(A) Purpose. The principal purpose of the General Commercial (B-2) District is to provide for a wide range of business commercial activities, including all retail sales, tourist and highway-oriented facilities, service businesses, entertainment and commercial recreation uses which serve the entire urbanized area. It is also intended that such business activities be protected from incompatible uses by restricting new residential activities and prohibiting new industrial activities as principal uses within the district.
('80 Code, App. A, § 111) (Ord. 583, passed 9-16-1952; Ord. 2096, passed 11-3-1982; Ord. 2504, passed 9-17-1990; Ord. 2687, passed 1-4-1995)
(B) Permitted principal uses.
(1) Any use allowed within the Limited Commercial (B-1) District as either a principal or conditional use, other than drive-through facilities, motor fuel sales (retail) and convenience markets;
(2) Retail sale, rental or repair of goods, materials and equipment, including wholesale activities; provided, however, that any items wholesaled shall also be available for retail to the general public. Any warehousing, distributorship, collection center, storage yard or itinerant use not in conjunction with an established use as permitted herein, shall be prohibited;
(3) Any business providing a service or installing a product for individuals, households or other businesses;
(4) Other commercial uses such as restaurants, cocktail lounges, tourist lodging, passenger terminal facilities, indoor theaters and any form of commercial recreation or entertainment conducted wholly within an enclosed building;
(5) Parking lots as a primary activity on any lot or parcel of land for vehicles not exceeding a weight-carrying capacity of two and one-half tons; provided, however, that any storage or maintenance of vehicles exceeding a weight-carrying capacity of two and one-half tons other than as an activity which is accessory to any use permitted within an adjacent business zoning district shall be considered an industrial use and shall be prohibited;
(6) Adult oriented businesses as listed below; provided, however, that such uses shall comply with § 154-15.10 of this chapter:
(a) Adult arcade;
(b) Adult bookstore;
(c) Adult cabaret;
(d) Adult motel;
(e) Adult motion picture theater;
(f) Adult theater;
(g) Adult video store;
(h) Escort agency;
(i) Nude model studio; and
(j) Sexual encounter center.
(7) Religious institutions including related buildings and activities;
(8) Grocery stores, neighborhood grocery stores, convenience markets and specialty food and beverage stores provided that neither motor fuel sales nor drive through facility are located on the same lot;
(9) Child day care services, small;
(10) Child day care services, large;
(11) Individual and family social services;
(12) Job training and vocational rehabilitation services;
(13) Residential care home;
(14) Membership-based lodging;
(15) Miscellaneous social services;
(16) Offices and clinics; medical;
(17) Nursing and personal care facility;
(18) Hospitals;
(19) Medical and dental labs;
(20) Home health care services;
(21) Miscellaneous health and allied services;
(22) Single- and two-family dwellings which are located in an established Historic (H) District or which are on the national, state or local register;
(23) Self-storage for the warehousing of household or personal belongings, subject to the following requirements which shall be in addition to the development standards specified by this chapter:
(a) The minimum site area shall be 30,000 square feet;
(b) All storage shall be within an enclosed building;
(c) No activity shall occur other than the loading and unloading of items, and such activity shall be screened from adjacent property and street rights-of-way by a minimum six-foot high solid wall or fence;
(d) All parking, loading/unloading area and access drives shall be paved as specified in Article 16 of this chapter;
(e) Parking/access drives shall be a minimum width of 24 feet, except where access is provided to cubicles on both sides of the parking/access drives, in which case a minimum drive of 32 feet shall be required; and
(f) When only indoor access is provided to the individual storage cubicles, the one on-site loading/unloading area of 12 feet in width by 24 feet in length with a minimum vertical clearance of 14 feet shall be required for each 25 cubicles.
(24) Seasonal itinerant vendors of specific products associated with certain civic, patriotic and/or religious holidays/events.
(a) No sale or display of products or goods may occur in any street right-of-way, visibility triangle, required retention areas or drive aisles.
(b) Seasonal itinerant vendors cannot be located in any parking areas required for permanent onsite use(s).
(c) Seasonal itinerant vendors must provide paved parking for their customers' use.
(d) All temporary structures related to the itinerant use must pass a building inspection prior to being utilized for business.
(e) A business license must be obtained prior to scheduling a temporary structure inspection.
(f) No bells, chimes, microphones, loudspeakers, amplified music, strobe lights, or any other audible or visual distraction are allowed as part of the itinerant operation.
(g) A seasonal itinerant vendor is allowed one banner, not to exceed 32 square feet. The banner must be attached to the seasonal itinerant vendor's temporary structure.
(25) Food truck;
(26) Community garden;
(27) New conversion and new construction company housing complex (large); per § 154-15.19 of this chapter.
('80 Code, App. A, § 111) (Ord. 583, passed 9-16-1952; Ord. 2523, passed 6-5-1991; Ord. 2579, passed 7-15-1992; Ord. 2687, passed 1-4-1995; Ord. O2000-35, passed 6-21-2000; Ord. O2002-09, passed 2-20-2002; Ord. O2002-64, passed 11-26-2002; Ord. O2004-71, passed 12-1-2004; Ord. O2013-28, passed 5-15-2013; Ord. O2014-20, passed 8-27-2014; Ord. O2015-021, passed 4-15-2015; Ord. O2019-022, passed 6-5-2019; Ord. O2023-036, passed 11-15-2023)
(C) Permitted accessory uses.
(1) Fabrication, assembly or craftsmanship of such goods and materials which are sold on the premises; provided, however, that such activity is clearly incidental and essential to a principal retail or service use as provided herein; and further provided that the area devoted to such activity shall not exceed 40% of the gross floor area of the principal use. Any other manner of fabrication, manufacturing, processing or other type of industrial activity shall be prohibited;
(2) Single- and two-family dwellings in conjunction with an established business activity. They shall be located within the same building or lot and may be owner-occupied or a rental unit. These may not be freestanding buildings for a solely residential use; and
(3) Roof-mounted, wall-mounted and concealed/disguised personal wireless communication facilities, in accordance with Article 19 herein, are permitted as an accessory use for a legally established principal use. Wall strapping is permitted for poles that are two inches or less in diameter and lattice towers that are less than 24 inches in diameter as circumscribed around the outside of the support poles.
(a) The use of lattice tower structures for personal wireless communication facilities is permitted.
(b) Personal wireless communication facilities are not permitted in conjunction with legal nonconforming uses.
(4) Farmers Market, subject to the following requirements which shall be in addition to the development standards specified by this subchapter:
(a) There shall be no displacement of required parking spaces;
(b) All parking, loading/unloading areas and access aisles shall be paved as specified in Article 16 of this chapter;
(c) No activity or signage shall occur within the landscaping or retention areas;
(d) A Site Plan and Traffic Control Plan shall be submitted to, and approved by, the Department of Community Development;
(e) Vendors and patrons shall have permitted access to permanently constructed restrooms within 500 feet. A letter granting this permission shall be submitted with the Site Plan and Traffic Control Plan to the Department of Community Development.
(f) Hours of operation are limited to the hours between sunrise and sunset;
(g) Trash receptacles shall be provided during each event;
(h) The property shall be free and clear of litter and/or trash at the end of each event;
(i) Any high noise activity, such as amplified auctioneering, entertainment, or woodworking, must occur within an enclosed building.
(j) Limited to operating a maximum of 72 calendar days per year.
(5) Food truck.
(Ord. O2012-22, passed 11-21-2012; Ord. O2014-20, passed 8-27-2014)
(D) Interim uses.
(1) Food truck.
(E) Conditional uses. Any of the following uses may be established or operated as a conditional use, upon application and approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission (see § 154-03.05).
(1) Drive-through facility for any restaurant, banks, retail store or service business provided, however, that such uses shall only have a minimum of 150 feet of street frontage on any one street, have a minimum lot area of 22,500 square feet, and shall provide a traffic impact study prepared in accordance with the city’s adopted standards and guidelines for traffic impact studies;
(2) Any form of commercial recreation, entertainment or spectator event conducted outdoors;
(3) Convenience markets, provided, however, that such uses shall only be located on arterial streets as classified by the transportation element of the General Plan as amended, have a minimum of 150 feet of street frontage on any one street, have a minimum lot area of 22,500 square feet and shall provide a traffic impact study prepared by an engineer which shall be reviewed by the City Engineer;
(4) Motor fuel sales (retail), provided, however, that such uses shall only be located on arterial streets as classified by the transportation element of the General Plan (as amended), have a minimum of 150 feet of street frontage on any one street, have a minimum lot area of 22,500 square feet and shall provide a traffic impact study prepared by an engineer which shall be reviewed by the City Engineer;
(5) Multi-family dwellings in conjunction with established business activities;
(6) Any retail sale of new automobiles located outside an established AutoCenter Overlay District;
(7) Swap meets;
(8) Private and charter educational facilities;
(9) Junior colleges, colleges, universities, and professional schools (2012 NAICS 611210 and 611310);
(10) Farmers market, subject to the following requirements which shall be in addition to the development standards specified by this subchapter:
(a) There shall be no displacement of required parking spaces;
(b) All parking, loading/unloading areas and access aisles shall be paved as specified in Article 16 of this chapter;
(c) No activity or signage shall occur within the landscaping or retention areas;
(d) A Site Plan and Traffic Control Plan shall be submitted to, and approved by, the Department of Community Development;
(e) Vendors and patrons shall have permitted access to permanently constructed restrooms within 500 feet. A letter granting this permission shall be submitted with the Site Plan and Traffic Control Plan to the Department of Community Development.
(f) Hours of operation are limited to the hours between sunrise and sunset;
(g) Trash receptacles shall be provided during each event;
(h) The property shall be free and clear of litter and/or trash at the end of each event;
(i) Any high noise activity, such as amplified auctioneering, entertainment, or woodworking, must occur within an enclosed building.
(11) Mortuaries, crematory, funeral parlors, and columbariums.
(12) Cemeteries on a minimum area of 15 acres.
(13) Multiple food trucks on one property.
('80 Code, App. A, § 111) (Ord. 583, passed 9-16-1952; Ord. 2504, passed 9-17-1990; Ord. 2687, passed 1-4-1995; Ord. O96-55, passed 6-5-1996; Ord. O2000-52, passed 8-2-2000; Ord. O2001-77, passed 9-19-2001; Ord. O2002-64, passed 11-26-2002; Ord. O2003-40, passed 9-3-2003; Ord. O2004-71, passed 12-1-2004; Ord. O2012-22, passed 11-21-2012; Ord. O2013-02, passed 1-16-2013; Ord. O2013-39, passed 5-15-2013; Ord. O2014-20, passed 8-27-2014; Ord. O2024-027, passed 8-21-2024)
(F) Property development standards. To meet the purpose of this district, all uses shall comply with the following minimum development standards.
(1) Area and location.
(a) The minimum area for the General Commercial District shall be eight acres. Any lot, parcel or tract of land less than eight acres may be considered for rezoning if it adjoins an existing General Commercial or Industrial Zoning District, and meets the minimum lot area requirements as specified herein.
(b) The minimum lot area within the General Commercial District shall be 12,000 square feet; provided, however, that any lot, parcel or tract of land meeting this minimum area and developed as a unit wherein common parking and points of access guaranteed by recorded agreement, may then be further divided into lots or parcels which are less than this minimum specified area, in conformance with Chapter 153 of this title.
(c) The location of any General Commercial (B-2) District shall be restricted to property which has access to and frontage on a collector or an arterial street as classified by the General Plan, as amended, or property which is contiguous to a commercial zoning district which meets this requirement.
(2) Building heights. The maximum building height shall not exceed five stories or 75 feet, subject to the exceptions as specified in § 154-15.03 of this chapter.
(3) Yards.
(a) All buildings, including any accessory structures shall be set back a minimum of 15 feet from any public or private street right-of-way line; provided, however, such setbacks shall be increased to a minimum of 20 feet for any lot or parcel located within the same block on the same street as a residential zoning district.
(b) A minimum landscaped building and parking setback of 20 feet shall be required from any side or rear property line shared with a residential zoning district, except such required setback(s) may be reduced to five feet in width when the commercial property is developed with buildings and/or structures containing no more than 5,000 square feet gross floor area.
(c) Any required yard fronting on a public nor private street right-of-way shall be landscaped as set forth in Article 20 of this chapter and shall not be used for parking, loading, maneuvering aisle or product display.
(4) Noise limitations. Refer to the noise limitation standards delineated in § 154-15.11 herein.
(5) Screening. Any lot located adjacent to a residential zoning district shall be screened by a minimum six-foot high masonry wall. The location of any wall or fence, whether provided to meet the requirements of this chapter or provided voluntarily, shall comply with any required street yard setback specified herein. In addition, for any use wherein vehicles, machinery or equipment is serviced or repaired, all service bays shall be oriented in such fashion that the door openings shall not be visible from any adjoining street, and further, that any yard area where such items may be kept awaiting repair, shall be screened by a minimum six-foot high solid wall.
(6) Parking and loading. Off-street parking and loading shall be provided in the manner specified in Article 16 of this chapter.
(7) Lighting. All exterior lighting fixtures shall be arranged and located as to direct the light away from any public or private street right-of-way or adjoining residential district.
('80 Code, App. A, § 111) (Ord. 583, passed 9-16-1952; Ord. 2687, passed 1-4-1995; Ord. O96-24, passed 3-6-1996; Ord. O96-55, passed 6-5-1996; Ord. O2000-52, passed 8-2-2000; Ord. O2010-32, passed 7-7-2010; Ord. O2014-20, passed 8-27-2014) Penalty, see § 154-999