Douglas County Unincorporated
City Zoning Code

To provide for a full range of visitor-serving retail and commercial uses as an integral part of the community, providing services and employment opportunities that are conveniently and efficiently located to reduce unnecessary commuting and protect air quality. Adequate facilities, such as roads, water and sanitation, fire protection, emergency services, and public utilities shall be available to serve the development. Growth should occur in a phased and contiguous manner to save on the costly, premature extension of basic infrastructure.

Development within this district shall be located so as to minimize conflicts with agricultural uses, wildlife habitats and corridors, and environmentally and visually sensitive areas in accordance with the intent of the Douglas County Comprehensive Master Plan.

The HC District is characterized by commercial and mixed-use buildings oriented to a major U.S. highway corridor. The uses provided in this zone are meant to serve local and regional residents, as well as visitors passing by and through. Site improvements including landscaping shall be provided and designed to minimize the impacts of roadside development. Due to the exposure to regional traffic, high appearance standards are important.

Community uses.

Bank or financial institution (with or without drive-up facility).

Bar or lounge.

Bed-and-breakfast.

Building materials – retail, wholesale, or both.

Construction office – temporary (refer to Part 22).

Equipment sales, rental, or both – small.

Equipment service, repair, or both.

Event center.

Firing range – indoor.

Greenhouse – one acre maximum.

Hotel.

Industrial or manufacturing operation which does not emit unusual or excessive amounts of dust, smoke, fumes, gas, noxious odors, or noise beyond the lot boundary.

Motel.

Motor vehicle sales.

Motor vehicle service, repair, or both.

Motor vehicle service station with gas pumps.

Motorcycle sales, service, repair, or all.

Office – general, medical, professional, government.

Office – temporary (refer to Part 22).

Parking lot – public or private.

Product distribution, storage, or both (no hazardous materials).

Research and development facility.

Restaurant, fast food restaurant (with or without drive-up facility).

Retail business, service business, or both – indoor or outdoor.

Sales office – temporary (refer to Part 22).

Seasonal use (refer to Part 23).

Utility service facility (refer to definition).

Veterinary clinic or hospital.

Warehouse.

Warehouse – mini or self storage up to 500 sq. ft. per storage unit.

Wholesale business – sales, service, or both.

The following uses shall be allowed only when a principal use has been established on the lot.

Non-residential:

Group residential facility.

Telecommunication facility (within or exceeding maximum height and health standards).

Maximum building height:

The maximum building height shall not apply to belfries, cupolas, penthouses, or domes not used for human occupancy, roof-mounted church spires, chimneys, skylights, ventilators, water tanks, silos, parapet walls, cornices, antennas, utility poles and necessary mechanical appurtenances usually carried above the roof level.

The maximum height of a roof-mounted church spire shall not exceed 1.62 times the height of the church (refer to Part 36, § 1-3602, "building height" definition, spire height calculation).

The maximum height of a parapet wall shall be as approved by the staff based on overall mass and bulk and its compatibility with the surrounding area.

All roof-mounted equipment (mechanical, ventilating, antennas) shall be properly screened, with the exception of solar collectors/heaters.

A cornice, canopy, eave, fireplace, wing wall, or similar architectural feature may extend three feet into a required setback.

Fire escapes may extend six feet into a required setback.

Structures that do not require building permits may encroach into a rear setback. Any encroachment into an easement requires permission from the easement holder.

A garage directly accessed from an alley may encroach into a rear setback. Any encroachment into an easement requires permission from the easement holder.

Until such time, the use of on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) may be permitted, provided the proposed use does not create more than a design flow of 2,000 gallons of effluent per day, as determined by Douglas County Health Department's OWTS Regulation.

The proposed use and associated OWTS is evaluated by the Douglas County Health Department, and other applicable agencies, to determine if the use is compatible with an OWTS:

If a Responsible Management Entity (RME) exists at the time of land use application, the subject land will be served by the RME.

All uses shall be served by a central water system. The use of individual wells may be permitted, provided:

Minimum off-street parking shall be provided in accordance with Part 28 of this chapter.

Parking for non-residential uses shall be provided as shown on the approved USR plan exhibit or Site Improvement Plan, in accordance with Part 28 of this chapter.

For residential uses, inoperable or unlicensed, operable vehicles parked outside shall be concealed by a solid fence, berm, vegetative barrier, or a combination thereof.

Unscreened parking of operable, unlicensed vehicles may be allowed in association with motor vehicle sales as shown on an approved Site Improvement Plan in accordance with Parts 27 and 28 of this chapter.

Barbed, concertina, razor wire, or other hazardous materials used for fencing shall be prohibited.

Fences, walls, or hedges shall not be erected in the public right-of-way, but shall be allowed within a setback.

A building permit shall be required for any retaining wall, as required by the Building Code, as amended and adopted by Douglas County.

Fences, walls, or hedges shall not exceed four feet in height when located in the required setback from a street.

A building permit is required for any fence greater than six feet in height, or as required by the Building Code, as amended and adopted by Douglas County.

Fences or walls shall be designed and maintained so that they are architecturally harmonious with the principal structures on the lot.

Fences, walls, or hedges shall be erected and maintained in a manner that does not obstruct the vision of automobile traffic on streets, rights-of-way, or driveways in accordance with the Douglas County Roadway Design and Construction Standards manual.

Fences, walls, or hedges shall be maintained in good structural or living condition. The landowner is responsible for the repair or removal of a fence, wall, or hedge which constitutes a public safety hazard by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, or abandonment.

Swimming pools shall be enclosed by a fence or wall that meets or exceeds the requirements of the Building Code, as amended and adopted by Douglas County.

Sound barrier walls, when constructed by the landowner other than the Colorado Department of Transportation adjacent to a street, shall be designed in accordance with the State Department of Transportation criteria and approved by the Director or designee.

Non-residential uses shall be landscaped as shown on an approved Site Improvement Plan in accordance with Part 21 or Part 27 of this chapter.

Areas to be landscaped include the lot area within the required setback from the street, parking areas, and other areas as required.

Outdoor storage including, but not limited to, raw materials supplies, finished or semi-finished products, or equipment shall be screened from view from abutting properties and public streets or trails bordering the site by a solid fence, wall, or hedge that is a minimum of six feet in height.

Employee or customer parking or merchandise display areas shall not be considered outdoor storage.

Outdoor storage shall not be allowed within any required landscaped area.

Operable trailers or other equipment designed to be towed or lifted as a single component may be visible above the height of a six-foot-tall fence, wall, or hedge without being additionally screened.

For outdoor storage of vehicles, see the parking standards in this section.

Outdoor storage shall be allowed within the required setback from a street, provided that the storage area does not occupy more than 50% of the linear frontage at the right-of-way.

When outdoor storage areas abut each other and are not visible from public streets or trails bordering the site, the Director or designee may waive the requirement for a solid fence.

Where the topography of the land is such that a solid fence, wall, or hedge would not prevent viewing outdoor storage from abutting properties and public streets or trails bordering the site, additional landscaping above the height of the fence, wall, or hedge to mitigate site-specific visual impacts may be required.