§ 9138.14. Automobile/Vehicles Services. — Carson Zoning Code

A. Use Classifications.
1. Automobile/Vehicle Service and Repair. Repairs and services include major engine overhaul (any operation requiring pulling the head, intake or exhaust manifold, or the pan); transmission, muffler, and radiator work; lubrication; repair of brakes, generators, water pumps, batteries and other minor accessories; replacement of wiper blades, fuses, radiator caps, lamps and other minor accessories, changing oil and transmission fluid; patching, changing or mounting of tires; wheel alignment; tune-up; minor electrical repairs; and

similar repairs and services. In the CA Zone, auto body and fender work and auto body paint are permitted as accessory uses to new vehicle sales, subject to conditional use permit.

Automobile/Vehicle Washing. Washing, waxing, vacuuming, or cleaning of automobiles or similar light vehicles, including self-serve washing facilities.
Automobile Service Station. Establishments primarily engaged in retailing automotive fuels or retailing these fuels in combination with activities, such as providing automobile/vehicle repair services, selling automotive oils, replacement parts, and accessories, and/or providing incidental food, retail sales.

B. Landscaping and Screening.
1. A masonry wall at least six (6) feet in height shall be provided along all lot lines adjacent to a residential use or district.
2. At least ten (10) percent of the site must be landscaped.
3. A landscaped planter with a minimum inside width of ten (10) feet and enclosed within a six (6) inch high curb shall be provided along the front and streetside property lines, except for vehicular circulation openings. A landscaping buffer with a minimum inside width of at least five (5) feet shall be provided along all other property lines.
4. A three hundred (300) square foot planter with a minimum dimension of ten (10) feet shall be provided at the corner of intersecting streets unless a building is located at the corner.
5. Additional screening and landscaping may be required where necessary to prevent visual impacts on adjacent properties.
C. Application Review and Findings for Approval. The decision-making authority shall approve a use permit for an automobile/vehicle service facility only if it finds that:
1. The project is designed so that form and scale are harmonious and consistent with the character of the specific site, the adjacent uses and structures, and the surrounding neighborhood.
2. The site design, including the location and number of driveways, will promote safe and efficient on-site and off-site traffic circulation.
3. Service bay openings are designed to minimize the visual intrusion on surrounding streets and properties.
4. Lighting is designed to be low-profile, indirect or diffused and to avoid adverse impacts on surrounding uses.
D. Conditions of Approval. Conditions of approval may include limitations on operational characteristics of the use; restrictions on outdoor storage and display, location of pump islands, canopies and service bay openings; and/or requirements for buffering, screening, lighting, planting areas, hours of operation or other site elements in order to avoid adverse impacts on adjacent lots or the surrounding area.
E. Automobile/Vehicle Service and Repair. Automobile/vehicle service and repair uses, as well as any other uses, such as service stations, that perform auto servicing as an accessory activity, are subject to the following standards:
1. Noise. All body and fender work or similar noise-generating activity shall be conducted within an enclosed masonry or similar building with sound-attenuating construction to absorb noise. Air compressors and other service equipment shall be located inside a building.
2. Work Areas. All work shall be conducted within an enclosed building except: pumping motor vehicle fluids, checking and supplementing various fluids, and mechanical inspection and adjustments not involving any disassembly.
3. Vehicle Storage. Vehicles being worked on or awaiting service or pick-up shall be stored within an enclosed building or in a parking lot on the property and shall be screened from the public right-of-way. Unattended vehicles may not be parked or stored on the sidewalk adjoining the property, in the street, or in any portion of the public right-of-way within the City.
4. Litter. The premises shall be kept in an orderly condition at all times. No used or discarded automotive parts or equipment or permanently disabled, junked, or wrecked vehicles may be stored outside a building.
F. Automobile/Vehicle Washing. Automobile/vehicle washing facilities are subject to the following standards:
1. Minimum Lot Area. Automobile service stations shall contain not less than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet of net lot area.
2. Washing Facilities. No building or structure shall be located within thirty (30) feet of any public street or within twenty (20) feet of any interior property line of a residential use or residential district. Vehicle lanes for car wash openings shall be screened from public streets to a height of forty (40) inches. Screening devices shall consist of walls and/or berms with supplemental plant materials.
3. Hours of Operation. Limited to 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven (7) days a week. When abutting a residential district, the hours of operation shall be between 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., seven (7) days a week.
G. Automobile Service Station. Automobile service stations and any other commercial use that includes fuel pumps for retail sales of gasoline are subject to the following standards. An automobile service station with a convenience store shall comply with the standards set forth in CMC § 9138.12 (Convenience Store):
1. Minimum Lot Area. Automobile service stations shall not be permitted on lots containing less than fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet of net lot area.

Minimum Street Frontage. Each lot shall have a minimum frontage of not less than one hundred (100) feet on each abutting street.
1. Pump Islands. Pump islands shall be located a minimum of fifteen (15) feet from any property line to the nearest edge of the pump island. A canopy or roof structure over a pump island may encroach up to ten (10) feet within this distance.
2. Minimum Separation Requirement. New automobile service stations shall be not less than five hundred (500) feet from an existing service station use.
3. Abandonment. Any service station shall in the case of abandonment or nonoperation of the primary use be dismantled and the site cleared within six (6) months subsequent to the close of the last business day.

(Ord. 16-1602 § 6; Ord. 79-479 § 7)