Chapter 18.20
OFFICE, RESEARCH, AND MANUFACTURING
(MOR, ROLM, RP and GM) DISTRICTS

Sections:

   18.20.010   Purposes

   18.20.020   Applicability

   18.20.030   Land Uses

   18.20.040   Site Development Standards

   18.20.050   General Standards, Exceptions, and Performance Criteria

   18.20.060   Grandfathered Uses

   18.20.070   Conflict with Development Agreement

18.20.010 Purposes

   The office research, industrial and manufacturing zoning districts provide sites for office, light industrial, research and development, and limited commercial uses. The specific purposes for each district are listed below.

   (a)   Medical Office and Medical Research (MOR) District

   The MOR medical office and medical research district provides for medical office, medical research, and some medical support services in areas characterized by low building intensity, large site size, and landscaped grounds. The MOR district is primarily intended for land that is designated for research and office park use in the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan, and that is near hospitals.

   (b)   Research, Office and Limited Manufacturing (ROLM) District

   The ROLM research, office and limited manufacturing district provides for a limited group of office, research and manufacturing uses in a manufacturing/research park environment, where uses requiring larger sites and available natural light and air can locate. Office uses can be accommodated, but should not predominate in the district. The ROLM district is primarily intended for land designated for research and office park use by the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan and located east of El Camino Real.

   (c)   Research, Office and Limited Manufacturing Subdistrict - Embarcadero [ROLM(E)]

   The research, office and limited manufacturing subdistrict [ROLM(E)] modifies the site development regulations of the ROLM research, office and limited manufacturing district to apply to smaller sites in areas with limited access or with environmental sensitivity due to their proximity to the Palo Alto Baylands in the Embarcardero Road area.

   (d)   Research Park District [RP]

   The RP research park district provides for a limited group of research and manufacturing uses that may have unusual requirements for space, light, and air, and desire sites in a research park environment. Premium research and development facilities should be encouraged in the RP district. Support office uses should be limited and should exist primarily to serve the primary research and manufacturing uses. The RP district is intended for application to land designated for research and office park use in the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan on sites that are west of El Camino Real and held in large parcels, which may or may not also be subject to ground leases.

   (e)   Research Park Subdistrict 5 [RP(5)]

   The Research Park site subdistrict [RP(5)] modifies the site development regulations of the RP research park district to regulate large sites in hilly areas.

   (f)   General Manufacturing District [GM]

   The GM general manufacturing district provides for light manufacturing, research, and commercial service uses. Office uses are very limited in order to maintain the district as a desirable location for manufacturing uses. The GM district is intended for application to land designated for light industrial use in the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan.

(Ord. 4884 § 2 (part), 2005: Ord. 4883 § 7 (part), 2005)

18.20.020 Applicable Regulations

   The specific regulations of this chapter and the additional regulations and procedures established by this Title 18 shall apply to all Office Research, Industrial, and Manufacturing districts.

(Ord. 4884 § 2 (part), 2005: Ord. 4883 § 7 (part), 2005)

18.20.030 Land Uses

   (a)   Permitted and Conditionally Permitted Land Uses

   Table 1 lists the land uses permitted or conditionally permitted in the industrial and manufacturing districts.

Table 1
Industrial/Manufacturing District Land Uses

[P = Permitted Use   CUP = Conditional Use Permit Required]

	MOR	ROLM ROLM(E)	RP RP(5)	GM	Subject to regulations in Chapter:
ACCESSORY AND SUPPORT USES
Accessory facilities and activities customarily associated with or essential to permitted uses, and operated incidental to the principal use.	P	P	P	P	Chs. 18.40, 18.42
Automatic Teller Machines	P	P	P	P	18.20.030(d)
Home Occupations, when accessory to permitted residential uses.	P	P	P	P	Chs. 18.40, 18.42
Safe Parking					18.42.160
EDUCATIONAL, RELIGIOUS, AND ASSEMBLY USES
Business and Trade Schools				P
Religious Institutions		P	P	P
Colleges and Universities	P	P	P
Private Clubs, Lodges, or Fraternal Organizations	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Private Schools (K-12)	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
HEALTH CARE SERVICES
Ambulance Services	CUP
Convalescent Facilities	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP	18.23.100( B)
Medical Office	P	CUP	CUP
Medical Research	P	P	P		18.20.030(c)
Medical Support Retail	P				18.20.030(b)
Medical Support Services	P				18.20.030(b)
MANUFACTURING AND PROCESSING USES
Manufacturing		P	P	P	18.23.100( B)
Recycling Centers		CUP	CUP	CUP
Research and Development	CUP	P	P	P	18.23.100( B)
Warehousing and Distribution		P	P	P
OFFICE USES
Administrative Office Services		P	P	CUP
Financial Services		CUP	CUP
Professional and General Business Office		P	P
PUBLIC/QUASI-PUBLIC USES
Service and Equipment Yards				P
Utility Facilities				CUP
Utility Facilities essential to provision of utility services but excluding construction/storage yards, maintenance facilities, or corporation yards	CUP	CUP	CUP
RECREATION USES
Commercial Recreation		CUP	CUP	CUP	18.40.160
Neighborhood Recreational Centers	CUP
RESIDENTIAL USES
Single-Family	Not permitted				18.20.040(b)
Two-Family	Not permitted
Multiple-Family (Housing Element Opportunity Site)		P	P	P	18.14.020
Multiple-Family	CUP	CUP(1)	CUP	CUP(1)	18.14.020
Residential Care Homes	P	CUP	CUP	CUP	18.23.100( B)
RETAIL USES
Eating and Drinking Services, excluding drive-in and take-out services		CUP	CUP	CUP	18.40.160
Retail Services		CUP	CUP	CUP	18.40.160
SERVICE USES
Animal Care, excluding boarding and kennels				P
Boarding and Kennels				CUP
Day Care Centers	P	CUP	CUP	CUP	18.23.100(B), 18.40.160
Emergency Shelters for the Homeless		P (ROLM(E)			18.20.030(d)
Family Day Care Homes
Small Family Day Care	P	CUP	CUP	CUP	18.23.100( B)
Large Family Day Care	P	CUP	CUP	CUP	18.23.100( B)
General Business Services				P
Lodging
Hotels providing not more than 10% of rooms with kitchens	CUP				18.40.160
Mortuaries and Funeral Homes				P
Personal Services		CUP	CUP	CUP	18.40.160
Vehicle Services
Automobile Service Stations, subject to site and design review in accord with the provisions of Chapter 18.30(G)		CUP	CUP
Automotive Services				CUP
Off-site new vehicle storage for auto dealerships located in Palo Alto		CUP		CUP
TEMPORARY USES
Temporary Parking Facilities, provided that such facilities shall remain no more than five years	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
TRANSPORTATION USES
Passenger Transportation Terminals				CUP

 

Notes:

   (1)   Adjacent to Bayshore Freeway and generally bounded by East Charleston Road and Loma Verde Avenue (see Figure 1), subject to CUP.

   (b)   Limitations on Medical Support Service and Medical Support Retail Uses in the Medical Office and Medical Research (MOR) Zone

      (1)   The intent of this limitation is to restrict medical support service and medical support retail uses in the Medical Office and Medical Research (MOR) zone in order to preserve and facilitate space for medical offices and medical research facilities.

      (2)   Floor area devoted to medical support services and medical support retail uses in the Medical Office and Medical Research (MOR) zoning district shall not exceed twenty percent (20%) of the total gross floor area within the district.

      (3)   The director may require a report from the property owner or applicant whenever application is made to the city to develop new space for medical support service or medical support retail uses or to convert existing space to such uses. The report shall identify the gross floor area of buildings on each site within the zoning district and the gross floor area of medical support service and medical support retail uses for each site. The director may, from time to time, establish procedures and standards implementing this Section 18.20.030(b).

   (c)   Automatic Teller Machines

      (1)   Automatic teller machines may be allowed as an accessory use in the MOR, ROLM, ROLM(E), RP, RP(5), and GM districts when incidental to a primary use on the site and when accessible only from the interior of a building.

      (2)   Automatic teller machines may be allowed as a permitted use in the MOR, ROLM, ROLM(E), RP, RP(5), and GM districts when incidental to a primary use on the site and when accessible from the exterior of a building. Staff level Architectural Review is required prior to issuance of a building permit.

   (d)   Emergency Shelters for the Homeless

   Emergency shelters for the homeless may be allowed as a permitted use in the ROLM(E) district on properties located east of Highway 101, subject to the following performance and design standards.

   Performance and Design Standards for Emergency Shelters for the Homeless.

   An emergency shelter for the homeless shall conform to all site development standards and performance criteria of the ROLM(E) zone district except as modified by the following performance and design standards:

      (1)   The construction of and/or renovation of a building for use as an emergency shelter shall conform to all applicable building and fire code standards.

      (2)   There shall be provided one parking space for each three (3) beds in the emergency shelter.

      (3)   Shelters shall have designated smoking areas that are not visible from the street and which are in compliance with all other laws and regulations.

      (4)   There shall be no space for outdoor congregating in front of the building adjacent to the street and no outdoor public telephones.

      (5)   There shall be a refuse area screened from view.

      (6)   Maximum number of persons/beds. The emergency shelter for the homeless shall contain no more than 40 beds.

      (7)   Size and location of exterior and interior on-site waiting and client intake areas. Shelters shall provide 10 square feet of interior waiting and client intake space per bed. In addition, there shall be two office areas provided for shelter staff. Waiting and intake areas may be used for other purposes as needed during operations of the shelter.

      (8)   On-site management. On-site management and on-site security shall be provided during hours when the emergency shelter is in operation.

      (9)   The emergency shelter provider shall submit an operations plan that addresses the standards for operation contained in the Palo Alto Quality Assurance Standards for Emergency Shelters for the Homeless.

      (10)   Distance to other facilities. The shelter must be more than 300 feet from any other shelters for the homeless.

      (11)   Length of stay. Temporary shelter shall be available to residents for no more than 60 days. Extensions up to a total stay of 180 days may be provided if no alternative housing is available.

      (12)   Outdoor lighting shall be sufficient to provide illumination and clear visibility to all outdoor areas, with minimal shadows or light leaving the property. The lighting shall be stationary, and directed away from adjacent properties and public rights-of-way.

   Figure 1: GM/ROLM Housing Element Focus Area

(Ord. 5490 § 6, 2020: Ord. 5407 § 10, 2017: Ord. 5381 § 3, 2016: Ord. 5230 § 7, 2014: Ord. 4884 § 2 (part), 2005: Ord. 4883 § 7 (part), 2005: Ord. 5608 § 6, 2024)