It is the intent of this chapter to provide for service stations
on adequate sites at proper and desirable locations with respect to
traffic patterns and adjacent land uses, and to ensure that service
stations do not have adverse impact on adjacent land uses.
(08-05)
No new service station shall be constructed, and no service station use of an existing station which has been vacated for more than 12 months, shall be initiated, unless a conditional use permit is issued by the Planning Commission, pursuant to Chapter
16.303.
All new service station developments and modifications to existing
service stations shall be required to be in conformance with the development
standards of this chapter. Existing service stations, as well as new
service stations, shall comply with all operational regulations of
this chapter.
(08-05)
Automobile service stations shall only be permitted in those districts as provided in Chapter
16.051. All automobile service stations shall require a conditional use permit, and shall be permitted only in conjunction, and compatible with, a larger commercial development (e.g., shopping center, traveler complex, auto service center), located at the intersection of a major or secondary arterial with the freeway or another arterial street as shown in the City's General Plan. All automobile service station facilities shall be located no less than 100 feet from any residential use.
(08-05)
A. Lot
Area
For all new service stations, the minimum area of a site for
an automobile service station shall be 30,000 square feet.
B. Setbacks
For all new service stations, all buildings, including canopies,
shall be set back 10 feet from any property line and 20 feet from
a public right-of-way. Pump islands shall be set back 25 feet from
any property line.
C. Curb
Cuts and Driveways
For all new service stations, there shall be no more than one
driveway with a maximum width of 35 feet on any one street frontage.
At corners, driveways shall not be located closer than 50 feet from
the point of intersection of the street side property lines. Entrance
to an abutting commercial development or combined driveways will be
encouraged to facilitate good circulation.
D. Parking
Parking of vehicles on-site is prohibited except for vehicles in the process of being serviced, vehicles belonging to customers and employees, service trucks owned by the establishment, and rental vehicles as provided in Section
16.087.050. Tow trucks shall not be parked at the site unless approved as part of the conditional use permit for the automobile service station. Temporary overnight outdoor storage and parking of vehicles waiting for repair or pickup may only be permitted if appropriate and specific parking areas are set aside on the site for such use as part of the conditional use permit. No vehicle may be parked on-site for the purpose of offering such automobile for sale. A minimum of one parking space shall be provided for each 250 square feet of gross interior floor area used for any office/cashier space, minimart, service bay and/or restaurant area, and at least one specially marked parking space shall be provided in a convenient location for air and water services. All parking spaces shall be constructed, marked, and landscaped in compliance with the development standards for parking areas with six or more spaces in Chapter
16.136.
E. Architecture
All new automobile service station developments and modifications to existing automobile service stations shall be subject to architectural review pursuant to Chapter
16.300.
F. Signs
All signs are subject to Title 18 of this Code.
G. Perimeter
Walls
Walls may be required on the property lines and along the street
planted areas if the Planning Commission determines that the site
should be buffered from abutting properties. No wall shall be constructed
within five feet of a driveway entrance or vehicle accessway opening
onto a street or alley which would obstruct a view of pedestrians
on the sidewalk, alley, or elsewhere by motorists entering or standing
on the parcel.
H. Refuse
and Recycling Areas
An enclosed area for refuse and recyclable materials integrated
with the design of the station shall be provided to meet the specifications
of the Director of Community Services.
I. Restrooms
Every new service station shall provide accessible restrooms
for men and women. Such restrooms shall be designed such that the
entrance to the restrooms are from within the service station building
or related retail/restaurant building, or if the use of restrooms
can be continually monitored by a service station employee, the restrooms
can be designed to be accessed from the outside.
J. Lighting
1. All lamps in exterior lighting shall be so arranged and shielded
so as to prevent direct illumination from striking abutting property
and from striking the occupants of vehicles passing on the public
right-of-way.
2. All light fixtures under the canopies and on the buildings shall
be designed so that all the light rays emitted by the fixtures are
projected below a horizontal plane at a point below the lowest part
of the lamp (fully cut-off light fixture).
3. All lamps in fixtures shall be covered with diffusing lenses. In
under canopy lighting, no lens shall extend below the bottom of the
light fixture (i.e., no drop down lenses permitted).
4. Parking lot lighting shall be subject to the standards for parking lot lighting in Chapter
16.136.
5. Architectural review is required for all new and modified exterior,
under canopy, and parking lot lighting.
K. Landscaping
New landscaping and modifications to existing landscaping at automobile service stations shall be subject to architectural review pursuant to Chapter
16.303. All automobile service stations shall conform to the following minimum standards:
1. A minimum of 15 percent of the site shall be landscaped and shall
include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
a. A 10-foot setback along the street frontages, except where there
are driveways (planting not to exceed three feet in height except
trees).
b. A minimum 200 square-foot landscaped area at the intersection of
two property lines at a street corner.
c. A planting strip at least five feet wide along all interior parcel
lines.
d. A planting strip at least three feet wide adjacent to buildings,
except where there are walkways.
e. Parking area landscaping required by Chapter
16.136.
2. City parkway areas shall be landscaped (not to exceed three feet
in height except on state highway rights-of-way where it must be low
ground cover). Street trees shall be provided as determined by the
Director of Community Services.
3. All landscaped areas shall have permanent automatic irrigation systems
and shall be kept well maintained.
4. All planting areas, except adjacent to sidewalks or in the public
right-of-way, shall be surrounded by six-inch P.C.C. curbs unless
they have higher planter walls.
5. Extensive planting of trees and retention of existing trees is encouraged.
L. Off-Site
Improvements
The developer shall construct and/or provide all public improvements
as required by the City's adopted Public Improvement Policy.
M. Drainage
All requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) shall be complied with as determined by the City Engineer,
and an NPDES permit shall be obtained prior to construction and/or
occupation or use of the site, whichever occurs first.
N. Paving
All areas not landscaped or used for building must be paved
to meet City specifications. All concrete pavement areas except sidewalks
shall be tinted with pigment.
(08-05; 12-01; 12-04; 14-07)
The sale of beer and wine for off-site consumption may be permitted
in conjunction with an automobile service station if such use is included
in the original conditional use permit for the gas station or an amendment
to the original conditional use permit, or a new conditional use permit
is approved for such use at an existing automobile service station,
and the sale of beer and wine for off-site consumption is a permitted
or conditional permitted use in the zoning district in which the automobile
service station is located.
(08-05)
If any service station is vacant for a period of 12 months or
longer, it shall be declared abandoned, and the conditional use permit
shall be void.
(08-05)
Existing service station lots, structures, and site development which do not conform to the location or development standards of this chapter and which do not have conditional use permits are deemed nonconforming and the provisions of Chapter
16.400 shall apply. If a nonconforming service station is discontinued for a period of 90 days or more, it shall not be re-established unless a new conditional use permit is approved by the Planning Commission. Before approving a new conditional use permit, the Planning Commission shall require that the service station be brought into compliance with the requirements of this chapter as determined feasible by the Commission.
An existing nonconforming service station may be renovated,
remodeled or rebuilt upon obtaining a conditional use permit provided
that the Planning Commission finds that the proposed improvements
brings the station into substantial compliance with the requirements
and restrictions of this chapter.
(08-05)
The above standards constitute the minimum deemed necessary
under general circumstances and in most cases to prevent adverse effect
on the public peace, health, safety, and general welfare by automobile
service station uses, and that where necessary to prevent such adverse
effect in a particular case under appropriate circumstances, conditions
may be added to any conditional use permit. Any one or more of the
above standards may be modified or waived for existing stations for
which modifications are proposed by appropriate action of the Planning
Commission upon a showing by the applicant that its imposition would
be unnecessary, unfair, or unduly burdensome.
(08-05)