Automobile/vehicle sales and service establishments shall be located, developed and operated in compliance with following standards.
(A) Purpose. The purpose of these standards is to preserve the integrity and character of the area in which an automotive/vehicle sales and service establishments located and to assure its compatibility with nearby uses.
(B) Application review and findings for approval. Where use permit approval is required for an automobile/vehicle sales and service establishment, the review authority shall only approve a use permit upon making the following findings:
(1) The project is designed so that form and scale are harmonious and consistent with the character of the specific site, the adjacent uses and structures, and the surrounding neighborhood.
(2) The site design, including the location and number of driveways, will promote safe and efficient on-site and off-site traffic circulation.
(3) Service bay openings are designed to minimize the visual intrusion on surrounding streets and properties.
(4) Lighting is designed to be low-profile, indirect or diffused and to avoid adverse impacts on surrounding uses.
(C) Conditions of approval. Conditions of approval may include limitations on operational characteristics of the use; restrictions on outdoor storage and display, location of pump islands, canopies and service bay openings; and/or requirements for buffering, screening, lighting, planting areas, or other site elements, in order to avoid adverse impacts on adjacent lots or the surrounding area.
(D) Automobile rental. Automobile rental establishments are subject to the following standards.
(1) Automobile/vehicle storage. Freestanding tents, canopies, or similar coverings designed and/or intended for the outdoor storage or display of motor vehicles, shall be prohibited.
(E) Automobile/vehicle sales and leasing. Automotive servicing or repair is permitted as an accessory use for automobile/vehicle sales and leasing establishments that offer maintenance and servicing of the type of vehicles sold on site. Automobile/vehicle sales and leasing establishments are subject to the following standards.
(1) Automobile/vehicle storage. Freestanding tents, canopies, or similar coverings designed and/or intended for the outdoor storage or display of motor vehicles, shall be prohibited.
(F) Automobile/vehicle service and repair, major and minor. Major and minor vehicle service and repair uses, as well as any other uses, such as auto dealerships or service stations, that perform auto servicing as an accessory activity, are subject to the following standards.
(1) Service bays. Openings of service bays shall not face abutting rights-of-way and shall be designed to minimize visual intrusion onto abutting properties.
(2) Work areas. All work shall be conducted within an enclosed building except: pumping motor vehicle fluids, checking and supplementing various fluids, and mechanical inspection and adjustments not involving any disassembly.
(3) Automobile/vehicle storage. Vehicles being worked on or awaiting service or pick-up shall be stored within an enclosed building or in a parking lot on the property that is screened in compliance with § 23.20.090(L). Unattended vehicles may not be parked or stored on the sidewalk adjoining the property, in the street, or in any portion of the public right-of-way within the city. Freestanding tents, canopies, or similar coverings designed and/or intended for the outdoor storage or display of motor vehicles, shall be prohibited.
(4) Litter. The premises shall be kept in an orderly condition at all times. No used or discarded automotive parts or equipment or permanently disabled, junked, or wrecked vehicles may be stored outside a building.
(G) Service stations. Service stations and any other commercial use that includes fuel pumps for retail sales of gasoline are subject to the following standards.
(1) Location and site requirements.
(a) Arterial street intersection. New service stations shall be located on an intersection where at least one of the streets is classified as an arterial street in the General Plan.
(b) Maximum number. A maximum of two service stations per intersection is allowed.
(c) Minimum parcel size and frontage. New service stations shall be located on a site at least 20,000 square feet in size and with at least 150 feet of frontage.
(d) Residential Zoning District adjacency. New service stations shall not be located on a site adjacent to a Residential Zoning District.
(2) Setbacks.
(a) Structures shall be located a minimum of ten feet from any Residential Zoning District boundary.
(b) Pump islands shall be located a minimum of 20 feet from a street property line. A canopy or roof structure over a pump island may encroach up to ten feet within this distance.
(3) Access.
(a) There shall not be more than two vehicular access points to any one street.
(b) There shall be a minimum distance of 30 feet between driveway approach aprons located on the same parcel and along the same street frontage.
(c) No driveway may be located closer than five feet to the end of a curb return, or closer than 20 feet to a common property line.
(d) The width of a driveway other than a common driveway may not exceed 35 feet at the sidewalk. A common driveway may not exceed 50 feet in width at the sidewalk.
FIGURE 23.22.070.G.3: SERVICE STATIONS, ACCESS
(4) Number of pumps. Each new service station shall have at least four fueling dispensers to allow a minimum of eight individual vehicles to be refueled at the same time.
(5) Parking and storage of vehicles.
(a) No vehicle may be parked in an unenclosed area of the service station for longer than 24 hours, unless the vehicle is being temporarily stored while waiting to be serviced within an enclosed area, in which case it may be parked for a period of not more than 72 hours; however, no servicing of the vehicle shall occur while the vehicle is parked in an unenclosed area.
(b) No vehicles may be parked on public property.
(c) No vehicle may be parked on the premises for the purpose of offering same for sale.
(d) Freestanding tents, canopies, or similar coverings designed and/or intended for the outdoor storage or display of motor vehicles, shall be prohibited.
(6) Landscaping. A minimum of 10% of the site shall be landscaped in compliance with Chapter 23.17 and the following.
(a) A landscaped planter with a minimum inside width of six feet and enclosed with a six inch high curb shall be provided along interior property lines, except for openings to facilitate vehicular circulation to adjacent properties. Where adjacent to a periphery wall, trees shall be planted within the planter a maximum of 16 feet apart.
(b) A minimum 200-square-foot planter area shall be provided at the corner of intersecting streets unless a building is located at the corner.
(c) A minimum 50 square-foot planter area shall be located along the building perimeter of the main building fronting on a public street.
(d) Landscaping shall not exceed a height of 30 inches, except for landscaping located next to main structures and along interior property lines.
(e) Additional landscaping may be required to screen the service station from adjacent properties.
(7) Peripheral wall. A decorative masonry wall at least five feet in height shall be provided along all lot lines adjacent to a Residential Zoning District. The wall shall decrease to a height of 30 inches within the required front yard setback of each adjacent residentially zoned property.
(8) Restrooms. Restrooms shall be provided, available for customer use during all hours of business, and maintained in a clean and safe
manner. All restrooms shall be accessible only from the inside of a building and shall not have independent access to the exterior. Restroom locations shall be identified by appropriate signage.
(9) Lighting. All light sources, including canopy, perimeter and flood, shall be shielded or recessed so that light is deflected away from adjacent properties and rights-of-way. A photometric study shall be provided to demonstrate compliance with this section. Lighting shall not be of such a high intensity as to cause a traffic hazard or adversely affect adjoining properties. No luminaire shall be higher than 15 feet above finished grade.
(10) Location of activities. All activities and operations shall be conducted entirely within enclosed buildings, except as follows:
(a) The dispensing of petroleum products from pump islands, water, and air; and
(b) The provision of emergency service of a minor nature.
(11) Site maintenance.
(a) No used or discarded automotive parts or equipment, or permanently disabled, junked or wrecked vehicles may be located outside the main building except within an enclosed refuse storage area.
(b) A refuse storage area, completely enclosed with a masonry wall not less than five feet high and a solid opaque gated opening shall be provided. The enclosure shall be large enough to accommodate standard sized commercial trash bins and shall be located on the rear portion of the property in such a manner as to be accessible to refuse collection vehicles.
(12) Noise. Noise from bells or loudspeakers shall not be audible from residentially zoned properties or existing residences between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and before 10:00 a.m. and after 7:00 p.m. on Sundays.
(13) Retail food facility and convenience store standards. The following regulations shall only apply to retail food facilities and convenience stores operated in conjunction with service stations:
(a) The minimum gross floor area of a retail food facility or convenience store shall be 1,000 square feet.
(b) Goods and services available for sale shall be limited to those commonly available in restaurants and/or convenience stores, including prepared foods, packaged goods and beverages, dairy products, household soaps and cleaners, tobacco products, health and beauty aids, books, magazines and newspapers.
(c) Arcade and video game machines shall be prohibited.
(d) The sale of alcoholic beverages shall be prohibited.
(H) Vehicle washing. Vehicle washing facilities and any other commercial use that includes vehicle washing facilities are subject to the following standards.
(1) Hours of operation. It shall be unlawful to keep any commercial vehicle washing facility or business open for business, or for use of the public, between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. of each day.
(Ord. 4823, passed 1-22-24)