Fowler Municipal Code Ch. 9.125 Commercial Zones (CA)

9.125.010 - Purpose.¶

The purpose of this Chapter is to establish business zone districts in the City that provide appropriate locations for commercial and office uses. These zones are consistent with and implement the City's General Plan land use categories by providing sufficient and appropriately located land for commercial uses that minimize impacts on residential neighborhoods.

Exceptions & meaning →

9.125.020 - Description and Intent of Zone.¶

The following descriptions identify the characteristic uses, intensity of uses, and level of development intended for each zone:

A. C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial). The Neighborhood Commercial District is intended primarily for the provision of retail and personal service facilities to satisfy the needs of the consumer. This district is intended to be located proximal to residential neighborhoods.

B. C-2 (Community Commercial). The Community Commercial District is the primary commercial district providing a wide range of retail, financial, government, professional, business service, and entertainment uses.

C. C-3 (General Commercial). The General Commercial District provides for commercial uses that, due to space requirements of the products or services rendered, are focused around highway interchanges or areas adjacent to industrial uses.

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9.125.030 - Allowed Uses and Approval Requirements.¶

A. Allowed Use Table. Table 9.125.030-1 identifies allowed uses and corresponding approval requirements for the commercial zone districts subject to compliance with all other provisions of this Title. Descriptions of the allowed uses can be found in Article 7 (Definitions) of this Title. The list of land uses in Table 9.125.030-1 shall be allowed in one or more of the commercial zone districts as indicated in the columns corresponding to each zone.

B. Approval Requirements. Where indicated with an "M" the use shall be allowed subject to approval of a Ministerial Plan Review pursuant to Chapter 9.55 (Ministerial Plan Review). Where indicated with a "P" the use shall be a permitted subject to approval of a Site Plan Review pursuant to Chapter 9.85 (Site Plan Review). Where indicated with a "Minor C" the use shall be conditionally permitted subject to the approval of a Minor Conditional Use Permit pursuant to Chapter 9.35 (Conditional Use Permit). Where indicated with a "Major C" the use shall be conditionally permitted subject to the approval of a Major Conditional Use Permit pursuant to Chapter 9.35 (Conditional Use Permit). Where indicated with a "—", the use is prohibited within the zone.

C. Additional Requirements. The "Additional Requirements" column in Table 9.125.030-1 identifies the chapter or section where additional regulations for that specific use are located within this Title. Uses for which additional requirements are listed shall only be allowed upon satisfaction of the applicable additional requirements. Such additional requirements may allow for review and approval through a process other than noted in Table 9.125.030-1.

D. Unlisted Uses. The Community Development Director may make a determination pursuant to Chapter 9.80 (Similar Use Determination) that uses not listed in Table 9.125.030-1 which have substantially similar characteristics to a listed allowed use may be permitted or conditionally permitted within one or more zones.

Table 9.125.030-1: Commercial Zones — Allowed Uses and Approval Requirements

Allowed Use	C1	C2	C3	Additional Requirements
Agricultural	Agricultural	Agricultural	Agricultural	Agricultural
Community Gardens	P 1	P 1	—
Entertainment	Entertainment	Entertainment	Entertainment	Entertainment
Commercial Entertainment	—	Major C	P
Drive-in Theater	—	—	Major C
Event Halls, Clubs and Lodges	Major C	P	P
Exhibit Halls and Convention Centers	—	—	Major C
Nightclub	—	Major C	Major C
Sports Arena, Indoor	—	Major C	Major C
Studio, Health, and Fitness less than five thousand (5,000) square feet	P	P	P
Studio, Health, and Fitness more than five thousand (5,000) square feet	—	P	P
Theaters and Auditoriums	—	P	P
Motor Vehicle	Motor Vehicle	Motor Vehicle	Motor Vehicle	Motor Vehicle
Car Wash, Self-Service and/or Automated	—	Major C	P	Chapter 9.210 (Auto-Related Uses)
Gas Station with or without Convenience Store	P	P	P	Chapter 9.210 (Auto-Related Uses)
Truck Stop	—	—	Major C	Chapter 9.210 (Auto-Related Uses)
Vehicle Repair, Major	—	—	P	Chapter 9.210 (Auto-Related Uses)
Vehicle Repair, Minor	—	Major C	P	Chapter 9.210 (Auto-Related Uses)
Vehicle Rental	—	P	P	Chapter 9.210 (Auto-Related Uses)
Vehicle Sales	—	—	Major C	Chapter 9.210 (Auto-Related Uses)
Retail Trade	Retail Trade	Retail Trade	Retail Trade	Retail Trade
Bars and Cocktail Lounges	—	Major C	Major C	Chapter 9.205 (Alcohol Beverage Sales and Consumption)
Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturing	—	Major C	P	Chapter 9.205 (Alcohol Beverage Sales and Consumption)
Cannabis Dispensaries	—	—	—	Title 5, Chapter 18 (Medical Marijuana), Section 18.05
Commercial Cannabis Operations	—	—	—	Title 5, Chapter 18 (Medical Marijuana), Section 18.05
Convenience Store, Stand Alone	Major C	P	P
Drive-Through	Major C	Major C	Major C	Chapter 9.215 (Drive-through Uses)
Liquor Store	—	Major C	Major C	Chapter 9.205 (Alcohol Beverage Sales and Consumption)
Market, Corner	P 2	—	—
Market, Small	P	P	P
Market, Large	Major C	P	P
Mobile Food Truck 4	Major C	Major C	Major C
Nursery/Garden Center	P	P	P
Parking Lot, Stand Alone	—	—	—
Parking Structure, Stand Alone	—	—	—
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	P	P	P
Restaurant	P	P	P
Restaurants, Serving Liquor	Major C	Major C	Major C	Chapter 9.205 (Alcohol Beverage Sales and Consumption)
Restaurants, Serving Beer and Wine Only	P	P	P	Chapter 9.205 (Alcohol Beverage Sales and Consumption)
Retail Sales, General	P	P	P
Retail Sales, Secondhand Stores	P	P	P
Retail Sales, Specialized	P	P	P
Smoke Shops and Hookah Lounges	—	Major C	Major C
Studio, Fine Arts	P	P	P
Swap Meet, Permanent	—	—	—
Service	Service	Service	Service	Service
Bed and Breakfast	P	P	P
Clinics and Treatment Centers	—	Major C	Major C
Congregate Care Facility, Large	Major C	Major C	Major C
Day Care Centers	—	P	P
Emergency Shelter	—	M	—	Chapter 9.217 (Emergency Shelters)
Financial Services	P	P	P
Funeral Home or Mortuary	—	P	P
Group Residential Facilities (Licensed), Large	Major C	Major C	Major C
Group Residential Facilities (Unlicensed), Large	Major C	Major C	Major C
Hospital	Major C	Major C	Major C
Hotel	—	P	P
Laboratories	—	—	Major C
Laundry, Dry Cleaner and Tailoring	P	P	P
Laundry, Self-Service	Major C	Major C	Major C
Low Barrier Navigation Center	M	M	—
Mail Services	P	P	P
Motel	—	Major C	P
Office, Medical	P	P	P
Office, Professional	P	P	P
Personal Services	P	P	P
Tattoo Parlor	—	—	Major C
Transit Station	P	P	P
Urgent Care (24 Hours)	—	P	P
Veterinary Clinics and Animal Hospitals	—	P	P
Industrial	Industrial	Industrial	Industrial	Industrial
Kennel	—	—	—
Manufacturing, Handcraft	P	P	P
Recycling Collection Facilities	—	Major C	Major C	Chapter 9.225 (Recycling Facilities)
Recycling Facilities, Reverse Vending Machine	—	Major C	Major C	Chapter 9.225 (Recycling Facilities)
Self-Storage	—	Major C	Major C
Truck Stop	—	—	Major C
Truck Storage	—	—	Major C
Warehousing, Wholesale and Distribution Establishments	—	—	Major C
Parks & Open Space	Parks & Open Space	Parks & Open Space	Parks & Open Space	Parks & Open Space
Recreation Facilities, Active	P	P	P
Recreation Facilities, Passive	P	P	P
Public & Quasi-Public	Public & Quasi-Public	Public & Quasi-Public	Public & Quasi-Public	Public & Quasi-Public
Government Facility	—	Major C	Major C
Library	P	P	P
Museum	—	P	—
Religious Facility	Major C	P	P
Schools, Trade or Vocational	—	P	P
Schools, Private (Pre-K—12)	—	P	P
Schools, Private College	—	P	P
Schools, Public	Major C	P	P
Residential	Residential	Residential	Residential	Residential
Dwelling, Mixed-Use Residential Component	P/Major C 3,5	P/Major C 3,5	—	Section 9.120.070 (Multifamily Residential Design Standards)
Single Room Occupancy	—	—	—
Supportive Housing	P	P	—
Transitional Housing	P	P	—
Emergency Shelter	—	—	—
Utilities	Utilities	Utilities	Utilities	Utilities
Electric Vehicle Charging	P	P	P
Solar Facilities, Large/Commercial	—	—	—
Solar Facilities, Non-commercial	P	P	P
Solar, Residential	P	P	—
Telecommunication Facilities	Major C	Major C	Major C	Chapter 9.230 (Wireless Telecommunication Facilities)
Public Utility, Use, and Facilities	P	P	P

Notes:

1 Only as an accessory use to a primary use.

2 Corner markets shall be allowed on corner lots only.

3 Major C required when more than fifty percent (50%) of the street frontage proposes residential uses on the ground floor, not inclusive of non-habitable residential space such as stairwells.

4 Mobile Food Trucks may be allowed within via a Temporary Use Permit for single events, according to Chapter 9.217.

5 Minimum residential density applies to the Sites as identified and described in the current Housing Element. This requirement shall not apply if the City demonstrates that a sufficient number of dwelling units in the City have been constructed to satisfy the dwelling unit requirements applicable to these areas.

(Ord. No. 2024-05, § 5, 12-17-2024; Ord. No. 2024-06, § 5, 1-7-2025)

Exceptions & meaning →

9.125.040 - Development Standards.¶

Unless otherwise specified, Table 9.125.040-1 below lists the minimum development standards (e.g., allowed lot size/dimensions, setbacks, height) for commercial zone districts.

Table 9.125.040-1 Commercial Zones Development Standard

Standard 1	C-1	C-2	C-3
Lot Width	Lot Width	Lot Width	Lot Width
Lot Width	60	0	100
Lot Depth	Lot Depth	Lot Depth	Lot Depth
Lot Depth	100	0	100
Setbacks	Setbacks	Setbacks	Setbacks
Front Yard	10	10	10
Interior Side Yard 2	0	0	0
Street Side Yard	10	10	10
Rear Yard 2	0	0	0
Building Height	Building Height	Building Height	Building Height
Maximum Building Height	40	50	50

Notes:

1 Standard in feet unless otherwise noted.

2 Where a commercial lot directly abuts a lot within a residential district, there shall be a minimum setback of ten (10) feet.

Exceptions & meaning →