A. Purpose: This district is intended to provide for efficient and functional operation of heavy commercial, manufacturing, processing, and other industrial uses in appropriate locations. Industrial uses which produce noise, smoke, dirt, vibration, glare or similarly obtrusive nuisances shall be regulated to minimize the impact on the public health and safety. These activities generally require reasonable access to major transportation facilities, need extensive open storage and service areas and generate heavy traffic. To help ensure efficiency and function of industrial uses, protection from incompatible residential and commercial uses is necessary.
B. Permitted Uses:
1. All uses associated with operations of railroads.
2. Automobile, truck, farm machinery, heavy equipment repair.
3. Agricultural products processing, storage, loading; grain elevators.
4. Cement, concrete and paving products, including mixing plants.
5. Freight terminals, truck or rail.
6. Industrial laboratories.
7. Manufacturing or processing: a) products from organic material, chemicals, glass, metal, minerals, stones or earth, b) foodstuffs, textiles, electrical components, wood, leather, paper, or plastic.
8. Fabrication or assembly of products from prestructured materials or compounds.
9. Signs, billboards.
10. Storage yards.
11. Utilities.
12. Welding or sheet metal shops.
13. Warehousing.
C. Conditional Uses: The following uses must comply with the additional conditions specified below. Approval of these conditional uses must be obtained from the zoning commission under the provisions of section 12-1-11 of this title.
Uses | Conditions | |
Meatpacking, rendering plants | 1. Any building or structure used to retain animals or process animal products must be at least 300 feet from a residential district or institutional use. | |
2. A solid fence at least 8 feet high must enclose the use, or a screen of evergreen shrubs or trees at least 8 feet high at maturity must be planted. The fence or screen must be maintained. | ||
Auto wrecking, scrap, salvage yards | 1. A solid fence at least 8 feet high must enclose the use, or a screen of evergreen shrubs or trees at least 8 feet high at maturity must be planted. The fence or screen must be maintained. | |
Bulk storage of flammable liquids or gases or other hazardous materials aboveground | 1. All uses set back at least 300 feet from all lot lines. | |
2. All uses shall conform with the provisions for petroleum storage tanks set forth in the Forsyth municipal code. |
D. Accessory And Temporary Uses Permitted:
1. Accommodations for caretakers, watchmen and custodians.
2. Outdoor storage of merchandise or inventory.
3. Temporary buildings or other structures for and during construction or grading.
4. Use of open land for meetings, circuses or carnivals.
5. Sale of Christmas trees, baked goods, clothes or like products where no permanent structure is erected.
E. Lot Area:
1. Where public water and sewer service is available, no minimum lot size is required.
2. Where Montana department of environmental quality approval is required, that agency shall determine the lot size.
3. Where neither of the above conditions apply, the minimum lot size shall be one acre.
F. Yard Requirements:
1. Front Yard: A fifty foot (50') front yard must be provided along any street frontage.
2. Side Yard: Side yards abutting interior lot lines must be at least twenty five feet (25').
3. Rear Yard: Rear yards must be at least twenty feet (20').
G. Height Requirement: There is no maximum height limitation.
H. Signs: All signs shall conform to the provisions prescribed in section 12-2-9 of this title.
I. Access Onto Public Roads:
1. Approaches onto public roads and highways shall be at least thirty two feet (32') wide.
2. Approaches onto public roads and highways shall have a grade of six percent (6%) or less.
3. Approaches onto public roads or highways shall be at least one hundred twenty five feet (125') apart. Center line of approaches from properties on opposite sides of a public road shall be aligned at the same point on the public road.
J. Grading And Drainage:
1. The site shall be graded and appropriate drainage facilities installed to remove surface runoff waters in a manner that will not affect adjacent or nearby properties, rivers or public roads.
2. Culverts, curbs, gutters, ditches, swales and other drainage facilities shall be installed to assure that approaches, parking areas and other traffic facilities do not obstruct drainage facilities or adversely affect public road and traffic facilities.
3. Culverts and bridges shall be large enough to accommodate potential runoff from upstream drainage areas.
4. Curbs and gutters or swales shall be required according to the character of the area, density of development, and nature of adjoining properties and public streets.
K. Screening And Buffering: Where a nonresidential use in this district abuts a residential use of another district, the screening and buffering provisions of section 12-2-10 of this title must be met.
L. Fencing: The following uses must be protected by a fence not less than six feet (6') in height: 1) outdoor storage of materials or equipment, 2) aboveground storage of flammable liquids, gases, or other material, and 3) electrical substations, gas regulator stations and microwave reflectors.
M. Lighting: Lighting must be shielded to avoid casting direct light on adjacent residential uses or institutional uses providing human care. (Ord. 2000-03, 9-13-2000)