Agoura Hills Municipal Code Part 3 Cs Commercial Shopping Center District

The CS district is intended for planned shopping centers where the land and compatible retail stores and associated facilities are designed and developed together as an integrated unit using modern site planning techniques. The primary tenant will usually be a supermarket or larger retail tenant, and the center will serve only the convenience needs, such as food, drugs, hardware, and personal services, of the surrounding area. The centers shall exhibit a high level of architectural and site design quality, providing a positive experience for visitors and community residents, and fostering business activity. Such centers are required to fit into the residential pattern of development and not create either architectural or traffic conflicts. Development, remodel and renovation of such centers shall integrate and promote pedestrian activity with pathway connections between center business areas and parking areas, and to adjoining neighborhoods and districts, as well as incorporate pedestrian amenities like seating areas and outdoor gathering spaces to accommodate pedestrians, outdoor dining and other activities. The pathways shall be clearly articulated with enhanced paving and other design features, landscaping, and wayfinding signage.

(Ord. No. 11-388, § 15, 12-14-2011)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 11-388, § 15, adopted Dec. 14, 2011, amended § 9321 in its entirety to read as set out herein. Former § 9321 pertained to purpose and derived from Ord. No. 120, adopted Feb. 3, 1987.

The limitations as to uses and structures in the CS district shall be as follows.

Subject to the provisions of section 9301 et seq. and chapter 6, buildings and structures may be erected, structurally altered or enlarged and land may be used within this district for commercial, service, office and other uses as provided in the commercial use tables (section 9311 et seq. of this chapter). The entire business operation shall be conducted within a completely enclosed building or within the buildable area of the lot.

Any use or structure not specified in section 9322.1 shall be prohibited in the CS district.

Subject to the provisions of section 9303, 9391 et seq. and chapter 6, the following development standards shall apply in the CS district.

The minimum project size shall be five (5) acres.

All lots hereafter created shall contain the following:

A. Minimum lot area: Twenty thousand (20,000) square feet.

B. Minimum lot width: Two hundred (200) feet.

C. Minimum depth: One hundred (100) feet.

The maximum building coverage shall be fifty (50) percent of the total project.

The maximum building height shall be thirty-five (35) feet.

The minimum yard requirements shall be as follows:

A. Minimum front yard: Twenty (20) feet from any existing or proposed right-of-way;

B. Minimum side yard: none except:

1. When adjacent to a residential district or when abutting any street which separates the CS district from a residential district: Twenty (20) feet;

2. The minimum street side yard shall be treated as a front yard;

C. Minimum rear yard: Equal to the height of the tallest buildings in the project.

A minimum of fifteen (15) percent of the total lot shall be landscaped unless otherwise specified during a discretionary review. In addition landscaping shall be provided within all required yards adjacent to public right-of-way. Said landscaping shall be provided and maintained in perpetuity subject to the following:

A. Berming (undulating or embanked) shall be required with a minimum variation of elevation being thirty (30) inches;

B. One (1) native oak tree, twenty-four-inch box in size per fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet of building area shall be provided within said areas or at alternative locations as approved by the city;

C. Landscaping shall minimize the visual dominance of the parking areas, shall complement on-site pedestrian amenities and circulation, and serve to reduce pavement temperature; and

D. No other usage or storage shall be permitted within any required landscaping.

(Ord. No. 11-388, § 16, 12-14-2011)

Unless waived by the city, all developments shall be screened according to the following:

A. A decorative wall at a minimum height of six (6) feet shall be provided on all property lines except for those adjacent to a public right-of-way.

A. Clearly articulated pedestrian paths through parking lots to the center businesses and residences with distinguishing design characteristics.

B. Well-defined pedestrian pathways connecting adjoining shopping centers, and between the centers and adjacent neighborhoods and districts.

C. Outdoor seating and gathering areas near the businesses, including expanded sidewalks or plazas, designed as an integral part of the overall architecture and site design.

D. Bike racks or other public bike storage in convenient locations in the center, integrated within the overall architecture and site design of the center.

(Ord. No. 11-388, § 17, 12-14-2011)

Commercial uses adjoining off-site residential neighborhoods shall be designed to be compatible by incorporating the following:

A. Landscape and decorative walls, or comparable buffering and/or screening elements, along the edges of the shopping center;

B. Enhanced architectural treatment of elevations facing the residential uses;

C. Low intensity lighting and screening to minimize light spillover and glare into residential neighborhoods; and

D. Locating automobile and truck access and unloading areas so that they do not directly front residential neighborhoods, or by providing adequate screening with landscaping and/or decorative walls in areas adjacent to the residential neighborhoods.

(Ord. No. 11-388, § 17, 12-14-2011)