(A) Purpose. The Highway Commercial District is intended to:
(1) Maintain and enhance the county’s economic base and promote employment;
(2) Accommodate business uses that meet the needs of the traveling public, including those uses which may be incompatible with the predominantly retail uses allowed within cities’ business districts;
(3) Encourage high quality development that avoids or mitigates impacts to natural systems and less intensive uses; and
(4) Ensure that the efficiency and safety of arterial roadways are maintained through access control management.
(B) Permitted uses.
(1) Agriculture, including farm homesteads;
(2) Agricultural chemicals, fertilizer sales, including the blending of fertilizer;
(3) Agriculturally-oriented business, including auction houses;
(4) Feed and seed sales;
(5) Grain elevator, grain storage and drying (commercial);
(6) Natural resource manufacturing and processing;
(7) Seasonal produce stand;
(8) Accessory dwelling unit;
(9) Daycare center;
(10) Local governmental agency building or facility, community center;
(11) Parks and public recreation areas;
(12) Go-cart track, miniature golf, skating rink (unenclosed);
(13) Gun or archery range, indoor;
(14) Skating rink (enclosed), dance hall, game arcade, bowling alley, health club;
(15) Riding academy, boarding stable;
(16) Art, photography, crafts gallery, pottery shop, studios;
(17) Automobile repair;
(18) Automobile service station, car wash;
(19) Automobile, trailer, marine, recreational vehicle and farm implement sales;
(20) Bakery, coffee shop;
(21) Barber, beauty shop;
(22) Bed and breakfast;
(23) Building material sales and storage, lumber yard, garden store, commercial greenhouse, manufactured home sales;
(24) Convenience gas and goods sales;
(25) Convention center, exhibit hall;
(26) Flea market, auction site;
(27) Laundry, laundromat;
(28) Motel, hotel;
(29) Office, professional or medical;
(30) Office, other than professional or medical;
(31) Office services;
(32) Repair services. Repair service includes, but are not limited to, the repair of: appliances, furniture and upholstery, jewelry, shoes, musical instruments, watches, and other articles generally found for sale in retail sales establishments;
(33) Restaurant (drive-in), theater (drive-in), or similar uses that provide goods and services to patrons in automobiles;
(34) Restaurant;
(35) Retail sales establishment. Retail sales establishments include, but are not limited to, establishments that offer the following goods and/or service: antique and collectibles, bicycle sales and repair, books, clothing, convenience food goods, drugs, groceries, guns and ammunition, hardware, jewelry, music, musical instruments, newspapers and magazines, office furniture and supplies, picture framing, recreation equipment sales and service, stationery, tobacco, tourist related sales and service, video sales and rentals;
(36) Shopping center;
(37) Tavern, club;
(38) Veterinary and animal clinic and facilities for the care and/or breeding of animals including kennel;
(39) Railroad right-of-way, but not including railroad yard;
(40) Parking facility;
(41) Solar equipment;
(42) Swimming pool, hot tub;
(43) Water-oriented accessory structures (docks, lifts and the like); and
(44) Other accessory uses and structures that are incidental to the principal use.
(C) Conditional uses.
(1) Single-family detached dwelling (see density and other standards);
(2) Licensed residential program (up to eight residents);
(3) Religious institution;
(4) School, public or private;
(5) Campground;
(6) Golf course, country club, driving range;
(7) Gun or archery range, outdoor;
(8) Organized motor sports, ATVs, trucks, tractors or motorcycle tracks or trails (not including auto or other vehicle racing, tracks or events);
(9) Paint ball course;
(10) Adult uses;
(11) Water-oriented commercial business;
(12) Advertising sign (off-site);
(13) Truck terminal, truck stop, freight terminal;
(14) Warehouse distribution facility;
(15) Essential services, facilities and structures;
(16) Outdoor display;
(17) Wind turbine, accessory;
(18) Industrial wastewater treatment facility; and
(19) Solar farms.
(D) Outdoor display standards. The following standards shall apply to nonresidential development within the Highway Commercial District: Display of materials shall be located outside the public right-of-way and shall be maintained in an orderly condition.
(E) Dimensional standards. Development within the Highway Commercial District shall be subject to the following minimum dimensional standards:
(1) Lot area:
(a) Principal permitted and conditional uses: as necessary to meet all setbacks and coverage regulations, or as specified by conditional use permit; and
(b) No minimum lot area required for utilities, public uses and communication towers except as otherwise required.
(2) Minimum lot width: 100 feet;
(3) Minimum setbacks from property or road right-of-way lines, principal structures:
(a) Front yard: 50 feet;
(b) Side yard: 15 feet, or 50 feet from any lot in a residential or agricultural district; and
(c) Rear yard: 15 feet or 50 feet from any lot in a residential or agricultural district.
(4) Minimum setbacks from property or road right-of-way lines, accessory structures:
(a) Front yard: same as principal structure;
(b) Side yard: 20 feet (ten feet if structure is 100 square feet or less in area and no greater than 14 feet in sidewall height); and
(c) Rear yard: 20 feet (ten feet if structure is 100 square feet or less in area and no greater than 14 feet in sidewall height).
(5) Minimum setbacks, windbreaks and trees:
(a) Road right-of-way of less than 100 feet: 20 feet from right-of-way;
(b) Road right-of-way of 100 feet or greater: 15 feet from right-of-way;
(c) From side or rear parcel boundary: 10 feet for windbreaks consisting of shrubs and 20 feet for trees, as defined; and
(d) Side or rear windbreak and tree setbacks may be reduced or eliminated by agreement of adjoining property owners when the agreement is filed with the Zoning Administrator.
(6) Maximum impervious coverage: 65% of lot area; and
(7) Maximum height for all structures except agricultural structures, utilities and communication or wind towers: 35 feet.
(F) Access management standards. Access points shall be sited and designed according to the access management standards in Article 4 of this ordinance. A maximum of two access points shall be allowed to any county road unless the County Engineer finds that additional access points are warranted. Access to state highways requires MnDOT permit.
(G) Additional requirements. Additional requirements within this ordinance and other county ordinances apply to development in the HC District. These include, but are not limited to, the general regulations in Articles 4 and 5 and the conditional use and specific development standards in Article 3.
(Ord. 97, passed 7-21-2009; Ord. 113, passed 4-15-2014; Ord. 117, passed 6-17-2014)