(A) Introduction. These commercial guidelines are intended to provide services where they are needed most and to preserve, enhance and encourage the usefulness and vitality of these areas. Commercial businesses shall be developed in a manner that reflects the character of the surrounding area.
(B) Permitted uses.
(1) Drug stores;
(2) Beauty salons and barber shops;
(3) Carry-out stores;
(4) Bakeries;
(5) Dressmaking and tailoring;
(6) Self-service laundromats;
(7) Florist shops;
(8) Liquor stores;
(9) Photography shops;
(10) Grocery stores;
(11) Dry cleaners;
(12) Restaurants;
(13) Medical and dental clinics;
(14) Offices;
(15) Other uses identified in the permitted land use table; and
(16) Other uses approved by the Plan Board that exhibit similar characteristics as the above and are not detrimental to the surrounding land uses.
(C) Commercial standards.
(1) Minimum ground level square footage required: Not more than 80% of the total area of any lot or any development on multiple lots shall be occupied by buildings, roads, parking areas, storage, drainage facilities, and other accessory uses.
(2) (a) Signs intended to be seen outside the lot lines.
(b) No sign shall project beyond a lot line, obstruct in any way a driver’s vision of the road or hinder his or her passage in any way. Further, no sign shall be placed so as to hinder or obstruct any pedestrian path.
(4) Fences, walls and hedges: notwithstanding other provisions of these guidelines, fences, walls and hedges may be permitted in any yard or along the edge of any yard, providing that driveway entrances are not shielded by fences, walls and hedges in such a way as to obstruct the view of a driver entering a public road from the driveway.
(5) No unsafe, uncomfortable, or offensive vibrations, noises, visual effects, odors or air pollutants shall be allowed to radiate across the lot lines.
(6) Exterior lighting will be such that it does not become a nuisance to the adjacent property owners.
(7) Sign restrictions:
(a) One freestanding sign at the entryway or other approved location is allowed, providing that its area shall not exceed 60 square feet.
(b) Signs attached to the main building are allowed, but shall not exceed 15% of the face of the building.
(c) Poles that support signs on the building shall be located at least 15 feet from the property line where oriented towards collector or local streets, 200 feet from freeways and 120 feet from arterial streets. No self-supporting sign or parts thereof shall project over a street right-of-way.
(d) Temporary real estate signs, construction or contractor’s signs shall not exceed two in number per lot or be more than six square feet.
(D) Special exceptions. Those commercial businesses bordering a residential area that provide service to the general public within normal operating hours prior to 6:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. shall conform to the following:
(1) No unsafe, uncomfortable, or offensive vibrations, noises, visual effects, odors or air pollutants shall be allowed to radiate across lot lines.
(2) Apartment units may be permitted by the Board in commercial districts where the residential unit(s) is secondary to the principal use and where the residential unit(s) is above the first floor. Such units will have a separate primary access to the street and not through the first floor principal use. Fire escapes, back stairways and the like shall not serve as primary access.
(3) The high water point of a pond or the base of the pond/dam shall be setback 45 feet from the property line.
(E) Residential districts. Wherever a business comes within 100 feet from any residential district, appropriate screening, such as vegetation, a wall, a uniformly painted fence, or topography, shall be used to visually screen loading docks and parking lots from the surrounding dwelling units.
(G) Commercial development standards.
(1) Site design and community impacts.
(a) Road hierarchy is how roads surrounding the site are used to connect the site to its surroundings. Connecting the development directly to a major highway is discouraged as a safety hazard due to traffic congestion, as cars exit or enter the new development. Entrance on a paved county road is preferred. Entrance on a gravel county road is mandatory.
(b) Sidewalks allow workers to move freely throughout the development without having to walk in the street making the area safer.
(c) The conservation of energy allows business owners to save money and saves local energy companies the cost of expansions. Energy saving provide the entire community the benefits of lower pollution and should be encouraged.
(d) Landscaping provides a more attractive setting for industries, can reduce summer heating costs and provides wildlife habitat. Buffering between conflicting land uses is required.
(e) Parking lights make industrial areas safer at night and lower risks of robbery.
(f) Higher quality roads and parking make developments more attractive.
(g) Buffering or screening of industrial areas to adjacent land uses is required if the adjacent land use is residential or recreational, and is highly encouraged for other conflicting land uses.
(h) Employing local labor by using county workers so more money is brought into their community and commuting costs can be lowered is strongly encouraged.
(i) The use of products made in the county increases economic activity and can lead to new jobs in the county and is therefore strongly encouraged.
(2) Context and environmental impacts.
(a) Subdivisions (and other land uses) built adjacent to conflicting land uses can cause decreasing land values, create possible safety hazards to residents and are generally not in the public interest. Buffering is required between industrial and residential or recreational uses and encouraged between other land uses.
(b) Developments built in isolated areas cost more in infrastructure and transportation costs and should be discouraged.
(c) Close proximity to fire and police services allows better services at less public cost and therefore is strongly encouraged.
(d) Close proximity to schools and medical facilities allows better services at less public cost and therefore is strongly encouraged.
(e) Close proximity to commercial developments (must be drug store, grocery store, department store or convenience store) allows easier access to every day needed items and reduces traffic.
(g) Proximity to industries and major employers allows a quicker travel time to work and less traffic.
(g) Close access to power, gas and water lines provides more efficient use of limited public resources and therefore is strongly encouraged.
(h) Close access to roads makes the site easier to get to and eliminates the need for new access roads to be built and maintained.
(i) Erosion control measures should be provided on hillsides to prevent the loss of ground and reduce pollution.
(j) Developments that enhance, not reduce, forest lands should be encouraged.
(k) Prime farm land should not be built upon except as a last resort to preserve the value of crop production.
(BC Ord. passed 1-22-2003; BC Ord. passed 3-26-2003) Penalty, see § 155.999