Gardena City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 18
32 GENERAL COMMERCIAL ZONE C-3
§ 18.32.010 General commercial zone (C-3).
The C-3 general commercial zone is intended for general commercial uses. Except as specifically provided elsewhere in this chapter, any and every building and premises or land in the C-3 zone shall be used for, or occupied, and every building shall be erected, constructed, established, altered, enlarged, maintained and moved into and within the C-3 zone, exclusively, and only in accordance with the regulations set forth in this chapter.
(Prior code § 10-3.1601)
§ 18.32.020 Uses permitted.
Buildings, structures, and land shall be used, and buildings and structures shall be erected, structurally altered, or enlarged only for the following uses, plus other such uses as the commission may deem (pursuant to Section 18.42.040) to be similar and not more obnoxious or detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare. All uses shall be conducted within an enclosed building, unless otherwise expressly authorized and shall be subject to the property development standards set forth in Section 18.32.050. The following uses shall be permitted (also see Section 18.42.040):
A.
Any use permitted in the C-2 zone provided all uses shall comply with all the requirements stipulated for the C-3 zone; except where expressly stated otherwise in this chapter;
B.
Stores, businesses, or commercial activities not involving any kind of manufacture, processing, or treatment of products other than that which is clearly incidental and essential to a retail business conducted on the premises and that such operations are not objectionable due to noise, odor, dust, smoke, vibration, or other similar causes. Permitted uses shall include:
1.
Antique stores;
2.
Bowling alleys;
3.
Conservatories of music;
4.
Dancing academies;
5.
Gymnasiums;
6.
Legal card clubs;
7.
Laboratories, medical and dental;
8.
Mortuaries;
9.
Music and vocal instruction;
10.
Nursery sales of flowers and plants;
11.
Pet shops;
12.
Medical and dental offices and clinics;
13.
General offices;
14.
Refrigerated food lockers;
15.
Furniture upholstery shops;
16.
Secondhand store and/or thrift shop, when located at least five thousand feet from pawn shop or another secondhand store and/or thrift shop;
17.
Veterinary clinics and hospitals;
C.
Parking lots for automobiles. The provisions of Chapter 18.40 shall apply;
D.
General commercial uses similar to those set forth in subsection B of this section as provided in Section 18.42.040;
E.
Uses customarily incidental to the permitted uses set forth for accessory buildings when located on the same lot;
F.
(Repealed); and
G.
Accessory uses in commercial parking lots subject to site plan review pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 18.44.
(Prior code § 10-3.1602; Ord. 1487 § 6, 1995; Ord. 1517 § 15, 1997; Ord. 1550 § 5, 1998; Ord. 1554 § 6, 1998; Ord. 1661 § 3, 2004; Ord. 1667 § 24, 2004; Ord. 1666 § 24, 2005; Urg. Ord. 1682; Ord. 1683 § 36, 2006; Ord. 1714 § 2(I) and (J), 2010; Ord. 1737 § 23, 2012; Ord. 1738 § 17, 2012; Ord. 1757 § 7, 2015; Ord. 1806 § 8, 2019; Ord. 1825 § 3, 2021)
§ 18.32.030 Uses permitted subject to a conditional use permit.
The following uses may be permitted in the C-3 zone subject to the issuance of a conditional use permit in accordance with the procedure set forth in Chapter 18.46:
A.
Car wash facilities;
B.
Establishments selling or serving alcoholic beverages for consumption on or off the premises;
C.
Group care facilities and community care facilities, but excluding community care facilities for residential uses for less than seven persons;
D.
Recreational vehicle storage facilities, provided they are not located on arterial and major collector streets;
E.
Motor vehicle dealerships;
F.
Hospitals;
G.
Day care facilities;
H.
Amusement arcades;
I.
Hotels and motels, subject to the requirements set forth in Section 18.46.030(C)(15);
J.
Amenity hotels, subject to the requirements set forth in Section 18.46.030(C)(29);
K.
Health facilities;
L.
Massage establishments that are not otherwise subject to an exception pursuant to Section 5.48.030;
M.
Urgent care center;
N.
Vocational colleges, such as barber and beauty colleges, modeling schools and medical training and trade schools;
O.
Churches and related facilities. Related facilities do not include day care facilities, schools (kindergarten through twelfth grade), and rectories, convents, parsonages or ministers' residences;
P.
Automobile service stations;
Q.
Self-service laundromats;
R.
Neighborhood markets;
S.
Health clubs;
T.
Supermarkets;
U.
Lodges and meeting halls;
V.
Cigar and hookah lounges in compliance with Section 18.46.030(C)(30);
W.
Those uses permitted with a conditional use permit, pursuant to Section 18.46.030(C).
(Prior code § 10-3.1603; Ord. 1498 § 8, 1996; Ord. 1517 § 16, 1997; Ord. 1525 § 1, 1997; Ord. 1554 § 7, 1998; Ord. 1667 § 25, 2004; Ord. 1666 § 25, 2005; Urg. Ord. 1682; Ord. 1683 § 37, 2006; Ord. 1714 § 2(J), 2010; Ord. 1737 § 24, 2012; Ord. 1738 § 18, 2012; Ord. 1757 § 8, 2015; Ord. 1825 § 4, 2021; Ord. 1871 § 8, 2024)
§ 18.32.040 Uses prohibited.
All uses not listed in Sections 18.32.020 and 18.32.030 are deemed to be expressly prohibited, except those determined to be similar pursuant to the provisions of Section 18.42.040. No similar use determination may be made for the following specific uses, which are deemed to be either incompatible with the uses permitted in the C-3 zone or otherwise prohibited:
A.
Residential uses;
B.
Any combination of residential and nonresidential uses in any building or structure or on any lot;
C.
Industrial uses;
D.
Wholesaling and warehousing;
E.
Outdoor sales, including sales of products from trucks, conducted on vacant lots and outdoor sales of products not related to the business conducted on the premises;
F.
It is unlawful to sell, contract to sell, offer to sell, display for the purpose of sale, or permit the sale of any vehicle from a vacant or unimproved lot. "Vehicle," as used in this subsection, means and includes everything so defined in the Vehicle Code of the state and, in addition, boats;
G.
Swap meets;
H.
Adult-oriented businesses as defined by Section 18.62.020(G);
I.
Significant tobacco retailers.
(Prior code § 10-3.1604; Ord. 1483 § 4, 1994; Ord. 1498 § 9, 1996; Ord. 1738 § 19, 2012; Ord. 1871 § 8, 2024)
§ 18.32.050 Property development standards.
The property development standards set forth in this section shall apply to all land and buildings in the C-3 zone, except for lot width and lot area for such land and buildings which were of record on August 26, 1982.
A.
Lot area: there shall be a minimum area of seven thousand five hundred square feet.
B.
Lot dimensions: every lot shall have a minimum width at the building line of fifty feet. Every lot shall have a minimum depth of one hundred fifty feet.
C.
Building height/FAR: Building heights shall not exceed sixty-five feet in general; shall not exceed thirty-five feet within one hundred feet of a zone boundary line between the C-3 zone and any R-1 and R-2 zone; and shall not exceed fifty feet within one hundred feet of a zone boundary line between the C-3 and R-3 or R-4 zones. The gross floor area of all buildings or structures on a lot or lots that comprise a project site shall not exceed 0.50 (FAR) with the exception of amenity hotels, which may have a FAR of up to 2.0.
D.
Building setbacks: In addition to setbacks which may be required for planned rights-of-way pursuant to Section 18.42.080, see Section 18.42.085.
E.
A minimum ten-foot landscape perimeter shall provided on all street frontages.
F.
Distance between buildings: no distance between buildings shall be required other than where a lot is now used for residential purposes, in which case the provisions of the R-4 zone (Chapter 18.18) shall apply.
G.
Fences, hedges, and walls: the provisions of Section 18.42.070 shall apply.
H.
Access: there shall be adequate vehicular access to off-street parking facilities from a dedicated street, service road, or alley. The design of the access shall conform to all the standards and specifications of the city.
I.
Signs: the provisions of Chapter 18.58 of this code shall apply.
J.
Off-street parking and loading: the provisions of Chapter 18.40 shall apply.
(Prior code § 10-3.1605; Urg. Ord. 1682; Ord. 1683 § 38, 2006; Ord. 1825 § 5, 2021)
