The intent of this district is to provide sufficient space in appropriate locations for moderate- to heavy-industrial uses, including manufacturing and assembly, warehousing and processing of raw materials within the Town of Ashland. M-2 permits, with some restrictions, uses that the less intensive M-1, Limited Industrial District either prohibits or requires a conditional use permit. Areas that are intended to be zoned M-2 should have sufficient access to water and sewer infrastructure and should be located near arterial and collector roads. The use of local roads should be planned to serve industrial traffic and should not serve residential neighborhoods. Transitional zoning districts, such as M-1 or B-2, should be used as buffers between the M-2 district and residential uses. Additional elements, such as screening, landscaping, and building orientation, should also be required to mitigate environmental impacts and nuisances.

Structures to be erected or land to be used shall be for the following uses:

1. Accessory uses as defined.
2. Artist studio.
3. Auction house.
4. Automobile, truck, or motorcycle distribution-only with accessory service, with a conditional use permit.
5. Brewery, Distillery, or Winery
6. Building supplies and service.
7. Catering.
8. Commercial kitchen.
   
9. Contractor's office.
10. Datacenter.
11. Distribution center, over 500,000 square feet with a conditional use permit.
12. Educational facility, as an accessory to a primary use.
13. Electric charging station, as an accessory to off-street parking.
14. Equipment and machinery, heavy (over 12,000 pounds) rental or sales with accessory service. If used products only, then a conditional use permit is required.
15. Equipment and machinery, light (under 12,000 pounds) rental or sales with accessory service.
16. Feed mill. See section 21-124 for height regulations.
17. Freestanding emergency department.
    
18. Fuel station with a conditional use permit. If for private use only no conditional use permit is required.
    
19. Garage, public parking.
20. Hospital.
21. Laboratory and research facility.
22. Manufacturing, apparel, textiles, and fabric where raw materials are prepared off-site.
23. Manufacturing, basic chemicals or nonmetallic mineral production with conditional use permit. Pharmaceutical manufacturing does not require a conditional use permit.
24. Manufacturing, food, beverage, tobacco, or agricultural products. If processing involves meat, fish, yeast, or the refining of fats, then a conditional use permit is required. Excludes brewery, distillery, or winery as they are defined separately.
25. Manufacturing, computer and electronic products, equipment, appliance and components.
26. Manufacturing, machinery or fabricated metal products.
27. Manufacturing, paper and wood products. Outdoor paper mills are not permitted. Outdoor sawmills, plaining or wood cutting with a conditional use permit.
28. Manufacturing, leather and allied products where raw materials are prepared off-site. If processing involves leather and hide tanning and finishing, then a conditional use permit is required.
29. Manufacturing, furniture, pottery, cabinets, and other related products where raw materials are prepared off-site. Pottery products using kilns fired by gas or electricity.
30. Manufacturing, plastics and rubber products.
31. Manufacturing, printing and related support activities.
32. Manufacturing, transportation equipment. Testing of jet engines or rockets is not permitted.
33. Media development or production studio.
34. Medical office.
    
35. Micro-Brewery/Distillery/Winery
36. Office trailers will be allowed while a permanent office is being constructed. Business may be conducted from this location for a period not to exceed twelve (12) months from the date of occupancy; an extension for a period not exceeding twelve (12) months may be approved by town council. If the building is completed before the twelve-month period expires, the occupants of this office trailer must move into the building within two (2) weeks of completion.
37. Offices.
38. Public facilities.
39. Railroad spur, tracks and accessory facilities.
40. Repurposing facility.
41. Repair services.
42. Restaurants.
43. Temporary uses with a conditional use permit.
44. Towers and aerials with a conditional use permit. See standards for telecommunication towers, per Section 21-276.
45. Truck stop or terminal with a conditional use permit.
46. Utilities, major with a conditional use permit.
47. Utilities, minor.
48. Veterinary hospital or clinic.
49. Wholesale business.

1. Repair and servicing of all equipment, vehicles, or other items shall take place within an enclosed building or structure, unless specified in Section 21-135.
2. Outdoor storage of materials shall not be located in any front yard and must be fully screened from view of public right-of-way or adjacent residentially zoned property. Screening materials to be used shall be wood, vinyl, vegetation or other types of materials defined as screening in the Development Guidelines Handbook. No chain link fencing shall be installed from view of the public right-of-way or from adjacent residential property.
3. Outdoor display shall be for the sale and display of seasonal or temporary merchandise as an incidental part of retail activities regularly conducted from a permanent building, provided that such merchandise is displayed in an orderly manner within sidewalk or courtyard areas located immediately adjacent to or upon the same lot or parcel as the primary use. A clear path of no less than 5 feet shall be maintained to ensure pedestrian and/or safety personnel access along sidewalks and areas of ingress/egress from structures. Any fencing visible from the public right of way shall be wooden, vinyl, or have an appearance similar to iron ornamental fencing, but may be fabricated from non-iron materials and no chain link fencing shall be installed from view of the public right-of-way. See article XXV for further definition between outdoor storage and display.
4. No permanent exterior amplification devices or sound systems shall be used.

The minimum lot area shall be one acre, provided there shall be no minimum lot area requirement for public utilities, public utility service yards, railroad spurs, towers and aerials, and parks and playgrounds.
For major and minor utilities, the minimum lot area shall be the area necessary to accommodate the use, any accessory use, and any required buffers, screening or access to the major and minor utility.

The minimum width of any lot at the setback line shall be one hundred fifty (150) feet.
Road frontage requirements shall not apply to major and minor utilities.

The minimum front setback for structures shall be thirty-five (35) feet.

1. Side. The minimum width of each side yard shall be twenty (20) feet, except that when a use is abutting a residential district, there shall be a side yard of not less than fifty (50) feet with a vegetative buffer per Section 21-236. The minimum street side yard for all buildings and structures shall be twenty (20) feet.
2. Rear. The minimum rear yard for each main structure shall be twenty (20) feet, except that when a use is abutting a residential district, there shall be a rear yard of not less than one hundred (100) feet with a vegetative buffer per Section 21-236. See ATC chapter 21, article XXV for supplemental yard regulations.

1. No building or structure shall exceed a height of forty-five (45) feet from grade, unless specified elsewhere in this chapter.
2. Additional height for buildings or structures exceeding forty-five (45) feet may be permitted, with a conditional use permit, provided that:
   1. All portions of a building or structure over forty-five (45) feet in height are set back from properties designated for residential use by the Comprehensive Plan a minimum of three (3) feet for each one (1) foot of height.
   2. All portions of a building or structure over forty-five (45) feet in height are set back from all public rights-of-way a minimum of two (2) feet for each one (1) foot in height.
   3. All portions of a building or structure over forty-five (45) feet in height are set back from all other property lines a minimum of one (1) foot for each one (1) foot in height.
   4. These provisions shall not apply to communications towers.
3. No communications tower shall exceed a height of one hundred (100) feet from grade, unless otherwise specified in this chapter. Additional height for communications towers exceeding one hundred (100) feet may be permitted with a conditional use permit.

All uses shall be constructed on properties served by public water and sewer systems.

A site plan shall be required as set forth in ATC article XVII of this chapter..

A landscape plan shall be required, and landscaping, trees, buffers and screening shall be provided in accordance with the applicable provisions of ATC article XXIII of this chapter.

Parking areas shall be designed to connect to similar adjoining parcel(s) via a stub-out to the property line(s) with the objective of providing internal vehicular and pedestrian access between neighboring commercial parcels. The Zoning Administrator may waive the connection requirement upon finding that such connection is found to be impractical due to the existence of security concerns of business operation, or sensitive environmental features such as wetlands, floodplain, or forested area, that would be encumbered by the required connection of parking areas.”