The purposes of this district are to provide for a range of general retail, commercial service and automobile-oriented business uses which usually locate on arterial roadways or highways with higher traffic volumes than smaller local roads and which serve transient and regional customers as well as local community residents. The district allows for uses that provide off-street parking and require space for auto-oriented merchandising and signage. Large-scale uses greater than a specified size or those having negative environmental or aesthetic impacts on the surrounding area are allowed as special exception uses only.
Land, buildings or premises shall be used by right for only one or more of the following uses:
A. 
Retail store, including general merchandise, hardware or variety store, electronics store, gift shop, pharmacy or similar establishment.
B. 
Food store, including grocery store or supermarket, bakery, confectionary or similar establishment where goods are sold at retail.
C. 
Beverage distributor, provided that there shall be no sale of alcoholic beverages.
D. 
Eating or drinking establishment, including standard restaurants, pizza shops, delicatessens and similar businesses.
E. 
Personal service shop, including barber, beautician, shoe repair, tailor, fitness, and weight-control health club or spa, or laundry (where actual cleaning and pressing are done off the premises) and related personal services.
F. 
Entertainment or amusement use, such as a bowling alley, movie theater, family fun center, laser tag facility or other similar indoor entertainment/recreational use.
G. 
Funeral home or mortuary.
H. 
Park, plaza or other outdoor public recreational gathering space.
I. 
Any use of the same general character as any of the above permitted uses, as determined by the Zoning Hearing Board, subject to the compatibility standards in § 185-1824.
The following uses shall be permitted by special exception use subject to the applicable provisions of Article XIX Procedures and Standards for Special Exceptions:
A. 
Drive-through restaurant, bank, pharmacy or similar establishment.
B. 
Construction and related trades businesses, such as those for electricians, carpenters, plumbers, cabinetry makers or similar establishments that contain both a retail outlet or showroom and a workshop, provided that the workshop is located at the rear of the establishment, subject to Article XVI.
C. 
Gasoline service station, subject to § 185-1912.
D. 
Car wash, for residentially owned vehicles, subject to § 185-1913.
E. 
Child day-care center.
F. 
Veterinarian, animal hospital, animal grooming establishment, or animal boardinghouse.
G. 
Public parking and related public utility infrastructure, subject to § 185-1905.
H. 
Apartments, provided that they are above the first floor of a commercial use.
A. 
Off-street parking, subject to Article XVI.
B. 
Signs, subject to Article XVII.
C. 
Satellite antenna, subject § 185-1809.
D. 
Outdoor storage shall be in the rear yard only, provided that such storage area is completely screened from the street and sidewalk by an opaque fence or planted visual screen and shall comply with the screening requirements in § 185-1816. Only those materials, items, or products generated by or directly related to the business conducted on the property shall be stored. There shall be no storage of items from sources other than the subject property Unhitched trailers shall not be permitted as a form of outdoor storage.
E. 
Any accessory use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any of the uses permitted above (§§ 185-1101 and 185-1102) and not detrimental to the neighborhood in terms of impacts such as noise, traffic congestion, smoke and similar impacts noted in Article XXII, Performance Standards.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, the following shall be minimum requirements:
A. 
Commercial and office uses:
Standard
Size
Lot area
5,000 square feet
Lot width
40 feet
Front yard
30 feet
Side yards
10 feet
Rear yard
20 feet
Impervious surface
80%, maximum
Height
3 stories or 40 feet, maximum
A. 
All parking areas, driveways and loading areas shall be provided with a lighting system to adequately provide for the safety of customers, delivery vehicles and other users. All lighting shall be shielded from traffic on any public right-of-way and from any residential district.
B. 
Each permitted use shall provide and maintain attractively landscaped grounds and include screening necessary to protect adjacent residential properties and obscure storage areas from streets and residences.
C. 
Screening and landscaping shall be provided in accordance with all the applicable provisions of §§ 185-1816 and 185-1817.
D. 
Permitted uses shall comply with all the applicable provisions of Articles XVI, Parking Regulations, and XVII, Signs.