Mathews County Unincorporated
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE 8
Business-1 District B-1
§ 175-8.1 Purpose.
Certain types of commercial activities either require waterfront locations or are enhanced by such locations. Such activities usually have special requirements for physical design, layout, and supporting facilities and services which may be incompatible with other uses. The Business-1 District is intended to accommodate these uses with special needs. As a general rule, uses which do not require waterfront location, or which do not complement uses requiring waterfront location, are not permitted in the B-1 District. District regulations are designed to afford adequate protection to the natural environment.
§ 175-8.2 Permitted uses.
[Amended 2-23-2021; 12-19-2023]
The following uses shall be permitted subject to all other requirements of this chapter as a matter of right in the Business-1 District (B-1):
B.
Agriculture, including the growing of fruit, forest, field, vegetable crops and, for personal and home occupation uses only, fowl and animal handling and containment, excluding hogs; grain dryers, feeder lots, dairy barns, agricultural lagoons, poultry and hog houses and other structures or areas involving the concentrated handling or containment of animals and fowl are excluded.
D.
Aquaculture.
E.
Bait and tackle shops, boat and motor sales, and other retail sales catering to marine trade.
F.
Boat ramps.
G.
Boats-for-hire.
H.
Boatyards, boat building and boat repairs.
I.
Campgrounds.
J.
Cruise and tourist ship dockage.
L.
Docks, commercial and private.
M.
Fishing piers.
N.
Forestry.
O.
Grain storage and transport facilities.
Q.
Hotels, motels and tourist homes.
R.
Local, state and federal water-based facilities.
S.
Marinas and yacht clubs.
T.
Marine railways.
U.
Marine salvage.
V.
Mobile food vending vehicle.
W.
Recycling location (dropoff) with a total capacity of 10 cubic yards or less.
X.
Restaurants.
Y.
Retail marine fuel sales.
Z.
Seafood sales.
AA.
Shellfish and finfish processing, packing and storage facilities.
BB.
Shops offering such services as marine welding, sheet metal fabrication, small engine repair, and sail mending.
CC.
Signs, subject to Article 13.
DD.
Single-family residences for occupancy by business owner or tenant.
EE.
Utility use, minor.
FF.
Water-powered facilities such as grist mills.
GG.
Watercraft clubs and schools.
HH.
Wood landings.
§ 175-8.3 Conditional use permits.
A.
In order to ensure that special uses will not harm the natural environment, no zoning permit shall be issued therefor unless and until all other required permits are first obtained from environmental protection agencies, including the Mathews County Wetlands Zoning Board, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the State Water Control Board, the Virginia Department of Health, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and any other applicable agency.
B.
The following uses shall be permitted in the Business-1 District (B-1) subject to all the other requirements of this chapter, only upon the obtaining of a conditional use permit from the Board of Supervisors.
(2)
Museums.
(3)
Recycling location (dropoff) with a total capacity in excess of 10 cubic yards.
(4)
Sewage treatment systems (private) where the subject lot or parcel shall be located outside the area identified by the Floodplain Management Ordinance of Mathews County[2] as being subject to inundation by waters of the one-hundred-year flood event.
(6)
Utility use, major.
[Added 2-23-2021]
§ 175-8.4 Requirements for permitted uses.
A.
In order to ensure that permitted uses will not harm the natural environment, no zoning permit shall be issued therefor unless and until all other required permits are first obtained from environmental protection agencies, including the Mathews County Wetlands Board, Virginia Marine Resources Commission, State Water Control Board, State Department of Health, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and any other applicable agency.
B.
The Administrator may require landscaping within any established or required setback area and that sufficient area be provided:
§ 175-8.5 Area regulations for all permitted uses, except as otherwise required in Article 15.
A.
Lot size. The minimum lot area shall be one acre (43,560 square feet).
[Amended 5-23-2023
B.
Setback regulations. Buildings and piers on all public or private rights-of-way shall be set back 50 feet or more from the edge of the right-of-way or 75 feet from the center line, whichever is greater.
C.
Frontage and lot width regulations. The minimum frontage for permitted uses shall be 24 feet on any street or right-of-way and 100 feet at the setback line.
D.
Yard regulations.
(1)
Side: The minimum side yard for each main building shall be 20 feet, and the total width of the two required side yards shall be 40 feet or more. The minimum side yard for accessory buildings and piers shall be five feet.
(2)
Rear: Each main building of a lot bordering on the water and not requiring on-the-waterfront location shall have a rear yard of 50 feet or more. There is no minimum rear yard requirement for main buildings requiring on-the-waterfront location for the practical operation of the permitted activity. There is no minimum yard requirement for accessory buildings.
§ 175-8.6 Height regulations.
A.
Buildings and accessory buildings may be erected up to 50 feet in height.
B.
Public utility buildings, church spires, belfries, cupolas, monuments, water towers, chimneys, flues, flagpoles, television antenna, radio aerials, farm buildings and buildings excluding dwellings, smoke stacks, observation towers are exempt. Parapet walls may be up to four feet above the height of the building on which the walls rest.
§ 175-8.7 Special provisions for corner lots.
§ 175-8.8 Sign regulations.
Sign regulations shall conform to Article 13 of this chapter.
§ 175-8.9 Off-street parking regulations.
Off-street parking shall be provided in conformance with Article 12 of this chapter.