Town of East Greenwich, RI Off-Street Parking Regulations

Where parking spaces are provided and maintained in connection with a building or use legally existing at the time this article became effective and are insufficient to meet the requirements for the use as now set forth by this article, such lots will be considered legally nonconforming.

Where extensions, additions or enlargements to the building or use are contemplated, no such extension may be made unless the applicant can demonstrate compliance with the provisions of this article through the submission of a parking plan as detailed under § 260-21 of this article.

Exemptions. Any property which provides at least 50% of the required parking for the building or use and is destroyed by fire or natural causes may be restored to its original use, provided that the floor area is not increased without conforming to the parking requirements of this article.

(Reserved)[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Former Subsection E, regarding the suspension of parking requirements for a temporary expansion of a restaurant service, was temporarily added 7-13-2020 by Ord. No. 896 and temporarily renewed 11-23-2020 by Ord. No. 899. The provisions of the latter ordinance expired 5-31-2021.

§ 260-20 Required off-street parking spaces.

[Amended 5-28-2019 by Ord. No. 881]

For every building or structure (or part thereof) constructed or converted or altered as defined in § 260-19 of this article, off-street parking shall be provided on the premises as tabulated in this section. All fractions of spaces shall be calculated as an entire parking space required. For the purpose of calculating the required number of spaces, net floor area shall be used.

Table of Required Off-Street Parking Spaces
Type of Use	Required Parking Spaces
RESIDENTIAL:
Dwelling units (single-family homes, duplexes, multifamily homes, etc.)	1.5 per dwelling unit
Housing for the elderly	1 per dwelling unit
Community residence/rooming house	0.5 per unit
Upper-story housing over first-floor commercial uses in the CD Zone	1.25 per dwelling unit
Assisted-living complex	One for every four units designated independent or congregate living plus one per employee on the largest shift
Other residential uses not listed	1.5 per unit
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND BUSINESS:
Bank, financial institutions	1 per 200 square feet of floor area
Barbershops, beauty parlors	2.5 per operator station
Dry cleaner, full-service laundries	1 per 200 square feet
Meeting hall, conference center	1 per 4 persons of rated capacity
Funeral homes, mortuaries	1 per 4 seats of rated capacity
Gas stations/automobile service stations (Such facilities must also comply with additional standards for convenience stores, etc., if such ancillary uses, i.e., a mini mart, etc., are present.)	3 spaces per gas island + 2 spaces per service bay + 1 per employee on largest shift, with a minimum of 2 employee spaces provided (Island areas and bays may not be counted toward satisfying this requirement.)
Hospital	1 for every 2 beds of capacity + 1 for each employee on the largest shift
Long-term health-care facility, including nursing homes and hospices	1 for every 3 beds of capacity + 10% for employees
Offices, public and professional, services/administration	1 per 200 square feet of floor area
Medical offices, including dentist, doctor, chiropractor and veterinary offices and outpatient clinics	1 per 200 square feet of floor area
Self-serve laundries	1 per every 3 washers or dryers
Other professional services or business-oriented uses not listed	1 per 200 square feet
INSTITUTIONS, PUBLIC ASSEMBLY:
Museums	1 per 500 square feet
Day-care centers and private education centers	1 per 500 square feet + 1 per employee on the largest shift (Day-care centers shall have dedicated dropoff areas.)
Houses of worship	1 per 4 seats of rated capacity
Libraries	1 per 500 square feet
COMMERCIAL USES:
Auto sales (If service is also provided, additional standards as dictated under "gas/service stations" shall apply.)	1 per 500 square feet of showroom
Retail use in zone other than CD-1 Zone	1 per 90 square feet of floor area
Commercial use CD-1 Zone	1 per 270 square feet of floor area
Nurseries/plant material sales	1 per 500 square feet total sales area
Lumberyards	1 per 500 square feet display area + 1 per company vehicle
Hotels	1 per unit + the parking requirement for accessory uses like conference center, restaurant, etc.
Restaurants	1 space for every 2 persons of rated capacity
Furniture stores	1 per 1,000 square feet
Shopping center use in the CH Zone	1 space for every 90 square feet of floor area for the first 15,000 square feet; 1 space per 150 square feet of floor area between 15,001 and 100,000 square feet; 1 space per 185 square feet of floor area greater than 100,000 square feet
Wholesale commercial	1 per 500 square feet
Other commercial uses not listed outside the CD-1 Zone	1 per 200 square feet
INDUSTRIAL USES:
Light industries and research and development facilities	1 per 500 square feet for the first 20,000 square feet of floor area; 1 per 650 square feet for the portion of building exceeding 20,000 square feet
Warehousing and distribution facilities	1 per company truck or van + 1 per 500 square feet for first 20,000 square feet, then 1 per 650 square feet for portion of building exceeding 20,000 square feet
Self-storage facilities	1 per 5 units of storage
Breweries, craft distilleries, large distilleries and micro-distilleries	1 space per 500 square feet of net floor area in manufacturing use for the first 20,000 square feet of floor area; 1 space per 650 square feet of net floor area in manufacturing use for the portion of building exceeding 20,000 square feet; plus 1 space per 90 square feet of net floor area in tasting room or direct-to-consumer retail sales area.
RECREATION AND LEISURE USES:
Billiard rooms (Ancillary uses, i.e., taverns, restaurants, etc., will require additional parking per the standards for each respective use.)	1.25 per table
Bowling alleys (Ancillary uses, i.e., taverns, restaurants, etc., will require additional parking per the standards for each respective use.)	2 per alley
Fairgrounds	1 per 1,500 square feet of land area devoted to the fair, open-air market, arcade, concessions, etc.
Golf courses	3 per green + 1 per employee on the largest shift
Golf facility	1.25 per tee + 1 per employee on the largest shift
Health and fitness centers where not integrated into shopping center development	1 per 90 square feet of exercise area + 3 per court + 1 per 200 square feet of the remaining area
Riding and boarding stables	1 per 3 stalls
Gymnasium	1 per 4 seats of capacity
Skating and roller rinks	1 per 150 square feet of gross floor area
Social and fraternal organizations	1 per 4 persons of rated capacity
Swimming pools and water parks	1 per 100 square feet of water surface area
Theaters/cinema	1 per 4 seats of rated capacity
WATER-RELATED USES:
Boat launches	10 per ramp for cars plus 5 per ramp for trailer storage
Boat repair/boat storage	1 per 5 slips and/or boats
Docking facilities	1 per 3 berths, moorings or slips
Marinas	1 per 1.5 berths, moorings or slips, plus 1 per 1.2 employees
Mooring repair facilities	2 + 1 per employee on the largest shift
Other recreation and leisure uses not listed	1 per 250 square feet + 1 per employee on largest shift or 1 per 3 rated capacity, whichever is greater

NOTE: All dimensions given in square feet are to be calculated based on total net floor area unless otherwise specified. This changes the basis of the calculation from gross floor area to net floor area.

§ 260-21 Parking plan; location, number and ownership of parking spaces.

Submission of parking plan.

Designs and specifications for the required parking lot shall include, but not be limited to, information about the proposed parking spaces, access drives, circulation patterns, bicycle storage, dedicated areas for pedestrians, areas for snow storage, loading areas, landscaping and maintenance plans. All such plans and specifications shall be submitted at the time of application for a building permit for work described in § 260-19 of this article.

Such plans shall be reviewed by the Building Official/Zoning Enforcement Officer and the Director of Planning or his/her designee to determine compliance with the provisions of this article.

Location and ownership of parking spaces. Required off-street parking spaces shall be provided on the same lot or premises as the generating use which they are intended to serve or on a contiguous lot under the same ownership unless otherwise permitted by this article. Where parking spaces are not provided on premises or on a commonly owned contiguous parcel, parking may be provided on another lot located not more than 500 feet radially from the subject lot within the same or a less restrictive zoning district. The exclusive use of such parking must be dedicated to the use via lease or other agreement.

Reduction of existing spaces. If a property owner wishes to reduce the number of existing parking on his/her lot such that the resulting number of parking spaces falls below the number required by this article, such reduction may be done only with approvals as prescribed elsewhere in this chapter.

Parking spaces not counted toward meeting the requirement. No part of a minimum front yard setback or any land physically inaccessible for the actual parking of a car (because of structures or for any other reason) shall be used to satisfy the above off-street parking requirements.

§ 260-22 Parking lots in or near residential areas.

Parking lots located in an R or F Zone, on a lot adjacent to an R or F Zone, or across the street from an R or F Zone, shall conform with the following: The area shall be paved and striped and provided with bumper guards where needed and a solid wall or opaque fence, not less that five feet nor more than seven feet in height, or a compact evergreen screen, not less than five feet in height, shall be erected and maintained between the parking area and the adjoining property or between such area and the street.

§ 260-23 Design standards.

Dimensional requirements.

All commercial parking lots must be paved and striped. All parking spaces (except handicap spaces) shall have a minimum width of nine feet and a minimum length of 18 feet so as to accommodate a vehicle. In an RHF Zone, up to 25% of all parking spaces may have a minimum width of eight feet and a minimum length of 18 feet. Such spaces shall be clearly identified as for "compact, low-emission or fuel-efficient vehicles." Spaces for handicap use shall have a minimum width of 14 feet, which includes a designated transfer zone of at least five feet. Where parallel parking is provided, stall length shall not be less than 20 feet. The following minimum dimensions affecting the width of aisles shall apply in all districts, exclusive of necessary drive and access ways. These dimensions apply to one-way aisles only. For two-way aisles, the minimum width shall be 20 feet or the required width listed, whichever is greater:

[Amended 5-9-2011 by Ord. No. 814]

Parking Angle	Aisle Width (feet)
90°	25
80°	25
70°	20
60°	16
45°	13
30°	12
Parallel (0°)	12

Access driveways serving required parking lots as a direct access drive from a street shall not be less than 12 feet wide for one-way traffic and not more than 25 feet wide for two-way traffic.

Exits. The parking lot shall be designed so that no vehicle exiting the lot shall be required to back out in reverse from the parking area into any sidewalk or street.

Drainage, surfacing and curbs. All parking areas shall be improved and maintained to the standards of the Department of Public Works with regard to grading and drainage, surfacing, installation of bollards to protect utility or mechanical devices, and curbs, barriers and wheel stops.

Lighting. All artificial lighting shall be arranged to reflect the light away from an adjoining property and adjacent streets so as to prevent glare onto other property. Lighting should be of an intensity to satisfy the minimum requirements of the American Society of Illuminating Engineers standards for parking lot security.

§ 260-24 Off-street storage and loading.

Loading areas. Loading areas shall be required to serve commercial, business and/or industrial uses throughout the Town in accordance with the following standards:

For commercial and industrial uses of 1,000 square feet or greater of gross floor or ground area in which commodities are sold, displayed, serviced, repaired, altered or fabricated as the principal use of the enterprise, off-street loading spaces shall be provided. For the first 1,000 square feet of floor/area as described, one off-street loading space shall be required. Thereafter, one off-street loading space shall be required for every 5,000 square feet of gross floor area. Each space shall have a minimum length of 60 feet by a width of 14 feet with a clearance of 15 feet.

No loading space that is provided in an approved parking plan shall be eliminated, reduced, enlarged or converted unless equivalent facilities are provided elsewhere.

[Amended 5-22-2006 by Ord. No. 767]

All loading areas shall be surfaced and maintained in accordance with the standards of the Department of Public Works.

No part of a public right-of-way shall be used for loading except as permitted by the Town Council.

The Building Official shall have the right to require additional off-street loading spaces when deemed necessary to provide adequate area for off-street loading.

Submission of loading facility plan. All commercial and industrial storage and loading structures constructed prior to the adoption of this chapter shall be considered lawfully conforming. For all new construction or changes of use, plans and specifications shall be submitted in conjunction with the overall parking plan as addressed in § 260-21A of this article.

Screening storage and loading area. Where an open storage or outdoor loading area is located on a lot adjacent to an R or F Zone or across the street from an R or F Zone, a solid wall or opaque fence, not less than five feet in height, shall be erected and maintained between such area and the adjoining property or between such area and the street.

§ 260-25 Parking lot landscaping.

Applicability and general requirements.

Parking lot landscaping required by this section is intended to promote the public health, safety and general welfare by providing minimum requirements for the installation and maintenance of landscaped areas in connection with parking lots and other vehicular use areas; to protect the character and stability of residential, business, institutional and industrial areas; to provide visual relief from expanses of unbroken blacktop and vehicles; and to conserve the value of land and buildings on surrounding properties and neighborhoods.

Those parking lots as determined applicable under § 260-19B of this article shall comply with the following provisions set forth below in Subsection B. Single-family residential lots are exempted. For the relevant parking lots, a landscaping plan must be submitted which shows the following: a plant list specifying materials and numbers and sizes of plants; location and spacing of plants and ground covers. Additionally, the plan must show property and setback lines, existing and proposed structures, vehicle and pedestrian use areas and the location of proposed land alterations. The plan must also show the name of the person or agency who prepared the plan, and it must be approved by the Planning Director or his/her designee. Landscape installations must be completed within one year of plan approval.

Amount of landscaping.

For parking lots of greater than 10 parking spaces but less than 50, a minimum of 10% of the area designated for parking shall be landscaped per this section.

For parking lots of 50 or more parking spaces but not exceeding 100 parking spaces, a minimum of 15% of the area designated for parking shall be landscaped per this section.

For parking lots of greater than 100 parking spaces but less than or equal to 500 parking spaces, a minimum of 20% of the area designated for parking shall be landscaped per this section.

For parking lots of greater than 500 parking spaces, a minimum of 25% of the area designated for parking shall be landscaped per this section.

For parking lots of any size located within an RHF Zone, a minimum of 20% of the area designated for parking shall be landscaped per this section.

[Added 10-26-2004 by Ord. No. 750]

Islands.

Rows of parking spaces shall be provided a terminal island to protect parked vehicles, confine moving traffic to aisles and driveways, and provide space for landscaping.

There shall be at least one tree planted for each 15 parking stalls. Such islands containing trees shall be at least six feet in width in parking facilities of 100 or fewer parking spaces. In facilities of greater than 100 parking spaces, tree-planted islands shall be at least 12 feet in width and shall also be planted with a minimum of 10 shrubs that will grown between two and four feet in height.

Required setbacks/buffers.

No unenclosed parking area shall be allowed within five feet of a front lot line for lots of less than or equal to 50 parking spaces, within 10 feet of a front lot line for lots greater than 50 but less than 100 parking spaces, and within 25 feet of a front lot line for parking lots with 100 parking spaces or greater; except, however, in the Rocky Hill Fairgrounds (RHF) Zone, no unenclosed parking area shall be allowed within 20 feet of a front lot line that abuts a state or Town roadway.

[Amended 10-26-2004 by Ord. No. 750; 5-9-2011 by Ord. No. 814]

Parking lot side and rear setbacks shall meet the minimum setback requirements of Table 2.[1] Setback areas shall serve as buffers between the parking lot and abutting properties and shall consist entirely of planting materials. Opaque fencing may be required to screen abutting properties from the effects of light and noise.

[1]

Editor's Note: Table 2 is attached to this chapter.

Tree standards.

Trees shall be provided within or around all parking facilities at the rate of one tree for each 2,000 square feet of gross paved lot area. Such trees may already exist on the site or may be cultivated and counted toward this requirement.

At least half of the trees required shall be of a species characterized by moderate growth and expected to reach a mature height of greater than 30 feet.

When planted, trees shall be a minimum of six feet in height in parking lots containing fewer than 50 parking spaces. In parking lots containing 50 or greater parking spaces, cultivated trees shall be a minimum of 10 feet in height when planted and shall have a trunk diameter of at least two inches at a height of four feet above grade.

No one species may account for greater than half of all the trees planted within a parking lot.

The planting standards in Appendix A of Chapter A263, Land Development and Subdivision Review Regulations, including the recommended varieties, shall apply to all projects regulated by this section.

Maintenance. All parking plans as required by this article must include a maintenance plan or provisions that ensure compliance with the following:

All plant growth in landscaped areas shall be controlled by pruning, trimming or other suitable methods so that plant materials do not interfere with public utilities, restrict pedestrian or vehicular access or otherwise constitute a traffic or safety hazard.

All plantings shall be maintained in a manner so as to promote optimum growth of plant materials.

All trees, shrubs, ground covers and other plant materials must be replaced if they die or become unhealthy because of accidents, drainage problems, disease or other causes. All such replacements shall conform to all standards that governed the original installation of plantings. Where no such standards exist, new plantings shall match the replaced materials in type, species and quantity.

All plantings, surfacing, lighting, barriers, markings and other materials shall be repaired or replaced with new materials to ensure continued compliance with the provisions of this article. Failure to maintain these features shall be considered a violation of this chapter and shall be handled in conformance with Article XIII, Procedures for General Administration.