Township of South Fayette, PA Article XVII Off-Street Parking and Loading

§ 240-110 Applicability.

A. Off-street parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with the specifications in this article in any Zoning District whenever any new use is established or any existing use is enlarged.

B. All parking areas established prior to the effective date of this chapter that are not in conformance with all provisions of this article shall be allowed to continue as previously laid out. Any change or alteration to these existing nonconforming parking areas shall require that the portions to be altered be completed in accordance with all provisions of this article.

C. Any change in use or in floor area of an existing building that would require a greater number of off-street parking spaces than the previous use or floor area did shall provide additional off-street parking for the new use in accordance with this article. If the number of additional required parking spaces results in more than a twenty-five-percent increase in the total number of parking spaces currently provided on the lot or requires the addition of at least five more spaces, whichever is greater, then all existing parking is also required to meet or exceed all provisions of this article including surfacing.

D. Accessory off-street parking spaces in existence on the effective date of this chapter shall not be reduced in number unless the remaining off-street parking equals or exceeds all provisions of this article for equivalent new construction of the current use of the building.

§ 240-111 Off-street parking design.

Parking areas in all zoning districts shall comply with the following standards:

A. Size. Each off-street parking space shall have an area of not less than 162 square feet, exclusive of access drives or aisles, shall have minimum dimensions of nine feet in width and 18 feet in length and shall be maintained free from obstruction. Parking areas shall be designed to provide sufficient turnaround area so that vehicles are not required to back onto the cartway of any public street.

B. Design. The minimum dimensions of aisles and driveways shall be as follows:

(1) Minimum width of aisles providing two-way travel shall be 22 feet.

(2) One-way aisles shall not be dead-ended. A functional exit or turnaround shall be provided. Minimum width of aisles providing one-way travel shall vary with the angle of parking, as follows:

	Parallel	12 feet
	30 degree	14 feet
	45 degree	16 feet
	60 degree	20 feet
	90 degree	22 feet

(3) The minimum width of entrance and exit drives shall be:

(a) For one-way travel, a minimum of 12 feet.

(b) For two-way travel, a minimum of 22 feet.

(c) A maximum of 35 feet at the street line and 54 feet at the curbline.

(d) Adequate sight distance shall be provided, subject to review and approval by the Township Engineer. Driveways shall not exceed a slope of 10% within 12 feet of the street right-of-way line.

(4) Fire lanes shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of the Township Fire Code and the volunteer fire departments.

(5) Dead-end aisles in off-street parking areas shall be designed according to the following minimum standards:

(a) Depth of turnaround area: 13 feet.

(b) Width of turnaround area: 25 feet.

C. Handicapped parking spaces. Handicapped accessible parking spaces marked in accordance with commonwealth of Pennsylvania regulations and measuring 12 feet by 18 feet must be provided for all buildings designed for public occupancy in accordance with the following table:

	Total Parking Spaces Required by § 240-112C	Number of Required Spaces That Must Be Accessible Spaces
	Up to 25	1
	26 - 50	2
	51 - 75	3
	76 - 100	4
	101 - 150	5
	151 - 200	6
	201 - 300	7
	301 - 400	8
	401 - 500	9
	501 - 1000	2% of total
	Over 1000	20 plus 1 for each 100 over 1000

D. Access. Access to parking areas shall be provided in accordance with the following requirements:

(1) When an existing lot does not adjoin a public or private street, an easement of access and an access drive shall be provided leading to the parking areas.

(2) Access to off-street parking areas shall be limited to well-defined locations, and in no case shall there be unrestricted access along the length of a street. In any zoning district, other than a Residential Zoning District, the street frontage shall be curbed to restrict access to the lot, except where the access drives are proposed.

(3) The number of access drives from a single lot or development to any public street shall not exceed two for every 400 feet of street frontage.

(4) Except on corner lots, access drives shall be located at least 200 feet from the intersection of any two street right-of-way lines. Where a site has frontage on more than one street, access shall be provided from the street with the lower traffic volume, if physically practical.

(5) Access drives entering state highways are subject to a highway occupancy permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Access drives entering county roads are subject to a permit issued by the Allegheny County Department of Public Works.

(6) Access drives entering Township streets shall comply with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Code, Title 67, Chapter 441, "Access to and Occupancy of Highways by Ways and Local Roads."

(7) Each parking space shall have access directly to a driveway. Interior circulation of traffic shall be designed so that no driveway providing access to parking spaces shall be used as a through street. Interior traffic circulation shall be designed to ensure safety and access by emergency vehicles.

E. Shared parking requirements. In order to accommodate the usage of the same parking spaces for two or more different land uses requiring different principal hours of use, a reduction in the total number of required parking spaces may be permitted. All uses shall be located on the same lot under the same ownership. Subsequent changes in land uses within the mixed use development shall require a new certificate of occupancy and proof that sufficient parking will be available. The following provisions shall apply to shared parking:

(1) The required parking for mixed uses shall be computed as follows:

(a) Determine the minimum amount of parking required for each land use as though it were a separate use.

(b) Using the table below, determine the number of spaces needed by each use for each of the four time periods by multiplying the parking required for each use by the corresponding percentage of use for that time period.

(c) Calculate the total number of spaces needed for all uses for each time period.

(d) The time period with the highest number of parking spaces required for the sum of all uses shall be the number of parking spaces required.

	CALCULATING PARKING FOR MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENTS
	Use	Weekday		Weekend
		Daytime	Evening	Daytime	Evening
	Office/ Industrial	100%	10%	10%	5%
	Retail	60%	90%	100%	70%
	Hotel	75%	100%	75%	100%
	Restaurant	75%	100%	100%	100%
	Entertainment/ Recreational	40%	100%	80%	100%

(2) To apply for usage of the shared parking requirement, a table shall be submitted showing the breakdown of the gross floor area devoted to each of the above five land use categories. Uses that do not fit into any of the categories shown in the above table shall not be eligible to use this provision. The total amount of required parking shall be tabulated by use and time period. The time period requiring the highest number of parking spaces shall be selected as the basis for the shared parking requirement.

F. Safety requirements. The Board of Commissioners shall consider whether safety requirements are warranted to reduce traffic hazards which endanger public safety. The developer shall be responsible for construction of any required islands, acceleration, deceleration or turning lanes and shall bear the cost of installing any required traffic control devices, signs or pavement markings within and adjoining the boundaries of the development site.

G. Marking. In parking areas which contain five or more spaces, all parking spaces shall be clearly delineated by painted lines marked with durable white or yellow paint in stripes a minimum of four inches wide extending the length of the parking space. All vehicular entrances and exits to parking areas shall be clearly marked for all conditions. Short-term visitor parking spaces shall be differentiated from long-term employee spaces by suitable markings. Handicapped parking shall be appropriately marked.

H. Curbs and wheelstops.

(1) All outdoor hard-surfaced off-street parking areas shall be curbed unless sheet drainage of surface water can be achieved subject to approval by the Township Engineer.

(2) Wheelstops shall be provided along boundaries of adjoining properties, public rights-of-way, sidewalks or landscaped areas unless curbs are provided in that portion of the parking lot.

I. Surfacing. All outdoor off-street parking areas and access driveways shall be paved with asphalt, concrete or similar material of adequate thickness to support the weight of fully loaded vehicles which customarily park or travel on it. The exceptions to this requirement are that parking areas in the rear lots of the industrial districts shall, as a minimum, have a dust-free slag or stone surface parking area, and in the R-1 District, any driveway serving a single-family dwelling that exceeds 150 feet in length and the parking area it leads to shall not be required to be paved in its entirety, provided the first 50 feet back from the intersection with the street right-of-way is paved.

J. Location of parking areas.

(1) Required parking spaces shall be located on the same lot with the principal use. In the case where adequate lot area does not exist on the same lot to meet the parking requirements, the Board of Commissioners may approve off-site parking, provided it is located no more than 400 feet from the principal entrance to the building it is intended to serve and evidence of a lease agreement or cross-easement is submitted for any property under different ownership proposed to be used for off-site parking.

(2) In planned shopping centers, parking in front yards shall be located at least 20 feet from the street right-of-way line. This twenty-foot setback shall be landscaped in accordance with § 246-98J(3). All other parking areas containing more than five parking spaces shall be located at least than 10 feet to any adjoining property line and parking authorized in front yards shall be located at least 10 feet from the street right-of-way line.

K. Landscaping. Parking areas containing more than 20 spaces shall provide the landscaping required by § 240-98J(3). In addition, a landscaped area shall be provided between the edge of the right-of-way and any parking area authorized in any yard which fronts on a street in accordance with § 240-98J(3).

L. Shopping cart return areas. One shopping cart return area shall be provided for each 10,000 square feet of gross floor area in retail stores that provide shopping carts. Shopping cart return areas shall measure nine feet by 18 feet and shall provide containment on three sides and shall be identified by an above-grade sign secured to the containment structure. The surface area of the sign shall not exceed four square feet.

M. Lighting. Any lighting used to illuminate off-street parking areas shall be designed to reflect the light away from the adjoining premises of any R Residential Zoning District or residential use and away from any streets or highways. The lighting system shall furnish an average minimum of 1.0 footcandle during hours of operation and shall be designed with cutoff luminaires that have a cutoff angle of 60° or less. (See Illustration in Appendix B.[1]) There shall be no spillover of illumination at any property line in excess of 0.2 footcandle.

[1] Editor's Note: Appendix B is included at the end of this chapter.

N. Stormwater management. All paved areas shall be designed so that stormwater runoff shall not adversely affect adjacent properties. The method of stormwater management and the design of the proposed facilities shall be subject to the requirements of the Township Stormwater Management Regulations in the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance[2] and to review and recommendation by the Township Engineer.

[2] Editor's Note: See § 215-78, Stormwater management of Ch. 215, Subdivision and Land Development.

§ 240-112 Off-street parking requirements.

Any new use or change of use in any zoning district shall comply with the following minimum requirements for the provision of off-street parking spaces:

A. When the calculation of required parking spaces results in a requirement of a fractional parking space, any fraction shall be counted as one parking space.

B. Where more than one use exists on a lot, parking requirements for each use shall be provided.

C. The following Table of Parking Requirements specifies the number of spaces required for various categories of uses in any Zoning District:

[Amended 12-19-2011 by Ord. No. 6-2011]

	Table of Parking Requirements
	Use	Parking Spaces Required
	Single-family and two-family dwellings	Two parking spaces per dwelling unit
	Triplex, fourplex, garden apartments, mid-rise apartments, high-rise apartments, townhouse or mobile home park	1.5 parking spaces for one-bedroom unit, 2.25 parking spaces for two-bedroom unit and 2.5 parking spaces for three-bedroom and larger units.
	Community centers in an open space design option or subdivision	One space for each 10 dwelling units in the development
	Agriculture	One space per employee
	Agricultural, nursery or greenhouse sales	One space per employee plus one space for each 400 square feet of growing and display area accessible to the public
	Kennel	One space per employee plus one space for each four individual kennel spaces
	Mineral removal	One space for each employee on the two largest shifts, combined
	Churches	One space per four seats or each 80 lineal inches of pew, or if there are no pews or seats, one per 15 square feet of floor area used for assembly
	Day-care center; nursery school	One space for each teacher and/or employee on largest shift plus one space per each six students
	Public utility building or structure	One space per employee on peak shift plus one space for each service vehicle stored on lot
	Schools, elementary and junior high	One space for each employee or faculty member or one space for each three seats in the principal place of assembly, whichever is greater
	Schools, secondary and postsecondary	One space for each employee or faculty member plus one space for each 10 students or one space for each three seats in the principal place of assembly, whichever is greater
	Dormitories, fraternity houses, sorority houses	One space for each bed at maximum capacity
	Theater, auditorium or gymnasium	One space per four seats
	Hospitals and nursing homes	One space per three beds and one space for each employee on the peak working shift
	Hotel/motel	One space per employee on peak shift plus one space per sleeping unit
	Professional office (other than medical), business office, business services	One space for every 300 square feet of net floor area
	Medical offices, medical clinics	One space for each 175 square feet of gross floor area
	Banks and financial institutions	One space per 300 square feet of gross floor area plus one space per employee on peak shift plus five off-street waiting spaces per drive-through window
	Group care facility, personal care boarding home, transitional dwelling	One space for each employee on peak shift plus one space for each resident authorized to drive plus one space for each six beds
	Retail business, personal service establishments	One space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area
	Shopping center	One space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area
	Fast-food restaurants	One space per 50 square feet of net floor area plus one space per employee on peak shift
	Nightclubs	One space for each 30 square feet of net floor area devoted to patron use
	Other restaurants, bars or taverns	One space for each 75 square feet of net floor area plus one space for each employee on peak working shift
	Bowling alleys	Five spaces for each alley
	Tennis, racquetball and handball courts	One space per employee plus four spaces for each court
	Golf courses	Eight spaces for each hole plus one space for each employee
	Playing fields, play courts	Two parking spaces for each team member on the field or court during regulation play plus one space for each three seats in bleachers or viewing stands
	Swimming pools, public/commercial	One space for each 50 square feet of surface water area
	Amusement or video arcade	One space for each 100 square feet of net floor area
	Billiard parlors	Three spaces for each table
	Dance halls, skating rinks	One space for each 100 square feet of net floor area
	Amusement park	One space for each 1,500 square feet of gross lot area
	Health clubs, private clubs	One space for each 100 square feet of net floor area
	Funeral homes	One space for each 50 square feet of floor area in the parlors plus one space for each 300 square feet of remaining gross floor area
	Indoor places of assembly (without fixed seats)	One space for each 75 square feet of net floor area
	Indoor places of assembly (with fixed seats)	One space for each three seats
	Outdoor places of assembly (without fixed seats)	One space for each 1,500 square feet of gross lot area
	Outdoor places of assembly (with fixed seats)	One space for each three seats
	Libraries/museums	One space for each 500 square feet of gross floor area
	Service stations/vehicle repair garages	Four spaces for each bay plus one space for each employee on peak shift plus one space for each business vehicle
	Repair shops	One space for each 350 square feet of gross floor area
	Manufacturing	One space for each 1,500 square feet of gross floor area or one space for each employee on the peak working shift, whichever is greater
	Warehousing, truck terminals, wholesaling	One space for each two employees on peak working shift or one space for each 2,000 square feet of gross floor area, whichever is greater
	Mini-warehouse; self-storage facility	One space for each employee plus one space for each 300 square feet devoted to office
	Flex space	Each portion of the floor area used for office, manufacturing and/or warehousing shall meet the minimum requirements of this section for that specific use
	All other uses	One space for each three occupants at maximum permitted occupancy or one space for each 300 square feet of gross floor area, whichever is greater

§ 240-113 Off-street loading.

In all zoning districts, whenever a new use is established or an existing use is structurally altered, converted or enlarged, off-street loading spaces shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of this section.

A. Off-street loading design.

(1) Size. Each loading berth shall be at least 65 feet in length and 12 feet in width with an overhead clearance of 14 feet. The area used for loading berths shall not be used to satisfy parking area requirements and shall not block any driveway used for circulation through the site.

(2) Access. Loading berths shall be designed to provide sufficient turnaround area so that vehicles are not required to back onto public streets and the design shall be subject to review and approval by the Township Engineer. Loading berths shall have direct access to a driveway and shall be maintained free from obstruction.

(3) Location. All loading berths shall be located on the same lot with the principal use they are intended to serve. No loading berth shall be located in a required front yard. Loading berths shall be located at least 25 feet from the nearest point of intersection of any two streets.

(4) Screening. Loading berths shall be screened by a six foot hedge, wall or opaque fence on all sides which face residential use or R Residential Zoning District classification.

(5) Surfacing. All loading berths shall have a paved, concrete or bituminous surface, with adequate thickness to support the weight of a fully loaded vehicle and graded with positive drainage to dispose of surface water.

(6) Lighting. Any lighting used to illuminate loading berths shall be designed to reflect from any adjoining residential use or R Residential Zoning District classification and away from any street or highway. Spillover lighting shall not exceed 0.2 footcandle at any property line.

B. Off-street loading requirements. In all zoning districts, every use which requires the receipt or distribution by tractor-trailer of material or merchandise shall provide off-street loading berths in accordance with the following requirements:

	Gross Floor Area (square feet)	Number of Berths Required
	Under 40,000	None
	40,000 to 59,999	1 berth
	60,000 to 99,999	2 berths
	100,000 to 160,000	3 berths
	For each additional 80,000	1 additional berth

C. In addition to required off-street parking and loading facilities, adequate storage areas for vehicles awaiting loading and unloading shall be provided. Under no circumstances shall vehicles be stored on or block access to a public right-of-way.