Part 14
Off-Street Parking and Loading

§27-1401 Off-Street Parking Requirements.

1.    In all districts, except for the Central Business District, off-street parking spaces shall be provided, as required herein, upon the erection, alteration, enlargement, expansion or conversion of any structure, or part thereof, or upon the change of use of any existing structure or tract of land, or part thereof, or change of occupancy of any existing nonresidential structure or tract of land, or part thereof. When off-street parking spaces exist, or are to be provided in the future, within the Central Business District, such spaces shall conform to the requirements herein set forth. These provisions shall only apply to new construction, alterations, enlargements, expansions or conversions and to changes of use or occupancy that occur after the effective date of this Part, “Off-Street Parking and Loading”; provided, that all parking spaces utilized by a particular occupancy or use in existence upon the effective date of this Part shall be maintained and that any additional parking spaces required as a result of the new construction, alterations, enlargements, expansions or conversions or changes of use or occupancy shall be provided as required herein.

2.    For the purposes of the application of these parking provisions: alterations shall include the moving of any exterior walls; enlargement and/or expansion shall include the moving of any exterior walls or raising of any roofs, and conversions and changes in the use to which a building or structure or part thereof is put, or the occupancy of a nonresidential building or structure, or part thereof, shall include any activity that results in an increase in the number of parking spaces that will be required by Table 27-14-1 for the new use or occupancy established in the building or structure or part thereof.

3.    The number of off-street parking spaces that shall be provided for each use shall be calculated by dividing the actual number of units associated with each use by the unit value shown in Table 27-14-1 and rounding any fraction to the next highest whole number. The number of units associated with each use shall be only those units required under this Chapter as a result of construction, alterations, enlargements, expansions or conversions or changes of use or nonresidential occupancy that occur after the effective date of this Part, “Off-Street Parking and Loading.” For structures or lots containing more than one use, the total number of off-street parking spaces for the structure or lot shall be the sum of the calculated number of off-street parking spaces required for each individual use.

4.    As an alternative to the use of the unit parking values of Table 27-14-1, the applicant may submit documentation pertaining to the number of parking spaces that should be required for a specific use or uses. The Borough Council, considering the documentation submitted, the values of Table 27-14-1 and the provisions and criteria of §27-1610, Administration and Enforcement, pertaining to the evaluation of a conditional use, may determine, in its sole discretion, specific conditions pertaining to the number of parking spaces, if any, to be provided for such use or uses.

 

Table 27-14-1

Off-Street Parking Requirements  

Use

Off-Street Parking Unit Values

(1 parking space for each)

Offices without customer services

1.5 employees

Offices with customer services, or retail sales

1.5 employees of largest shift and 450 square feet of floor area open to customers

Restaurants, taverns, night-clubs, social halls, lodges or clubs

1.5 employees of largest shift and 3.75 seats at maximum occupancy

Clinics, medical service offices, barber or beauty shops or hair styling shops

1.5 employees of largest shift and 1.75 customer seats and chairs

Motels, hotels or tourist homes (excludes food service and other area for uses defined herein)

1.0 employees of largest shift and 1.0 sleeping rooms

Theaters, auditoriums or meeting rooms

3.5 seats

Churches

10.0 seats

Elementary and secondary public and parochial schools

1.0 employees of largest shift and 15.0 classroom seats

College, universities and commercial schools

1.0 employees of largest shift and 5.0 classroom seats

Bowling alleys

0.5 alleys

Hospitals, nursing homes and convalescent homes

1.0 employees of largest shift and 10.0 beds

Residential dwellings:

 

Single- and two-family

0.5 dwelling unit

Multi-family, elderly

2.0 dwelling units

Multi-family, nonelderly

0.5 dwelling units*

Funeral homes

1.0 employees of largest shift and 5.0 seats at maximum occupancy

Rooming houses or dormitories

2.0 beds

Manufacturing plants, laboratories, whole-sale sales or food-processing facilities [Ord. 670]

1.33 employees of largest shift and 300 square feet of floor area open to visitors**

Warehouses or storerooms

1.00 employees of largest shift

Field house [Ord. 678]

1 space for each 4-person capacity, plus 2 spaces for each 3 employees

Gymnasium [Ord. 678]

1 space for each 4-person capacity, plus 2 spaces for each 3 employees

Stadium [Ord. 678]

1 space for each 4-person capacity, plus 2 spaces for each 3 employees

*The site plan shall show at least two off-street parking spaces for each dwelling unit and propose to initially improve at least one of those off-street parking space for each dwelling unit. After the multi-family dwelling units are occupied, the Borough Council, upon recommendation of the Zoning Officer, may order such additional off-street parking spaces to be improved, up to the required two spaces for each dwelling unit.

**The site plan shall show at least one off-street parking space for each 1.33 employees of the largest shift plus one off-street parking space for each 300 square feet of floor area open to visitors and propose to initially improve at least one of those off-street parking spaces for each 300 square feet of floor area open to visitors. After the building is occupied, the Borough Council, upon recommendation of the Zoning Officer, may order such additional off-street parking spaces to be improved, up to the maximum number required.

(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-91; as amended by Ord. 583, 7/11/1988, §I; by Ord. 656, 9/9/1996, §4(a); by Ord. 669, –/–/1998, §3; by Ord. 670, 12/7/1998 §3(c); by Ord. 678, 3/1/1999, §3; and by Ord. 835, 9/4/2018, §3(B))

§27-1402 Off-Street Loading and Unloading Space.

1.    Industrial establishments shall provide off-street loading/unloading adequate for their needs. This required space(s) shall be provided in addition to the requirements for patron and employee parking and shall not incorporate any portion of said parking and access to said parking, or in any way impair the full and complete use of and access to said parking.

2.    In all districts, except for the Central Business District, commercial establishments shall provide commercial vehicle storage space adequate for their needs. This required space(s) shall be provided in addition to the requirements for patron and employee parking and shall not incorporate any portion of said parking and access to said parking, or in any way impair the full and complete use of and access to said parking.

(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-92; as amended by Ord. 656, 9/9/1996, §4(b), (c); and by Ord. 835, 9/4/2018, §3(C))

§27-1403 Design Specifications for Off-street Parking and Loading and Unloading Spaces.

1.    Off-street parking and loading/unloading spaces may be developed in any required side, front or rear yard, but no closer than 15 feet to any street pavement, except in the Central Business District, if developed, where they shall not be closer than five feet to any street or alley pavement.

2.    Off-street parking and loading/unloading spaces shall be properly graded and drained to dispose of all surface water, shall be maintained in a mud-free and permanently passable condition and shall be surfaced with a durable material as follows:

A.    All driveways or access points entering on or exiting from a paved public street or alley and all required off-street parking, loading/unloading spaces and interior driveways for all uses, except industrial, shall be surfaced with durable bituminous or concrete paving materials. The required off-street parking, loading/unloading spaces and interior driveways for industrial uses shall be surfaced with a durable stone material, durable bituminous or concrete paving material. For the purposes of this Chapter of the Selinsgrove Borough Code, shale is not to be considered as a durable paving material.

B.    As a conditional use in all zoning districts established by this Chapter of the Selinsgrove Borough Code, and pursuant to the provisions and criteria of §27-1610, Conditional Uses, of Part 16, Administration and Enforcement, of this Chapter, the Borough Council may permit the use of durable paving materials other than durable bituminous or concrete paving materials, provided that the use of durable paving materials other than durable bituminous or concrete paving materials shall be conditioned upon conformance to design and engineering criteria established by the engineer for the Borough Council for the site of the proposed conditional use. One of the criteria to be used in evaluating the proposed use of durable paving materials other than durable bituminous or concrete paving materials as a proposed conditional use shall be the appropriateness of the use of durable paving materials other than durable bituminous or concrete paving materials because of the design of or historical significance of the building or structure located on the lot upon which the parking and off-street loading/unloading spaces are located.

C.    Under the conditional use provisions of these regulations for all zoning districts and the provisions and criteria of §27-1610, Conditional Uses, of Part 16, Administration and Enforcement, the Borough Council may establish appropriate conditions to permit the required durable bituminous or concrete paving material to be provided within a specified period of time, not to exceed one year following the issuance of the certificate of occupancy, unless otherwise determined by Council.

3.    The off-street parking and loading/unloading spaces shall be arranged and marked for the orderly and safe movement, loading, parking and storage or vehicles and shall be adequately illuminated if designed for use by more than five vehicles after dark. Any lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises and public rights-of-way.

4.    Exit and entrance driveways or access points of commercial, industrial, multi-family, public or semipublic uses to a public right-of-way shall be at least 15 feet wide throughout, if designed for two-way traffic, and at least 10 feet wide throughout if designed for one-way traffic. In no case shall the driveway or access exceed 40 feet in width and, wherever practical, shall not occupy the full width of the streets, alleys or other rights-of-way from which they derive their access but shall be limited to well-defined points. They shall also be so designed as to provide maximum safety for other adjoining or nearby uses and in accordance with the regulations on sight distances promulgated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which regulations are incorporated herein by this reference.

5.    All off-street parking areas which provide more than five parking spaces shall be screened from any abutting property zoned residential or used for residential purposes. Screening shall not be required where the abutting property is used for residential purposes in combination with nonresidential uses. Screening shall be accomplished by the placement of a solid fence and/or by the provision and maintenance of solid planting in the form of contiguous evergreen shrubs of at least 6 feet in height. The trunks of evergreen trees or shrubs shall be at least 4 feet from any property line. Off-street parking areas shall have a landscaping strip no less than 4 feet wide and planted in sufficient and acceptable plants and shrubs.

6.    Parking spaces shall be a minimum of 9 feet in width and a minimum of 17 feet in depth.

7.    For industrial uses, the loading/unloading space(s) shall be of a minimum size adequate to accommodate the largest type of vehicle reasonably anticipated to load/unload materials, but in no case less than 50 feet in depth or less than 12 feet in width or with an overhead clearance of not less than 14 feet.

(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-93; as amended by Ord. 582, 7/11/1988, §§I, II; by Ord. 656, 9/9/1996, §4(d); and by Ord. 835, 9/4/2018, §3(D))

§27-1404 Development of Off-Street Parking or Loading/Unloading Spaces.

1.    All required off-street parking and loading/unloading spaces are to be built on the same lot as the use to which they are accessory. In the event an owner or occupant of a lot cannot comply with the requirements for off-street parking and loading/unloading spaces set forth in this Part, Off-Street Parking and Loading, due to size or other physical restrictions of the lot, the Borough Council may, in its sole discretion, deem compliance to exist as a conditional use, provided that the owner or occupant has developed the maximum number of parking spaces and loading/unloading spaces possible for the lot in accordance with the design and development criteria established herein. The Borough Council shall not grant a conditional use for any lot involving new construction.

2.    The Borough Council may permit the owners of adjoining lots to develop off-street parking and loading/unloading in cooperation with one another to enable the cooperating owners to provide more on-lot off-street parking and loading/unloading together than they would be able to develop on their individual lots. Screening requirements set forth in this Part would apply only to the exterior lot lines of the cooperatively developed lot, and not to interior lot lines. Easements, covenants and conditions running with the land permitting mutual use for parking and allocating a fixed number of spaces in the jointly developed lot to each of the constituent lots shall be in writing and recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Snyder County, Pennsylvania, prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit for the use of the cooperatively developed lot. Written evidence of such recording shall be delivered to the Borough.

(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-94; as amended by Ord. 582, 7/11/1988; by Ord. 583, 7/11/1988; and by Ord. 656, 9/9/1996, §4(e))