East China Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE 10
GB General Business Districts
§ 480-34 Purpose.
The GB General Business District as established in this article is intended to permit a wider range of business and entertainment activities than those permitted in the LB Local Business District. This GB District is designed to provide sites for more diversified business types and is located so as to serve passerby, highway-oriented traffic. These uses would generate larger volumes of vehicular traffic, would need more off-street parking and loading, and would require more planning to integrate such districts with adjacent residential areas. This would also provide suitable locations for those commercial activities which function relatively independent of pedestrian traffic and proximity of other firms.
§ 480-35 Principal uses permitted.
The following regulations shall apply to all GB Districts, and no building, structure, or premises, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, shall be erected, altered, or used except for one or more of the following specified uses:
Any retail business or service establishment permitted in LB Districts as principal uses permitted and uses permitted subject to conditions.
Mortuary establishments, when adequate assembly area is provided off-street for vehicles to be used in funeral processions; provided further that:
Fraternities, clubs, lodges, social or recreational buildings or properties not operated for profit.
Auto laundries (car wash) when completely enclosed in a building.
Bus passenger stations.
New- and used-car salesroom, showroom, or office.
Governmental office or other governmental use; public utility offices, exchanges, transformer stations, pump stations and service yards, but not including outdoor storage.
Theaters, assembly halls, concert halls or similar places of assembly when conducted completely within enclosed buildings.
Business schools and colleges or private schools operated for profit.
Restaurants, or other places serving food or beverage, except those having the character of a drive-in or drive-through.
Other uses similar to those listed above.
Accessory structures and uses customarily incident to any of the above uses.
§ 480-36 Uses permitted subject to conditions.
The following uses shall be permitted subject to the conditions hereinafter imposed for each use:
Outdoor sales space for exclusive sale of new or secondhand automobiles, house trailers, or rental of trailers and/or automobiles, subject to the following:
The lot or area shall be provided with a permanent, durable, and dustless surface, and shall be graded and drained as to dispose of all surface water accumulated within the area.
Ingress and egress to the outdoor sales area shall be at least 60 feet from the intersection of any two streets.
Display of vehicles is, for the purposes of this chapter, an accessory use. Such use may be permitted within a front yard except that a twenty-foot landscaped open space shall be provided between any street and the display area.
Motels or hotels, subject to the following conditions:
Ingress and egress shall be provided so as not to conflict with the adjacent business uses or adversely affect traffic flow on a major thoroughfare.
Each unit shall contain no less than 200 square feet of floor area.
No guest shall establish permanent residence at a motel for more than 30 days within any calendar year.
Business in the character of a drive-in, or so-called open storefront, subject to the following conditions:
A setback of at least 60 feet from the right-of-way line of any existing or proposed street must be maintained.
Ingress and egress points shall be located at least 60 feet from the intersection of any two streets.
A minimum of five vehicle stacking spaces shall be provided per drive-through lane with a minimum of three following the location that orders are taken. Stacking lanes shall have a minimum width of eight feet and shall not conflict with parking or ingress and egress drives. The length of one stacking space is 20 feet. Stacking shall not be permitted within a required front yard.
Veterinary hospitals or clinics, subject to the following conditions:
All activities shall be conducted within a totally enclosed building unless an outdoor exercise location is designated on the plan and approved by the Planning Commission. Such area shall be enclosed with a fence and shall be screened from neighboring properties.
Abutting or adjacent property is zoned LB, GB, OS-1, IRO, I-1, or I-2 District.
General automotive repair when the following conditions are met:
All activities shall be conducted within a completely enclosed building.
Outside storage of vehicles or parts must be completely screened in accordance with § 480-64, Obscuring walls and landscaped berms.
No outside storage of discarded or salvaged materials, junk vehicles or junk parts shall be permitted on the premises.
Mini storage buildings, with limited access to the building from outside, when the following conditions are met:
Doors providing access to individual storage units shall not be permitted on the front yard side of the building, nor on any side abutting a public street, a residential district or the residential portion of a PND.
Building facades adjacent to a residential district, the residential portion of a PND or a public street shall be of the same finish material and be similar in appearance to the facade of the building abutting the front yard.
Vehicular aisles providing access to units on both sides of the aisles, whether interior or exterior, shall be not less than 30 feet wide.
Aisles providing access to units on only one side of the aisle shall be not less than 20 feet wide, provided that there is more than one aisle available for circulation around a building. If there is only one aisle, the aisle shall be not less than 30 feet wide.
All aisles and surfaces available to vehicles shall be provided with asphaltic or concrete surfacing in accordance with specifications approved by the Township.
There shall be no outdoor storage and no storage of hazardous, toxic or volatile substances.
The maximum percentage of the zoning lot area covered by buildings shall be 50%.
For any building facade that exceeds 200 feet in length, the setback of that portion of the building shall be increased by an additional one foot for each 10 feet of length, provided that, if greater setbacks are required by other sections of this chapter, the greater setback shall be provided.
Bowling alley, billiard hall, indoor archery range, indoor tennis courts, indoor skating rink, or similar forms of indoor commercial recreation when located at least 100 feet from any front, rear, or side yard of any residential lot in an adjacent residential district.