PARKING DESIGN AND CONSTUCTION REQUIRMENT : Advantages and Limitations

Parking design and construction requirements.

A. Location. Parking spaces required for residential uses shall be provided on the same lot as the principal building. Driveways shall extend a minimum of 20 feet from the edge of improvements in the right-of-way or easement. Off-site parking for nonresidential uses shall be within 100 feet of the principal building or use being served. Minimum distance requirements may be increased up to 300 feet upon a showing of development difficulty or commitment to a shared parking use satisfactory to the director.

B. Handicapped Spaces. All handicapped parking spaces shall be provided and designed in accordance with the 2003 American National Standard, as now or hereafter amended.

C. Dimensional Requirements. All parking spaces shall comply with the dimensional standards of Tables 17-1 through 17-4. Up to 25 percent of all required spaces may be designated and clearly marked for compact cars.

D. Access. All commercial and institutional parking facilities shall have direct access to a street without backing onto the right-of-way.

E. Control Devices. All parking spaces shall be clearly designated with paint, raised rails or other devices. A wheel stop shall be provided for each space which abuts a pedestrian walkway less than 10 feet wide or any structure. All structures shall be guarded with suitable control devices visible to the driver.

F. Surfacing. All parking facilities shall be constructed with a surface appropriate for the use and amount of associated traffic, as approved by the city. Paved surfaces are preferred, and the use of permeable surfacing materials is required when site and soil conditions make it feasible. In addition, the use of LID best management practices such as integrating LID stormwater management facilities into the required landscaping in parking lots is required whenever feasible.

G. Grades. The maximum slope of a parking facility shall be six percent. The minimum slope shall be one and one-half percent.

H. Landscaping. All parking facilities shall be landscaped by a fence, wall, hedge or other suitable vegetation where bordering a public right-of-way or residential zone district. Additional landscaping may be required. Landscaping shall comply with the design review objectives contained in MCMC 17.34.040(C).

I. Maintenance. All parking facilities shall be maintained in a clean and litter-free condition. Landscaped areas shall be free of weeds and dead plant material. Plantings shall be pruned if appropriate.

J. Commercial Vehicles. No commercial vehicle or combination of vehicle and trailer over 6,000 pounds total gross weight shall be parked on any lot in a residential zone.

K. Tandem parking spaces where provided shall not be counted toward the minimum requirements.

Parking Facilities: Design

Vehicular parking facilities play an important role in the efficiency of Chester County's overall transportation system. Parking availability can affect not only the destination, but also the means people will use to reach a destination. The more difficult it is to find available parking, the less likely people will drive their automobiles to a destination. Lack of available parking also makes it more likely that people will utilize public transit, if it is available and relatively convenient. If there is a consistent abundance of available parking, it may indicate the parking lot is too large creating unnecessary environmental impacts such as increased stormwater runoff and heat island effect.

Determining the proper size, location, and layout of parking facilities are important decisions that municipalities must make to provide the most appropriate level of parking within a community. Facility types generally include off-street surface parking, on-street parking, and structured parking (parking garages).

This tool focuses on the physical design attributes and improvements that municipalities should consider in the development of parking facilities. The 'Parking Facilities: Policy' tool focuses on how a municipality may use and/or regulate parking facilities through various parking management planning options to achieve a functionally and environmentally appropriate amount of parking spaces, as well as the use and potential development of park and ride facilities to mitigate traffic congestion.

Advantages

Properly designed and constructed parking facilities can provide the following benefits:

• Safety: Safer pedestrian conditions can be encouraged by minimizing vehicular conflicts and providing adequate lighting.
• Energy Efficiency: The provision of properly-designed and adequate parking facilities can encourage more public transit use, and reduce the heat island effect that can lower cooling costs for adjacent structures.
• Environmental Quality: Properly-designed parking facilities can improve water quality by filtering and cooling stormwater runoff through stormwater best management practices, including vegetated swales and rain gardens.
• Aesthetics: Good parking design can mitigate the visual impacts of surface parking lots with landscape material and/or visual buffers.

Limitations

The following limitations may be associated with improperly designed parking facilities, which are generally the opposite of the advantages listed above:

• Pedestrian/Vehicle Conflicts: Unsafe conditions for pedestrians can be created by unnecessary vehicular conflict points and lack of sufficient lighting.
• Increased Heat: Heat can be reflected by exposed asphalt or concrete surfaces not shaded by landscape material.
• Increased Runoff: Stormwater runoff that may be heated by contact with pavement, and unfiltered water volume can harm natural drainage patterns and ecosystems.
• Poor Aesthetics: Unwelcome visual conditions can be created by open expanses of paving with a lack of proper landscaping and/or buffering.

Minimum Standards for Off-Street Parking

Table 17-1 Conventional Car Stall and Aisle Specifications
Parking Layout	Parking Angle     A	Dimensions			One Way		Two Way
See Diagram		Stall Width   B	Curb Length   C	Stall Depth   D	Aisle Width   E	Parking Section Width F	Aisle Width   E	Parking Section Width F
Parallel: One Side Two Sides	0° 0°	8 feet 8 feet	21 feet 21 feet	8 feet 8 feet	12 feet 22 feet	20 feet 38 feet	22 feet 24 feet	30 feet 40 feet
Angular	20 30 40 45 50 60 70 80	8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5	24.9 17 13.2 12 11.1 9.8 9 8.6	14.5 16.9 18.7 19.4 20 20.7 20.8 20.2	11 11 12 13.5 15.5 18.5 19.5 24	40 44.8 49.4 52.3 55.5 59.9 61.1 64.4	20 20 20 20 20 22 22 24	49 53.8 57.4 58.8 60 63.4 63.6 64.4
Perpendicular	90	8.5	8.5	19	25	63	25	63

Table 17-2 Compact Car Stall and Aisle Specifications
Parking Layout	Parking Angle     A	Dimensions			One Way		Two Way
		Stall Width   B	Curb Length   C	Stall Depth   D	Aisle Width   E	Parking Section Width F	Aisle Width   E	Parking Section Width F
Parallel	0°	8 feet	20 feet	8 feet	12 feet	28 feet	20 feet	36 feet
Angular	45 60	8 8	11.3 9.2	15 16.5	12.5 17	42.5 50	20 22	50 55
Perpendicular	90	8	8	16	22	54	25	57

Table 17-3 Interlocking – Conventional Cars
Parking Layout	Parking Angle     A	Dimensions			One Way		Two Way
See Diagram		Stall Width   B	Curb Length   C	Stall Depth   D	Aisle Width   E	Parking Section Width F	Aisle Width   E	Parking Section Width F
Parallel	0°	8 feet	21 feet	8 feet	12/22 feet	28/38 feet	22/24 feet	38/40 feet
Angular	20 30 40 45 50 60 70 80	8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5	24.9 17 13.2 12 11.1 9.8 9 8.6	10.5 13.2 15.5 16.4 17.3 18.6 19.3 19.5	11 11 12 13.5 15.5 18.5 19.5 24	32 37.4 43 46.3 50.1 55.7 58.1 63	20 20 20 20 20 22 22 24	41 46.4 51 52.8 54.6 59.2 60.6 63
Perpendicular	90	8.5	8.5	19	25	63	25	63

Table 17-4 Interlocking – Compact Cars
Parking Layout	Parking Angle     A	Dimensions			One Way		Two Way
		Stall Width   B	Curb Length   C	Stall Depth   D	Aisle Width   E	Parking Section Width F	Aisle Width   E	Parking Section Width F
Parallel	0°	8 feet	20 feet	8 feet	12 feet	28 feet	20 feet	36 feet
Angular	45 60	8 8	11.3 9.2	14.1 15.9	12.5 17	40.7 48.8	20 22	48.2 53.8
Perpendicular	90	8	8	16	22	54	25	57