(a)

Purpose. The I-3 district is established to accommodate light and heavy industrial uses, facilitate all types of industrial development and use of the district, and protect such areas from the intrusion of certain incompatible uses that might impede the development and use of such lands for all industrial purposes. Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Health and Safety Administration regulations are enforceable to the extent applicable by law.

The noise, smoke, odor, vibration and/or traffic typically generated by certain industrial uses require the buffering, screening, landscaping, setbacks and other performance standards required herein to protect any nearby residential areas.

(b)

Principal uses. The following uses are permitted:

(1)

Mini-warehouses;

(2)

Warehousing completely within an enclosed building;

(3)

Wholesale operations within an enclosed building;

(4)

Testing laboratories;

(5)

Motor freight terminals;

(6)

Trucking terminals;

(7)

Railway freight terminals;

(8)

Outdoor storage of sand, gravel, rock, earth, wood, or other materials utilized in construction or industrial processes on-site;

(9)

Outdoor storage of industrial equipment or supplies;

(10)

Sales, rental and storage of heavy load vehicles, tractor trailers, cranes, bulldozers or similar equipment;

(11)

Research and development facilities and laboratories;

(12)

Instrument and component manufacturing facilities;

(13)

Apparel manufacturing facilities;

(14)

Transportation component manufacturing facilities;

(15)

Printing and allied products facilities;

(16)

Electrical machine manufacturing facilities;

(17)

Offices equipment and supplies manufacturing facilities;

(18)

Medical and pharmaceutical supplies manufacturing;

(19)

Offices;

(20)

Equipment storage and rental, outdoor storage and lay down yards, fabrication shops, warehousing, material and supply sales, office and parking;

(21)

The manufacturing, processing, distributing and/or storage of any material or product from processed or raw materials including, but not limited to, chemicals, petrochemicals or mineral extracts;

(22)

Shipyards;

(23)

Railroad and railway facilities;

(24)

Any other manufacturing, industrial or storage use not now or hereafter prohibited by this chapter or any other ordinance of the city;

(25)

All uses permitted by right or by conditional use in the C-1, C-2, I-1 and I-2 districts; and

(26)

Other industrial, wholesale, manufacturing, construction, or service uses which are similar in character or in furtherance of related operations like those enumerated in this subsection.

(c)

Required separation of certain principal uses from residentially zoned properties. The permitted principal uses listed in (b)5-10, 13-15, 20-22 and 24 shall be separated from any nearby residentially zoned property by a minimum of 250 feet. Provided however that this requirement shall not apply if the residentially zoned property: (1) was zoned residential after the date that the I-3 industrial zoning district was created; (2) is owned by the city or any entity controlled by the city; or (3) is owned by a railroad company or any entity controlled by a railroad company.

For clarification, the following are permitted in the separation area: (i) incidental structures/uses such as fence/wall, landscaping/greenspace, signage and utilities/detention, (ii) residential use of existing residential structures, and (iii) Accessory Uses (see subsection (e)).

(d)

Prohibited uses. The following uses are specifically prohibited:

(1)

Nuclear power generation operations;

(2)

Waste disposal, storage or recycling operations not appurtenant to a permitted use;

(3)

Concrete or asphalt batch or ready-mix plant operations;

(4)

Rock crushing or aggregate mining operations, except aggregate storage or terminaling for transportation or distribution is permitted;

(5)

Munitions or other designed explosives use, testing or storage;

(6)

Aviation, space port or other similar facilities;

(7)

Mining;

(8)

Junkyard, salvage or wrecking yard operations;

(9)

Hog or chicken farming;

(10)

Meat processing, packing or canning operations, including but not limited to fermenting, canning, slaughtering, rendering, curing, tanning or related processes;

(11)

Experimental, research or developmental or testing laboratories relating to biological or viral materials;

(12)

Wood treating or processing plant;

(13)

Pesticide manufacturing, or storage of pesticides, except storage in rail cars properly classified as goods in transit is permitted; and

(14)

Open earth storage of petroleum products.

(e)

Accessory uses. The following uses are permitted accessory to the principal use:

(1)

Paved automobile parking lots incidental to the principal use;

(2)

Other uses which are incidental to the principal use;

(3)

Signs advertising goods and services provided on the same premises;

(4)

Office space used in conjunction with a principal use;

(5)

Laboratories and shops incidental to the principal use; and

(6)

Shops, parking, outside storage of materials, or temporary buildings incidental to the principal use.

(f)

Requirements/performance standard.Sections 71-20, schedule of district regulations, and 71-21, supplementary district regulations, shall not apply within the I-3 district, but the following requirements apply:

^* Building Height Maximum does not apply to the following:

Decorative features which do not exceed an additional 8 ft.

Antennae or other telecommunication device which does not exceed an additional 20 ft.

Chimney or other emission devise which does not exceed an additional 20 ft.

Safety devise or other devise required by applicable law which does not exceed an additional 20 ft.

Water tower

Other accessory structure approved by Conditional Use Permit pursuant to Sec. 71-6.

(g)

Automobile parking space/loading regulations.Section 71-22 shall not apply in the I-3 district, but the following requirements apply:

(h)

Screening requirements.

(1)

Screening is required along portions of the front, side, and rear lot lines when these lot lines are within 250 feet of a district zoned for residential uses. Provided however that this requirement shall not apply if the residentially zoned property:

a.

was zoned residential after the date the I-3 industrial zoning district was created;

b.

is owned by the city or any entity controlled by the city; or

c.

is owned by a railroad company or any entity controlled by a railroad company.

(2)

The screening shall be continuously maintained and shall be any of a solid masonry wall, a chain link fence with decorative slats, or the standard screening fence (described in ii. Below), with minimum six feet height. The screening wall or fence may have security features such as, but not limited to, barbed or razor wire. Such screening shall be located on the subject property, adjacent to the common property line. If an alley is separating the uses, the required screening shall be located on the subject property side of the alley adjacent to the property line which is adjacent to the alley.

(3)

The standard screening fence that is required for screening purposes, shall be constructed with the following standards.

a.

Said fence shall be a minimum of six feet in height.

b.

All wood materials shall be naturally decay resistant or pressure treated exterior grade, such as treated pine, redwood or cedar, or other materials acceptable to the board of adjustment.

c.

All nails or fasteners shall be of non-rusting, non-corrosive metal, such as hot-dipped galvanized steel. All nails or fasteners shall be of the type (screw-shank, ring-shank or divergent-point staples) that, when properly driven, will not work free due to wind, vibration or shrinkage of members. The maximum spacing allowed between pickets shall be one-quarter inch.

d.

All materials shall be securely fastened, vertical boards to horizontal stringers, stringers to vertical posts, top rail, to ensure an ongoing attractive appearance and safe condition, free form rust, rot, vandalism and other sources of decay.

(4)

Outside storage of wrecked, inoperable vehicles and equipment shall be screened by a minimum six-foot masonry wall or standard screening fence. Materials stored, excluding trucks and machinery, shall be stacked no higher than one foot below the top of the fence or wall.

(5)

An exception to the screening fence requirement may be granted by the board of adjustment. Any property owner who appeared at a zoning public hearing wherein a specific screening fence requirement was imposed on a subject property under consideration will be notified of the proposed exception and date of the administrative report of said property if request for an exception of the screening fence is submitted. One or more of the following conditions must be present or apply for consideration of an exception:

a.

Topographical variations that would preclude a normal installation, or act as a screening mechanism. A topographical variation may serve as a screening device if the zoning district requiring the screening fence is separated from the adjoining use by a 30 percent slope or greater, as long as the elevation between the two uses is at least six feet, (property requiring the screening fence is at the higher elevation);

b.

Dense vegetation that presently exists onsite, which serves the same purpose as a screening fence. Vegetation will serve as a screening device if it is a minimum of six feet in height and the density obstructs the view; and

c.

The fence will impede proper drainage.

(i)

Landscape requirements.

(1)

Purpose. Landscaping requirements are intended to reduce the negative effects of glare, noise, erosion and sedimentation caused by expanses of impervious or unvegetated surfaces. These requirements are also intended to preserve and improve the natural and urban environment and enhance the aesthetic qualities of the city.

(2)

Minimum coverage requirements. Future developments must provide five percent of area as landscaping, per this section.

(3)

Required locations of landscaping areas. A minimum of 50 percent of the required landscaping area shall be located in the front one-half of the lot based upon the front street or drive for the facility. Required landscaping shall not include driveways, paved walks or right-of-way or easements for streets or alleys.

(4)

Plant material. Tree species shall be a minimum of seven feet overall height immediately after planting. Trees of species whose roots are known to cause damage to public roadways or other public works shall be prohibited.

(5)

Required trees. One tree per 500 square feet of designated landscaped area is required. All trees shall be planted in the areas which are visible from the front street or drive for the facility. Trees shall not be planted in the right-of-way. Trees shall be a minimum of three-inch caliper, staked and wrapped, and shall be live oak, red oak, cedar elm, bald cypress, silver maple, Japanese black pine, palm or other trees of similar quality as approved by the board of adjustment. Yaupon, crepe myrtle and other similar trees shall not be required to be a minimum of three-inch caliper.

(6)

Existing plant materials. In instances where healthy plant material exists on a site prior to its development, the application of the above landscaping requirements may be adjusted if such an adjustment is consistent with and will preserve the intent of this chapter.

(7)

Maintenance. All plant material shall be maintained at all times in a living and growing condition.

(8)

Landscape plan. A landscaping plan, demonstrating compliance with the provisions of this section, shall be submitted to the building official at the time of application of building permit.

(9)

Synthetic or artificial materials. Synthetic or artificial lawn or plant material shall not be used to satisfy the requirements of the landscape requirements.

(10)

Additional requirements. Requirements, in addition to those noted above, may be stipulated in the individual zoning districts regulations.

(11)

Special conditions. All development shall also be subject to any other city, state or federal regulations.

(j)

No overlay district. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Chapter 71, no overlay district shall apply to the I-3 district, specifically including, but not limited to, the Thoroughfare Overlay District in Section 71-27.

(Ord. No. O-2025-0003, § 2, 3-10-2025)