Township of Westtown, PA Off-Street Parking and Loading

Off-street parking facilities shall be provided whenever:

A building is constructed or a new use is established.

The use of an existing building is changed to a use requiring more parking facilities, as determined by this article.

An existing building is altered so as to increase the amount of parking space required, as determined by this article.

Structures and uses in existence as of the date of adoption of this chapter shall not be subject to the requirements of this article, so long as the use is not changed nor its extent or density increased. No parking facility now serving structures or uses shall, in the future, be reduced below the requirements of this chapter.

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

Decreased parking demand. When a building or structure undergoes a decrease in the number of dwelling units, gross floor area, seating capacity, number of employees, or other unit of measure specified hereinafter as a means for determining required off-street parking or loading facilities, or when the application of the standards herein would result in a requirement for fewer total off-street parking or loading spaces than are provided on the subject site, the available off-street parking and loading facilities may, upon approval by the Township, be so reduced accordingly; provided, however, that existing off-street parking or loading facilities may be so decreased only when the parking or loading facilities remaining would equal or exceed the off-street parking or loading requirements resulting from application of the provisions of these standards to the entire building, activity, or structure, as modified.

Increased parking demand. When any building or structure undergoes a change of use or any increase in the number of dwelling units, employees, gross floor area, seating capacity, or other unit of measurement specified hereinafter as a means for determining required off-street parking or loading facilities, and when such a change or increase would, through application of the provisions of these standards, result in a requirement for greater total off-street parking or loading spaces, such off-street parking or loading facilities shall be increased to equal or exceed the off-street parking or loading requirements resulting from application of the provisions of these standards to the entire building or structure, as modified in use or capacity.

Front yard parking restriction. No motor home, travel trailer, boat, or boat trailer shall be parked within any front yard.

[Amended 5-2-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]

Repair, service, or sales use of parking facilities. It shall be unlawful to utilize any required off-street parking or loading facilities for motor vehicle repair work, service, display, or sales of any kind, except as expressly permitted elsewhere in this article.

§ 170-1701 Location.

Except as provided under the terms of § 170-1706 of this article, all parking spaces shall be on the same lot as the principal building which they serve.

No parking or paved area, except for permitted driveways or accessways, shall directly abut a public street. The minimum setback from the street line to the parking area shall be equal to that specified in § 170-1701D of this chapter. Each such area shall be separated from the street by a curb, planting strip, wall or other suitable barrier against vehicles.

[Amended 5-2-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]

A garage may be located wholly or partly inside the walls of the principal building, or may be attached to the outer walls. If separated from the principal building, the garage shall conform to all accessory building requirements.

The minimum distance for parking areas, as measured from the street line, shall be equal to the greater of 1/2 of the front yard building setback line or the setback prescribed for parking areas in the particular district in which the parking area is located.

[Amended 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2; 5-2-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]

§ 170-1702 Size.

The following schedule of parking space and layout standards shall apply to all but commercial/retail parking facilities, in accordance with this article:

	Angle of Parking Row to Driveway Aisle
	30°	45°	60°	90°
Depth of parking row	17'	20'	21'	18'
Width of parking space	9.5'	9.5'	9.5'	9.5'
Width of aisle	11' (1 way)	13' (1 way)	18' (1 way)	24' (1 or 2 way)

Parking spaces for commercial/retail uses shall be a minimum of 20 feet in depth and 10 feet in width.

Parallel parking spaces shall be at least 24 feet in length and eight feet in width.

In the case of churches, schools and office parks, where parking is at a ninety-degree angle and a twenty-four-foot aisle is provided, 10% of the spaces shall be 9.5 feet by 18 feet. The remainder may be nine feet by 18 feet.

[Amended 12-5-1994 by Ord. No. 94-6]

Wheel stops: The Board may approve the use of continuous curbs as wheel stops and thus measure the size of parking spaces to be two feet less in length than otherwise required. In such instances, the parking layout should allow for the vehicle to overhang the curb by two feet; such overhang area must be clear of all obstructions (signs, trees, etc.) and may not be regarded as required landscaped area or pedestrian circulation space.

§ 170-1703 Design and maintenance standards.

General on-site circulation design standards.

There shall be an adequate, safe, and convenient arrangement of pedestrian circulation facilities, roadways, driveways, off-street parking and loading space. Pedestrians moving between buildings shall not be unnecessarily exposed to vehicular traffic.

Roads, pedestrian walks, bicycle facilities, and open space shall be designed as integral parts of an overall site design. They shall be properly related to existing and proposed buildings and appropriately landscaped.

Landscaped, paved, and comfortably graded pedestrian walks, appropriate also for use by wheelchairs, shall be provided along the paths of the most intense use, particularly from building entrances to parking areas and adjacent buildings. Such walks shall have a minimum width of four feet.

The materials used in the design of paving, lighting fixtures, retaining walls, fences, curbs, and benches shall be of good appearance, easily maintained, and appropriate to their function.

Ramps shall be provided, giving access from parking areas to the building served, for disabled persons utilizing wheelchairs.

Accessways, parking areas, and loading areas shall have clearly defined parking bays and traffic circulation lanes designated by markings, curbs, barriers, and/or landscaped islands. To assist in traffic channelization, raised islands shall be placed at the ends of parking bays so that the end of the bay adjacent to a driving aisle or ring road is clearly delineated. Such islands shall be designed and landscaped so as not to impair visibility needed for traffic flow and turning movements. A maximum of 20 parking spaces shall be permitted without being separated by a landscaped area/island with a minimum 10 feet width.

[Amended 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]

The design of access and traffic control and of interior circulation shall, in all other respects, comply with the requirements of §§ 170-1510 and 170-1513, respectively, of this chapter.

General on-site parking design standards.

Parking spaces shall have a dust-free, all-weather surface; this requirement shall be met by paving unless otherwise approved by the Board of Supervisors. Pervious surfaces such as porous paving, concrete lattice blocks, or gravel may be substituted if approved by the Board, e.g., for reserve or overflow parking. Pervious surfaces shall be the only permitted means of providing parking in areas subject to floodplain regulations.

[Amended 9-5-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-3]

Parking areas shall have a minimum slope of 1% in any direction to provide for drainage, and a maximum slope of 5% in any direction for safety, user convenience, and stormwater management.

All parking spaces shall be marked by durable painted lines at least four inches wide and extending the length of the space, or by curbs or other means, to indicate individual spaces. Signs or markers located on the surface within a parking lot shall be used as necessary to assure efficient and safe traffic operation.

Lighting shall be provided to illuminate any off-street parking spaces to be used at night. Lighting facilities shall comply in all applicable respects with the standards in § 170-1514 of this chapter.

Parking area landscaping and screening shall be accomplished in accordance with §§ 170-1507 and 170-1508 of this chapter.

Any person operating or owning a parking lot shall keep it free, as may be practical, of dust and loose particles and shall promptly remove snow and ice from the surface of the parking lot. Such person shall also keep all adjacent sidewalks free from dirt, ice, sleet, and snow and shall keep the sidewalks in a safe condition for use by pedestrians.

All signs, markers, or any other methods used to indicate direction of traffic movement and location of parking spaces shall be maintained in a neat and legible condition. Any walls or landscaping, as well as surfacing and curbing of the parking lot, shall be maintained in good condition throughout their use, and the Board shall have the authority to prohibit the use of the area for parking purposes unless and until proper maintenance, repair, or rehabilitation is completed.

§ 170-1704 Handicapped parking.

[Amended 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]

Handicapped parking and related facilities shall conform to the requirements of Pennsylvania Act 235, the Universal Accessibility Act, as amended.[1] In addition, the following regulations shall apply, unless superseded by further amendments to the aforementioned Act and its rules and regulations:

In any parking area where the total number of parking spaces exceeds five, a minimum of one space for each 25 total spaces or fraction thereof shall be designed and designated for physically handicapped persons. Number of spaces: Any parking lot including four or more off-street parking spaces shall include a minimum of one handicapped space. The following number of handicapped spaces shall be provided, unless a revised regulation is officially established under the Federal Americans With Disabilities Act:

	Total number of parking Spaces on Lot	Required Minimum Number/ Percent of handicapped Parking Spaces
	1 to 25	1
	26 to 50	2
	51 to 75	3
	76 to 100	4
	101 to 150	5
	151 to 200	6
	201 to 300	7
	301 to 400	8
	401 to 500	9
	501 to 1,000	2% of required number of spaces
	1,001 or more	20, plus 1% of required number of spaces over 1,000

Location. Handicapped parking spaces shall be located where they would result in the shortest reasonable accessible distance to a handicapped-accessible building entrance. Curb cuts shall be provided as needed to provide an accessible route from the handicapped spaces to an accessible entrance.

Minimum size. Each required handicapped parking space shall be eight feet by 18 feet. In addition, each space shall be adjacent to a five-feet-wide access aisle. Such access aisle may be shared by two handicapped spaces by being placed between them. However, one out of every eight required handicapped parking spaces shall have an adjacent access aisle of eight feet width instead of five feet.

Slope. Handicapped parking spaces shall be located in areas of less than 2% slope in any direction.

Marking. All required handicapped spaces shall be well-marked by clearly visible signs and pavement markings. Blue paint is recommended.

Paving. Handicapped parking spaces and adjacent areas needed to access them with a wheelchair shall be covered with a smooth surface that is usable with a wheelchair.

[1]

Editor's Note: See 71 P.S. § 1455.1 et seq.

§ 170-1705 Schedule of required parking.

The following shall be the minimum number of off-street parking spaces required for each land use, activity, building, or structure permitted by this chapter. When the determination of the number of off-street parking spaces results in a requirement of a fractional space, any fraction of 1/2 space or less should be disregarded and any fraction over 1/2 space shall count as one space. Parking spaces required on the basis of building floor area shall apply to gross leasable area as defined by this chapter, unless otherwise specified. Parking spaces required on an employee basis shall be based on the projected maximum number of employees on duty or residing, or both, on the premises at any one time, which would include any overlap of employees at a change of shift.

Residential and lodging uses.

Single-family and two-family dwellings: Three parking spaces for each dwelling unit. The Board of Supervisors may require that a street include sufficient paved width to allow on-street parking along one or both sides of the street if determined to be necessary to meet parking needs.

[Amended 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]

Mobile homes: two parking spaces per dwelling unit.

Townhouses, apartments, and similar multifamily dwellings: 2.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit, 0.5 spaces of which may be located in convenient overflow areas for guests. The allowable parking for apartments designed for and exclusively occupied by individuals over the age of 55 may be reduced to 1.5 parking spaces per household with the specific approval of the Board of Supervisors. Garage parking spaces serving a townhouse or apartment shall only count as 0.5 parking spaces. The Board of Supervisors may require that a street include sufficient paved width to allow on-street parking along one or both sides of the street if determined to be necessary to meet parking needs.

[Amended 5-3-1999 by Ord. No. 99-2; 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]

Motel, hotel: 1.2 parking spaces for each sleeping room or suite offered for tourist accommodation. Additional parking spaces shall be provided, equal to 60% of that which is required by this section, for restaurants or places of assembly which are available for use by the general public but are located within the hotel or motel.

Nursing home: 1.5 parking spaces for every two beds that can be provided at maximum design capacity of the facility.

Residential care facilities.

[Amended 2-5-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-3]

With 20% or more of the total bed count dedicated to residents requiring continual health-care services: 1.0 spaces for every five resident beds or 1.0 spaces for every four dwelling units, whichever is greater.

With less than 20% of the total bed count dedicated to residents requiring continual health care: 1.0 space for every three resident beds or 2.0 spaces for every five dwelling units, whichever is greater.

Adult community development: Two off-street parking spaces shall be required for each dwelling unit. However, in the case of townhouse dwellings, an average of 0.5 spaces per dwelling unit may be located along interior streets in locations that are convenient to the dwellings being served, provided that the street is of sufficient width.

[Added 5-3-1999 by Ord. No. 99-2]

(8)

Continuing care retirement community (CCRC): In a CCRC, off-street parking shall be provided in clear proximity to each use being served as follows:

[Added 9-15-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-1]

One parking space shall be provided for each employee on the largest shift; plus

One parking space for every four assisted living residences; plus

One parking space for every five beds in a nursing facility; plus

(d)

Parking spaces for each independent living residence in an apartment structure in the amount of1.3; plus

(e)

Two parking spaces for each independent living residence in a single-family, two-family or townhouse structure; plus

(f)

Additional reserve or overflow parking or parking for guests and visitors as required by the Board as a condition of conditional use approval, based upon evidence demonstrating the need therefor.

Retail and service uses.

[Amended 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]

Indoor retail businesses: Parking or storage space for all vehicles used in the conduct of business, plus five parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area of rooms accessible to customers. For a shopping center, see § 170-1609.

Theaters, recreation centers, swimming pools, skating rinks, and other public or private recreation and amusement facilities:

One parking space for every three customers (or patrons), computed on the basis of maximum servicing capacity at any one time, as shall be determined by the Township, plus one additional space for every two persons regularly employed on the premises at a peak period of use.

Specific provisions over and above this standard may be required for uses, such as movie theaters, involving successive changes of patrons with a corresponding overlap in parking required.

Bowling alleys: Five parking spaces per lane.

Banks, credit unions, and related retail financial service organizations:

One parking space per 75 square feet of floor area devoted to customer service and related circulation; plus

Parking for the balance of the facility used for office purposes at a ratio of one parking space per 225 square feet of gross leasable area.

Restaurant or similar use:

One space per three seats; or

One space per 100 square feet of total floor area, whichever yields the greater number of spaces.

Carry-out, drive-in, drive-through, or other fast-food restaurant:

Twenty-four parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet of gross leasable area, plus two parking spaces for every three employees.

Fas-food restaurants providing drive-through window service shall be sited in such a manner that at least 10 vehicles can stand in line awaiting such service without blocking access to otherwise required parking spaces.

Automobile service stations: Parking or storage space for all vehicles used directly in the conduct of the business, plus:

One parking space for each gas dispenser;

Three spaces for each service bay or similar facility; and

One space for every two persons employed on the premises.

(8)

Grocery store or supermarket: Six spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross leasable area, unless part of a shopping center containing an additional 50,000 square feet or more of retail space, in which case this requirement shall be considered to be met through compliance with the overall shopping center requirements, as stipulated in § 170-1608.

(9)

Funeral home:

One space for every four seats available for persons attending memorial services; or

One space for every 50 square feet of gross leasable floor area, whichever yields the greater number of spaces.

(10)

Automobile sales:

Spaces for parking of vehicles for sale or lease, which shall not be required to meet minimum dimension and aisle width requirements.

One space for customer parking for every 25 vehicles offered for sale or lease.

One space per employee.

(d)

Four spaces for every service bay or similar facility.

Offices.

General offices (including office campus as provided in Article XII): One parking space per 200 square feet of gross floor area for business, professional, governmental, or institutional offices, including associated storage areas for files, equipment, or office supplies, but excluding medical or dental offices.

Medical or dental offices: One off-street parking space shall be provided per 150 square feet of gross habitable floor area.

[Amended 9-15-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-1; 4-4-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-03]

Industrial and warehouse uses: One parking space for each employee on the shift of greatest employment, or one space for every 500 square feet of gross floor area, whichever yields the greater number of spaces.

Community service uses and places of assembly.

General places of assembly: All theaters, auditoriums, churches, and other similar places of assembly, including those associated with public or private educational institutions, shall provide at least two parking spaces per five seats of the assembly or meeting space at maximum capacity. The maximum capacity shall be determined as allowed by applicable Fire Code or Building Code standards.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 87, Fire Prevention, and Ch. 57, Building Construction, Art. II, Building Code.

University, college, academy, or similar institution of higher learning: One parking space for each resident student and each faculty or staff residence on the site, plus two parking spaces for each five seats occupied at maximum capacity, in combination, of any assembly hall, auditorium, stadium, gymnasium, or other places of assembly on the campus.

Schools:

Private vocational or similar adult trade school or training center: One space per student.

Elementary school, nursery school, day-care center: One space per 15 students.

Middle or junior high school: One space per 10 students, plus one space per 10 fixed seats in an auditorium.

(d)

High school: One space per four students, plus one space per 10 fixed seats in an auditorium.

Miscellaneous uses.

Libraries, museums, galleries, and similar uses: Parking or storage space for all vehicles used directly in the operation of such establishment, plus four parking spaces for each 1,000 square feet of total floor area.

Private clubs, lodges, or other organizations of a fraternal, civic, union-related, religious, or similar nature: One parking space for each four members, or one space per 50 square feet used for assembly, dining, meetings, or other specific use of the club facilities, whichever yields the greater number of spaces, plus one additional parking space for every two persons regularly employed on the premises.

Hospitals and rehabilitative services centers: 0.85 spaces per employee on duty at any one shift change or 0.65 spaces per full-time equivalent total employment, whichever yields the greater number of spaces, plus additional parking spaces for visitors on the basis of 0.6 spaces per bed.

[Amended 9-15-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-1]

Research and development facility: One parking space per 350 square feet of gross leasable area occupied by research and development uses such as laboratories and testing facilities.[2]

[2]

Editor's Note: Former Subsection F(5) through (8), regarding medical and health clinics, patient hostels, wellness centers, and business center developments, respectively, all added 9-15-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-1, were repealed 4-4-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-03.

Other uses. The Board shall determine with which of the preceding categories of parking regulation any unlisted use shall comply.

§ 170-1706 Shared parking.

Up to 50% of the parking spaces required for a theater or other place of primarily evening entertainment, for a church, for multifamily dwelling units, for a VAC, or for a school may be provided and used jointly by banks, offices, certain retail stores, repair shops, service establishments, VAC accessory uses, and similar uses which are not normally open, used or operated during evening hours (beyond normal business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) if specifically approved by the Board.

[Amended 12-16-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-6]

Written agreement assuring the retention for such purpose shall be properly drawn and executed by the parties concerned and approved as to form and execution by the Township Solicitor, and shall be filed and made part of the application for a building permit.

Such approval may be rescinded by the Board and additional parking shall be obtained by the owners, in the event that the Board determines that such joint use is resulting in a public nuisance or otherwise adversely affecting the public health, safety, or welfare.

Upon approval of the Board, as prescribed in Subsection B above, two or more uses may satisfy their individual parking requirements in a common parking lot, provided that the number of parking spaces in the lot equals the sum of the parking spaces required for each use. Parking spaces shall be located so that no space is greater than 500 feet from the building or use it is intended to serve, except in the case where off-street parking for a VAC use is provided off premises under § 170-802G, in which case such parking spaces may be located 650 feet from property on which the VAC use is located.

[Amended 12-16-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-6]

Shared or common parking lots shall be provided with appropriate signage indicating the buildings and/or uses for which the spaces have been made available.

§ 170-1707 Parking reserve area.

The number of parking spaces to be constructed may be less than the number required herein only where the following conditions are met to the satisfaction of the Township:

Evidence is submitted firmly documenting that the special nature of the proposed occupancy or use of the building requires less parking area or fewer spaces than that required by this article.

The land development plan submitted by the applicant indicates that the location and layout of that portion of the required parking or loading area deemed unnecessary at the time of application can and will be constructed on the surface of the site, according to the requirements of this article, in the event that the Township determines at any time that all or any additional portion of this parking or loading is necessary and in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare.

In no event shall that authorized portion of the required parking area which is not to be constructed, but reserved for possible future use, be counted as open space or other nonpaved area required by other provisions of this chapter.

The parking reserve area shall be designed so that any required minimum area of vegetative cover would be maintained in the event that the parking reserve area is subsequently developed.

The parking reserve area shall be landscaped according to an approved plan and in accordance with § 170-1507 of this chapter.

The parking reserve area shall have no building, whether temporary or permanent, erected on it at any time, except as provided in § 170-1709A.

§ 170-1708 Parking standards for single-family residential dwellings.

In addition to the Schedule of Required Parking, § 170-1705A(1), the following regulations shall apply to single-family residential dwellings:

Use of residential parking facilities. Parking facilities accessory to a residential use in any district shall be used solely for the parking of passenger automobiles and not more than one commercial vehicle of not more than two tons' gross weight utilized by occupants of the dwelling to which such facilities are accessory, or by guests of such occupants.

[Amended 5-2-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]

Areas devoted to surface parking may occupy no more than 50% of any required front, side, or rear yard.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Former Subsection C(1) and (2), which immediately followed, was redesignated as Subsections D and E, respectively, 9-15-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-1.

[Amended 9-5-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-3]

Parking areas shall have a minimum slope of 1% in any direction to provide for drainage, and a maximum slope of 5% in any direction for safety, user convenience, and stormwater management.

§ 170-1709 Shopping center parking.

Except as specified in Subsection B below, a minimum of 4.5 spaces shall be provided for each 1,000 square feet of gross leasable area, or fraction thereof, within the proposed shopping center. In addition, a parking reserve area, consistent with the terms of § 170-1707, shall be designed and shown on the plan so that, if developed, it would yield a ratio of 5.0 spaces for each 1,000 square feet of gross leasable area. If, at the end of the sixth year following full development of the tract, the parking reserve area or any part thereof has not been developed as an additional parking area, the applicant or the then present landowner may petition the Board for permission to develop or otherwise utilize the parking reserve area in accordance with the terms of this chapter.

A minimum of 4.0 spaces shall be provided for each 1,000 square feet of gross leasable area or fraction thereof devoted to office use. An initial reduction of up to 25% of this area may be permitted by the Board, provided that sufficient land is reserved and properly identified as such to meet the full requirements of this chapter, should the Board subsequently deem it necessary.

§ 170-1710 Off-street loading.

Adequate space shall be provided to accommodate the loading and unloading of trucks, tractors, and trailers servicing any commercial, industrial, or large-scale residential or institutional use. Loading berth space which is utilized for the location of trash collection or compaction units shall be provided for and shall be in addition to the loading space requirements provided in this section.

Area of loading berths or spaces.

A required off-street loading berth to be utilized in conjunction with any use requiring tractor trailer delivery shall be at least 12 feet in width and at least 65 feet in length, exclusive of aisle and maneuver space, and shall have a vertical clearance of at least 14 feet.

Required loading spaces to serve commercial uses and other facilities with similar needs shall be at least 12 feet in width and at least 35 feet in length, and may be located parallel to the building served.

Access to loading area. Each required off-street loading space or berth shall be afforded appropriate means of vehicular access to a street, highway, or alley in a manner which will least interfere with traffic movement.

Surfacing. All open off-street loading areas shall be improved with a compacted select gravel base and surfaced with an all-weather dustless material, suitably designed for the intended use to a standard approved by the Township Engineer.

Screening. All loading berths or spaces and truck circulation areas which abut a residential district shall be set back at least 100 feet therefrom unless they are completely screened therefrom by building walls, or a solid fence, wall, or landscaping, or any combination thereof, not less than six feet in height. In no case shall such spaces or berths be closer than 35 feet therefrom. Screening shall further comply with the standards of § 170-1508 of this chapter.

Number of spaces.

Buildings with commercial, industrial, or storage use which exceed 6,000 square feet of gross leasable area shall be provided with a minimum of one off-street loading berth.