Earlier editions: 2026-09
Title 17 — ZONING›Article III — USE AND ZONE DISTRICT REGULATIONS
Colfax Municipal Code Ch. 17.74 Mixed Use Zones
Colfax Municipal Code · 2026-10 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · Colfax
Cite as: Colfax Municipal Code Chapter 17.74 · Text as of 2026-10-04
17.74.010 - Purpose.¶
There are two mixed use zoning districts.
Mixed Use - 1 is applied to Main Street in the Historic Downtown (MU-1) and is intended to retain the historic character of the downtown while providing a vibrant mix of uses in an attractive area where the community and visitors gather to shop, socialize, and recreate, and where residents can live. This district requires that the ground-floor spaces with street frontage be accessible to the public and that uses generate walk-in clientele to contribute to and activate the pedestrian experience along Main Street. Appropriate ground-floor uses with street frontage include retail shops, cafes, restaurants, and other similar uses that generate pedestrian traffic. Spaces without ground-floor street frontage are intended for uses such as offices, residential, and lodging.
The Mixed Use - 2 zoning district applies to the neighborhoods adjacent to the Historic Downtown and along segments of S. Auburn Street. This zone provides areas in which residents can live, work, shop, worship, socialize, and obtain public services. A mix of land uses with varying degrees of intensity determined by location are allowed in the MU-2 zone. Commercial uses that are appropriate among single-family and multifamily residences are intended for the MU-2 zone, with more intense uses limited through conditional and administrative use permits to areas along E. Grass Valley Street and South Auburn Street. Different land uses can be in the same building or on the same site.
(Ord. No. 555, § 1(Exh. A), 10-11-2023)
17.74.020 - Permitted use types.¶
Primary uses are permitted in mixed use zones subject to the requirements of this title as designated below:
A. Principally permitted use, designated as "P";
B. Conditionally permitted use, designated as "CUP"; and
C. Administratively permitted use, designated as "AP."
Primary use types not listed or designated by a dash (-) are not permitted in that zone district. Any single use that occupies more than five thousand (5,000) square feet in the MU-1 zone or more than eight thousand (8,000) square feet in the MU-2 zone is subject to a conditional use permit.
Accessory uses and structures are permitted in mixed use zones subject to the requirements set forth in Chapter 17.96.
| CIVIC USE TYPES | MU-1 | MU-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Community Assembly (2) | P (1) | P |
| Community Services | P | P |
| Essential Services | P | P |
| Libraries and museums | P | P |
| Power Generating Facilities (3) | ||
| Emergency | P | P |
| Passive Power | P | P |
| Public Parking Services | - | AP |
| Social Services | ||
| Food Distribution (4) | CUP | CUP |
| Food Service (5) | CUP | CUP |
| Emergency Shelter (6) | - | CUP |
| RESIDENTIAL USE TYPES | MU-1 | MU-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Community Care Facilities, Small | ||
| Dwelling | ||
| Accessory Dwelling Unit | P (1) | P |
| Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit | P (1) | P |
| Multi-Family | P (1) | P |
| Single-Family | P (1) | P |
| Employee Housing | P (1) | P |
| Family Day Care Homes, Small | P (1) | P |
| Family Day Care Homes, Large (7) | P (1) | P |
| Low-Barrier Navigation Centers | P (2) | P (2) |
| Rooming and Boarding House | P (1) | P |
| Supportive and Transitional Housing | P (1) | P |
| COMMERCIAL USE TYPES | MU-1 | MU-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Sales and Service (8) | ||
| Grooming and Pet Stores | P | P |
| Veterinary Clinic | P | P |
| Automotive and Equipment | ||
| Automotive Body and Equipment Repair | - | CUP |
| Automotive Rentals | AP | AP |
| Automotive Repairs | - | CUP |
| Automotive Sales | - | - |
| Carwash and Detailing | - | CUP |
| Commercial Parking | - | CUP |
| Gasoline Sale | - | CUP |
| Banks and Financial Services | P | P |
| Bars and Drinking Places | AP | AP |
| Broadcasting and Recording Studios | P | P |
| Business Support Services | P | P |
| Community Care Facility | - | AP |
| Day Care Center | AP | AP |
| Eating and Drinking Establishments | ||
| Fast Food with Drive-Through | - | - |
| Convenience | P | P |
| Full Services | P | P |
| Food and Beverage Retail Sales | P | P |
| Lodging | P | P |
| Long-Term Care Facility | CUP | - |
| Maintenance and Repair | P (1) | P |
| Medical Services, General | P (1) | P |
| Neighborhood Commercial | P | P |
| Nightclubs (9) | AP | - |
| Offices, Professional | P | P |
| Personal Services | P | P |
| Retail Sales and Services | P | P |
| Specialized Education and Training | ||
| Vocational Schools | P (1) | P |
| Specialty Schools | P (1) | P |
| TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION USE TYPES | MU-1 | MU-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunication Facilities (10) | - | P/AP/CUP |
Notes:
(1) Only allowed on the second story or on ground floor portions of buildings that are no less than 30 feet from the front property line.
(2)(a) It offers services to connect people to permanent housing through a services plan that identifies services staffing.
(b) It is linked to a coordinated entry system, so that staff in the interim facility or staff who co-locate in the facility may conduct assessments and provide services to connect people to permanent housing. "Coordinated entry system" means a centralized or coordinated assessment system developed pursuant to Section 576.400(d) or Section 578.7(a)(8), as applicable, of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as those sections read on January 1, 2020, and any related requirements, designed to coordinate program participant intake, assessment, and referrals.
(c) It complies with Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 8255) of Division 8 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(d) It has a system for entering information regarding client stays, client demographics, client income, and exit destination through the local homeless management information system as defined by Section 578.3 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(3) Additional requirements are contained in Chapter 17.180.
(4) Additional requirements are contained in Chapter 17.148.
(5) Additional requirements are contained in Chapter 17.144.
(6) Additional requirements are contained in Chapter 17.140.
(7) Additional requirements are contained in Chapter 17.160
(8) These establishments are exempt from Municipal Code Chapter 6.20 (limitations on number of animals).
(9) Additional requirements are contained in Chapter 17.164
(10) Additional requirements are contained in Chapter 17.132
(Ord. No. 555, § 1(Exh. A), 10-11-2023; Ord. No. 558 , § 1(Exh. A), 9-11-2024; Ord. No. 559, § 1(Exh. A), 12-11-2024)
17.74.030 - Mixed use zone general development standards.¶
The general development standards of the Retail Commercial (C-R) zone contained in section 17.76.030 shall apply to the MU-1 and MU-2 zones, except that in the MU-1 zone, the front yard setback shall not exceed three feet.
(Ord. No. 555, § 1(Exh. A), 10-11-2023)
17.74.040 - Mixed use density standards.¶
In the downtown mixed-Use (MU-1) zone, the maximum floor area ratio (FAR) allowed is 2.0 and a minimum of six hundred twenty-five (625) square feet of net parcel area is required per dwelling unit.
In the mixed-use (MU-2) zone, the maximum floor area ratio (FAR) is 1.5 and the allowed residential density is ten (10) to twenty-nine (29) dwelling units per acre.
For the purposes of this section, the calculation of FAR shall include all residential floor area on a parcel in addition to floor area as defined in section 17.12.030 of this title.
(Ord. No. 556, § 1(Exh. A), 12-13-2023)
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