1. Reduction of Parking Requirements by Special Exception.
A. Purposes.
To minimize impervious surfaces, while ensuring adequate parking; to recognize unique circumstances may justify a reduction in parking.
B. The Zoning Hearing Board may permit a reduction, through the special exception process of § 27-119, of the number of parking spaces required to be developed if the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Board that less parking spaces are needed.
(1) Proof. To prove that less parking spaces are needed, the applicant shall provide existing and projected employment, customer, resident or other relevant data. Such data may include a study of parking at similar developments during peak periods of use.
(2) Shared Parking. Under this section, an applicant may seek to prove that parking permanently shared with another use or another lot with shared internal access or another lot within 250 feet of the entrance to the use will reduce the total amount of parking needed because the uses have different peak times of parking need or overlapping customers.
(3) Reservation of Future Parking Areas. If a reduction is permitted under this section, the Board may require as a condition of the special exception that the lot include the reservation, permanently or for a specified number of years, of areas for use if needed in the future for additional parking.
(a) Such reservation shall be provided in a legal form acceptable to the Zoning Hearing Board Solicitor. A legally binding deed restriction is recommended.
(b) In such case, the applicant shall be required to submit site plans to the Zoning Officer showing where and how the additional parking could be accomplished. Such future parking areas shall be designed to meet all Borough requirements, including stormwater runoff. Such future parking areas shall not be covered by buildings and shall be attractively landscaped unless needed for parking.
(c) Such additional parking shall be required to be provided within one year by the owner of the lot at that time after the Zoning officer may determine in writing to such owner that such parking has become needed to meet actual use. Such determination shall be based upon the Zoning Officer's on-site review on at least three different days.
See
§ 27-6012 for more information on parking requirement reduction.
