Commercial areas are separated into four (4) zoning districts, with specific Use Types, minimum lot area, and other requirements, as described below.
(a) Local Commercial (C-L) Zone. The purpose of the Local Commercial (C-L) zone is to allow for retail, service, and office uses that meet the daily needs of nearby residents and workers. Residential uses are also allowed on upper floors as an ancillary use. Standards for the C-L zone are intended to reduce the need to drive by providing everyday goods and services close to where people live and work, and by allowing for centers of neighborhood activity that support small, locally-owned businesses. Permitted uses in the C-L zone are similar to the General Commercial (C-G) zone, except that regional-serving uses, large stores, and more intensive commercial uses such as vehicle repair, light manufacturing, and warehousing and storage uses, are not allowed.
The development intensity in C-L zones will be dependent on whether public services (sewer, water) are available. The maximum permitted floor area ratio in the C-L zone is 0.5 (1.0 for mixed commercial and residential) and the maximum allowable “floor plate” (the space occupied) for individual uses is forty thousand (40,000) square feet of ground floor space. The C-L zone implements the Commercial Local (CL) land use designation in the 2030 Countywide General Plan.
(b) General Commercial (C-G) Zone. The purpose of the General Commercial (C-G) zone is to allow for a full range of retail, service, and office uses in proximity to residents in rural areas of the County, to reduce the need for residents of remote communities to drive long distances to meet basic needs. Permitted uses include general retail, personal services, professional offices, restaurants, gas and service stations, hotels and motels, and other similar commercial uses. Research and development parks with office and service support are also allowed. Heavier uses such as vehicle repair, light manufacturing, and warehousing and storage are conditionally permitted in the C-G zone with the approval of a Use Permit. Residential uses are allowed on upper floors as an ancillary use.
The development intensity in C-G zones will be dependent on whether public services (sewer, water) are available. The maximum permitted floor area ratio in the C-G zone is 1.0 (2.0 for mixed commercial and residential). The C-G zone implements the Commercial General (CG) land use designation in the 2030 Countywide General Plan.
(c) Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) Zone. The Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) zone is to be applied to unincorporated downtown areas that are planned for development or redevelopment of a mixture of primarily commercial, retail, office and residential uses that are designed to be pedestrian-friendly. The DMX zone may only be applied in downtown areas that are connected to public services (sewer and water).
The purposes of the DMX District are to create a village-like main street similar to commercial areas of older cities, and to encourage mixed use development projects with neighborhood and community-serving retail, service, and other uses on the ground floor and residential and live/work units above the nonresidential space. The DMX regulations allow for a mixture of residential and commercial land uses located close to one another, either within a single building, on the same parcel, or on adjacent parcels. Standards in the DMX zone are intended to reduce reliance on the automobile and create a pedestrian-oriented shopping environment. Specific standards are applied to parking, setbacks, and signs, and to encourage certain architectural facades and features.
Permitted commercial uses include all of the general retail, personal services, restaurants, professional offices, and other similar uses that are allowed in the C-G zone. Live-work uses that involve the manufacturing of artisan-related products for sale are also allowed. Permitted residential density in the DMX zone for new buildings ranges from a minimum of ten (10) to a maximum of twenty (20) dwelling units per net acre. The maximum permitted floor area ratio in the DMX zone is 1.0 (2.0 for mixed commercial and residential). The DMX zone implements the Commercial General (CG) land use designation in the 2030 Countywide General Plan.
(d) Highway Services Commercial (C-H) Zone. The purpose of the Highway Services Commercial (C-H) zone is to provide for retail, commercial, amusement, and transient residential (hotel/motel) uses which are appropriate to highway locations and dependent upon highway travel. Permitted uses include auto and truck service stations and repair, vehicle and boat equipment sales, hotels/motels, restaurants, small retail sales. The C-H zones are applied on parcels of two (2) acres or more and are located only in the vicinity of highways or major arterials. The maximum permitted floor area ratio in the C-G zone is 1.0. The C-H zone implements the Commercial General (CG) land use designation in the 2030 Countywide General Plan.
(Ord. 1445, eff. August 14, 2014)