Commerce Municipal Code Div. 21 Warehouses

A. The establishment of any new warehouse facility may require the issuance of a conditional use permit pursuant to the provision of Division 7, Chapter 19.39 of this title. Sections 19.11.020 and 19.11.030, and specifically Table 19.11.030A, indicate when a conditional use permit is required.

B. All warehouse facilities shall be subject to the following standards:

1. Adequate queuing space shall be provided on-site to prevent vehicles from using adjacent streets for maneuvering. Use of public streets or alleys for queuing or maneuvering shall be prohibited.

2. All parking and storage areas for trailers must be provided on-site and must not encroach into any area providing required parking pursuant to Chapter 19.21 (Off-street Parking and Loading) of this title.

3. The exposure of any adjacent residential use to noise, light, exhaust emissions and other similar nuisances shall be minimized through building orientation and facility design.

4. Loading areas shall be provided and oriented pursuant to the requirements of Section 19.21.130 (Loading Requirements) of this title.

5. Office operations for any warehouse facility shall be limited to fifteen percent of the gross building floor area. Required parking facilities shall be calculated separately for any office use.

6. Off-site improvements shall be provided as required by the director of public services to ensure safe and adequate access and to minimize impact on public infrastructure.

7. Security fencing shall be decorative in nature and compatible with building architecture.

(Ord. 544 §1(part), 2000).

A. The establishment of any new mini-warehousing, self-storage or public warehousing will require the issuance of a conditional use permit pursuant to Division 7, Chapter 19.39 of Title 19, Sections 19.11.120 and 19.11.130, and specifically Table 11-1, indicates when a conditional use permit is required.

B. All mini-warehousing, self-storage or public warehousing facilities shall be subject of the following standards:

1. Existing Applicable Ordinances and Laws. Mini-storage facilities must comply with applicable city ordinances that apply to commercial development within Commerce and requirements specified for uses within the M-2 zone. Mini-storage facilities must comply with all other applicable city ordinances and state and federal laws including building, life, fire and other safety codes, environmental regulations, sign ordinances and citywide development standards. The development standards provided in this section apply in addition to other applicable ordinances and laws and nothing in this section shall be interpreted as allowing exceptions to any of the aforementioned laws.

2. Building Design and Materials.

a. Materials.

i. The building materials, colors, design and finishing system are consistent throughout the facility and in accessory buildings.

ii. The materials used for buildings, roofs, fences and other structures are visually pleasing, especially near residential uses.

b. Size and Scale.

i. The building height shall be no greater than thirty-five feet above ground level as measured at the building's highest point.

c. Facade.

i. The facade shall be decorative and shall have distinctive elements such as clear windows, rooflines, cornices, doors, trim and finishing that suggest commercial use rather than storage.

ii. The surfaces of the storage facility that face public roads or residential uses shall receive particular attention in their design; such surfaces shall be designed as to suggest commercial use rather than storage, and shall provide a varied and interesting facade. Considerations include the use of setbacks, building placement, variations in building walls, fencing, other structural elements and landscaping.

iii. Facades that face streets or connecting pedestrian frontage shall be subdivided and proportioned using features such as windows, entrances, arcades, arbors, awnings, trellises with vines, along no less than fifty percent of the facade. The intent of this provision is to prevent long, uninterrupted, monotonous and flat facades.

iv. Primary building entrances shall be clearly identifiable. They may be recessed or framed by a sheltering element such as an awning, arcade or portico in order to provide shelter.

d. Screening.

i. All warehouse doors shall face the inside of the mini-storage facility; no warehouse doors shall be sited along or in the exterior facade of the building except where they are screened from viewing from any adjacent property, any public right-of-way, or any public area. Warehouse doors can be screened by part of the building itself or by fences or walls that meet the standards established elsewhere in this zoning ordinance and other city ordinances.

ii. All mechanical equipment, such as ventilation systems, HVAC units, AC units, and similar equipment shall be screened by roofs, fences, or by other means so that such equipment is not visible from adjacent properties, public right-of-way or other public areas.

3. Circulation, Access and Parking.

a. The site shall be designed to allow easy access for emergency vehicles.

b. The site shall be designed to allow for loading and unloading to occur exclusively on site.

c. Adequate queuing space shall be provided on site to prevent vehicles from using adjacent streets for maneuvering. Use of public streets or alleys for queuing or maneuvering shall be prohibited.

d. The site shall include one parking space for each facility manager.

e. The site shall include five parking spaces near the facility's office for customer transactions.

f. The site shall include at least one parking space for every twenty thousand square feet of gross floor area.

4. Number Allowable. There shall only be two mini-warehouses, self storage facilities for every thirteen thousand residents of city, as reported by the latest available U.S. census.

5. Site Design.

a. Fencing.

i. Any proposed fencing shall be designed to be compatible with the character of the area.

ii. No fencing shall include the use of rolled razor wire or chain link fencing.

b. Signage.

i. Signs shall be designed and located to avoid visual intrusion upon adjacent uses.

ii. The design and placement of signs shall be included on site plans and must be approved by the planning director or by a member of the city planning staff appointed by the planning director to do so.

6. Operation.

a. Mini-storage facilities shall not operate before seven a.m. or after seven p.m.

b. The facility shall not contain more than one residential unit. If a residential unit is provided for the caretaker or manager, the unit must be attractively integrated into the building design and shall not be a mobile, modular or a trailer home.

c. RV storage shall be permitted as long as it is screened, can not be seen from the frontage of the property and it has a current DMV registration.

d. A minimum of one trash collection areas must be provided. Collection areas must be screened by a minimum six-foot-high solid masonry wall or by the facility's buildings and must comply with all other adopted development standards and ordinances regarding solid waste. Such collection areas shall be located and designed to allow easy access by mini-storage clients and trash collection workers.

e. The storage spaces shall not used for manufacturing, retail or wholesale selling, compounding, office functions, other business or service uses or human habitation.

f. No water, sanitary facilities or electricity, with the exception of lighting fixtures, shall be provided in individual storage spaces, unless otherwise approved by the planning commission.

g. Prefabricated shipping containers shall not be used as mini-warehouse facilities.

h. The following materials shall not be stored in mini-warehouses:

i. Flammable or explosive matter or materials;

ii. Material which creates obnoxious dust, odor or fumes; or

iii. Hazardous or extremely hazardous waste.

(Ord. 575 §3, 2003).