West Haven City Zoning Code
PARKING AND
LOADING SPACE, VEHICLE TRAFFIC, AND DRIVE-THROUGH REGULATIONS
§ 157.630 PURPOSE AND APPLICABILITY.
(A) This subchapter regulates parking and loading spaces, vehicle traffic, and access to provide orderly and adequate development of these needed amenities, and in so doing, promote the safety and well-being of the citizens of the city.
(B) Subsequently, there shall be provided at the time of the erection of any main building, or at the time any main building is enlarged or increased, minimum off-street parking spaces with adequate provisions for ingress and egress by standard-sized automobiles.
(C) (1) Additionally, it is the purpose of § 157.632 to regulate for drive-through facilities by setting development standards to ensure that design and operations mitigate possible negative impacts. Of special concern are noise from idling cars and voice amplification equipment, lighting, and queued traffic interfering with on- and off-site traffic and pedestrian flow.
(2) The regulations of § 157.632 apply to any drive-through facilities, regardless of whether the drive through is accessory to a primary use, any rebuild or replacement of an existing structure containing a drive-through facility or modification to an existing building that includes altering the location of an existing drive-through window.
(D) Conformance with the requirements of this section does not alleviate an applicant of the duty to comply with any non-conflicting requirements of this chapter.
(E) For purposes of this section, GROSS FLOOR AREA (GFA) defined as the total square footage inside the building envelope, including external walls and excluding the roof. For buildings with multiple floors, GFA used to calculate parking requirements shall be the sum of GFA for each individual floor.
(Prior Code, § 44.02) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.631 PARKING SPACE FOR RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, INSTITUTIONAL, RECREATIONAL AND OTHER LAND USES.
Land Use | Required Parking |
Land Use | Required Parking |
Residential (see notes to table) | |
Dwelling, single-family detached | 2 spaces |
Dwelling, two- to four-family | 2 spaces per dwelling unit |
Dwelling, single-family attached (townhome, twin home) | Single car garage: 1 space per dwelling unit, plus 1 guest parking space per 4 dwelling units 2+ car garage: 2 spaces per dwelling unit, plus 1 guest parking space per 4 dwelling units |
Dwelling, multi-family apartment | 1 space per studio/1-bedroom apartment 2 spaces per 2+ bedroom apartment Guest parking: 10% of total apartments in the project |
Commercial | |
Auto repair shop | 1 space per service bay, plus 1 space per 250 square feet GFA |
Automobile sales, new/used | 5 spaces, plus 1 space per 2,000 square feet GFA. This is exclusive of on-site inventory parking |
Bus facility, intermodal transit hub | 1 space per employee at highest shift, plus 1 space per bus |
Car wash | 5 stacking spaces per bay or lane, plus 1 space per service stall |
Drive-through facility | 5 stacking spaces per lane, in addition to the parking required for the specific land use |
Dry cleaner, laundry facility | 1 space per 250 square feet GFA |
Financial services | 3 spaces per l ,000 square feet GFA, plus required stacking |
Flex space (no set end user) | 30 spaces, plus 1 space per 250 square feet GFA |
Food production | 2 space per 1,000 square feet GFA |
Hotel/motel/B&B | 1 per room |
Laboratory | 1 space per 1,000 square feet GFA |
Manufacturing | 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet GFA |
Medical/dental office or clinic | 1 space per 250 square feet GFA |
Office, general | 1 space per 250 square feet GFA |
Repair shop, general | 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet GFA |
Restaurant, tavern, bar, lounge, café | 1 space per 100 square feet GFA, plus required stacking |
Retail goods and/or services | 1 space per 250 square feet GFA |
Warehouse | 20 spaces, plus 1 space per 2,000 square feet GFA. Office space parking shall be calculated separately based on office, general standards |
Wholesale distribution | 20 spaces, plus 1 space per 2,000 square feet GFA. Office space parking shall be calculated separately based on office, general standards |
Institutional | |
Assisted living center/nursing home | 1 space per 4 beds, plus 1 per employee at highest shift |
Auditorium/church/assembly hall | 1 space per 100 square feet GFA |
Day care/preschool | 1 space per employee, plus one space per 5 children |
Education, 10-12 | 1 space per faculty member and full-time employee, plus 1 space per 3 students at maximum enrollment |
Education, college, university, vocational | l space each per faculty member and full-time employee, plus l space per 3 students at maximum enrollment |
Education, K-9 (see notes to table) | 1 space each per faculty and full-time employee, plus one space per l0 students at maximum enrollment |
Funeral/mortuary/crematorium | l0 spaces plus 1 space per 4 fixed seats in the parlor(s) |
Government services | 5 spaces, plus 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet GFA |
Hospital | 1.5 space per hospital bed, plus 1 per employee at highest shift |
Recreation/Culture/Entertainment | |
Art gallery, museum | l space per 1,000 square feet GFA |
Event venue, private | 10 spaces, plus 1 space per 50 square feet GFA |
Gym/fitness/recreation center, indoor | 3 spaces per 1,000 square GFA |
Gym/fitness/recreation center, outdoor | 8 spaces per field, seat, lane, and the like, plus 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet GFA |
Theater, movie or live | 1 space per 4 fixed seats |
Notes to table: | |
- All residential parking requirements are independent of any garage parking which may be provided. | |
- Single-family residences which do not provide a garage are required to provide an additional two off-street spaces per unit. | |
- A minimum of 50% of the parking spaces provided for multi-family residential projects shall be covered. | |
- Day cares, preschools and K-9 schools are also subject to design requirements for how the pickup/drop off is handled. See § 157.633 for such requirements. | |
- For other uses not listed above, the parking requirements shall be established by the Planning Commission based upon a reasonable number of spaces for staff and customers, and similar requirements of like businesses. | |
- The city reserves the right to increase the required amount of off-street parking for residential uses if, in the opinion of Engineering and Community Development staff, the ownership and design of the right-of-way serving the development is insufficient to support on-street parking. | |
- Where computation of parking requirements results in a fraction, the required parking spaces shall be rounded to the next highest number. | |
(Prior Code, § 44.04) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.632 DRIVE-THROUGH DESIGN STANDARDS.
(A) Traffic circulation standards.
(1) Only one driveway providing vehicular access to and from the drive-through window or service area shall be provided from any street;
(2) The driveway providing access to the service windows shall be at least 50 feet from the back of the curb of an intersecting street measured to the centerline of the proposed driveway;
(3) The driveway providing access to the service windows shall be at least 25 feet from any driveway providing access to the site from a public street or from a driveway on an adjacent property;
(4) The driveway providing access and service windows shall be located away from adjacent residential uses;
(5) Internal traffic circulation patterns on the lot shall be adequate to keep traffic from backing into a street or blocking access to any required parking spaces located on the lot; and
(6) A traffic study addressing both on-site and off-site traffic and circulation impacts may be required as part of a permit application for a drive-through facility.
(B) Drive-through lane/aisle and stacking/queuing standards.
(1) Drive-through lanes shall be located away from the primary pedestrian entrance and shall not block the ability for vehicles to pull in and out of parking spaces;
(2) Aisle entrances and directional traffic flow shall be clearly designated by signs and pavement markings;
(3) Landscaping or concrete curbing shall separate each drive-through aisle from the property ingress/egress;
(4) (a) Drive-through aisles shall not serve as sole access to any parking space;
(b) If parking spaces are adjacent to a drive-through aisle, points of ingress and egress shall be provided independent of the drive-through aisle.
(5) Drive-through aisles shall have a minimum ten foot interior radius at curves and a minimum 12-foot width;
(6) A vehicle path analysis shall be performed by a licensed engineer to show how vehicles of various types will maneuver the drive-through lane;
(7) A drive-through aisle that provides access to a service window shall be designed as follows:
(a) Drive through food shall provide at least 40 feet between the menu board and the first service window and 80 feet between the drive-through lane entrance and the menu board;
(b) Drive-through, other shall provide at least 80 feet of stacking space;
(c) Stacking capacity is not counted towards required parking; and
(d) Additional stacking may be required if the city finds, based on accepted engineering principles, that the provided stacking is insufficient to ensure safe and effective traffic and pedestrian circulation.
(8) Exceptions. The city may approve alternatives to the requirements of this section if it determines, based on accepted engineering principles, that the alternate design will be equally effective in ensuring on- and off-site pedestrian and vehicular traffic safety and minimizing traffic impacts.
(C) Pedestrian access.
(1) Pedestrian access to building entrances shall be provided from public streets and sidewalks; and
(2) (a) Pedestrian walkways shall have clear visibility and shall be delineated from the pavement.
(b) Where possible, walkways shall not intersect drive-through aisle, stacking lanes or parking areas.
(D) Solid waste management/stormwater.
(1) No solid waste receptacle or stormwater structure may be located where it would interfere with drive-through lane stacking or site circulation.
(2) Dumpsters shall have covers and suitably enclosed to contain any spillover; and
(3) A litter cleanup plan/schedule shall be provided to the city as part of the site's stormwater management program.
(E) Noise. All drive-through uses shall comply with the city nuisance ordinance, specifically regarding noise.
(F) Buffer. An eight-foot high masonry wall or solid fence shall be erected and maintained along a property line where a drive-through use adjoins any residential zone.
(Prior Code, § 44.06) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.633 DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP LANES.
Commercial, retail and institutional uses which choose to have a drop off/pick-up lane as part of their site shall be subject to the following provisions:
(A) The drop-off/pick-up lane shall be separated from the public road by a landscape or concrete buffer that is no less than 20 feet wide.
(B) Minimum length of stacking for drop-off/pick-up lanes shall be determined at the discretion of the approving authority based on proposed use of the site.
(C) Drop-off/pick-up lanes not designed parallel to the public road shall meet the same design standards as those for general drive-through lanes.
(Prior Code, § 44.08) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.634 ADJUSTMENT FOR UNUSUAL AND UNIQUE CONDITIONS.
The Planning Commission may adjust the required number of spaces listed in this subchapter if, based on accepted engineering principles, unusual or unique circumstances or conditions relating to the operational characteristics of the use exist in a manner, or to such a degree, that such adjustment is equitable and warranted.
(Prior Code, § 44.10) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.635 PARKING SPACE/LOT DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE.
(A) Parking space location. Residential parking spaces shall be on the same lot with the main building(s). Commercial, industrial or manufacturing parking spaces may be located no farther than 500 feet from the building entrance.
(B) Public parking lot standards. Every parcel of land hereafter used as a public parking area shall be paved with an asphalt or concrete surface, and shall have appropriate bumper guards or curbs where needed.
(C) Maximum yard area to be used for parking and this subchapter's parking/access regulations vehicle access lanes.
(1) No front yard area in any residential zone shall be used for parking, except for driveway or side/rear yard access, both of which must be improved with a hard surface such as gravel, asphalt or concrete.
(2) In the case of multiple-family dwellings and non-residential uses in a Residential Zone, not more than 50% of the required side and rear yards shall be used for parking.
(3) Any yard area used over these limits shall be provided in an equivalent amount of land elsewhere on the same lot as the building as open green space, patios, play area, or courts.
(D) Additional provisions. The design and maintenance of off-street parking facilities shall be subject to the following provisions.
(1) Each parking space shall encompass not less than 180 square feet of net area. Each parking space shall be not less than nine feet wide, the width being measured at a right angle for the side lines of the parking space.
(2) All commercial, manufacturing, industrial, institutional and multi-family residential uses shall provide site access which is no less than 24 feet wide at any given point. Should the site access on to a major corridor (2100 South, Wilson Lane, 4000 South, 1900 West), or should the City Engineer determine that it is necessary, the access may be widened to accommodate a turn lane.
(3) All non-residential parking and associated access lanes which are adjacent to any residential zone shall be screened by a hedgerow shrub, masonry wall or fence not less than five feet, nor more than seven feet high.
(4) Hedgerow shrubs shall be maintained and replaced where necessary in order that the hedge may become an effective screen from bordering property within a maximum five-year period. Front yard and corner lot fences or plantings shall maintain height requirements of their respective zones.
(5) Lighting and signs shall conform to the requirements set forth in this subchapter.
(6) All parking facilities must be improved with a hard surface, such as concrete or asphalt, and must be sloped and graded to prevent drainage of stormwater onto adjacent properties.
(Prior Code, § 44.12) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.636 OFF-STREET TRUCK LOADING SPACE.
(A) Any business which involves the shipping and receiving of goods shall provide adequate space for loading, and unloading of such goods. Such space shall be provided outside of the public right of way.
(B) The loading and unloading area shall include a ten-foot by 25-foot bay for the first 3,000 square feet GFA and an additional bay for each 20,000 square feet of floor space, or fraction thereof. The number of required bays shall be calculated on the square footage of each building with loading/unloading areas and not on the overall square footage of the buildings on the site.
(Prior Code, § 44.14) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.637 BUSINESS REQUIRING AUTOMOBILE ACCESS.
Service stations, roadside stands, public parking lots, and all other businesses requiring multiple access points to the site shall set such access points a minimum of 100 feet from each other, unless site conditions render that distance impossible. In such cases, a reduced distance shall be required, as determined by the City Engineer.
(Prior Code, § 44.16) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.638 VEHICULAR TRAFFIC TO COMMERCIAL OR MANUFACTURING ZONES.
No residentially-zoned property may be used as a means of ingress/egress to commercial, industrial or manufacturing uses or zones.
(Prior Code, § 44.18) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.639 REGULATIONS GOVERNING ACCESSORY VEHICLE OFF-STREET PARKING WITHIN REQUIRED SIDE YARD AREAS.
No vehicle shall be parked in the required side yard unless the parking area is improved with hard surface material such as concrete, gravel or asphalt and unless the parking area is directly connected to the driveway serving the main dwelling unit.
(Prior Code, § 44.20) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)
§ 157.640 OFF-SITE IMPROVEMENTS REQUIRED.
Curb, gutter and sidewalks which comply with the city’s public works standards are required in all residential, commercial, manufacturing uses and zones, except for the Agricultural A-1 and A-2 zones where such improvements are or may be exempted.
(Prior Code, § 44.22) (Ord. 2-92, passed - -1992; Ord. 13-2020, passed 5-6-2020; Ord. 07-2023, passed 4-5-2023)