In order to prevent the establishment of a greater number of parking spaces than is actually required to serve the needs of a nonresidential use, up to 20% of the required parking spaces may be held in reserve for construction at a later date if necessary, provided that the following conditions are met:
A. The applicant must demonstrate that the minimum number of parking spaces required for the land use is in excess of actual parking needs, or that the operating schedules of two or more adjacent land uses are such that a parking lot may be shared between them and that the minimum number of parking spaces required for each land use is in excess of actual parking needs. This determination shall be based on consideration of the following factors:
(1) Industry studies of parking needs for the type of use proposed or actual case-study comparisons for projects of similar character. The developer or applicant shall gather and submit such data in support of its proposed parking provisions. The National Parking Association, the Urban Land Institute and the American Planning Association are examples of such industry sources.
(2) The characteristics of the proposed customers, residents, occupants or visitors to a given facility. Housing for the elderly would, for example, require fewer spaces per dwelling unit than time-shared recreational units.
(3) The expected occupancy rates, traffic levels and numbers of employees in connection with any enterprise and the degree to which these directly relate to parking requirements.
(4) Recommendations, if any, from other public agencies or information sources.
(5) The likelihood that parking will be shared with adjoining facilities, the availability of sufficient on-street parking, the impact of daily peak visitation or use periods on demand and the hours of operation as compared to other neighborhood activities.
(6) The availability of public transportation.
B. A minimum of 80% of the required spaces shall be built with the completion of the project. An area adequate to accommodate the remaining 20% shall be reserved as green area until needed, but may not be counted toward any minimum open space requirements. The reserved area shall not include any required buffers, setbacks or yard areas in which parking would not be permitted under this Chapter or
Chapter 22: Subdivision and Land Development.
C. The parking lot design must designate sufficient space to meet the total parking requirement. The plan shall illustrate the layout for the total number of spaces, and shall be in compliance with impervious surface, yard and open space requirements of this Chapter.
D. The reserved parking area shall be counted toward the total amount of proposed impervious surface on the site.
E. Any traffic studies submitted shall consider the full number of parking spaces required for the proposed use(s) on the site, including those to be held in reserve.
F. A landscape plan for the reserved area shall be provided.
G. Stormwater management facilities shall be designed to accommodate 100% of the required parking areas at the time of project completion, including those to be held in reserve, such that no modifications to stormwater management facilities will be necessary for the construction of reserve parking areas.
H. The applicant shall enter into an agreement with the Township to construct the additional spaces if needed. This agreement shall be a covenant that runs with the land and shall apply to any future owners of the property.
I. The reserved parking area shall not be used to meet the parking requirements for future expansions of the facility.
J. The Board of Supervisors may permit up to 50% of the required parking spaces for a Disaster Recovery Facility use only to be held in reserve provided the preceding requirements are met. A minimum of 50% of the required spaces for a Disaster Recovery Facility use shall be built with the completion of the Disaster Recovery Facility project.
