[Amended 6-6-1994 by Ord.
No. 94-06]
The General Business District is established to provide an aesthetically
attractive working environment exclusively for, and conducive to,
the development and protection of large commercial office, and specialized
retail uses. The provisions of this article have been developed to
coordinate these developments with the intent to:
(1)
Establish and maintain high aesthetic standards;
(2)
Preserve the district's visual character by ensuring that improvements
are properly related to their sites and to surrounding developments;
(3)
Encourage originality, flexibility and innovation in site planning
and development, including architecture, landscaping and graphic design;
and
(4)
Encourage development that is compatible with and complementary to
nearby residential and commercial areas.
[Amended 6-6-1994 by Ord.
No. 94-06]
In the General Business District, no building or land shall
be used and no building shall be hereafter erected, reconstructed,
altered or enlarged except for one or more of the following uses:
(1)
Corporate headquarters, regional headquarters and general administrative
offices used primarily for conducting the affairs of a business, profession,
service, industry or government.
(3)
General hospitals, medical clinics and optical facilities that provide
testing services or provide medical or dental devices such as artificial
limbs, teeth, eyeglasses, etc.
(4)
Business and technical schools.
(5)
Public utility buildings, telephone exchange buildings, electric
transformer stations and substations, and gas regulator stations (but
not including service or storage yards) when operating requirements
necessitate the location of such facilities within the district.
(6)
Health and athletic clubs.
(7)
Common open space, including pedestrian plazas and courts.
(8)
Any other use which is determined by the Planning Commission to be
of the same general character as, and compatible with, the uses permitted
in this section.
[Amended 6-6-1994 by Ord.
No. 94-06]
The following shall be allowed as accessory uses in the General
Business District:
(1)
Uses and structures customarily accessory and incidental to a permitted
use.
(2)
Temporary buildings for uses incidental to construction work, which
buildings shall be removed upon completion or abandonment of the construction
work.
(3)
Day care facilities.
(4)
Indoor and outdoor recreational facilities, such as swimming pools,
saunas, game and craft rooms, tennis courts and exercise studios,
which are provided in association with a permitted use.
(5)
Parking and loading structures and areas provided in conjunction
with a permitted use.
[Amended 6-6-1994 by Ord.
No. 94-06]
Area and bulk requirements for the C-3 district are set out in Article XI of this chapter, the Schedule of Regulations, limiting the height and bulk of buildings, providing the minimum size of lots by permitted land use, and providing minimum yard setback requirements.
[Added 8-16-1999 by Ord.
No. 99-06; amended 9-7-1999 by Ord. No. 99-07; 6-22-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-02; 9-16-2002 by Ord. No. 02-12]
The following special condition uses shall be permitted in the C-3 district subject to the conditions required in this section for each use, subject to any and all reasonable conditions which may be imposed in accordance with § 4c(2) of the City-Village Zoning Act (MCL 125.584c, MSA 5.2934(3)), as amended, and further subject to review and approval by the Planning Commission as specified in § 86-393, pertaining to review and approval of conditional uses, and § 86-391, pertaining to review and approval of site plans.
(1)
Vehicle dealers with outdoor sales space or repair facilities for
the sale of new or secondhand automobiles, manufactured home sales,
recreational vehicles, or rental trailers or automobiles, and other
similar uses as determined by the Planning Commission, all subject
to the following:
a.
The lot or area shall be provided with a permanent, durable and dustless
surface, and shall be graded and drained as to dispose of all surface
water accumulated within the area.
b.
The driveway to an outdoor sales area shall be at least 60 feet from
the intersection of any two streets.
c.
Any servicing of vehicles, including major motor repair and refinishing
shall be subject to the following requirements:
1.
Any such activities shall be clearly incidental to the sale
of the vehicles and shall occur within a completely enclosed building.
2.
Partially dismantled or damaged vehicles shall be stored within
an enclosed building.
3.
New, used or discarded parts and supplies shall be stored within
a completely enclosed building.
4.
Any such activity shall be located not less than 50 feet from
any property line.
5.
There shall be no external evidence, beyond the building, by
way of dust, odor or noise, of such activities.
d.
All lighting shall be shielded from adjacent residential districts.
(2)
Businesses in the character of an open front store or a fast food
or drive-in restaurant, shall be subject to following conditions:
(3)
Gasoline service stations for the sale of gasoline, oil and minor
accessories only, and where no repair work is done, other than incidental
service as provided for elsewhere in this article, but not including,
vehicle body repair, painting, tire recapping, engine rebuilding,
auto dismantling, and such other activities whose external effects
could adversely extend beyond the property line, subject to the following
conditions:
a.
The curb cuts for access to a service station shall not be permitted
at such locations that will tend to create traffic hazards in the
streets immediately adjacent thereto. Entrances shall be no less than
25 feet from a street intersection, measured from the road right-of-way,
or from adjacent residential districts.
b.
The minimum lot area shall be 15,000 square feet, and so arranged
that ample space is available for motor vehicles which are required
to wait. Gasoline service stations which are intended solely for the
sale of gasoline, oil and minor accessories and have no facilities
for repair or servicing of automobiles (including lubricating facilities)
may be permitted on lots of 10,000 square feet, subject to all other
provisions of this section.
c.
The view of all restroom doors shall be shielded from adjacent streets
and residential districts.
d.
Tow trucks (wreckers) and vehicles under repair shall not be permitted
in the front yard.
e.
The parking of vehicles on the site shall be limited to those which
may be serviced within a twenty-four-hour period.
f.
A ten-foot landscaped greenbelt shall be provided along all street
frontages.
(4)
Accessory buildings and uses customarily incident to any of the uses
permitted in this section.
(5)
Car washes. Machine or hand operated facilities used principally
for cleaning, waxing, and polishing of motor vehicles.
(6)
Miniwarehouses (self-storage facilities).
a.
Building setbacks shall be as follows: Front yard not less than 30
feet; side yard and rear yard not less than 10 feet.
b.
Building separation between self-storage buildings on the same site
shall be 30 feet, as measured from the side to side or front to rear,
or equal to the building height, whichever is greater.
c.
The total lot coverage of all structures shall be limited to 50%
of the total lot area.
d.
When adjacent to a residential district, a sightproof barrier shall
be provided around the perimeter of the development. The barrier shall
be located at the setback line and may consist of either the solid
facades of the storage structures or a fence. If a fence is provided,
it shall be a minimum of six feet in height and shall be constructed
of brick, stone, masonry units or wood products which are determined
by the building inspector to be durable and weather resistant.
e.
A ten-foot landscaped greenbelt shall be provided between the property line and required barrier along all street frontages. A five-foot landscaped greenbelt shall be provided between the property line and barrier where the site abuts any residential district. All materials shall be planted in conformance with § 86-350.
f.
Parking shall be provided in a ratio of one space for each 2,000
square feet of gross building area. At a minimum, two parking spaces
must be assigned to, and located conveniently to, each individual
storage building. In addition, two spaces for the residential manager,
and one additional space for each additional employee, shall be provided
adjacent to the rental office.
g.
Internal driveway aisles shall be a minimum of 24 feet in width.
h.
All off-street parking areas and driveways shall be hard surfaced and drained in accordance with § 86-338.
i.
All ingress and egress from the site shall be directly onto a major
thoroughfare as identified on the City future land use plan.
j.
Building height shall not exceed one story (15 feet), except that
a caretaker's or residential manager's unit may be allowed a building
height of two stories (25 feet).
k.
No single storage building shall exceed 5,000 square feet.
l.
All storage on the property shall be kept within an enclosed building.
m.
The use of the premises shall be limited to storage only, and the
premises shall not be used for any auctions or sales, or storage and
transfer businesses; for the servicing, repair or fabrication of any
vehicle, boat, trailer, appliance, or similar item; or for the operation
of power tools, compressors, kilns, or similar equipment; except that
limited sales to tenants of products and supplies incidental to the
principle use, such as packing materials, identification labels, rope,
locks, tape, etc., shall be permitted on the site devoted to this
use. The storage of combustible or flammable liquids, combustible
fibers, or explosive materials, as defined in the fire protection
code, or toxic materials, is expressively prohibited.
