Chapter 15.35 — COMMERCIAL GREENBELT (C-G) ZONE

The Commercial Greenbelt (C-G) Zone is intended to be applied only to areas designated on the land use element of the city’s General Plan as “Greenbelt Concept.” The zone shall be used to identify property where, due to its scenic environment and proximity to residential areas, only restrictive commercial activities should be allowed to take place. The Commercial Greenbelt (C-G) Zone shall require that proposed development consist of only highly aesthetic, unobtrusive buildings or structures and related improvements, blended into a heavily landscaped setting.

(Ord. 2982, passed - -2001)

A specific plan shall be adopted for all property with the Commercial Greenbelt (C-G) Zone. The specific plan shall identify allowable uses for the property and shall impose use restrictions and development standards applicable to the unique circumstances of each individual site. All such restrictions and standards shall be enforced as part of this zone.

(Ord. 2982, passed - -2001)

(A) Specific proposals to use, develop, redevelop or modify the property in accordance with the adopted specific plan shall be reviewed as a major development project, pursuant to Chapter 15.46.

• (B) Factors that shall be considered in the review of a specific proposal are:

• (1) Noise of operation;

• (2) Hours of operation;

• (3) Traffic generated;

• (4) Access safety; and

(5) Compatibility with the characteristics of the site as well as the surrounding area.

(Ord. 2982, passed - -2001)

(A) Permitted building height and appearance.

(1) No building or structure shall exceed a height of one story or 20 feet, whichever is less; however, two stories not to exceed 30 feet may be approved as a design feature for a minor portion of a building, or when unusual circumstances exist in connection with the location or terrain of the site, and the height is not incompatible with the surrounding area.

(2) In all cases, a residential style of architecture shall be required.

(B) Permitted site coverage.

(1) All buildings, and paving, including accessory buildings and structures and any area used to provide parking or vehicular circulation, shall cover not more than 60% of the site. However, driveways not providing turnaround or circulation areas for any parking spaces may exceed said 60% by not more than an additional 5% of the site if the use of such driveways results in a site layout that more closely conforms to the intent and criteria of this zone than would otherwise be the case.

(2) Any area not covered by buildings or required paving shall be landscaped, irrigated and thereafter permanently maintained. The 40% of the site required to be landscaped shall include the setback landscaping and shall include landscaping of at least 10% of the parking and other paved areas, reasonably distributed throughout said area.

(C) Setback requirements.

(1) Setback requirements shall be determined in connection with the approval of the specific plan. A proposed development should maintain an average landscaped setback of at least 20 feet in depth adjacent to any street and any interior property line abutting a lot with a residential zone classification.

(2) Where the minimum setback is unfeasible because of terrain or other unusual circumstances, consideration shall be given to mitigating measures such as special treatment of buildings or walls or the provision for courtyards or other features.

(D) Screening requirement. Special consideration shall be given to screening by the use of decorative block walls or other suitable features along a property line abutting a lot with a residential zone classifi- cation.

• (E) Lighting. Only ground-level indirect lighting devices shall provide all exterior lighting.

• (F) Parking. Parking shall be provided in accordance with § 15.30.060 of this title.

• (G) Signs.

• (1) Only one indirectly lighted low-level monument sign shall be allowed per frontage on an arterial street. The sign shall be designed and constructed of materials compatible with the building design and shall not exceed six feet in height or 25 square feet in area.

• (2) Wall signs shall be discouraged but, when permitted, shall be raised letter only, unlighted or dimly back-lighted, not to exceed onehalf square foot in area per front foot of building, or 50 square feet total area per building, whichever is less. In all other respects Chapter 15.49 of this title shall apply.

• (3) Banners, pennants and streamers are specifically prohibited.

• (H) Transportation Demand Management (TDM) requirements. TDM improvements and standards shall be provided in accordance with § 15.30.100 of this title.

• (I) Floor/area ratio (FAR).

• (1) The base floor/area ratio (FAR) for the total area of all habitable space on the property shall be 0.30.

• (2) All restrictions and review procedures pertaining to the FAR for property with a commercial zone classification, as specified in §

• 15.30.050(E) of this title, shall also apply to a proposal on property with the Commercial Greenbelt (C-G) Zone.

• (J) Landscape requirements.

• (1) All street setbacks shall be landscaped except for pedestrian and vehicular accessways, parking areas or other non-irrigated areas designed for non-development (e.g., existing native vegetation);

• (2) All open parking areas (e.g., non-structured) shall be landscaped such that:

• (a) Planters with a total landscaped area equaling a minimum of 25 square feet per parking space, or 8% of the square footage of the open parking area, whichever is greater, shall be provided and distributed throughout the open parking area; and

• (b) Trees with a total shaded area (e.g., the area under the tree canopy or dripline 15 years after installation) equaling a minimum of

• 50% of the square footage of the open parking area shall be provided and distributed throughout the open parking area.

• (3) Landscaping and irrigation shall be provided for landscaped areas pursuant to Chapter 15.50 for the following:

• (a) Installation of new landscaped areas;

• (b) Rehabilitation of existing land- scaped areas where affected landscaped area is equal to or greater than 2,500 square feet;

• (c) Installation of a new landscape area or areas less than 2,500 square feet in aggregate may opt to comply instead with the prescriptive measures contained in Chapter 15.50, Appendix A; or

(d) New or rehabilitated projects using treated or untreated graywater or rainwater captured on-site, any lot or parcels within the project that has less than 2,500 square feet of landscape area and meets the lot or parcel’s landscape water requirement (estimated total water use) entirely with the treated or untreated graywater or through stored rainwater captured on-site is subject only to Chapter 15.50, Appendix A.

(Ord. 2982, passed - -2001; Ord. 3134, passed - -2009; Ord. 3226, passed - -2016)