(a) Intent. The purpose of this section is to establish standards for businesses providing short-term rental of automobiles to the general public. These regulations apply to businesses operating as permitted, conditional or interim uses in zoning districts where they are allowed. It is the intent of these regulations to restrict such businesses to neighborhood and community service. It is not the intent to allow such businesses to service metropolitan, regional or interstate clients.
(b) Scope of operations. Automobile rental agencies allowed under this code are restricted to these activities:
(i) Office uses;
(ii) Storage of rental vehicles; and
(iii) One interior space for the cleaning and normal maintenance of rental vehicles.
(c) Site and building standards.
(i) The automobile rental agency must be located in an office of at least 1,000 square feet, excluding vehicle service areas. In the Regional Commercial (CR-1) District, the agency must be located in a multiple tenant building containing at least 20,000 square feet of floor area.
(ii) The site and building must comply with the screening and landscaping requirements of this code.
(iii) Vehicle access to the interior vehicle cleaning area must be limited to the side or rear of the building. The car service space must be located at the side or rear of the building, must not front on any arterial or collector street, nor can it face a residential zone or use.
(iv) Parking spaces allocated for rental vehicle storage must be located in a contiguous area not used by other businesses. They must be designated and identified in a manner approved by the issuing authority.
(v) The number of parking spaces used for storage of rental vehicles must be in excess of the number of spaces required for all other uses on the site.
(d) Operational requirements.
(1) Vehicle cleaning and maintenance:
(i) Only automobiles continuously owned by the automobile rental agency will be stored or cleaned on the property;
(ii) All cleaning and maintenance must occur inside and completely enclosed within the building in which the rental agency is located, or off-site; and
(iii) Cleaning and maintenance must be limited to washing, vacuuming and fluid changes and refills. No mechanical repair, body repair or painting is permitted.
(2) Vehicles used and stored at the automobile rental agency must not be older than two model years.
(3) Vehicles used and stored at the automobile rental agency must not be towed to and from the site nor can they be transported by truck or trailer. No towing vehicles can be parked at the site.
(4) No vehicles can be displayed or located above the elevation of the parking lot area, or on a display raised platform, a berm, planting island or any landscaped portion of the property.
(5) No vehicles can be displayed or stored in the public right-of-way of any city, county or state highway, nor can they be displayed or stored in any location not designated for such storage as approved by the issuing authority.
(6) No trucks, trailers or commercial vehicles, other than rental automobiles can be rented by the automobile rental agency or stored on the property.
(7) The vehicles stored on the property cannot be utilized for display purposes, nor can such vehicles have rental information displayed on the windows or any other part of the vehicles.
(8) No flags, balloons, banners, signs, pennants, ribbons, streamers or whirling devices can be attached to vehicles.
(9) Notwithstanding other provisions of this code, no vehicle sales can be permitted in conjunction with the automobile rental agency. The city cannot approve an application for a license for sale of vehicles issued by the state.
(e) Motor vehicle rental accessory to Class I motor vehicle sales. The following standards apply to motor vehicle rental uses accessory to Class I motor vehicle sales uses.
(1) The rental of the vehicles must be clearly incidental and accessory to the primary use of the property as a Class I motor vehicle sales dealership.
(2) Only those makes and models of vehicles that the Class I dealership sells as new may be rented.
(3) The rental operation must be owned and operated by the Class I dealership or a unit of the parent company of which the dealership is part.
(4) No exterior signage for the vehicle rental business is allowed.
(5) The rental vehicles must not be parked or stored in parking spaces required by this code to serve the customers and employees of the dealership. Rental vehicles must be parked in approved and designated on-site spaces.
(6) Rental vehicles must not be used for display purposes, must not have any rental information displayed on them, nor have any type of banners, flags, pennants, streamers or other attention-getting devices attached to them.
(Ord. 2024-28, passed 11-18-2024)