Menifee Zoning Code Ch. 9.240 Motor Vehicle and Related Uses

Contents:

9.240.010 Purpose

9.240.020 Applicability

9.240.030 Motor Vehicle and Related Uses – General

9.240.040 Vehicle Rentals

9.240.050 Vehicle Sales

9.240.060 Vehicle Parts and Supply Stores

9.240.070 Vehicle Repairs and Service

9.240.080 Vehicle Storage

9.240.090 Drive-Through and Drive-In Facilities

9.240.100 Towing Services

9.240.110 Car Washes

This chapter establishes the regulations and criteria for the development and operation of certain motor vehicle and related uses as commercial uses. The intent of the standards is to regulate these uses for compatibility with surrounding uses.

The regulations and standards contained in this chapter shall apply to those uses expressly identified as subject to this chapter in the tables of allowed uses and approval requirements contained in Article 3 (Zones) of this Title.

The following regulations shall apply to all motor vehicle and related uses.

1. Hours of operation shall be limited to no earlier than 6:00 a.m. and no later than 10:00 p.m., unless specifically approved otherwise. The hours of operation for gas stations may exceed these general limits where established as part of the conditions of approval.
2. The sound emanating from all motor vehicle and related uses shall be subject to all the applicable noise control regulations of Section 9.255.060 (Noise Control Regulations) of this Title.
3. Exterior amplified sound systems are prohibited within 100 feet of a non-commercial use.
4. The property owner and/or individual responsible for said property shall take all steps necessary to ensure individuals shall not loiter upon the property before and after regularly established business hours.
5. Persons engaged in the delivery of motor vehicles for storage, sales, rental, display or repair shall not stop or park within any public rights-of-way(ROW) to off-load such vehicles without having an approved encroachment permit.
6. Access and onsite circulation shall be reviewed and approved by the City Engineer to ensure traffic flow from the public right-of-way onto the site, or traffic flow from the site, does not create a hazardous situation.
7. Appropriate best management practices shall be constructed and/or practiced to ensure any vehicle fluids do not leave the site and do not contaminate soil.
8. Dismantling of stored and/or parked vehicles shall be expressly prohibited within the public view, unless specifically approved otherwise.

The following regulations shall apply to all vehicle rental uses, including trailer and recreational vehicle rental, truck and trailer rental, boat rental, equipment rental and motorcycle rental.

1. Repairs, except incidental replacement/repair including such activities as the installation of windshield wiper blades or batteries or comparable activity, shall be prohibited, unless combined with a reviewed and approved repair facility subject to the regulations set forth in Section 9.240.070 (Vehicle Repairs and Service)
2. Rental vehicles shall not be displayed in the customer/employee parking area, drive aisles or other portions of the property not designed for vehicle display.
3. Vehicles stored outside not displayed for rental purpose shall be screened from view in compliance with Section 9.240.080 (Vehicle Storage).
4. Vehicle storage or display is prohibited in the public right-of-way.

The following regulations shall apply to all vehicle sales uses, including trailer and recreational vehicle sales, truck sales, boat sales, equipment sales and motorcycle sales.

1. General Requirements.

2. Vehicles shall only be displayed for sale in approved display areas. Vehicles for sale shall not be displayed in the customer/employee parking area, drive aisles or other portions of the property not designed for vehicle display per an approved plot plan or conditional use permit.

3. On-site circulation shall be reviewed and approved by the City Engineer to ensure vehicle circulation through the site is safe and that the placement of the vehicle display areas does not interfere with the flow of vehicles to designated parking stalls.

4. Sufficient space shall be provided for service drop-offs to prevent stacking of waiting vehicles onto a public street.

5. Vehicles in inventory shall not be parked on the public right-of-way.

6. Repairs shall be conducted within an enclosed building. Repair facilities included with vehicle sales shall be reviewed and approved subject to the regulations set forth in Section 9.240.070 (Vehicle Repairs and Service).

7. On-site vehicle painting is prohibited.

8. Outdoor storage of new or used tires is prohibited.

9. Vehicle storage may be permitted as incidental to the primary use and shall be screened from view in compliance with Section 9.240.080 (Vehicle Storage). Vehicles displayed for sale in approved display areas are not subject to screening requirements.

10. When located adjacent to a property with a residential land use designation, a block wall of not less than 6 feet in height shall be required along the entire length of the property line. The block wall shall be reduced to the maximum height allowed within the required front yard setback and as necessary to meet intersection sight distance requirements. Any gate(s) shall be constructed of materials to prevent view of the stored materials within the walled and gated area.

11. Landscape Standards. The following standards shall be applied to all new automobile, motorcycle and truck dealerships or to substantial alterations to existing automobile, motorcycle and truck dealerships:

12. Display areas. A minimum 5-foot-wide planter area/island shall be required at the end of all display area lanes adjacent to the main entry drive lane. An additional 1-foot strip, made of concrete or other materials acceptable to the Community Development Director, shall be located next to the curb immediately adjacent to the end display parking space. Such landscape islands shall have a mixture of trees, shrubs and ground cover and shall have an automatic irrigation system consistent with Chapter 9.195 (Landscaping Standards).

13. Street frontages. All portions of the property which have street frontage shall meet one of the following criteria:

14. A minimum of 12 feet of landscaping shall be provided, measured from the property line to the display area length and shall be surrounded by drought-tolerant, low-growing shrubs and ground cover; or

15. A minimum of 20 feet of landscaping shall be provided, measured from the property line to the display area, with the display area allowed to encroach into 8 feet of the landscape area.

16. Display areas shall be of pervious hardscape, a maximum of 20 feet in length, and shall be surrounded by drought-tolerant, low-growing shrubs and ground cover.

17. The number of display areas allowed shall be calculated in the following manner: three display spaces per 100 linear feet of street frontage. Fractional spaces (0.5 and over) shall be rounded up.

18. No display area shall be located immediately adjacent to another display area. Landscaping shall be provided between display areas.

19. Development adjacent to existing and proposed residential uses. All portions of the property which abut an existing or proposed residential use shall have a minimum 10-foot-wide landscape buffer.

20. All other portions of the property which do not abut a street or existing or proposed residential uses shall have a minimum 5-foot-wide landscape buffer.

21. All customer parking on the site shall be clearly identified, either through special paint (i.e., curb painting) or signage, and shall be subject to the landscape requirements contained in Chapter 9.195 (Landscaping Standards) of the development code.

22. Service bays shall not be visible from a public street and shall be adequately screened from adjacent residential uses.

23. Inventory and vehicle-in-repair storage areas on the site shall be clearly identified and do not need to be internally landscaped. If they are located on the property perimeter or adjacent to residential development or sensitive areas, they shall be screened in the manner discussed above.

24. Used Motor Vehicle Sales (without the Sales of New Motor Vehicles).

25. The minimum lot width of any site supporting a used motor vehicle sales business shall be 100 feet.

26. The minimum lot area shall be 10,000 square feet.

27. A building containing not less than 200 square feet shall be maintained on the lot supporting the business. The building shall be a permanent structure; modular or portable buildings are not permitted.

The following regulations shall apply to all vehicle parts and supply store uses.

1. Replacement parts and repairs shall not be installed and/or completed by customers or employees of the on-site business in the parking area, drive aisles or unimproved areas of the site.
2. No vehicle repairs are permitted on-site.

The following regulations shall apply to all vehicle repairs and service uses, including minor repair, major repair, stereo and sound system installation, body, paint and upholstery shops, boat service and repair, motorcycle service and repair, recreational vehicle service and repair, and heavy equipment service and repair.

1. On-site circulation shall be reviewed and approved by the City Engineer to ensure on-site circulation upon and through the site is safe and convenient for the patrons and that the placement of the vehicle display areas does not interfere with the flow of vehicles to designated parking stalls.
2. Repairs shall be conducted within an enclosed building.
3. Service bay doors shall be oriented away from adjacent properties with a residential land use designation.
4. Outdoor storage of new or used tires is prohibited.
5. Vehicle storage may be permitted as incidental to the primary use and shall be screened from view in compliance with Section 9.240.080 (Vehicle Storage).
6. Vehicles waiting for service or repair shall not be parked in the public right-of-way.
7. All portions of the property which abut an existing or proposed residential use shall have a minimum 10-foot-wide landscape buffer.
8. When located adjacent to a property with a residential land use designation, a block wall of not less than 6 feet in height shall be required along the entire length of the property line. The block wall shall be reduced as necessary to the maximum height allowed within the required front yard setback and to meet sight visibility area requirements. Any gate(s) shall be constructed of materials to prevent view of the stored materials within the walled and gated area.
9. Automobiles and vehicles shall not be stored outside of a building on-site for more than 24 consecutive hours, unless stored in an approved storage area in compliance with the requirements of Section 9.240.080 (Vehicle Storage).

The following regulations shall apply to all vehicle storage yards, including designated storage areas incidental to a primary use, recreational vehicle storage boat and trailer storage, and equipment storage.

1. All vehicle storage yards shall require a principle structure not less than 500 square feet in area from which the business is operated.
2. Outside vehicle storage shall be confined to the rear of the principal structure(s) or to rear two-thirds of the lot, whichever is more restrictive.
3. All storage areas shall be screened from public view from any adjoining properties and from the public rights-of-way by appropriately designed walls, fencing and landscaping.
4. Vehicle storage yards shall maintain the minimum setback requirements for the zone in which the use is located.
5. All required setbacks shall be landscaped in compliance with Chapter 9.240 (Landscaping Standards).
6. Vehicle storage yards adjacent to existing and proposed residential uses: All portions of the property which abut an existing or proposed residential use shall have a minimum 10-foot-wide landscape buffer.
7. A solid wall not less than 6 feet tall made of block, masonry or other similar material shall be constructed and maintained around the perimeter of the use to substantially block the view of the storage yard. The wall shall not encroach into any required setback along a front or street side yard or encroach into any required sight visibility area. Any vehicles not screened shall be operable and in good repair.
8. Storage areas shall be paved with concrete or asphalt paving. An alternative material may be approved by the City Engineer.

Commercial uses including restaurants, financial institutions, pharmacies or other businesses providing drive-through, drive-up or drive-in facilities shall be subject to the following requirements:

1. Drive-Through Stacking Length. Stacking lanes for drive-through customers shall be of sufficient length behind a communication stop menu board or drive-up window or teller machine if no prior menu board communication stop is provided, to accommodate at least six vehicles, measuring a minimum of 9 feet by 20 feet per vehicle, unless additional stacking length is required by the approving authority or required pursuant to a site specific traffic management plan. The drive-through aisle shall have a minimum width of 11 feet on the straight sections and 12 feet on curved portions.
2. Pedestrian walkways should not intersect the drive-through aisles. If pedestrian walkways do cross the drive aisles, they shall be clearly marked with paving or striping.
3. Vehicle entrances to drive-through businesses shall be located a minimum of 150 feet from the nearest intersection, with 200 feet being the preferred distance, except where the City Engineer determines that an alternate standard can be safely accepted.
4. Separate queuing and circulation. Separate queuing and circulation shall be provided for drive-through traffic to ensure access for other traffic to parking spaces or exits is not unreasonably obstructed.
5. Design Characteristics. Drive-through facilities shall be screened from adjacent roads and residential properties through the use of landscape and architectural treatments such as berming, screen walls and bays around the drive aisle. Drive-through lanes shall be oriented away from street. Ordering boxes, speakers and drive lane lighting shall be oriented away from the street. A maximum four-foot-high screen wall shall be required to prevent vehicle lights from impacting on-coming traffic and to provide a screen wall for the pickup window. Landscape screening shall be provided, in addition to the screen wall, in order to soften the effects of the wall and provide additional mitigation for noise and lighting impacts. A pick up window canopy structure shall be provided. Eaves, canopies, porte-cochere and other features shall be integrated into the design of the site and the building and shall utilize similar materials as the other structures on site.
6. Landscaping. To provide general screening and to shield vehicles and associated headlights in a drive-through lane from view of abutting street rights-of-way, a minimum 5-foot-wide planter shall include a minimum 3-foot-tall (maximum 4-foot-tall) landscape barrier planted with trees and other landscaping consistent with those in the parking area. Trimming and pruning of the landscape barrier shall be performed in a manner that maintains the shielding of vehicle headlights in the drive-through lane from adjacent street rights-of-way.
7. Hours of Operation. The operation of the drive-through, drive-up or drive-in of any facility located adjacent to a residential district or residential use allowed in the district may only be operational between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. unless otherwise specifically established as a condition of approval. The approval of the required permit may further restrict the hours of operation for such facilities when adjacent to other uses or districts and where modified hours are necessary to mitigate potential adverse impacts related to noise, traffic or lighting.
8. Speakers. The speakers shall be located so as to protect adjoining residential areas from excessive noise and comply with the limits established in the General Plan.

The following regulations shall apply to all towing service yards.

1. Outdoor storage of new or used tires is prohibited.
2. Vehicle storage may be permitted as incidental to the primary use and shall be screened from view in compliance with Section 9.240.080 (Vehicle Storage).
3. No service or repairs shall be made to the vehicles, unless specifically approved otherwise and in compliance with the requirements of Section 9.240.080 (Vehicle Repairs and Service).

Self-service car washes included with a gas station will be reviewed in conjunction with the gas station conditional use permit, but otherwise, car washes shall comply with the following criteria.

1. Such businesses shall be located at least 150 feet from any residential structure.
2. Wash bays and vacuum areas shall be screened from public view.
3. An attendant shall regularly monitor the facility during business hours to control noise, litter and other nuisances.
4. Hours of operation shall be limited to 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., unless otherwise specifically established as a condition of approval. Water and electrical systems shall automatically shut off during non-business hours, except for security and fire protection.

(2022-351, 09/21/2022)

Effective on: 10/21/2022