-street parking for nonresidential uses.
A.
Parking space size. Each parking space shall measure 10 feet in width and 20 feet in length.
B.
Handicapped parking. Parking spaces for the exclusive use of handicapped individuals shall be provided in accordance with the most recent local, state, and federal rules and regulations.
C.
Lighting. All lighting shall be shielded so as not to shine directly onto a public or private way or onto any property in a residential district or into the night sky. Poles for lighting shall be limited to four feet in height.
D.
Prohibition. Parking spaces shall be arranged so as not to require backing of automobiles onto any street.
E.
Additional parking standards for areas subject to site plan review. All parking areas containing more than five spaces shall be either contained within structures or subject to the following requirements:
(1)
Surface. The parking area and access driveways thereto shall be surfaced with bituminous or cement concrete material and shall be graded and drained so as to dispose of all surface water accumulation away from adjacent public ways.
(2)
Storage. Unless authorized by special permit of the Planning Board, there shall not be any storage of materials or equipment or display of merchandise within required parking area except as part of building operations approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board, as appropriate.
(3)
Location. Parking shall not be located nearer than 15 feet from any lot line.
F.
Landscaping in parking areas with five spaces or more.
(1)
The area shall be effectively screened on each side which adjoins or faces the side or rear lot line of a lot situated in any residential district, consisting of landscaping and/or a solid fence or wall not less than three feet nor more than six feet in height at the time of occupancy of such lot.
(2)
All plantings shall be maintained by the owner and/or occupant so as to keep a dense screen year round.
(3)
The Planning Board may require landscaping within the parking area in order to break up solid rows of 20 or more parking spaces.
G.
Special permit. Any parking requirement set forth herein may be reduced upon the issuance of a special permit by the Planning Board if the Board finds that the reduction is not inconsistent with public health and safety, or that the reduction promotes a public benefit.
§ 255-6.4 Loading requirements.
A.
General. Adequate off-street loading spaces or loading areas shall be provided and maintained by the owner of the property for each nonresidential building or use which is erected, enlarged, or altered after the effective date of this bylaw, according to the following regulations:
(1)
Location. No loading dock or bay shall be located within 20 feet of the boundary of any residential district.
(2)
Size. Loading bays shall not be less than 12 feet in width, 65 feet in length, and 14 feet in height, exclusive of driveway and maneuvering space.
(3)
Same lot. All loading spaces or loading areas shall be on the same lot as the building or use which they are intended to serve, and in no case shall any required loading area be part of an area used to satisfy the off-street parking requirements of this bylaw.
(4)
No queues or backing onto street. No loading facility shall be designed to require trucks to queue on a public way while awaiting off-loading. No loading facility shall be designed to require vehicles to back onto a public way; all turning maneuvers shall be accommodated on the premises.
B.
Shared loading. No part of an off-street loading area for any nonresidential building or use shall be included as part of an off-street loading area similarly required for another building or use, unless the type of buildings or uses indicates that the usage of such loading area would not occur simultaneously, as determined by the Planning Board.
D.
Special permit. Any loading requirement set forth herein may be reduced upon the issuance of a special permit by the Planning Board if the Board finds that the reduction is not inconsistent with public health and safety, or that the reduction promotes a public benefit.