West Caln Township, PA Zoning Ordinance

§ 350-1300 Purpose.

The purpose of this article is to establish standards for the location and number of off-street parking in terms of different land uses in the Township, provide adequate parking facilities for allowed uses, and allocate parking spaces to promote public safety and convenience.

§ 350-1301 Applicability.

Off-street parking areas in accordance with this article shall be provided whenever:

(1)

A building is constructed or new use is established;

(2)

The use of an existing structure is changed to a use requiring more parking facilities, as determined by § 350-1303; or

(3)

An existing structure or use on or after the effective date of this chapter, is altered, enlarged, or substantially improved, meaning an improvement of 50% or more of the structures floor area, so as to increase the amount of parking spaces required, to be in compliance with § 350-1303.

Structures and uses in existence on the date of adoption of this chapter shall not be subject to the provisions herein, except as provided in Subsection A above. No parking facilities existing at the effective date of this chapter serving existing buildings or uses in the Township shall subsequently be reduced below the requirements herein.

All land uses proposed in the Township subsequent to the adoption of this chapter shall be in conformance with this section. Off-street parking facilities provided to comply with the provisions of this chapter shall not subsequently be reduced below the requirements herein.

All required parking facilities shall be provided and maintained by the owner or manager of the property or use for as long as the use which they are designed to serve remains in existence.

§ 350-1302 General requirements.

Location of required parking spaces. Required off-street parking spaces shall be located on the same lot as the principal use, unless provided in compliance with § 350-1304. Off-street parking spaces shall be located outside of the public right-of-way.

Use of parking area. No parking area shall be used for any use that interferes with its availability for the parking need it is required to serve.

Landscaping. Landscaping requirements for off-street parking facilities shall conform to § 350-1206.

Off-street parking in required yards. Parking areas may occupy no more than 50% of any required front yard, except that for any non-residential use, no parking, loading, or service area shall be located in the front yard unless the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Board that there is no feasible alternative, or the Board determines that such location is preferable based on site conditions. Any parking, loading or service area that is permitted between the street right-of-way and the building setback line or in the side yard shall be screened by a landscaped buffer in accordance with § 350-1206.

§ 350-1303 Required off-street parking spaces.

Off-street parking shall be provided to meet the demand of the proposed land use. The applicant shall calculate the demand based on accepted standards published in the Institute of Transportation Engineer's Parking Generation Reports. Uses not specifically addressed by such published standard shall comply with the parking standards for the most similar use, as determined by the Board of Supervisors with recommendation from the Township Engineer. Where computations result in fractions, a fraction of 1/2 or more shall be rounded up, and a fraction of less than 1/2 rounded down.

Where a building or use contains or includes more than one type of use, the number of parking spaces required shall be the sum of the parking requirements for each separate use, except as stipulated in the options in § 350-1304.

Spaces needed for business vehicles owned or operated by any use shall be above and beyond the off-street parking requirements and shall not occupy the minimum required spaces for the use.

Where computations result in fractions, a fraction of 1/2 or more shall be rounded up, and a fraction of less than 1/2 rounded down. If the Township determines that the number of parking spaces calculated by the applicant is not sufficient or is not required to meet the immediate needs of the proposed use, the Township may require the number of spaces provided to be increased or reduced accordingly.

§ 350-1304 Parking alternatives.

Reserve parking area. To reduce unnecessary impervious surface coverage and excess stormwater runoff, the number of required parking spaces may be reduced when recommended by the Township Engineer and approved by the Board of Supervisors when the following are met:

(1)

Documentation is submitted that the use requires less parking than required in § 350-1303. Such documentation shall be based on actual documented rates for the use proposed.

(2)

The site plan shall indicate the location or layout of the required parking area, and shall include in the design those parking spaces deemed unnecessary at the time of application. Those parking spaces shall be designated as 'reserved'. No more than 20% of parking spaces shall be designated as reserved. Reserve parking areas may be precast porous pavement, or with the recommendation of the Township Engineer, other pervious material including gravel or grass, depending on the amount of anticipated use. A mandatory parking set aside to accommodate future changes in use shall be included in the reserved designation. The number of spaces required shall be calculated based upon the use requiring the greatest number of spaces times 30%.

(3)

In no case shall the authorized area for reserve parking be counted towards open space requirements or other pervious surface requirements of this chapter.

Shared parking facilities between uses. The number of required parking spaces for commercial, institutional, and industrial uses required by this chapter may be modified when recommended by the Township Engineer and approved by the Board of Supervisors, subject to the following:

(1)

Two or more establishments in adjacent lots in any commercial, village, or industrial district, but not in a shopping center, may combine their off-street parking facilities, in which case the total combined parking space requirements may be reduced by 10% so long as such establishments typically operate at different hours and none of such establishments is a department store or supermarket, and provided that in no case shall such reduction result in less off-street parking spaces than would be required of such establishments if they were in a shopping center.

(2)

Easement agreement. If a privately owned parking facility is to serve two or more separate properties, a legal agreement between property owners guaranteeing access to, use, maintenance and management of designated spaces shall be required. Such agreement shall be submitted to the Township for review and approval. The Board of Supervisors may require that the property owners record the agreement as an easement with the Chester County Recorder of Deeds.

(3)

Reserve area for shared parking. A reserve area shall be provided in accordance with the following:

(a)

The land development plan submitted by the applicant shall identify a reserve area which, if necessary, could be used to meet the parking requirements of this § 350-1303 without the use of shared parking. That area shall be set aside for possible future use as parking. The Board of Supervisors may, upon application of the property owner and for good cause shown, allow such area to be converted to parking, or the Board of Supervisors may require such area to be improved for parking in accordance with this Article XIII;

(b)

In no event shall the reserve area be counted toward satisfying any open space requirements which must be met under the terms of this chapter;

(c)

The reserve area shall be designed so that, if required, it will be easy to convert the area into parking;

(d)

Stormwater management plans proposed for the affected land development shall be prepared on the assumption that the reserve area will be part of the impervious coverage; and

(e)

The reserve area shall be buffered and landscaped in accordance with § 350-1206.

§ 350-1305 Design and maintenance standards for off-street parking facilities.

The owners or operators of a property with required parking facilities shall be responsible for the maintenance of the off-street parking areas serving that property. Maintenance shall include, but not be limited to, keeping it clean of loose particles, plowing of snow and ice, maintenance of landscape elements and lighting, sealing of pavement, repainting of lines and other markings on the pavement, re-paving as necessary, and any other work required to maintain the parking area in an attractive, safe and functional condition. Adjacent sidewalk areas shall also be maintained in the same manner.

Parking spaces shall be a rectangular block with the minimum dimensions of nine feet wide by 18 feet long, exclusive of passageways, driveways or other means of circulation access and regardless of pull-in angle, and shall not be occupied by, nor intruded upon by lighting or its foundations, landscape elements, pedestrian walkways, driveways, passageways, or any other feature which results in a reduced area available for occupation by a vehicle.

Not more than two feet of a parking space may overhang the outer perimeter boundaries of a parking lot, so long as such overhang does not intrude into an adjacent right-of-way or pedestrian walkway.

Upon recommendation of the Planning Commission, hitching posts for the parking of horses and/or carriages may be required.

Lighting of parking areas shall be in accordance with § 350-1209.

An off-street parking area with a minimum required capacity of five or more parking spaces shall be designed in accordance with the following provisions:

(1)

Parking spaces shall have a dust-free, all-weather surface. This requirement shall be met by paving, such as asphalt, concrete, or brick. However, where appropriate, and where approved by the Township Engineer, upon recommendation from the Planning Commission, pervious surfaces, such as porous paving, concrete lattice block or gravel may be substituted in order to reduce problems associated with runoff.

(2)

Parking spaces shall be reasonably level, sloping not more than 5% in any direction, but sloping at least 1% to provide for drainage.

(3)

Minimum width of interior circulation lane cartway within parking areas shall be in accordance with §§ 350-1207 and 350-1208.

(4)

Minimum entrance and exit drive widths shall be:

(a)

One-way access: 14 feet.

(b)

Two-way access: 24 feet.

(5)

Maximum width of accessways shall be typical for the proposed use and subject to the approval of the Township Engineer.

(6)

Driveways providing access to the parking area from the street shall be of adequate length to accommodate off-street stacking of vehicles waiting to enter the parking area. The stacking area shall accommodate at least one vehicle, plus one vehicle for every 50 spaces provided in the parking area, for up to 10 stacking spaces.

(7)

Parking areas shall be designed to permit each motor vehicle to proceed to and from the parking space without requiring the moving of any other motor vehicle.

(8)

In no case shall parking areas be designed to require vehicles to back into a public street, right-of-way or pedestrian walkway in order to leave the lot.

(9)

Parking areas shall be designed with safe and reasonable pedestrian access through the parking area.

(10)

No parking area, except for permitted driveways and accessways, should directly abut a street. If possible, each such area should be separated from the street by a curb, planting strip as per § 350-1206, wall or other suitable barrier against cars.

(11)

The parking area should be designed, if possible, so that parking aisles are perpendicular to the building to enhance pedestrian safety.

(12)

Individual parking spaces shall be clearly marked by durable white or yellow stripping at least four inches in width and extending the length of the space or by curbs or other means to indicate individual spaces. Signs located within a parking area shall be used to ensure efficient and safe operation.

(13)

All parking areas and accesses shall be constructed and maintained to provide safe and orderly access at all times from a street, alley, or other approved accessway. No parking area or access shall be constructed so that it constitutes a nuisance, hazard, or unreasonable impediment to traffic. Provisions for clear sight triangles in § 350-1203 and Chapter 300, Subdivision and Land Development, shall apply to all access points.

(14)

Parking areas greater than 50 spaces should use parking modules or smaller lots within the larger parking areas for safety and design concerns.

(15)

Parking lots which abut a residential district or residential use shall be provided with a planting screen the full length of the lot and landscaping of parking areas shall be in accordance with § 350-1206.

Handicapped parking.

(1)

Each handicapped space shall be identified with a clearly visible marking displaying the international symbol of access.

(2)

Handicapped parking shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, as amended, and applicable state codes.

§ 350-1306 Off-street loading.

The intent of these provisions is to provide adequate loading areas for permitted structures and uses and reduce traffic congestion. Off-street loading for uses, buildings, or structures that require the distribution or receipt of materials or goods by trucks or similar vehicles shall provide a sufficient number of off-street loading and unloading spaces for the intended use as follows.

Applicability. Off-street loading areas shall be provided whenever:

(1)

A new structure is constructed or new use established in an existing structure;

(2)

The use of an existing structure is changed to a use requiring more loading; or

(3)

An existing structure or use is altered or enlarged so as to increase the amount of loading spaces required.

Required spaces. The off-street loading and unloading requirements in the following shall apply to all uses and structures in the Township:

(1)

Where a structure or use includes more than one type of use, the number of spaces required shall be the sum of the requirements for each separate use.

(2)

Where a use is not specifically listed in the two categories below, the requirements for the most similar use shall apply.

(3)

The number of spaces may be less than that specified herein if evidence is submitted firmly documenting that the special nature of the proposed use requires less loading and unloading spaces than required by this section.

(4)

Every retail store, hospital, warehouse or wholesale use, industry or manufacturing use shall have at least one off-street loading space of suitable size. Where there is an aggregate gross floor area of 20,000 square feet or more for such use, one additional off-street loading space shall be provided for each additional 20,000 square feet of gross floor area or part thereof.

(5)

Every community center or auditorium, funeral home, office, restaurant or institutional use shall have at least one off-street loading space. Where there is an aggregate gross floor area of 30,000 square feet or more for such use, one additional off-street loading space shall be provided for each additional 30,000 square feet of gross floor area of part thereof.

Layout. Regulations for the layout of parking lots and spaces shall be as follows:

(1)

Location.

(a)

All loading spaces shall be located on the same lot as the use served, and no portion of the vehicle shall project into any traffic lane, parking space, driveway, sidewalk, or within the front, side or rear yard setbacks. Loading and unloading operations, including arrival and departure, shall not interfere with traffic and pedestrian circulation on public streets or within required off-street parking areas.

(b)

Loading and unloading areas shall not be located between the building setback line and the street line, and loading facilities shall be screened in accordance with § 350-1206, as applicable.

(c)

All off-street loading spaces shall be provided with safe and convenient access to a street or alley or from an aisle or drive connecting with a street or alley. The ingress and egress of loading operations shall not require backing into a street or lot.

(2)

Size.

(a)

For structures and uses that are served by trucks, tractor trailers, or larger vehicles, the minimum size for each loading space shall be 12 feet in width and 70 feet in length, exclusive of aisle and maneuvering space, with a minimum vertical clearance of 14 feet.

(b)

For structures and uses that are served by smaller vehicles such as vans and in which no deliveries will be made by large trucks or tractor trailers, the minimum size for each space shall be 12 feet in width and 30 feet in length, with a minimum vertical clearance of 14 feet.

(3)

Access. All required off-street loading spaces shall be designed with appropriate means of vehicular access to an interior accessway in a manner which will least interfere with traffic movements and shall be subject to Township approval. Areas provided for loading and unloading and for servicing of establishments by garbage collections, fuels, and other service vehicles shall be arranged that they may function without blocking or interfering with the use of the accessways, automobile parking areas, or pedestrian access.

(4)

Surfacing and maintenance.

(a)

All open areas provided for loading and unloading shall be graded and improved with a compacted base, surfaced with asphalt, concrete or other suitable material, and drained to the satisfaction of the Township Engineer to prevent dust, water flow, and erosion off the property.

(b)

All off-street loading spaces shall be constructed and maintained for as long as the structure or use for which they are designed to serve remains in existence.

(5)

Screening. All loading and circulation areas which abut a residential district or use or a public right-of-way shall be buffered in accordance with § 350-1206.

(6)

Lighting standards for off-street loading areas shall be in accordance with the provisions of § 350-1209.

West Caln Township City Zoning Code