Town of Townsend, MA Parking Requirements

The following shall apply to all premises in all districts.

Performance requirement. Off-street parking must be provided to service the net increase in parking demand created by new construction, additions, or change of use. Buildings, structures and uses in existence April 29, 1986 are not subject to these requirements as long as they are not enlarged or changed to increase their parking needs.

Number of spaces. The additional parking required for a change of use or addition equals the parking requirements under the Table of Minimum Requirements for the premises as existing, or the actual amount of existing parking retained, if greater. Requirements are added for mixed uses (e.g. both motor vehicle service station and commercial enterprise requirements would apply to a motor vehicle service station selling retail products).

	Table of Minimum Requirements [Amended 1-17-1989 STM by Arts. 34 and 35; 9-9-1997 STM by Art. 11]
	Residential
	Dwelling unit having two or more bedrooms	2 spaces
	Dwelling unit having fewer than two bedrooms	1 space
	Bed and breakfast	1 space per rentable room
	Nursing home	1 space per two beds
	Nonresidential
	Retail sales, service	1 space per 180 square feet sales floor area but not fewer than 5 spaces per separate enterprise
	Business or professional	5 spaces per 1,000 square feet total floor area but no fewer than 5 spaces per separate enterprise
	Bank, post office	1 space per 100 square feet floor area open to the general public
	Restaurant, bar	1 space per 3 seats plus 10 spaces per takeout service station
	Industrial, wholesale	1 space per 1.3 employees, but capable of expansion to not less than 1 space per 300 square feet gross floor area
	Place of public assembly	1 space per 2 persons capacity based on Massachusetts State Building Code
	Bowling alley, tennis court	3 spaces per lane or court
	Industrial, adult cabaret/motion picture theater	1 parking space for each 1 person allowed by said establishment's seating capacity, plus 1 space for each employee expected to be on duty at any one time at said establishment, and must conform to state and federal guidelines for handicapped parking
	Industrial, adult retail establishment (includes adult bookstores, adult video stores, and adult paraphernalia stores)	1 space per 50 square feet of floor area devoted to sales, merchandise, storage and display, but not less than 8 spaces per establishment, and must conform to state and federal guidelines for handicapped parking
	All other uses	Parking spaces adequate to accommodate all normal demand, as determined by the Planning Board

Parking area design and location.

(1)

Location. Required parking shall be either on the same premises as the activity it serves, or located within 300 feet of the building entrance on a separate parcel, not separated by a street having right-of-way width of 60 feet or more, and in a zoning district allowing the activity it serves.

(2)

Surface. All required parking areas, except those serving single-family residences, shall be paved, unless exempted on special permit from the Planning Board for cases such as seasonal or periodic use where an alternative surface will prevent dust, erosion, water accumulation or unsightly conditions.

(3)

Backing. Parking areas with five or more spaces shall be designed and located so that their use does not involve vehicles backing onto a public way.

(4)

Egress.

(a)

There shall be not more than two driveway openings onto any street from any single premises unless each opening center line is separated from the center line of all other driveways serving 20 or more parking spaces, whether on or off the premises, by 200 feet (measured at the street line) in a commercial district or by 300 feet if in any other district.

(b)

No such opening shall exceed 24 feet in width at the street line unless necessity of greater width is demonstrated by the applicant, and the opening is designed consistent with Massachusetts DPW regulations, Section 10A-9 or subsequent revisions. No driveway side line shall be located within 50 feet of the street line of an intersecting way. All driveways serving five or more parking spaces shall be constructed with a minimum edge radius of five feet on both sides. All driveways serving 40 or more parking spaces must have not less than 250 feet visibility in each travel lane entering a state-numbered or maintained highway, and not less than 150 feet visibility on other streets.

[Amended 4-27-1991 STM by Art. 5]

(5)

Setbacks [except as noted in Subsection C(6)]. No part of any private parking area having five or more parking spaces shall be located within a required front yard as defined in Article II, Definitions, and Article VII, Land Space Requirements, nor shall any private parking area be located within five feet of any property line except that where a lot has frontage on more than one street, thus establishing more than one front yard, the Planning Board may, as part of the site plan review process, designate one front yard as the primary front yard and then reduce the front yard setback requirements for parking on non-primary front yards. Any such reduction shall be limited to only those situations where the applicant needs the reduction to meet the parking requirements for the proposed use; but the setback shall never be less than five feet from any property line.

(6)

Parking lot plantings. Parking lots containing 10 or more parking spaces shall have at least two trees per eight parking spaces, such trees to be located either within the lot or within five feet of it. Such trees shall be at least two-inch diameter, with not less than 40 square feet of unpaved soil or other permeable surface area per tree. At least 5% of the interior of any parking lot having 25 or more spaces shall be maintained with landscaping, including trees, in plots of at least four feet in width. Trees and soil plots shall be so located as to provide visual relief and sun and wind interruption within the parking area, and to assure safe patterns of internal circulation.

Street and side line planting. The following shall apply to premises in all zones.

[Amended 1-17-1989 STM by Art. 36]

(1)

When required. Street and side line planting is required when any new building, addition or change of use required a parking increase of five or more spaces.

(2)

Trees. Trees for street or side line planting shall have at least two-inch diameter and be of size, species, and spacing such that tree drop lines approximately meet at maturity. Species shall be ones common in the area which reach an ultimate height of not less than 30 feet, and may be either planted or retained.

(3)

Location. The side line planting area shall be at least five feet wide, free of any paving (except for access drives connecting abutting premises), containing trees as described above. The screening shall extend from the street line to the deepest point on the premises having buildings or parking. The street planting shall consist of a band of trees within 20 feet of the street lines, continuous except at driveways. Screening shall be located or trimmed to avoid blocking egress visibility.

(4)

Existing trees. If located within 25 feet of a street, no existing tree of four-inch diameter or greater, dense hedgerow of four or more feet in both depth and height or existing earth berm providing similar visual screening shall be removed or have grade changed more than one foot unless dictated by plant health, access safety, or identification of the premises, as determined by the Planning Board.

(5)

Exceptions. Where plant materials as required in Subsection D(1) would harmfully obstruct a scenic view or vista, the Planning Board may grant a special permit to allow substitution of low level plantings which will visually define the street edge or property line provided that proposed buildings are also designed and located to preserve that view or vista.

(6)

Maintenance. All plant materials required by this bylaw shall be maintained in a healthful condition. Dead limbs shall be promptly removed, and dead plants shall be replaced at the earliest appropriate season.