City of Columbia City

1840 Second Street, PO Box 189, Columbia City, OR 97018  (503) 397-4010

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Chapter 7.60

(C) COMMERCIAL ZONE 

7.60.010 Purpose.  The Commercial Zone (C) is intended to provide areas for convenient retail and personal service commercial uses to meet the needs of the City and surrounding community with a minimum impact on surrounding residential development. 

7.60.020 Permitted Uses.  In the commercial zone, except as specifically stated in Section 7.60.050, all activities shall be conducted within an enclosed building or structure and are subject to Chapter 7.120, Site Development Review.  Only the following uses and their accessory uses are permitted outright: 

A.  Auditorium, community building, lodge hall, fraternal organization or church; 

B.  Library; 

C.  Day care facility licensed by State; 

D.  Dwelling units located on the second floor of the commercial structure; 

E.  Eating establishments; 

F.  Financial, insurance and real estate offices; 

G.  General retail, convenience sales and bookstores, except adult bookstores, when limited to 40,000 square feet per business; 

H.  Small scale, walk-in customer, personal service establishments such as barber shops, hair and nail salons; 

I.  Medical or dental services including labs where use of lab is limited to on-site service providers; 

J.  Minor impact utilities; 

K. Mini Storage; 

L. Professional and administrative offices; 

M. Caretaker’s dwelling unit provided such dwelling unit meets all building codes and is separate from the business operation; 

N.  Schools, public and private; 

O.  Service station, retail vehicle fuel sales or car wash; 

P.  Police station; 

Q.  Fire station;

R.  City Hall; 

S.  Assisted Living Facilities 

7.60.030 Conditional Uses.  The following uses and their accessory uses may be permitted when authorized by the Planning Commission in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 7.130, Conditional Use, other relevant sections of this Ordinance and any conditions imposed by the Planning Commission: 

A.  Drinking establishments as an accessory use to an eating establishment;  

B.  Adult bookstore when separated by at least one thousand five hundred feet, measured in a straight line, from any of the following: 

1.  Residential district, 

2.  Public or private nursery, preschool, elementary, junior, middle or high school, 

3.  Day care facility, nursery school, nursing home, resident care facility or hospital, 

4.  Public library, 

5.  Community recreation facility, 

6.  Church; 

7.  Historic district or historic structure. 

C.  Major impact utilities, excluding telecommunications facilities, provided that a ten-foot perimeter setback containing both externally visible landscaping meeting buffering standards and solid screening surrounds the property. 

D. General retail, convenience sales and bookstores, except adult bookstores, greater than 40,000 square feet per business. 

7.60.040 Development Standards.   

A.  The minimum lot size shall be as required to satisfy the standards of applicable ordinances.  

B.  The minimum lot width shall be as required to satisfy the standards of applicable ordinances.  

C.  The minimum lot depth shall be as required to satisfy the standards of applicable ordinances. 

D.  Unless otherwise specified, the minimum setback requirements are as follows: 

1.    There is no minimum front yard setback except as required for buffering of off street parking in accordance with Section 7.96.050; 

2.  On corner lots, the minimum setback for the side facing the street shall be ten (10) feet; 

3.  No side or rear yard setback shall be required except twenty feet (20) screened and buffered in accordance with Chapter 7.96 shall be required where abutting a residential zoning district; 

E.  No building height in the Commercial (C) zoning district shall exceed twenty-four (24) feet.  “Building Height” means the vertical distance from the "building grade" to the highest point of the coping of a flat roof, or to the deck line of a mansard roof, or the average height of the highest gable of a pitch or hip roof.  (See requirements given in the Oregon State Building Code.) [Amended by Ordinance No. 03-589-O 9/18/03]

F.  To continue to provide cost-efficient public safety to businesses and enhance the ability of law enforcement officers to provide effective vehicular patrols, all interior areas where the public and customers have access shall be fully visible from all adjacent street frontages during business hours for the following uses.  Normal and customary public restroom facilities shall be exempt from this requirement.  Such visibility shall be provided through use of unobstructed, clear glass windows and ample interior and exterior lighting.  

1.  Eating establishments; 

2.  General retail and convenience sales; 

3.  Adult bookstores; 

4.  Service station, retail vehicle fuel sales or car wash; 

G.  Parking shall be in accordance with Chapter 7.100. 

H.  Landscaping shall be in accordance with Chapter 7.96. 

I.  Signs shall be in accordance with Chapter 7.102. 

J.  Additional requirements shall include any applicable section of this Ordinance. 

7.60.050 Open Inventory Display.  

A. All business, service, repair, processing, storage or merchandise displays shall be conducted wholly within an enclosed building except for the following:             

1. Off street parking or loading;

2. Drive through windows;           

3. Displays of live trees, shrubs and other plants.           

4. Play structures and picnic facilities when such uses are accessory to an approved school, daycare facility, community building or church.

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