In addition to the general objectives of this chapter, the commercial districts are included in the Zoning Ordinance to achieve the following purposes:
(A)
General Purposes.
(1)
To provide for retail stores, offices, service establishments, recreational establishments, and wholesale businesses offering a range of commodities and services adequate to meet the needs of County residents and visitors.
(2)
To contain commercial facilities in appropriately located areas, enhancing multimodal corridors and activity centers, and providing opportunities for commercial uses to concentrate for the convenience of the public and in mutually beneficial relationships to each other.
(3)
To ensure that commercial facilities and uses are compatible with the level of available public facilities and services, minimizing traffic congestion and preventing the overloading of utilities and public services.
(4)
To ensure that commercial development is compatible with natural resource protection, environmental quality, and the scenic setting of the County.
(5)
To ensure that commercial facilities are constructed and operated such that they are compatible with adjacent development, and that high standards of urban design are maintained, minimizing impacts on residential areas and providing for adequate site layout, protection of solar access to adjacent property, landscaping, sign and building design and size, and on-site parking, loading, and circulation.
(6)
To protect commercial properties from noise, odor, dust, dirt, smoke, vibration, heat, glare, heavy truck traffic, and other objectionable influences incidental to industrial uses, and from fire, explosion, noxious fumes, and other hazards.
(7)
To provide for residential and public facility uses on commercial properties where these uses contribute to establishing vibrant activity centers, complete neighborhoods, and/or attainable housing, while including an appropriate and viable level of commercial land uses.
(8)
To maximize efficient energy use and energy conservation in commercial uses, and to encourage the use of locally available renewable energy resources.
(B)
Specific C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District Purposes. To provide compact and conveniently located shopping and service uses within walking distance of individual urban neighborhoods or centrally located to serve rural communities. Neighborhood commercial uses and facilities should be small scale, appropriate to a neighborhood service area, with minimal adverse traffic, noise, or aesthetic impacts on the adjacent residential areas. Mixed-use residential and commercial uses are allowed, with design considerations to ensure compatibility between land uses on site and with adjacent sites. The C-1 District is intended for parcels with a General Plan designation of Neighborhood Commercial (C-N) or Community Commercial (C-C).
(C)
Specific C-2 Community Commercial District Purposes. To provide centers of concentrated commercial uses accommodating a broad range and mixture of commercial activities, serving the general shopping, entertainment, service, visitor, and office needs of community or region-wide service areas. Mixed-use residential and commercial uses are allowed, with design considerations to ensure compatibility between land uses on site and with adjacent sites. The C-2 District is intended for parcels with a General Plan designation of Community Commercial (C-C).
(D)
Specific VA Visitor Accommodations District Purposes. To provide areas specifically reserved for visitor accommodations and limited appurtenant uses. To allow a broad range of short-term (less than 30 days) lodging options for visitors and to recognize these as commercial uses. The VA District is intended for parcels with a General Plan designation of Visitor Accommodation (C-V) or Community Commercial (C-C).
(E)
Specific CT Tourist Commercial District Purposes. To recognize visitor serving uses such as food services, auto fueling, and visitor accommodations along major transportation corridors or in commercial activity centers. The CT District is intended for parcels with a General Plan designation of Neighborhood Commercial (C-N), Community Commercial (C-C), or Visitor Accommodation (C-V).
(F)
Specific PA Professional-Administrative Office District Purposes. To provide for professional service uses in buffer areas between residential neighborhoods and more intensive commercial or industrial activities, as well as in locations where a demonstrated need for professional services exists, such as medical and employment activity centers.
Mixed-use residential and office uses are allowed, with design considerations to ensure compatibility between land uses on site and with adjacent sites. Limited sales and customer service uses are appropriate as ancillary to an office or mixed-use development, to meet the daily needs of residents and workers. The PA District is intended for parcels with a General Plan designation of Community Commercial (C-C), Professional and Administrative Office (C-O), or Service Commercial and Light Industrial (C-S).
(G)
Specific C-3 Workplace Flex District Purposes. To provide centers of employment with a flexible mixture of office, retail, research, and light industrial land uses as well as ancillary sales, customer service, and public facilities uses to meet the daily needs of workers. C-3 District parcels should make efficient use of urban infrastructure and should accommodate flexibly built spaces for multiple business types and changing business needs over time. The C-3 District is intended for parcels located along major corridors and in activity centers within the Urban Services Line, with a General Plan designation of Community Commercial (C-C), Professional and Administrative Office (C-O), or Service Commercial and Light Industrial (C-S).
(H)
Specific C-4 Commercial Services District Purposes. To provide for a broad range of commercial services that require large sites and convenient access to highways and other freight corridors. Appropriate C-4 land uses include auto repair; contractors' yards; warehousing and storage; freight terminals; cannabis production, manufacture, and distribution; and outdoor sales facilities, such as nurseries, lumber yards, and boat and auto sales. Commercial recreational uses such as drive-in theaters and indoor arenas are also appropriate. The C-4 District is intended for parcels with a General Plan designation of service commercial and light industrial (C-S), in areas where impacts of noise, traffic, and other nuisances and hazards associated with such uses will not adversely affect other land uses.
(Ord. 3432 § 1, 1983; Ord. 3501 § 7, 1984; Ord. 4346 § 15, 1994; Ord. 4836 § 78, 2006; Ord. 5423 § 12, 2022)