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Palo Alto Overview
Palo Alto Municipal Code
PALO ALTO MUNICIPAL CODE
CHARTER OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO
Title 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS
Title 2 ADMINISTRATIVE CODE*
Title 3 RESERVED
Title 4 BUSINESS LICENSES AND REGULATIONS*
Title 5 HEALTH AND SANITATION*
Title 6 ANIMALS
Title 7 RESERVED
Title 8 TREES AND VEGETATION
Title 9 PUBLIC PEACE, MORALS AND SAFETY*
Title 10 VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC*
Title 11 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT PROCEDURE
Title 12 PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
Title 13 IMPROVEMENT PROCEDURE*
Title 14 RESERVED
Title 15 FIRE PREVENTION*
Title 16 BUILDING REGULATIONS*
Title 17 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS STORAGE*
Title 18 ZONING*
Chapter 18.01 ADOPTION, PURPOSES, AND ENFORCEMENT
Chapter 18.04 DEFINITIONS
Chapter 18.08 DESIGNATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF DISTRICTS
Chapter 18.09 Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units
Chapter 18.10 LOW-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL (RE, R-2 and RMD) DISTRICTS
Chapter 18.12 R-1 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT*
Chapter 18.13 MULTIPLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (RM-20, RM-30 AND RM-40) DISTRICTS
Chapter 18.14 HOUSING INCENTIVES
Chapter 18.15 DENSITY BONUS
Chapter 18.16 NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY, AND SERVICE COMMERCIAL (CN, CC and CS) DISTRICTS
Chapter 18.18 DOWNTOWN COMMERCIAL (CD) DISTRICT
Chapter 18.20 OFFICE, RESEARCH, AND MANUFACTURING (MOR, ROLM, RP and GM) DISTRICTS
Chapter 18.24 Contextual Design Criteria and Objective Design Standards
Chapter 18.28 SPECIAL PURPOSE (PF, OS and AC) DISTRICTS
Chapter 18.29 NORTH VENTURA (NV) DISTRICT REGULATIONS
Chapter 18.30 COMBINING DISTRICTS
Chapter 18.31 CEQA REVIEW
Chapter 18.32 Affordable Housing Incentive Program
Chapter 18.34 PEDESTRIAN AND TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (PTOD) COMBINING DISTRICT REGULATIONS
Chapter 18.36 HOSPITAL (HD) DISTRICT
Chapter 18.38 PC PLANNED COMMUNITY DISTRICT REGULATIONS
Chapter 18.40 GENERAL STANDARDS AND EXCEPTIONS
Chapter 18.42 STANDARDS FOR SPECIAL USES
Chapter 18.44 GREEN DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS
Chapter 18.46 REQUESTS FOR REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ACCESSIBILITY
Chapter 18.52 PARKING AND LOADING REQUIREMENTS
Chapter 18.54 PARKING FACILITY DESIGN STANDARDS
Chapter 18.60 ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS FOR STANFORD LANDS
Chapter 18.62 SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES
Chapter 18.66 CREATION OF EASEMENTS THROUGH THE EXECUTION AND RECORDATION OF COVENANTS
Chapter 18.70 NONCONFORMING USES AND NONCOMPLYING FACILITIES
Chapter 18.76 PERMITS AND APPROVALS
Chapter 18.77 PROCESSING OF PERMITS AND APPROVALS
Chapter 18.78 APPEALS
Chapter 18.79 DEVELOPMENT PROJECT PRELIMINARY REVIEW PROCEDURES
Chapter 18.80 AMENDMENTS TO ZONING MAP AND ZONING REGULATIONS
Title 19 MASTER PLAN*
Title 20 PRECISE PLANS*
Title 21 SUBDIVISIONS AND OTHER DIVISIONS OF LAND*
Title 22 PARKS*
ORDINANCE LIST AND DISPOSITION TABLE
Chapter 18.16
NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY, AND SERVICE COMMERCIAL (CN, CC and CS) DISTRICTS
Sections:
   18.16.010   Purposes
   18.16.020   Applicable Regulations
   18.16.030   Definitions
   18.16.040   Land Uses
   18.16.050   Office Use Restrictions
   18.16.060   Development Standards
   18.16.065   Increased Floor Area for Housing Developments of 3-10 Units
   18.16.070   Parking and Loading
   18.16.080   Performance Standards
   18.16.090   Context-Based Design Criteria and Objective Design Standards
   18.16.100   Grandfathered Uses
18.16.010   Purposes
   The commercial zoning districts are intended to create and maintain sites for retail, personal services, eating and drinking establishments, hotels and other business uses in a manner that balances the needs of those uses with the need to minimize impacts to surrounding neighborhoods.
   (a)   Neighborhood Commercial [CN]
   The CN neighborhood commercial district is intended to create and maintain neighborhood shopping areas primarily accommodating retail sales, personal service, eating and drinking, and office uses of moderate size serving the immediate neighborhood, under regulations that will assure maximum compatibility with surrounding residential areas.
   (b)   Community Commercial [CC]
   The CC community commercial district is intended to create and maintain major commercial centers accommodating a broad range of office, retail sales, and other commercial activities of community-wide or regional significance. The CC community commercial district is intended to be applied to regional/community commercial centers identified by the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan.
   (c)   Community Commercial (2) Subdistrict [CC(2)]
   The community commercial (2) (CC(2)) subdistrict is intended to modify the site development regulations of the CC community commercial district, where applied in combination with such district, to allow site specific variations to the community commercial uses and development requirements in the CC district.
   (d)   Service Commercial [CS]
   The CS service commercial district is intended to create and maintain areas accommodating citywide and regional services that may be inappropriate in neighborhood or pedestrian-oriented shopping areas, and which generally require automotive access for customer convenience, servicing of vehicles or equipment, loading or unloading, or parking of commercial service vehicles.
(Ord. 4923 § 3 (part), 2006: Ord. 4925 § 3 (part), 2006)
18.16.020   Applicable Regulations
   (a)   Applicable Chapters
   The specific regulations of this chapter and the additional regulations and procedures established by other relevant chapters of the Zoning Code shall apply to the CN, CS, and CC districts, and the subdistrict designated as CC(2), as shown on the city's Zoning Map. The term "abutting residential zones," where used in this Chapter, includes the R1, R-2, RMD, RM-20, RM-30, RM-40, or residential Planned Community (PC) districts, unless otherwise specifically noted.
   (b)   Applicable Combining Districts
   The combining districts applicable to the CN, CS, CC and CC(2) districts shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following districts:
      (1)   The retail shopping (R) combining district regulations, as specified in Chapter 18.30(A), shall apply to the area of the CN, CS, and CC districts designated as "R" combining district as shown on the city's Zoning Map.
      (2)   The pedestrian shopping (P) combining district regulations, as specified in Chapter 18.30(B), shall apply to the area of the CN, CS, CC and CC(2) districts designated "P" combining district as shown on the city's Zoning Map.
(Ord. 5460 § 15, 2019: Ord. 4923 § 3 (part), 2006: Ord. 4925 § 3 (part), 2006)
18.16.030   Definitions
   For the purposes of this section, the following terms are defined:
   (a)   "Charleston Shopping Center" is defined as all properties zoned CN and bounded by East Charleston Road, Middlefield Road, and Cubberley Community Center.
   (b)   "Midtown Shopping District" is defined as all properties zoned CN in the vicinity of the intersection of Colorado Avenue and Middlefield Road which border Moreno Avenue, Bryson Avenue, Colorado Avenue, and San Carlos Court, or which border Middlefield Road in the area extending from Moreno Avenue to San Carlos Court.
   (c)   "Town and Country Village Shopping Center" is defined as all properties zoned CC and bounded by El Camino Real, Embarcadero Road, Encina Avenue, and the Southern Pacific right-of-way.
   (d)   "Stanford Shopping Center" is defined as all properties zoned CC and bounded by El Camino Real, Sand Hill Road, Quarry Road, and Vineyard Lane.
   (e)   "Neighborhood-serving offices" are medical offices, professional offices, travel agencies, and insurance agencies that fit the definition of a neighborhood-serving use.
   (f)   A "Neighborhood Serving Use" is a use that primarily serves individual consumers and households, not businesses, is generally pedestrian oriented in design, and does not generate noise, fumes or truck traffic greater than that typically expected for uses with a local customer base. A neighborhood-serving use is also one to which a significant number of customers and clients travel, rather than the provider of the goods or services traveling off-site.
   (g)   "Ground Floor" shall mean the first floor that is above grade.
   (h)   "Mixed Use Development" shall mean a combination of nonresidential and residential uses arranged on a site. The uses may be combined in a vertical configuration (within a building) or in a horizontal configuration (separate buildings).
(Ord. 4923 § 3 (part), 2006: Ord. 4925 § 3 (part), 2006)
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