The purpose of the General Commercial District is to provide for logical locations where retail businesses and services are available to serve the Town and surrounding areas. These uses are expected to be near population concentrations, generally served by public facilities, and have good access to public roads. They are intended to provide integrated commercial and shopping facilities while at the same time maintaining reasonable limitations on their design, size and operation, creating a development which is consistent with the current Town appearance.

The General Commercial District also is intended:

Professional offices;

Banks, savings and loan institutions;

Retail stores;

Food and grocery stores, including bakeries, produce and meat markets;

Convenience stores that sell groceries and household goods and may sell gasoline; with pumps arranged to serve no more than eight vehicles simultaneously. "Convenience stores" does not include automotive service stations or vehicle repair shops;

Service establishments, such as but not limited to laundry and dry cleaning establishments, tailors, florists, beauty and barber shops, photography studios, pharmacies;

Restaurants;

Medical offices and clinics;

Animal hospitals and veterinary offices and clinics, without runways;

Art, dance, trade or business schools;

Day-care centers, children or adult;

Planned business centers subject to the provisions of this chapter;

Such other uses as may be determined by the Board of Zoning Appeals to be substantially similar in nature. Prior to submitting a request for such determination, an applicant shall present the proposed use to the Commission for review.

Permanent display or storage of merchandise or goods, other than seasonal items outside the confines of buildings or enclosures. Display of seasonal merchandise is authorized for a period of no more than 20 days in every calendar year;

The performance of any commercial service on parking lots, parking areas, sidewalks, walkways or otherwise outside the confines of buildings or enclosures;

Vending machines of any kind installed out-of-doors or upon the exterior of any part of the premises, except as provided in the master development agreement. Examples are soft drink vending machines, ice bag freezers, movie rentals, propane tank exchanges, and similar units;

Billboards or any other sign that directs attention to any enterprise or business not conducted on the premises where the sign is located;

Any use greater than 20,000 square feet.

Any development within the General Commercial District is subject to full review by the Commission;

Except as provided herein for planned business centers, there is no minimum lot size or width;

No parking spaces or other facility or accessory use, except signage and landscaping, shall be located within 15 feet of any public right-of-way line. Whenever possible, parking spaces shall be located to the side or rear of the use, determined by facing the use from the public street;

No building shall exceed two stories;

Any business which provides drive-through facilities for serving customers in their vehicles shall provide off-street stacking spaces which meet the following requirements:

All uses in this district shall be subject to the provisions of Article XIV herein, relating to signs. Additionally, neon signs and LED signs shall not be allowed without authorization by the Commission.

"Planned business center" ("PBC") means three or more uses designed and primarily served by common infrastructure and amenities, such as parking lots, walkways, and signs;

No PBC shall encompass an area less than five acres. However, further subdivision of that site into lots of no less than one acre may be possible to accommodate individual users, subject to Commission approval;

A site plan for a PBC shall conform to the requirements of Chapter 175, Article VI, of this Code except as otherwise noted herein, and shall contain the following additional items:

A PBC may utilize private streets, or a combination of public and private streets, to provide access to building lots. Lot frontage to a public road is not required for individual lots within the PBC;

All streets in a PBC shall be constructed so as to provide access to all building sites within the PBC for public safety and emergency service providers;

Roadway connections and/or right-of-way easements allowing vehicular access to adjacent developed or undeveloped properties shall be provided when appropriate as determined by the Commission;

When possible, sidewalks shall be designed to connect with any planned Town and county walkways and bicycle paths;

Stormwater facilities shall be designed to manage the entire PBC and shall utilize best management practices for water quality;

Additional site specific development requirements pertaining to the PBC site plan or individual lots within the PBC subdivision may be established at the time the PBC site plan is being reviewed by the Commission;

If the development is to be implemented in phases, each phase shall have adequate provision for access, parking, stormwater management and other public improvements to serve the development in accordance with the applicable criteria set forth. Each phase shall be provided with temporary or permanent transitional features, buffers, or protective areas in order to prevent damage to completed phases, to future phases and to adjoining property;

The Commission shall have the discretionary authority to determine setbacks, building heights, lot widths, off-street parking requirements or other similar requirements. The Commission shall not have the authority to grant any exceptions or variances related to uses.

An approved PBC site plan shall become a binding commitment for the development of the specific elements approved for development. The approved site plan may be transferred to another person, corporation, or group of individuals or corporations upon approval by the Commission.

Any change in an approved master development plan must be approved by the Commission.

Any change in an approved master development agreement must be approved by the Town Council upon the recommendation of the Commission.