Subd. 1. Purposes.

A.

The general purposes of the C-Commercial District are to:

1.

Provide appropriately located areas for retail stores, offices, service establishments, and amusement establishments;

2.

Provide opportunities for retail stores, offices, service establishments, and amusement establishments, to concentrate for the convenience of the public and in mutually beneficial relationship to each other;

3.

Provide space for community facilities and institutions that appropriately may be located in commercial areas;

4.

Provide adequate space to meet the needs of modern commercial development, including off-street parking and truck loading areas;

5.

Minimize traffic congestion and avoid the overloading of utilities by preventing the construction of buildings of excessive size in relation to the amount of land around them; and

6.

Protect commercial properties from noise, odor, dust, dirt, smoke, vibration, heat, glare, traffic, fire, explosion, noxious fumes, and other hazards.

B.

The special purposes of the N-Com Neighborhood Commercial District are to:

1.

Provide appropriately located areas for retail stores, offices, and personal service establishments patronized by residents of the immediate neighborhood area; and

2.

Permit development of neighborhood shops and related office uses, which can be accommodated in less than fifty thousand (50,000) square feet of retail area, and are in the appropriate locations shown on the Guide Plan, according to standards that minimize adverse impact on adjoining residential uses.

C.

The special purposes of the C-Com Community Commercial District are to:

1.

Provide appropriately located areas for retail stores, offices, and personal service establishments patronized primarily by residents of the immediate community area; and

2.

Permit development of community shopping centers and related office uses, which can be accommodated in less than two hundred thousand (200,000) square feet of retail area, and are in the appropriate locations shown on the Guide Plan according to standards that minimize adverse impact on adjoining residential use.

D.

The special purposes of the C-Reg Regional Commercial District are to:

1.

Provide a large site at an appropriate location for a major shopping center which serves a wider region than the City itself consistent with the intent of the Metropolitan Guide Plan;

2.

Ensure that a major center will be developed in accord with high standards of site planning, architecture, and landscape design; and

3.

Minimize the adverse effect of major commercial facilities on nearby dwellings.

Subd. 2. Permitted Uses. Refer to the table in Section 11.05.

Subd. 3. Building Bulk and Dimension Standards.

A.

The following minimum standards apply in the Commercial districts, unless otherwise noted:

(Source: Ordinance No. 04-2025, § 5, 3-4-2025)

B.

The following minimum standards apply for all accessory structures in the Commercial districts, unless otherwise noted.

Subd. 4. Requirements and Conditions. In addition to the provisions of this chapter that are applicable to all districts or specifically apply to the Commercial District, the following requirements and conditions apply to the Commercial District:

A.

Acceptable, approved sanitary sewer service must be provided to all occupied structures and uses.

B.

Zoning requests will be considered only on the basis of compliance with the Comprehensive Guide Plan for the entire area to be zoned and specific plans for initial structures and site development.

C.

Lots must have frontage on a public street. Corner lots must have additional width equal to the minimum interior side yard setback requirement and must in no case be less than ninety (90) feet.

D.

C-REG-SER uses are limited to sales and service operations which require relatively large sites, attract little or no pedestrian traffic and are not typically found in shopping center structures.

E.

C-HWY uses are limited to sales and service operations directly related to highway or freeway uses, tourists, and travelers.

F.

Gasoline/convenience stores are not permitted in the Neighborhood Commercial (N-COM), provided, however, that gasoline/convenience stores in existence as of January 13, 2022, will remain, for all purposes, a permitted use under this Section.

G.

For gasoline/convenience stores in the C-COM, C-REG, C-REG-SER, and C-HWY Districts the following criteria apply:

1.

All buildings and pump canopies must have peaked roofs and relate architecturally in scale, proportion, materials and detail, and color with the building.

2.

Pump canopies must be connected with the primary store structure. Pump canopies must be located behind the store and oriented away from adjoining residential areas. Canopy ceilings must be textured or have a flat finish.

3.

All site walls, screen walls and pump island canopies must be architecturally integrated with the building with similar materials, colors, and detailing.

4.

Average horizontal luminance at grade may not exceed ten (10) foot-candles, with individual lamps not to exceed two hundred fifty (250) watts. The fascias of the canopy must extend at least twelve (12) inches below the lens of the fixture to block the direct view of the light sources and lenses from property lines. Recessed non glare lighting must be used under the canopy. Average horizontal luminance at grade at the property line may not exceed 0.5 foot-candles.

5.

Service areas, storage areas and refuse enclosures must be screened from public view, adjacent streets and residential areas.

6.

A landscape buffer is required to provide screening from adjacent residential uses.

Subd. 5. Pawnshops.

A.

No pawnshop may be located closer than one thousand (1,000) feet from any other pawnshop. Measurements will be made in a straight line, without regard to intervening structures or objects, from the nearest point of the property line of the building occupied by the pawnshop to the nearest point of the property line of the building occupied by the other pawnshop.

B.

All pawnshops must comply with the licensing requirements of City Code Section 5.71.

Subd. 6. General Provisions. Refer to Section 11.08 for provisions that apply to all zoning districts.

Subd. 7. Landscaping. Landscaping and screening is required pursuant to Section 11.42.

Subd. 8. Parking and Off-Street Loading. Refer to in Section 11.43 for parking and off-street loading standards.

Subd. 9. Architectural Standards. Refer to Section 11.46 for architectural standards.

Subd. 10. Signs. Refer to Section 11.70 for sign regulations.

Subd. 11. Shoreland Management. Refer to Section 11.50 for shoreland management standards.

Subd. 12. Wetlands. Refer to Section 11.51 for wetland protection standards.

Subd. 13. Land Alteration, Tree Preservation, and Stormwater Management. Refer to Section 11.55 for regulations regarding land alteration, tree preservation, and stormwater management.

Subd. 14. Sloped Ground Development and Regulations. Refer to Section 11.60 for sloped ground development regulations.

Subd. 15. Floodplain. Refer to Section 11.45 for floodplain regulations.

(Source: Ordinance No. 20-2023, 12-14-2023; Ordinance No. 1-2022, 1-13-2022; Ordinance No. 22-2018, 12-13-2018; Ordinance No. 13-2017, 8-17-2017; Ordinance No. 26-2016, 11-24-2016; Ordinance No. 9-87, 5-6-1987; City Code, 9-17-1982; Ordinance No. 04-2025, § 5, 3-4-2025)