Myrtle Creek City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 18
110 STANDARDS FOR COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL USES
§ 18.110.010 Standards for commercial and industrial uses.
The criteria set forth in the following sections shall be utilized in considering an application for development of all commercial and industrial uses. The provisions of MCMC §§ 18.110.020 through 18.110.050 specify standards for protection of the environment, including the landscaping requirements for nonresidential uses.
(Ord. 508 § 5.08.0, 1982)
§ 18.110.020 Traffic.
(1)
The grouping of commercial uses into clusters or centers will be encouraged in order to avoid strip commercial development along arterials and highways, except in the downtown area where walkable "main streets" with pedestrian-oriented strip commercial development are appropriate.
(2)
In no case shall an industrial site be located where truck and employee traffic would be channeled onto local streets in residential areas.
(Ord. 508 § 5.08.1, 1982)
§ 18.110.030 Buffer yards.
A buffer yard is a unit of land together with the planting required thereon. Buffer yards shall be required to separate different land uses from each other in order to eliminate or minimize potential nuisances such as dirt, litter, noise, glare of lights, signs, and unsightly buildings or parking areas, or to provide spacing to reduce adverse impacts of noise, odor, or dangers from fires or explosion.
(1)
Location of Buffer Yards. Buffer yards shall be located on the outer perimeter of a lot or parcel, extending to the lot or parcel boundary line. Buffer yards shall not be located on any portion of an existing or dedicated street or right-of-way and shall allow for adequate vision clearance at intersections and driveways.
(2)
Requirements. Wherever the provisions of this title require a buffer yard to protect adjoining residential districts or other uses, the required yard shall be landscaped as follows:
(a)
A minimum of one row of deciduous or evergreen trees or a mixture of each and/or one row of evergreen shrubs extending the full width of the buffer yard and placed not more than five feet apart which shall grow to form a continuous hedge at least five feet in height within three years of planting; and
(b)
Lawn, low growing evergreen shrubs, evergreen ground cover, vegetables or bark mulch covering the balance of the required landscaped yard; and
(c)
All landscaped areas shall be continuously maintained and kept free of trash and debris.
(3)
Exception. In order to deal more fairly with the uncertainty and timing of development of vacant land, the plant material required in a buffer yard which abuts vacant land may have the time period allowed for maturity extended, although the quantity and placement shall remain the same. This allows time for the plant material to reach a size comparable to that which is otherwise required.
(Ord. 508 § 5.08.2, 1982)
§ 18.110.040 Screening.
(1)
Industrial Sites. Development of an industrial site which has frontage on an arterial street shall provide a sight-obscuring fence or sight-obscuring hedge placed on the setback line or building line of the industrial lot. These shall also be provided where an industrial use is adjacent to a residential district. Exception: The planning commission shall have the authority to determine that the buffer yard requirements satisfy the screening requirements or that the landscaping and architectural treatment of the site as a whole meets the intent of the screening requirements where arterial frontage is concerned.
(2)
Storage Areas. Where commercial and industrial uses have outside storage areas, including trash receptacles or compactors, the storage area shall be enclosed by a sight-obscuring fence or sight-obscuring hedge in order to screen storage from view, in the following instances:
(a)
When the storage area abuts or faces a residential or other noncommercial, nonindustrial district;
(b)
When the storage area abuts or faces a collector or arterial street;
(c)
When the location of a storage area in a commercial district is neither of the above but is located as to be viewable by patrons of an adjacent commercial use, except that storage areas abutting storage areas of adjacent uses need not be screened from each other; and
(d)
Outdoor sales/display areas of a vehicle sales lot which is permitted by this title shall not be considered a storage yard and are therefore exempt from screening requirements.
(3)
Screening Requirements.
(a)
Sight-obscuring screening shall not be less than five feet in height, except that screening within 20 feet of a street shall be a minimum of two and one-half feet in height but no more than three and one-half feet in height where necessary to allow for adequate vision clearance at intersections and driveway locations;
(b)
Required screening shall be at least 80 percent opaque when viewed horizontally from between two and 10 feet above average grade;
(c)
Screen plantings shall be of such size as to provide the required degree of screening within 12 months after installation and shall be provided with adequate underground irrigation;
(d)
Required landscaping, screening and fences shall be continuously maintained and kept free of trash and debris;
(e)
Where fences are used to provide screening adjacent to the streets or where otherwise necessary, the undeveloped areas between the screening and curb or sidewalk shall be provided with a ground cover composed of plant materials or a combination of plant materials and bark mulch, rock or other nonplanted landscaping material.
(Ord. 508 § 5.08.3, 1982)
§ 18.110.050 Environmental quality.
No land or structure shall be used or occupied within the city of Myrtle Creek unless there is continuing compliance with the standards set forth in rules adopted by the State Department of Environmental Quality or other appropriate agency. The following provisions shall apply to all industrial uses, and conditions may be imposed prior to authorizing development in order to assure compliance.
(1)
Air and Water Pollution. The discharge into the air or a body of water of solids, liquids, or gases in such quantities as to be detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare by causing injury to human, plant or animal life, or to property, is prohibited.
(2)
Waste. Adequate provisions shall be provided for the disposal of sewage and waste materials. Such provisions shall meet the requirements of city ordinances and appropriate county and state agencies.
(3)
Heat, Glare, Light. Except for exterior lighting, operations producing heat or glare shall be conducted entirely within an enclosed building and the heat, glare or light shall not be discernible at or beyond the property line. Exterior lighting shall be directed away from and shall not reflect on adjacent properties.
(4)
Noise and Vibration. Noise shall be muffled and shall not be objectionable due to intermittence, beat frequency or shrillness. No noise or vibration shall be permitted which is discernible without instruments at or beyond the property line for the use concerned. Noise made by devices which are maintained and utilized solely to serve as warning devices and noise created by highway vehicles and trains are excluded from these regulations.
(Ord. 508 § 5.08.4, 1982)
