Town of Ayer, MA Official Web Site

  • ARTICLE 6 - OFF STREET PARKING

      For all zoning districts, off-street parking spaces shall be provided for every new structure, the enlargement of an existing structure, and new or expanded uses, except as noted below, in accordance with the TABLE OF OFF-STREET PARKING REGULATIONS and other requirements contained herein.
      For all zoning districts, except the Downtown Business (DB) District, in cases of a change in use where the existing use (or in cases of vacancy, the next previous use) did not provide for the number of off-street parking spaces required under this Bylaw, then the proposed use shall only have to provide an additional number of off-street parking spaces equal to the increase, if any, between the number required under this Bylaw for the existing use and the number required for the proposed use.


      For Downtown Business (DB) Districts only, no additional off-street parking is required for the following:

      a. Continued use or reuse of existing buildings, as long as that use or reuse does not
      increase the usable floor area within the building
      b. The replacement of an amount of floor space equal to that in existence at the time of enactment of this Bylaw.
      c. The addition of a second floor to one-story buildings existing in the DB District at the time of the enactment of this Bylaw, however, the addition of a third or more floor or an expanded building footprint shall be subject to the parking requirements.

      Table 1
      Off-Street Parking Regulations

      units (1.0 per unit)
      , church or other similar place of public assembly, with seating facilities
      square feet of gross kitchen area (one for each four seats of total seating capacity, plus one per each 500 square feet of gross kitchen area)

      The number of off-street parking spaces required to serve added floor space in the Downtown Business (DB) District is shown in parenthesis. Where no parenthesized number appears, the parking requirement for added floor space in the DB District is the same as that which applies in all other zoning districts. Parking shall be provided to serve the parking needs which are generated by a particular use or structure. When there is more than one primary use of a structure, the parking requirements for each principal use must be met unless one use is incidental to the principal use of the structure

      Dwelling, one-, two- and three-family units and townhouses
      Two per unit (1.0 per unit)
      Dwelling, multi-family
      Two per dwelling unit, except housing for the elderly, in which case, it shall be one for each two dwelling
      Theater, stadium, auditorium, halls, undertaking establishments One for each four seats of total seating capacity (one for each six seats)
      Clubs, restaurants, taverns, And other eating places
      Two for each four seats of total seating capacity, plus one per each 300
      Stores and shops for the conducting of retail businesses; Commercial, retail and personal service establishments One per each 200 square feet of gross floor area (1.0 per 500 square feet)
      Miscellaneous professional and business offices, including banks, insurance and real estate establishments
      One per each 400 square feet of gross floor area (1.0 per 600 square feet)
      Wholesale establishment
      One per each 1,000 square feet gross floor space
      Boarding house, lodging house, inn, hotel or motel
      One space for each room
      Home occupation
      One space for each non-residential employee and one additional space for the home occupation
      Manufacturing or industrial establishments
      One per each 600 square feet gross floor space
      Community facility (City building, recreation, etc.)
      One per each 400 square feet gross floor space
      Libraries and museums
      One per each 300 square feet gross floor space
      Public utility
      (1) One for each 300 square feet of gross floor area devoted to office use (2) One for each 800 square feet of gross floor area per other use
      Hospital
      2 spaces per bed*
      Psychiatric mental health unit
      2 spaces per bed
      Transitional Care unit
      1 space per each 200 square feet of gross floor area
      Ancillary and supporting pharmacy
      1 space per each 200 square feet of gross floor area
      Outpatient clinic
      1 space per each 200 square feet of gross floor area
      Rehabilitative service clinic
      1 space per each 200 square feet of gross floor area
      Ancillary and supporting health and fitness facility
      1 space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area
      Medical/dental psychiatric office building
      1 space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area
      Nursing Home
      1 space per 2 beds
      Childcare facility
      1 space per every 3 clients
      Ancillary and supporting parking
      None
      Accessory dwelling units for resident employees
      2 spaces per unit
      Ancillary and supporting trailers to be used for storage of medical equipment and supplies
      2 spaces for each trailer
      Ancillary and supporting storage of mobile medical vehicles
      None
      Ancillary and supporting training/educational center for public
      4 spaces per classroom plus 1 space per each 4 seats
      Ancillary and supporting maintenance of vehicles and equipment
      None
      Ancillary and supporting helipad
      None
      Ancillary and supporting storage
      None
      Any use permitted by this Bylaw not interpreted to be covered by this schedule
      Closest similar use as shall be determined by the Building Inspector
      Mixed use
      Sum of various uses computed separately
      * The following uses will be included under Hospital for the purposes of this section: emergency room, medical research laboratory, medical diagnostics, outpatient facilities, ancillary and supporting modular office space, ancillary and supporting swimming pool, medical/dental/psychiatric clinic and ancillary and supporting newsstand or cafeteria (foods services).


      6.2 Application of Parking Requirements

      a. Permits for the erection of new structures, for the enlargement of existing structures,
      or for the development of a land use shall require plans showing the specific location and
      size of the off-street parking required under this Zoning Bylaw, and the means of access to
      such space from Public Streets or Private Ways. In the event of an existing structure these
      requirements shall apply only to the area added to the structure.


        subject to these parking requirements, but any parking facilities then serving or thereafter established to service such buildings or uses may not be reduced below these standards.

          by two or more principal uses that fall into different classes of use, the parking facilities required shall be the sum of the requirements for the separate uses.

          d. For buildings of over 5,000 sq. ft. accommodating several distinct principal uses
          (such as those in a small shopping center) the total amount of required parking may be
          reduced by 5% for each additional 5,000 sq. ft. of floor area. Thus a 5,000 sq. ft. retail
          building would require 25 spaces (at one per 200 sq. ft.) but a mixed uses 10,000 sq. ft.
          building would require only 45 spaces.

          e. Total parking requirements for principal uses within 500 feet of one another may be
          reduced to the extent that the applicants can demonstrate that the hours of activity are
          complementary and that customers or employees of each use will continue to have access to
          the total amount of available space. (For example a motion picture theater operating
          primarily in the evening and on weekends could jointly use parking spaces with a bank
          operating during the week and on Saturday mornings.
          )


          6.3 Location and Layout of Parking Facilities

          a. Required off-street parking facilities shall be provided on the same lot as the
          principal use they are required to serve.

          b. Parking required for two or more buildings or uses may be provided in combined
          facilities where it is evident that such facilities will continue to be available for the several buildings or uses.

          c. Each required car space shall not be less than ten (10) feet in width and twenty (20)
          feet in length, exclusive of drives and maneuvering space, and the total area of any parking facility for more than five (5) cars shall average at least three hundred and fifty (350) square feet per car. No driveways or curb cuts shall exceed twenty-five (25) feet in width.

          d. An open-air parking space shall be at least ten (10) feet from any building, and shall be at least eight (8) feet from any property line.

          e. Garages shall conform to the prescribed minimum setback distances of the zoning area in which the lot is located.

          f. Parking areas shall not be used for automobile sales, gasoline sales, dead storage,
          repair work, dismantling or servicing of any kind, and lighting that is provided shall be installed in a manner that will prevent direct light shining onto any street or adjacent property.

          g. In the Health Care Services District, notwithstanding any other provision of this bylaw,
          required off-street parking facilities may be located on any lot within the District, provided
          that, in the event that of any division or subdivision occurs within the District resulting in the
          creation of new lots, each lot in the District shall either (i) accommodate the required parking
          facilities associated with uses on that lot, or (ii) have the benefit of perpetual easement
          rights to utilize such parking facilities on other lots within the District as may be required for
          uses on the benefited lot. However the total number of required off-street parking spaces
          will continue to be based upon calculation of applicable parking requirements for each use
          existing from time to time on this lot and on each of the lots so benefited. In the Health Care
          Services District, notwithstanding any other provision of this bylaw, off-street parking facilities
          may be located in the required front yard, provided that parking spaces are located no
          closer than 30 feet from the property line adjacent to Groton Road. In the Health Care
          Services District, notwithstanding any other provision of this bylaw, each required car space
          shall not be less than nine (90) feet in width and eighteen (18) feet in length, exclusive of
          drives and maneuvering space.

          6.4 Shared Parking.


          Shared parking encourages mixed use development and greater efficiency in land use. Shared parking opportunities exist where the same parking space can be utilized by two or more different land uses due to differences in principal operating hours for the uses involved. Shared parking facilities may be allowed with a Special Permit from the Zoning Board and Site Plan Review by the Planning Board.
          6.4.1 Shared Parking for Private Parking Facilities

          The following are requirements for approval of a shared parking facility:

          a. Shared parking is only permitted in the GB, DB, LI, and HI zoning districts.

          b. The uses and common parking facility must either be owned by the same developer/owner and located in close proximity to one another or written agreements must be provided if there are multiple owners and/or successors.

          c. Parking spaces to be shared shall not be reserved for certain individuals or groups on a 24 hour basis.

          d. Any subsequent change in land uses within the mixed use development shall require proof that sufficient parking will be available.

          e. No restrictions should be placed on the use of the parking spaces. Each space should be usable by any motorist with the exception of handicap spaces.

          f. An interior traffic flow plan shall be provided. Signage for circulation may be necessary.

          g. Demonstrate parking area security.

          h. Demonstrate how shared parking enforcement will be undertaken.

          To determine whether shared parking is appropriate, the Zoning Board shall follow
          the following method to calculate the amount of parking required for a specific mix of
          uses.

            • Conduct an initial project review as knowledge of the site and
          proposed land uses becomes more important when designing shared parking requirements than traditional analysis of parking demand. Relationships between land uses would be a crucial determinant.

          b. Conduct an analysis of parking requirements for five different time periods. This analysis should be conducted for individual land uses. This would provide an estimate of parking accumulations for each land use during a typical weekday or weekend. The results should be presented as a percentage of peak parking requirements (e.g.: see Table of Shared Parking Calculation).

          c. Determine the minimum amount of parking required for each
          proposed or existing land use as though it were a separate use.

          d. Multiply each amount by the corresponding percentage for each of the five time periods.

          e. Calculate the column total for each time period.

          f. The column total with the highest value is the parking space
          requirement.

          Table 2
          Shared Parking Calculation




          WEEKDAY

          WEEKEND
          NIGHT


          Daytime
          9am – 4 pm

          Evening
          6pm - Midnight

          Daytime
          9 am-4 pm
          Evening
          6pm – Midnight
          Evening
          Midnight – 6 am

          Office/Industrial

          100%

          10%
          10%
          5%
          5%

          Retail

          60%

          90%
          100%
          70%
          5%

          Hotel

          75%

          100%
          75%
          100%
          75%

          Restaurant

          50%

          100%
          100%
          100%
          10%

          Entertainment/Recreation

          40%

          100%
          80%
          100%
          10%



          6.4.2 Shared Parking for Municipal Parking Facilities

          a. A municipal parking facility should be reasonably close to the land use to ensure that shared parking will occur. The major entrance of the land use should be within 500 feet of the parking facility.

          b. Municipal parking facilities may be used as the sole shared parking
          facility serving nearby land uses. The calculations for parking requirements follow that of private mixed use facilities, Table 2, Shared Parking Calculation. However, certain land uses may share parking with the public parking facilities during periods when excess public parking is normally available. A reduction in the parking requirements is permitted for these land uses as shown in Table 3, Percentage of Parking Reduction for Municipal Shared Parking Facilities.

          c. Other factors that may be considered when exploring flexible parking standards are reductions in off street parking requirements for historic districts, collecting fees in lieu of parking for certain business districts, allowing off street parking when on site parking is not feasible, and using parking reductions to encourage ride-sharing programs.


          TABLE 3
          Percentage of Parking Reduction
          for Municipal Shared Parking Facilities



          % Parking Reduction

          Retail

          40%

          Hotel

          25%

          Restaurant

          50%

          Entertainment/Recreation

          60%

          Multifamily

          40%




            Proposed projects or uses must comply with Parking and Off-street Loading regulations in Article 6 and the following standards:
            a. No parking shall be permitted within the required front yard setback of a structure. If
            the physical configuration of the lot creates a hardship for the property owner to meet this requirement, the Planning Board may allow parking in the front, with adequate screening, as noted in Article 9, Special Provisions, Section 9.3 Screening and Buffers below.

            b. To the extent feasible, parking areas shall be shared with adjacent businesses.

            c. For developments which make a long-term commitment to actively promote employee and public use of transit, ridesharing, and other means to reduce single occupant vehicle (SOV) trips, minimum parking standards may be reduced by a percentage, up to a maximum of twenty percent (20%) to be determined by the Planning Board based upon the adequacy of trip reduction plans submitted in accordance with Article 9 Special Provisions, Section 9.4 Commercial Development Standards, below subsection b.



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