§ 152.031 HEALTH CARE OVERLAY (HCO DISTRICT).
   (A)   Purpose.
      (1)   The purpose of the Health Care Overlay District is to allow areas for the concentration of medical facilities and related uses in a campus like setting to enable the provision of a wide range of medical services to enhance the public’s health, safety and general welfare and allow for the continuation and flexible expansion of the hospital, medical clinics and associated uses in a planned and coordinated manner so existing and future uses can respond and adapt to changes in technology, the medical profession and society as a whole.
      (2)   The overlay zone standards will:
         (a)   Strengthen the roles currently played by:
            1.   The County Hospital Area around Third Street and Ash Avenue; and
            2.   The County Health Department area around Ninth Street and Pacific Avenue as regional centers for health care and related services.
         (b)   Provide flexibility within the underlying zones to allow health care related uses; and
         (c)   Allow small-scale supportive commercial/retail uses to supplement health care.
   (B)   Applicability. The standards and procedures, permitted and conditional uses, set forth in this section:
      (1)   Apply to all health care related development proposed on a lot or parcel located within, or partially within, the HCO District;
      (2)   Are in addition to the standards of the underlying zone for the uses listed in this section; and
      (3)   Nothing contained in the proposed Health Care Overlay (HCO) district shall limit the uses permitted outright or conditionally within the underlying zone districts.
   (C)   Permitted uses. The following uses shall be permitted within a Health Care Overlay District:
      (1)   Medical and health care uses including hospitals, outpatient clinics, continuing/long-term care services, hospice services, laboratories, medical research facilities, urgent or emergency medical services, offices of doctors, physical therapists, dentists and other health care providers (both public and private);
      (2)   Medical staff facilities and similar uses, including, but not limited to, administrative offices, educational and meeting facilities and staff sleeping quarters;
      (3)   Childcare and adult care services, including respite care;
      (4)   Short term residential uses dependent upon or directly related to medical care, including convalescent care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, group homes for the disabled and overnight accommodations;
      (5)   Health care related retail (i.e., pharmacy, medical supplies and equipment);
      (6)   Social service providers, including counseling centers and alcohol and drug treatment facilities;
      (7)   Accessory parking; and
      (8)   Utilities and public facilities.
   (D)   Conditional uses. The following uses require an additional conditional use permit for approval:
      (1)   Medical helicopter landing pad on the following conditions:
         (a)   The landing pad meets the recommendations of the State Department of Transportation Aviation Division and the Federal Aviation Administration; and
         (b)   Use shall be limited to emergency medical use only.
      (2)   Facilities for the treatment and/or temporary storage of biomedical, radioactive and hazardous waste generated within the overlay district; provided, however, that no materials may be transported to the site from other facilities for storage or treatment purposes; and
      (3)   A building exceeding 45 feet in height.
   (E)   Site development standards. Except as otherwise noted, the site development restrictions shall be as follows:
      (1)   Front yard setback: the minimum front yard setback shall be ten feet except on corner lots where the vision clearance area requirements shall apply and, except when adjacent to a lot outside of the Health Care Overlay District, the front yard setback shall be same as the front yard setback required in the adjacent zone;
      (2)   Side yard setback: the minimum side yard setback shall be five feet. The side yards shall be increased by one-half foot for each foot by which the building exceeds 15 feet in height. The side yard setback distance for one or both sides may be waived for an approved zero lot line development;
      (3)   Rear yard setback: the minimum rear yard setback shall be five feet except when adjacent to a lot outside of the Health Care Overlay District and then the rear yard setback shall be a minimum of 20 feet. The required rear yard setback shall be increased by one-half foot for each foot by which the building exceeds 15 feet in height;
      (4)   Minimum distance between buildings: ten feet;
      (5)   Maximum building height: 45 feet; and
      (6)   Maximum lot coverage: 60%.
   (F)   Site plan requirements. All development within the Health Care Overlay District shall be governed by a site plan, constituted as a binding site plan and shall be reviewed and approved administratively. In addition to the requirements listed in § 152.052 and § 152.053, the site plan shall include the following.
      (1)   Pedestrian connectivity. The campus should have accessible pedestrian connections beyond standard sidewalks along the street and between buildings. Special attention should be paid to crosswalks, connections between parking lots serving adjacent uses and interior walkway connections.
      (2)   Landscaping. Minimum landscaping shall be as required in § 152.053; provided, however, that additional landscaping may be required by the City Planner at the time of zoning clearance permit to achieve the following effects:
         (a)   Effective screening of off-street parking areas and eliminating monotony of parking areas;
         (b)   Effective buffering of adjacent residential uses;
         (c)   Enhance the building architecture and on-site landscaping;
         (d)   Streetscape plantings are required as part of the site plan; including street trees; and
         (e)   Additional landscaping within setback areas to mitigate adverse noise, light, glare and aesthetic impacts to adjacent residential properties from new development may be required.
      (3)   Lighting. Lighting shall be provided throughout the site and along all pedestrian paths and building entrances to promote safety.
      (4)   Building design. There should be continuity of character and building materials throughout the development and with adjacent development in the Health Care Overlay to enhance a campus setting.
      (5)   Building design requirements. Building design should provide articulation to avoid long blank walls and a scale appropriate to the setting. Building entries shall be recessed. Decorative patterns on exterior finish (e.g., scales/shingles, wainscoting, board and batt, masonry) are required. Where possible, buildings should be designed to screen parking and provide useful courtyard settings for users of the facilities.
      (6)   Entrances. Every building adjacent to a street shall have an entrance on the street side; except if the building design cannot provide an entrance due to the internal function of the building space (e.g., mechanical equipment, areas where the public or employees are not received and the like) and, therefore, may not be required to meet this standard. Pathways shall connect all entrances to the street right-of-way.
(Ord. 1312, passed 5-16-2016) Penalty, see § 152.999