Chapter 8.102 — I/NFO, INSTITUTIONAL/NORTH FAIR OAKS DISTRICT

The following regulations shall apply to those areas in North Fair Oaks which are zoned I/NFO.

The purposes of the Institutional/North Fair Oaks District are to:

1. Provide institutional areas intended specifically for the location of public and private facilities which serve educational, cultural, and public service needs of the community and region.

2. Protect the functional and economic viability of institutional areas by restricting incompatible land uses.

3. Provide for a range of institutional uses that are compatible with adjacent single-family residential zoning districts.

4. Implement the policies of the San Mateo County General Plan, especially those concerning provision of public services and facilities.

1. Ambulance and Paramedic Services

Facilities used for medical emergency response services.

2. Art Centers

Facilities used for the storage, exhibition, preservation, study or creation of works of artistic value.

3. Botanical and Zoological Gardens

Facilities and associated grounds used for the nurturing, study or exhibition of plant or animal species.

4. Cemeteries

Facilities and associated grounds used for the outdoor or indoor burial or interment of human or pet remains that may include columbaria, crematoriums or facilities for conducting funeral services.

5. Civil Defense Operation

Facilities used for emergency supply, storage and shelter.

6. Club and Organization Meeting Facilities

Facilities used for gatherings of groups primarily for social or political purposes including, but not limited to, social or fraternal clubs or lodges, union halls or philanthropic institutions.

7. Community Centers

Facilities used by local citizens for civic activities, performances, presentations or other purposes.

8. Elementary and Secondary Schools

Public or private educational facilities and associated grounds used for academic instruction below the collegiate level.

9. Fire Stations

Facilities used for fire fighting services, sometimes including associated paramedic services.

10. Institutional Day Care Facilities for Adults

Licensed facilities in buildings that do not contain a dwelling unit which provide non-medical care and supervision to adults on less than a 24-hour a day basis to adults including, but not limited to, individuals who are physically handicapped, mentally impaired, abused or recovering from alcohol or drug addictions.

11. Institutional Day Care Facilities for the Elderly

Licensed facilities in buildings that do not contain a dwelling unit(s), which provide non-medical care and supervision to elderly adults on less than a 24-hour a day basis.

12. Institutional Full-Time Care Facilities for Adults

Licensed facilities which provide 24-hour a day non-medical care and supervision to seven (7) or more adults including, but not limited to, individuals who are physically handicapped, mentally impaired, abused or recovering from alcohol or drug addictions.

13. Institutional Full-Time Care Facilities for Children

Licensed facilities which provide 24-hour a day non-medical care and supervision to seven (7) or more children, who may or may not have special needs or disabilities, in a structured environment.

14. Institutional Shared Housing Facilities for the Elderly

Facilities for seven (7) or more elderly adults where varying levels of supportive services or non-medical care are provided on a 24-hour a day basis including, but not limited to, rest homes or retirement homes.

15. Interpretive Centers

Facilities used for the education of the public with respect to natural, historical and cultural environments and legacies.

16. Libraries

Facilities used for storage, exhibition and lending of various media including, but not limited to, books, periodicals, documents, audio and video tapes and visual art.

17. Limited Institutional Intermediate Care Facilities

Licensed facilities in buildings that do not contain a dwelling unit which provide 24-hour a day care to six (6) or fewer inpatients who have recurring need for skilled nursing supervision and supportive care, but who do not require availability of continuous skilled nursing care.

18. Limited Institutional Skilled Nursing Facilities

Licensed facilities in buildings that do not contain a dwelling unit which provide 24-hour a day skilled nursing care and supportive care to only six (6) or fewer inpatients whose primary need is for availability of skilled nursing care on an extended basis.

19. Museums

Facilities used for the storage, exhibition, preservation or study of culturally, historically or scientifically valued works and phenomena.

20. Other Compatible Uses

Additional land uses may be allowed if the Director of Planning and Building determines that the proposed use is consistent with the purpose of the district and compatible with other permitted land uses in the district.

21. Parking Lots and Garages

Public and private facilities which provide designated spaces for temporary storage of operable and currently registered motor vehicles either in an open area or within a structure.

22. Performing Arts Centers

Facilities used for the presentation of live musical, dance, dramatic or other artistic performances.

23. Police Stations

Facilities used for the administration of law enforcement services, usually with limited space for holding lawfully detained persons.

24. Religious Facilities

Facilities or meeting places used for worship or religious instruction including churches, synagogues, mosques and temples.

25. Small Solid Waste Collection Facilities

Facilities, 500 sq. ft. or less in area, where discarded glass, paper or clothes or other recyclable materials are bought and/or collected including, but not limited to, containers, igloos, bins, groups of reverse vending machines and mobile units.

(Prior Code § 6290.2.11; Ord 4844 – 05/4/21)

1Other permits may be required by a combining district, e.g., Design Review approval.

All new development must meet the following:

1. Minimum Parcel Area and Width. The minimum parcel area shall be 10,000 sq. ft. and the minimum average parcel width shall be one-hundred (100) feet.

2. Minimum Building Setbacks. The minimum building setbacks shall be:

   • a. Near Residentially Zoned Parcels

     • (1) Front Contact

When the front portion of an I/NFO zoned parcel is across the street from a residentially zoned parcel,

For that portion of the building not exceeding 30 feet in height:

For that portion of the building exceeding 30 feet in height:

• (2) Side Contact

• (a) When the side portion of an I/NFO zoned parcel abuts a residentially zoned parcel,

For that portion of the building not exceeding 30 feet:

Side Setback Side Setback (abutting (not abutting Front residentiallyresidentially- Rear Setback zoned parcel) zoned parcel) Setback 25 feet 20 feet 10 feet 20 feet

For that portion of the building exceeding 30 feet in height:

• (b) When the side portion of an I/NFO zoned parcel is across the street from a residentially zoned parcel,

For that portion of the building not exceeding 30 feet in height:

Front Setback Side Setback Rear Setback 20 feet 10 feet 20 feet

For that portion of the building exceeding 30 feet in height:

• (3) Rear Contact

When the rear portion of an I/NFO zoned parcel abuts a residentially zoned parcel,

For that portion of the building not exceeding 30 feet in height:

For that portion of the building exceeding 30 feet in height:

Front Setback Side Setback Rear Setback 20 feet 10 feet 30 feet

• b. Not Near Residentially Zoned Areas

Front Setback Side Setback Rear Setback 20 feet 10 feet 20 feet

3. Maximum Building Coverage. Maximum building coverage shall be eighty (80) percent and shall include all: (1) buildings, (2) accessory buildings, and (3) structures such as patios, decks, balconies, and other similar uses which are eighteen (18) inches or more above the ground.

4. Maximum Building Floor Area. The maximum total building floor area shall be 150 percent of the total parcel area and shall include the floor area of all stories of all buildings and accessory buildings on a parcel. Maximum building floor area specifically includes: (1) the floor area of all stories, excluding uninhabitable and unfinished (e.g., attics, basements) areas, as measured from the outside face of all exterior walls, and (2) all other areas covered by a waterproof roof which extends 4 or more feet from exterior walls over the area of all decks, porches, and balconies. Enclosed parking areas shall be excluded from total building floor area.

5. Maximum Building Height. The maximum building height shall be thirty-seven (37) feet.

Height shall be measured as the vertical distance from any point on the finished grade to the topmost point of the building immediately above.

Chimneys, pipes, mechanical equipment, antennae, and other similar structures may extend beyond 37 feet to a maximum of 46 feet as required for safety or efficient operation.

6. Building Design. Building design shall be proportioned, massed, and of a style that is compatible and in harmony with surrounding development and shall preserve and enhance the character of the area.

7. Signs.

• a. Prohibited Signs. The following signs shall be prohibited:

  • (1) Any sign that, because of its location, construction, or operating characteristics, can be confused with a traffic control device or emergency vehicle.

  • (2) Signs having animated, moving, rotating, inflatable, or flashing parts.

  • (3) Signs emitting intense and focused beams of light, including beacons.

  • (4) Off-premises signs.

  • (5) Abandoned signs.

  • (6) Billboards. Existing billboards shall be considered legal non-conforming uses and are subject to the provisions of the Non-Conforming Uses Chapter (Chapter 8.388) of the Zoning Regulations.

• b. Maximum Number of Signs. The maximum number of signs allowed on a parcel is one (1) sign per parcel, or one (1) sign per each 200 feet of parcel street frontage, or one (1) sign per business, whichever is greatest.

• c. Maximum Total Sign Display Area. The maximum total display area of all signs on a parcel is threequarters (0.75) square foot per foot of parcel street frontage.

• d. Maximum Sign Height. The maximum height of signs on a parcel is as follows:

  • (1) Attached signs shall not exceed the height of the building or structure to which the sign is attached and shall not extend above the roofline.

  • (2) Freestanding signs shall not exceed six (6) feet.

• e. Sign Projection. Attached signs shall not project more than four (4) feet from the building or structure to which the sign is attached. Attached or freestanding signs shall not project beyond any parcel boundary, except signs may project into the public right-of-way subject to the approval of the Director of Public Works.

  • f. Sign Design. The design of signs on the parcel shall reflect the architectural design of the building or structure with which the sign is associated, and incorporate unifying colors, materials, and features.

8. Screening.

   • a. Refuse, waste removal, and outdoor service/storage areas shall be screened with a six (6) foot solid wall or opaque fence/gate when visible from a public way or residentially zoned parcel.

   • b. A minimum six (6), not to exceed eight (8), foot masonry wall shall be erected along the entire common property line where an institutionally zoned parcel abuts a residentially zoned parcel. Other fencing along property lines shall be of opaque materials when visible from a public way or residentially zoned parcel and shall not include barbed wire.

   • c. Mechanical equipment (e.g., air conditioning, heating, compressor, generator, venting units) or other utility hardware on roof, ground, or buildings shall be screened with opaque materials compatible with the building, when visible from a public way or residentially zoned parcel.

9. Landscaping. Landscaping shall be utilized and maintained to enhance or soften building design and required screening and shall consist of fast-growing plantings when development is visible from residentially zoned parcel(s).

10. Lighting. Exterior lighting fixtures, standards, and all exposed accessory lighting shall be compatible with and incorporated into building design.

11. Utilities. Install all new distribution lines underground. Minor renovations or additions to existing development may be exempt from this standard upon determination by the Director of Planning and Building.

12. Loading. Where feasible, a loading bay for loading and unloading may be required on site in order to minimize traffic hazards and congestion on roadways.

No use may be conducted in a manner which, in the determination of the Director of Planning and Building, does not meet the following performance standards. Measurement, observation, or other means of determination shall be made at the property boundaries, unless otherwise specified.

1. Noise. No use will be permitted which exceeds the following sound levels more than thirty (30) minutes in any hour:

2. Odor. No use will be permitted which emits an odor or air pollutant, detectable without instruments, beyond the boundaries of the I/NFO District.

3. Vibration. No use will be permitted which causes vibration perceptible without instruments on adjoining property, except for temporary construction operations.

4. Lighting. Exterior lighting, including sign lighting, shall be located and directed so that direct rays and glare are confined to the premises.