Commercial Districts (C-1, C-2 and C-3) and their regulations are established in order to achieve, among others, the following purposes:
(a) To provide in appropriate and convenient locations, sufficient areas for business activities, including the exchange of goods and services;
(b) To protect residential neighborhoods adjacent to business uses by regulating the types of establishments, particularly at the common boundaries, that would create congestion, noise or other objectionable influences;
(c) To protect and stabilize both residential and nonresidential developments from congestion by requiring off-street parking facilities;
(d) C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District. To provide Neighborhood Commercial Districts to accommodate a variety of retail and service establishments in a store-only district with development standards that ensure that new development is compatible with adjacent residential neighborhoods.
(e) C-2 General Commercial District. To accommodate commercial services and activities in locations adequately served by major streets and other facilities and to encourage the grouping of businesses in shopping centers.
(f) C-3 Central Business District. To provide a central business district that preserves, maintains and promotes the existing historic, compact pedestrian orientation of the downtown area by maintaining retail sales and personal service uses along the primary street frontages, permitting buildings to be close to the street and to one another, and reducing the parking requirements for the district.
(1) To further achieve these objectives, the District has been divided into the "core area" and "outside core area". The core area is defined by the boundaries of the Downtown Bryan Historic District, as listed on the National Register, where development standards have been established to maintain the traditional character and arrangement of lots around the square. Slightly more generous development standards have been established for the areas adjacent to the downtown that make up the outside core area, where existing lot arrangements are more flexible. Design criteria have also been established for both areas to ensure consistent development throughout the entire C-3 District.
(Ord. 62-2023. Passed 1-16-24.)