Los Gatos Municipal Code Div. 4 C-2 or Central Business District Commercial Zone

The C-2 or central business district commercial zone is intended to encourage the continuance of a viable and predominantly pedestrian-oriented central business district for the Town and therefore the zone allows a wide variety of retail, service, entertainment and administrative activities which are necessary to serve a large trading area.

(Ord. No. 1316, § 4.56.010, 6-7-76; Ord. No. 1363, 8-1-77)

(a) Activities permitted in the C-2 or Central District Commercial Zone are those involving the conduct of commerce and general business and the sale of commodities necessary for the needs of residents and visitors of the Town, such as:

(1) Retailing, including formula retail up to ten thousand (10,000) square feet.

(2) Reserved.

(3) Reserved.

(4) Office activities subject to subsection (c) below.

(5) Limited manufacturing activities when a majority of sales are made, on site, to the ultimate consumer.

(6) Wholesaling without warehousing on the premises.

(7) Single-family and two-family uses, in conjunction with the other uses permitted in this section.

(8) Personal service businesses.

(9) Specialty food retail without alcoholic beverages.

(b) Examples of proper C-2 activities are apparel stores, antique stores, artist studios, craft studios, auto part sales, artist supply shops, and EV sales, service, and repair. Examples of activities which are not proper in the C-2 zone are manufacturing, warehousing, laundry or dry cleaning plants.

(c) Office activities in the C-2 zone shall not be located on the ground floor along any street, alleyway, or public parking lot except in the areas described below:

(1) Lyndon Avenue;

(2) Properties abutting Wood Road;

(3) The west side of Victory Lane:

(4) The south side of Los-Gatos-Saratoga Road excluding:

a. That portion of the property located at the southwest corner of Los-Gatos Saratoga Road and Santa Cruz Avenue described more precisely as located between a straight line extended northerly along the west side right-of-way line of Santa Cruz Avenue and one hundred forty (140) feet west of that extended line.

b. The south side of Los Gatos-Saratoga Road between Santa Cruz Avenue and University Avenue; and

(5) The east side of South Santa Cruz Avenue directly across the street from Wood Road.

(6) The north and south side of West Main Street west of Victory Lane.

(7) Tenant suites located at 114 Royce Street with entries at the rear of the building and that do not have street frontage.

(d) Notwithstanding subsection (c), office activities on ground floors described below shall be considered conforming and shall be allowed to continue so long as the office use is not discontinued for one hundred and eighty (180) consecutive days. If the office use is discontinued for such a period, then the office use shall not be resumed, and token use shall not toll or interrupt a period of discontinuance.

(1) Office activities existing on June 17, 1991; or

(2) Office activities in a building under construction on July 16, 1990, if the applicable architecture and site approval specifically stated that the building was approved for office activities.

(Ord. No. 1316, § 4.56.020, 6-7-76; Ord. No. 1363, 8-1-77; Ord. No. 1546, 8-16-82; Ord. No. 1729, 6-15-87; Ord. No. 1859, § II, 6-17-91; Ord. No. 1899, § I, 5-4-92; Ord. No. 1975, § I, 5-2-94; Ord. No. 2016, § IV, 5-20-96; Ord. No. 2035, § I, 10-20-97; Ord. No. 2132, §§ IV—VI, 5-17-04; Ord. No. 2233, § I(Exh. A), 8-5-14; Ord. No. 2210, § I, 11-19-12; Ord. No. 2304, § II, 2-18-20; Ord. No. 2342, § XVI, 8-1-23)

In addition to the activities authorized by section 29.60.320, the activities listed in the table in section 29.20.185 are allowed if a conditional use permit is issued.

(Ord. No. 1316, § 4.56.030, 6-7-76; Ord. No. 1363, 8-1-77)

There is no minimum lot area requirement in a C-2 or central business district commercial zone.

(Ord. No. 1316, § 4.56.050, 6-7-76)

Minimum front, side and rear yards in a C-2 or central business district commercial zone shall be as follows:

(Ord. No. 1316, § 4.56.060, 6-7-76; Ord. No. 1337, 11-1-76; Ord. No. 1363, 8-1-77; Ord. No. 1767, § I, 11-21-88)

(a) Improvements may be permitted in any required front yard and any required side yard abutting a street in a C-2 or central business district commercial zone if the deciding body makes all of the following findings:

(1) Pedestrian safety will not be impaired;

(2) The streetscape would be enhanced as a result of the proposed improvements;

(3) The improvements are in character with the adjacent buildings; and

(4) The improvements will not obstruct the clear sight vision of vehicular traffic.

(b) The provisions of section 29.10.055, which states that any required yard abutting a street must be landscaped, and section 29.50.035, which prohibits fencing in any required yard abutting a street, shall not apply in the C-2 zone.

(Ord. No. 1316, § 4.56.065; Ord. No. 1767, § II, 11-21-88)

The maximum height of any building in a C-2 or central business district commercial zone is forty-five (45) feet.

(Ord. No. 1316, § 4.56.070, 6-7-76; Ord. No. 1337, 11-1-76)

(a) The floor area ratio for all new buildings in a C-2 or central business district commercial zone, or expansion of gross floor area of an existing building, shall not exceed sixty-hundredths.

(b) In the event a building or buildings which exceed a FAR of sixty-hundredths within the C-2 zone are destroyed involuntarily, reconstruction to the amount of the prior floor area shall be allowed, subject to all other provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. No. 1316, § 4.56.080, 6-7-76; Ord. No. 1606, 2-6-84)