(A) General provisions.
(1) Performance. All sites within the township which are subject to the provisions of the Code of Voorhees Township shall provide adequate parking improvements including but not limited to access ways, driveways, drive aisles, loading areas, parking bays and pedestrian walkways to ensure the safe and efficient circulation of vehicles and pedestrians both on and off-site.
(2) Parking location. All required off-street parking and loading facilities shall be located on the same lot or premises as the use served. No parking facility shall be permitted as a primary use on a lot.
(3) Fire lane provision. The provisions of N.J.S.A. 39:5A-1 et seq. shall apply.
(4) Parking for the disabled. The provisions of N.J.A.C. 17:19A-4.4 and the Americans with Disabilities Act shall apply to all parking areas.
(5) Combined parking requirements. Where a permitted use of land contains more than one parking use category, the parking requirement shall be the sum of the individual uses computed separately in accordance with this Article. The reviewing board may permit the use of shared parking areas by individual users up to a maximum of 20% of the total parking requirement for land uses of complementary peak parking need.
6. Substitution of open space. An applicant may request a substitution of up to a maximum of 20% of the required number of parking spaces, provided that the following regulations are met:
(a) The required number of parking spaces is 20 or greater.
(b) The open space area to be substituted in lieu of parking spaces shall be designated both as open space and as future reserved parking. In no instance shall the future reserved parking area be included in the calculation used to determine compliance with the township open space provisions.
(c) The applicant shall submit a deed restriction, covenant or other suitable instrument which grants to the Planning Board or Zoning Board the right to require, within five years of the final site plan approval, the present or future owner of record to install all or part of the future reserved parking as designated on the approved plan. The appropriate Board may, upon the receipt of a finding of inadequate parking from the Zoning Officer, resolve to require the installation of all or part of the future reserved parking if, in its opinion, the health, safety and general welfare of the pubic shall be promoted.
(d) An adequate performance guaranty shall be posted, not to exceed in duration five years from the date of final site plan approval, equal to 120% of the estimated cost of the installation of the future reserved parking as determined by the township or Board Engineer.
(e) The deed restriction, covenant or similar instrument and the performance guaranty shall be subject to the approval of the township or Board Solicitor.
(B) Design standards. The following regulations shall apply to all non-residential off-street parking areas, unless the Planning Board or Zoning Board, after considering testimony and evidence submitted or presented by the applicant waives strict compliance with the requirements of this § 154.010(B) in order to promote flexibility in parking area design.
(1) Parking space dimensions. The following minimum dimensions for parking spaces shall apply:
(a) Commercial, office, industrial and government uses - nine feet wide by 18 feet deep with a clear two feet overhang.
(b) Parallel spaces for any use - nine feet by 22 feet wide.
(2) Parking aisle and drive dimensions. The following minimum dimensions for parking aisles and drives shall apply:
AISLES
Angle of Parking Spaces (degrees) | One-Way Aisle (feet) | Two-Way Aisle
(feet) |
90 | 22 | 24 |
60 | 18 | 20 |
45 | 15 | 20 |
Parallel | 12 | 18 |
DRIVES | ||
Drive Type | One-Way Drive | Two-Way Drive |
Entrance drive, on roads with less than 39 mph speed limit | 20 | 25 |
Entrance drive, on roads with greater than 39 mph speed limit | 22 | 30 |
Internal collector | 18 | 25 |
Internal collector, with fire lane | 25 | 30 |
(3) Entrance drives. Off-street parking areas shall be designed to eliminate the maneuvering of vehicles within entrance drives. The length of entrance drive free of maneuvering shall conform to the following schedule (measured from the right-of-way line):
Total Number of Parking Spaces | Length of Maneuver-Free Drive (feet) |
Less than 39 | 20 |
40 to 99 | 40 |
100 to 250 | 60 |
Greater than 250 | 60, plus 20 for each additional 500 spaces or part thereof |
(4) Entrance drive intersections. The intersection of any entrance drive and a public street shall be located as to permit the safe flow of vehicles to and from the lot or premises in a manner safe and shall conform to the following minimum distances:
Intersection | Minimum Distance (feet) |
Entrance drive to entrance drives, less than 150 feet street frontage (measured from center lines) | 60 |
Entrance drive to entrance drive, greater than 150 feet street frontage (measured from center lines) | 100 |
Entrance drive to intersecting rights-of-way, less than 150 feet frontage (measured from center line to rights-of-way) | 35 |
Entrance drive to intersecting rights-of-way, greater than 150 frontage (measured from center line to rights-of-way) | 75 |
(5) Ingress and egress to parking areas. Access to parking areas from pubic streets shall be limited to one per street frontage up to a maximum of two per site, with the following exceptions:
(a) Two entrance drives on one public street shall be permitted for lots or premises with frontage in excess of 300 feet, up to a maximum of three per site.
(b) Gasoline service stations shall be permitted two entrance drives on one pubic street, up to a maximum of three per site, provided that the center lines of the two entrance drives on one street frontage are not less than 60 feet apart.
(6) Internal collector. An internal collector drive shall be provided for all parking areas in excess of 250 spaces. No parking space shall have direct ingress and egress to an internal collector drive. The intersection of any internal collector drive and drive aisle shall be at ninety 90 degrees, unless, because of unusual topography or lot geometry, a right angle would impede the efficient circulation of vehicles, but in no case shall the intersection be less than 60 degrees.
(7) Landscaping, loading areas. All loading areas shall be landscaped and screened sufficiently to obscure the view of the loading
platform or other loading facility from any pubic street, residential use or zone and the front yards of adjacent commercial or industrial use. Such screening may consist of fencing or walls, and shall be in conformance with the landscaping requirements of the Township Code.
(8) Landscaping, parking areas. Each on-site parking facility shall be designed to minimize the removal of any tree in excess of five inches in caliper. Each facility shall have a minimum of 200 square feet of contiguous landscaped area for each 30 spaces or portion thereof consisting of shrubs with a mature height of not more than three feet and deciduous trees with branches not less than seven feet in height, but in no event shall there be less than the area contained in the required traffic islands. Such space shall be distributed throughout the parking areas in order to visually break the view of long rows of parked cars in a manner not impairing sight triangles. Parking areas in excess of 250 parking spaces shall have landscaping berms a minimum of two feet in height above the parking area grade between any public street and any access way, driveway, drive aisle, internal collector drive, loading or parking areas.
(9) Lighting. All parking and loading facilities shall be lighted in accordance with the lighting provisions of the Township Ordinance. Adequate provision must also be made to shield residential uses from the headlight glare of motor vehicles.
(10) Loading area requirements. Every commercial and industrial use, or combination thereof, containing at least 5,000 gross square feet of floor area shall provide and permanently maintain adequate space for the standing, loading and unloading or material or merchandise. The loading area shall be so designated on the site plan and shall not be used or any other purpose. The minimum dimensions of the loading area shall not be less than 12 feet wide by 35 feet deep with a height clearance of 14 feet. One such loading area shall be required for each 20,000 gross square feet of floor area or part thereof.
(11) Shopping cart uses. Parking areas for commercial uses which utilize shopping carts for the carrying of goods, including but not limited to supermarkets, pharmacies, home centers, department stores and discount centers, shall provide areas for the collection of such shopping carts. Collection points shall be evenly dispersed throughout the parking area which is designed to serve the commercial use which utilizes shopping carts for the carrying of goods. The collection points shall be curbed to delineate and separate the parking area from the collected shopping carts and shall be so designed as to not impede the vehicular or pedestrian circulation pattern. Collection points shall have a minimum capacity of 20 shopping carts. Collection points shall be so designed by no more than one sign per area with two faces, pole-mounted.
(12) Surfacing and curbing. All parking and loading areas shall be paved as required by the Township or Board Engineer. All access ways, driveways, drive aisles, loading areas and parking bays or other parking facilities shall be curbed with a formed concrete curb of a type and composition approved by the Township or Board Engineer.
(13) Traffic islands. Traffic islands shall be provided to separate each parking area of double stacked parking rows from any internal collector drive. The minimum width of the traffic island shall be eight feet. For parking areas in excess of 250 cars, one traffic island, a minimum width of 10 feet, separating the two rows of parking in one parking bay, shall be provided for each four rows in an alternating pattern. Each traffic island shall be landscaped in accordance with township regulations.
(14) Trash enclosures.
(a) Trash and recycling shall be enclosed on three sides by masonry walls not less than six feet nor more than eight feet in height and must be compatible with the architectural scheme of the development.
(b) The enclosure gates shall be constructed of solid welded steel panels.
(c) Landscaping consisting of six foot high evergreen trees shall be installed to screen the perimeter of the masonry walls.
(d) Trash and recycling pickup shall only be permitted between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
(15) Trash pickup. All parking areas shall make adequate provision for the location of trash receptacles and their enclosures and the disposal of trash generated by on-site uses in a manner that does not impede the free flow of vehicular traffic on- or off-site. Adequate provision shall be made for the turning movements of trash pickup vehicles.
(Ord. 945-99, passed 9-13-99; Am. Ord. 24-00, passed 9-11-00)