(a) Purpose. The purpose of the Commercial District (C) is to:
(1) Create and maintain major commercial areas accommodating a broad range of office, retail, and other commercial activities of communitywide significance, and
(2) Provide for commercial uses that generate high automobile traffic volumes in areas where existing roads can accommodate such traffic, and
(3) Regulate such commercial uses so as to minimize their impact on surrounding residential neighborhoods.
(b) Permitted Principal, and Conditional Uses.
See the Permitted Land Use Table (Table 1).
(c) Lot Provisions.
Commercial Structures.
(1) The minimum lot size shall be 4,000 square feet.
(2) The minimum lot frontage shall be 30 feet.
(3) Maximum lot coverage 85 percent.
(d) Setbacks.
The following setbacks shall be required for all principal structures.
(1) Minimum front setback 10 feet
(2) Maximum front setback 15 feet
(3) Minimum side setback 0 feet
(4) Minimum rear setback 10 feet
The minimum setback for accessory structures on a lot shall be five (5) feet from the rear property line and five (5) feet from each side property line. No accessory structures are permitted within the front setback.
In districts with a combined Zoning classification that includes Commercial, the setback requirements of the other Zoning District take precedence over what is stated above.
(e) Encroachments into Setbacks. Architectural features may project into a required setback as provided below:
(1) Fire escapes, chimneys, cornices, awnings, canopies, eaves, sills, pilasters, lintels, gutters or other similar features may extend into a setback a distance not exceeding three (3) feet, except that such features shall not extend closer than three (3) feet from the property line.
(2) Uncovered stairs, landings and porches shall not extend closer than three (3) feet from the property line.
(3) Open and covered, but un-enclosed front porches attached to single family dwellings may extend into the required front setback a distance equal to fifty (50) percent of the setback depth. Such porches may not subsequently be enclosed unless the normal setback requirements for the district are met.
No permitted encroachment noted above shall extend to within three (3) feet of an accessory structure.
Fences, walls, terraces, steps or other similar features may encroach into a required setback. Such appurtenances shall not be located within access, drainage, or utility easements.
HVAC mechanical units may be located no closer than five (5) feet to a side lot line.
Parking shall be permitted in the front setback only on approved driveways constructed to the appropriate engineering standards and Building Codes approved by the City Building Inspector or Mayor and arranged so that no part of any vehicle parked on the driveway encroaches into the right-of-way of any street.
(f) Building Height.
(1) The maximum height of a principal structure shall not exceed sixty (60) feet.
(2) The maximum height of an accessory structure shall not exceed eighteen (18) feet.
(3) On a lot where terraces exist, the height of the building located thereon may be increased above the height limitations of the district a distance equal to the height of the terrace above the curb, provided that the depth of the front yard is not less than the height of the terrace above the curb.
(4) Chimneys, cooling towers, elevator bulkheads, fire towers, stacks, tanks, water towers, transmission towers or essential mechanical appurtenances may be erected to any height not prohibited by other laws or ordinances.
(g) Performance Standards. All residential construction shall substantially conform in street orientation to adjacent interior lot homes.
On a corner lot, the front lot line shall be the lot line having the shortest dimension along the street right-of-way line. The required side yard setback on the side facing a street shall be one and one-half (1.5) times the normal side setback requirement.
Civic buildings such as private schools and churches should be built so that they terminate street vistas whenever possible, and shall be of sufficient design to create visual anchors for the community.
(h) Materials.
(1) Residential buildings should be clad in wood siding, vinyl siding, composite siding (cement board), stone, or brick.
(2) Civic building walls shall be clad in stone, wood, brick, marble, or cast concrete.
(3) Garden walls should not be made from cinderblocks unless of the ornamental variety designed for use in landscaping projects.
(4) Civic building roofs shall be clad in slate, sheet metal, corrugated metal, and/or diamond tab asphalt shingles.
(5) Principal building roofs should have a pitch that substantially conforms to the roof pitches of adjacent homes.
(j) Supplemental Regulations.
(1) No basement shall be occupied until the residential structure has been completed.
(2) Accessory buildings are permitted in all districts, but not prior to the erection of the principal building.
(3) No accessory building, other than a garage, shall be located closer to a side lot line than three feet nor exceed eighteen feet in height and shall be set back from the front line of the lot at least seventy-five feet in R1 districts, and forty feet in other districts; garages must be located at least fifteen feet from front lot line.
(4) Accessory uses such as walks, driveways, curbs, retaining walls, mailboxes, lamp posts, birdbaths and structures of like nature are permitted in any required front, side or rear yard. Fences, hedges or enclosure walls may be permitted provided:
A. That a solid fence or enclosure wall shall not exceed a height of six feet.
B. That an ornamental fence exceeding six feet in height shall have a ratio of solid portion to open portion not in excess of one to four.
C. That any fence, hedge or enclosure wall on a corner lot and situated within fifteen feet of the intersection of two street lines shall not exceed a height three feet above the curb.
(k) No part of any accessory building shall be used for residential purposes, except that quarters for bona fide servants employed by the occupants of the dwelling on the same lot and one guesthouse without cooking facilities on lots containing not less than 10,000 square feet are permitted. (Ord. 495. Passed 12-7-20.)