Chapter 18.56 — M-2 ZONE—LIGHT INDUSTRIAL

The intent and purpose of this chapter is to provide a zone for suitable and appropriate areas for light, less intense, small scale manufacturing activities which normally take place within structures. Limited amount of outdoor storage or activities are acceptable, provided they are clearly accessory and incidental to the main use.

• (Ord. 943 § 4, 1994)

The following are the principal permitted uses of the M-2 zone:

• A. Agriculture uses of any kind, excluding feedlots, poultry ranches or slaughterhouses;

• B. All types of manufacture, processing, treatment or assembly of products other than those which may be obnoxious or offensive by reason of odor, dust, smoke, noise or other similar causes including mineral processing or ore stockpiling;

• C. Wholesale business, storage building and warehouses;

• D. Furniture manufacture;

• E. Trucking terminal;

• F. Laboratory, experimental or testing;

• G. Wood lot;

• H. Public and quasi-public buildings and uses of an administrative, recreational, educational, religious, cultural, or public utility or service nature;

• I. Any other use or service establishment determined by the planning commission to be of the same general character as the foregoing uses, and which will not impair the present or potential use of adjacent properties.

• (Ord. 943 § 4, 1994; Ord. 955 § 5, 1995)

The following are accessory uses permitted in the M-2 zone:

• A. Accessory buildings and uses customarily incidental to any permitted use when located on the same parcel;

• B. One dwelling when occupied solely by a caretaker or watchman and his family. Dwelling shall be limited to a mobilehome;

• C. Emergency housing, in conformance with the policies stated in the housing element of the Inyo County general plan;

• D. Signs and advertising for permitted, accessory or conditional uses in compliance with the provisions of Chapter 18.75 and subject to the requirements of Sections 18.56.050 .

• (Ord. 943 § 4, 1994; Ord. 1007 § 28, 1998)

The following are conditional uses in the M-2 zone:

• A. Petroleum products storage;

• B. Dismantling or junkyard;

• C. Race track;

• D. Bottling plant including retail and wholesale establishments for the distribution of bottled products manufactured or produced by the industry on the same site;

• E. Billboard, electronic sign, informational kiosk, off-site advertising sign, off-site directional sign, and three-dimensional sign in compliance with the provisions of Chapter 18.75 and subject to the requirements of Section 18.56.050 ;

• F. Floor area ratio increases;

• G. Commercial cannabis cultivation shall be conducted indoors only, and subject to odor, noise and visual resource mitigation requirements;

• H. Non-volatile commercial cannabis manufacturing pursuant to commercial cannabis license classification 6;

• I. Non-storefront commercial cannabis retailer and delivery, pursuant to commercial cannabis license classification 9;

• J. Commercial cannabis transportation or distribution facilities pursuant to commercial cannabis license classification 11;

• K. Commercial cannabis testing facilities pursuant to commercial cannabis license classification 8;

• L. Cannabis microbusinesses pursuant to commercial cannabis license classification 12 combining only some or all of those uses otherwise permitted by this section;

• M. Hemp Cultivation. Industrial hemp cultivation shall be subject to odor, noise, pollen escape and visual resource mitigation requirements;

N. Nonvolatile hemp manufacturing. (Ord. 943 § 4, 1994; Ord. 955 § 6, 1995; Ord. 1007 § 29, 1998; Ord. 1077 § 4, 2004; Ord. 1221 § 14, 2018; Ord. 1236 §§ 5, 6, 2018; Ord. 1248 §§ 9, 10, 2019)

The following are minimum standards for development in the M-2 zone except as otherwise provided in this title or as modified for conditional uses:

• A. Maximum height of buildings:

  1. Principal buildings, three stories or forty feet,

  2. Accessory buildings, two stories or twenty-five feet;

• B. Minimum parcel size, one-half acre, except when a greater minimum area is established pursuant to Section 18.78.055 ;

• C. Parcel width, seventy-five feet;

• D. Front yard, zero (twenty-five feet for mobilehome);

• E. Rear yard, zero (ten feet if adjacent to an R district and for mobilehome);

• F. Side yard, zero (five feet for each story if adjacent to an R district and for mobilehome);

• G. Distance between buildings on the same parcel, ten feet;

• H. Parking spaces, one per each full-time employee plus customer parking and loading space as determined by the use and evaluation of the planning director;

• I. Floor area ratio, for properties with a general plan designation of heavy commercial/commercial service, the allowable floor area ratio is 0.4 without a conditional use permit and up to 1.0 with a conditional use permit. For properties with a general plan designation of light industrial or general industrial, the allowable floor area ratio is 0.5 without a conditional use permit and up to 1.2 with a conditional use permit.

• (Ord. 943 § 4, 1994; Ord. 1077 § 4, 2004)