5.2. Off-street parking requirements.

For the purpose of determining the total number of seats for any seasonal outdoor seating areas, only seating located at tables, counters, or other such surfaces shall be included in the calculation of the parking requirement. Such seating shall be included in the calculation of the parking requirement whether fixed in place or not. Where benches are located at tables, counters, or other such surfaces, such bench seating shall be counted at the rate of 1 seat for every two feet of bench length.

The Inspector of Buildings shall estimate peak employment that will occur after occupancy, and he shall issue a building permit based on this judgment. However, in no instance shall off-street parking requirements be required at a rate of less than one space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.

Notwithstanding any other parking requirements set forth in this chapter for individual land uses, when any land or building is used for two or more distinguishable purposes (i.e., joint or mixed use development), the minimum total number of parking spaces required to serve the combination of all uses shall be determined in the following manner:

Multiply the minimum parking requirement for each individual use (as set forth in the applicable section of this chapter for each use) by the appropriate percentage (as set forth below in the Parking Credit Schedule Chart) for each of the five designated time periods and then add the resulting sums from each vertical column. The column total having the highest total value is the minimum shared parking space requirement for that combination of land uses.

Parking shall be permitted, for use and convenience of the residents, guests, and staff only of an elderly assisted living unit residence, in the front yard, provided that it is set back at least 10 feet from the lot line.

For the parking requirements for the Business C District, see Section 5.23.

Customer food service areas include only those portions of a fast-food restaurant used for customer seating for the purpose of consuming food and/or drink on the premises of the facility, including outdoor seating areas. Customer food service areas do not include kitchen, waiting areas, walkways, aisles, restrooms, take-out counters or other portions of the premises where customers are not seated for the purpose of consuming food and/or drink on the premises.

Parking requirements for all uses permitted as of right or by special permit, except residential, shall not be required for the first 20,000 square feet of gross floor area for structures on individual lots within the Business C District. New development in excess of 20,000 square feet or additions to structures already over the 20,000 square feet or additions that will cause the structure to exceed 20,000 gross square feet shall be subject to a parking standard of one space per 500 gross square feet for all building area in excess of 20,000 square feet.

Parking standards for residential dwelling units, newly constructed or designed from existing commercial space, shall have 1 1/4 parking spaces per dwelling unit.

Where private off-street parking exists in conjunction with a structure on an individual lot or on a separate lot, the existing structure can be removed and a new structure constructed having up to 20,000 square feet of gross floor area without being subject to parking standards. However, at least the previous number of private off-street parking spaces must be redesigned into the new site plan. Similarly, existing structures of under 20,000 square feet of gross floor area may be enlarged up to 20,000 square feet of gross floor area, and provided that the resulting structure does not exceed 20,000 square feet of gross floor area. If the enlarged structure exceeds 20,000 square feet of gross floor area, the portion over 20,000 square feet of gross floor area shall be subject to off-street parking requirements. However, after temporary removal to facilitate enlargement or reconstruction, the previous number of private off-street parking spaces must be redesigned onto the existing parcel.

Seasonal outdoor seating shall not be included in the calculation of the parking requirement in the Business C Zoning District, provided that there are fewer than 50 outdoor seats, seating and tables are not permanently fixed in place, and seating and tables are removed between the last day of October and the first day of April.

With respect to residential and hospital uses, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 5.21 to the contrary, the parking requirements for those two uses shall be as follows: 1 1/2 parking spaces per dwelling unit for residential dwelling units and one parking space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area for hospital uses.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 5.41 and 5.47 to the contrary, up to 50% of all parking spaces, whether or not required, may be designed for small cars, i.e., sixteen-by-eight-foot parking spaces, as of right.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 5.8 to the contrary, off-street parking spaces, whether or not required, may be located on other land in either the HR1 or HR2 Zoning District so long as the distance between an entrance of the building being served by such off-street parking and a pedestrian entrance to the parking lot or parking structure within which such parking spaces are located is not more than 600 feet.

The loading requirements of Section 5.91 shall apply to HR1 and HR2 Zoning Districts.