Local Example – Newton, MA: Reduced Requirements for Low-Income and Elderly Housing
City of Newton: REVISED ORDINANCES OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, 2001
PART II. REVISED ORDINANCES, Chapter 30. Zoning
ARTICLE III. PARKING AND LOADING FACILITIES
Sec. 30-19. Parking and loading facility requirements.
(d) Number of Parking Stalls. The minimum number of parking stalls to be supplied for each type of building or land use shall be in accordance with the following requirements. Where the computation results in a fractional number, the fraction shall be counted as one stall.
(2) Two parking stalls shall be provided for each dwelling unit in an apartment house, garden apartment, or attached dwellings, provided that the board of aldermen may grant a special permit in accordance with the procedure provided in section 30-24 for the construction of apartment houses, garden apartments, attached dwellings with a lesser parking stall requirement for each dwelling unit if circumstances warrant such modification, but in no case less than one and one-quarter (1-1/4) parking stalls per dwelling unit, except multi-family housing for low-income or elderly persons built under state or federal housing programs. For such public housing projects, one parking stall for each two (2) low-income dwelling units not reserved for the elderly and one parking stall for each four (4) dwelling units reserved for the elderly shall be provided.
Local Example – Braintree, MA: Flexible Minimum Requirements
Town of Braintree Zoning Bylaws, ARTICLE VIII OFF-STREET PARKING AND LOADING
135-803 DECREASES IN PARKING REQUIREMENTS.
A. A decrease in the number of off-street parking spaces required by this Section may be granted as a condition for the issuance of a Special Permit or a Site Plan Review provided that the following criteria have been met:
1. The intent of this Section is preserved.
2. The amount of off-street parking to be provided will be sufficient to serve the uses for which it is intended.
3. The decrease in required off-street parking is based on a parking study prepared by a registered professional engineer. Said study shall include, at a minimum, the following:
a. Size and type of uses or activities on site;
b. Composition of tenancy on site;
c. Rate of parking turnover;d. Peak traffic and parking loads to be encountered;
e. Local parking habits;
f. Availability of public transportation.
B. Should the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) allow a decrease in the amount of required off-street parking, the SPGA shall require that a portion of the site be reserved to meet the off-street parking spaces required by this Section. This reserved area shall not be developed and shall be either landscaped or maintained in a natural state. Said area shall not contribute towards the open space requirements as set in Section 135-701.
Local Example – Belmont, MA: Flexible Parking Requirements, Siting, and Bike Parking
Town of Belmont Zoning By-Law, Section 5. General Regulations
Amended through 11/13/2006, Approved 1/9/2007
5.1. Off-Street Parking and Loading
5.1.1. Number of Spaces
b) The number of spaces may be reduced to less than that stipulated below if, in acting on Design and Site Plan Review, the Planning Board determines that a smaller number would be adequate for all parking needs because of such special circumstances as:
1. shared parking for uses having peak parking demands at different times
2. unusual age or other characteristics of site users, or
3. user sponsored demand reduction devices such as car pooling.
c) In the Local Business III Districts, legal on-street parking may be credited towards meeting these requirements if located between the premises side lot lines on the same side of the street.
5.1.3 Parking and Loading Area Location and Design
a) Non-residential.
Required parking for nonresidential uses shall be either on the same premises as the activity it serves or on a separate parcel if the parcel is located within 400 feet of the building entrance to be served and is in a zoning district permitting or allowing by Special Permit the use it serves.
Parking facilities for six or more cars serving nonresidential uses shall have no elements, other than driveways approximately perpendicular to the street and parking area plantings, located in the area between the street line and the front setback line.
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h) Bicycle Racks.
For premises requiring 40 or more parking spaces, bicycle racks facilitating locking shall be provided to accommodate one bicycle per 20 parking spaces required or fraction thereof.
Local Example – Norwood, MA: Flexible Parking Requirements and Bicycle Parking
Town of Norwood Zoning Bylaws, 5100 PARKING REGULATIONS
5110 Number of Parking Spaces
5112. Reductions Based on Demand
The number of spaces may be reduced to less than that stipulated below if authorized on special permit by the board of appeals, to be granted only if, following public hearing and consultation with the inspector of buildings, town engineer and town planner, the board makes written determination that a smaller number would be adequate for all parking needs because of such special circumstances as shared parking for uses having peak parking demands at different times, unusual age or other characteristics of site users, or user-sponsored demand reduction devices such as car-pooling.
5113. Special District Reductions [Rev. 3/4/91]
In the Central Business, General Business, and Limited Business districts the following provisions shall apply.
a. Off-street parking need be provided to serve nonresidential uses in those districts only if the number of required spaces exceeds twenty for uses in the central business district or five for uses in the general or limited business districts.
b. Legal on-street parking may be credited towards meeting these requirements if located between the premises, side lot lines on the same side of the street.
c. In the central business district only, the required number of spaces for nonresidential uses shall be 50% of the number indicated in Section 5114.
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5126. Bicycle Racks
For premises requiring 40 or more parking spaces, bicycle racks facilitating locking shall be provided to accommodate one bicycle per 20 parking spaces required or fraction thereof.
Local Example – Weymouth, MA: Counting On-street Parking Towards Requirements
City of Weymouth – Chapter 120 ZONING, June 2000, ARTICLE XVII Off-Street Parking
Section 120-70. Location requirements.
[Amended April 1971 ATM by Art. 47, approved 8-24-1971]
The off-street parking spaces required by this section shall be as follows:
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D. In the event that off-street parking spaces cannot be reasonably provided on the same lot within the Neighborhood Center District to accommodate nonresidential uses only, the Board of Zoning Appeals may grant exceptions to allow provision for counting on-street parking spaces within a radius of 150 feet, provided that it is demonstrated that the additional demand for such spaces can be reasonably met without placing an undue burden on existing facilities already relying on such spaces. [Added May 1983 ATM by Art. 48, approved 8-26-1983]