Palouse City Zoning Code
§ 17.04.060
Commercial district COM including historic district.
A.
Purpose of the Commercial District. The purpose and intent of the commercial district is to allow a maximum flexibility and diversity of uses in order to improve economic vitality and serve the needs of surrounding residents.
B.
Principal Uses Permitted Outright. The following principal uses in commercial district (COM) shall be permitted outright:
1.
Businesses providing retail and wholesale sales or professional service; except for on-site storage of products which, by their nature, are a potential hazard to densely populated areas because of the possibility of explosion, fire, or leakage;
2.
Home occupations/home-based businesses;
3.
Gas stations or garages;
4.
Restaurants or taverns;
5.
Visitor lodging;
6.
Personal service establishments including barbershops, beauty parlors, car washes, medical facilities, and laundromats;
7.
Light, low-impact manufacturing with no outside storage which will not generate excessive noise, smoke, dust, pollution and congestion; nor be a threat to public health and safety;
8.
Library and City Hall, and other buildings for private or public organization use;
9.
Public and private parks, playgrounds or recreational uses;
10.
Schools;
11.
Non-storefront, street-level, residential uses;
12.
Upstairs residential uses;
13.
Schools, churches, theaters, museums, and galleries;
14.
Community clubhouses or other buildings for private or public activities;
15.
Public or private parks, playgrounds, or recreational areas;
16.
Existing telecommunication facilities and support structures.
a.
Ordinary maintenance of existing telecommunications facilities and support structures, as defined herein, shall be exempt from zoning and permitting requirements. In addition, the following facilities are not subject to the provisions of this section: (i) antennas used by residential households solely for broadcast radio and television reception; (ii) satellite antennas used solely for residential or household purposes; (iii) COWs placed for a period of not more than 120 days at any location within city of Palouse after a declaration of an emergency or a disaster; and (iv) television and AM/FM radio broadcast towers and associated facilities.
C.
Accessory Uses Permitted Outright. The appropriate accessory structure located on the same lot with a permitted use in the commercial district (COM) including historic district may be permitted.
D.
Conditional Uses Permitted. The following conditional uses in the commercial district (COM) including historic district may be permitted:
1.
All residential uses and accessory uses listed in the R1 zone;
2.
Commercial or private grain, seed and agricultural chemical storage;
3.
Storefront, street-level, residences;
4.
Churches, schools, and fire, police, and medical facilities;
5.
Mini-storage business;
6.
Wireless telecommunication facilities and support structures. Any action taken to construct or collocate a wireless telecommunication facility, tower, and/or support structure will be understood, evaluated, and processed as a "variance" by the board of adjustment. As such, all procedural actions taken by the board of adjustment will adhere to PMC § 17.04.100(C).
a.
Wireless telecommunication facility and support structure applications can be obtained at Palouse City Hall.
b.
Abandonment and Removal. If a telecommunication facility, tower and/or support structure is abandoned, and it remains abandoned for a period in excess of 12 consecutive months, the city of Palouse may require that such structure be removed only after first providing written notice to the owner of the structure and giving the owner the opportunity to take such action(s) as may be necessary to reclaim the structure within 30 days of receipt of said written notice. In the event the owner of the structure fails to reclaim the structure within the 30-day period, the owner of the structure shall be required to remove the same within six months thereafter. The city of Palouse shall ensure and enforce removal by means of its existing regulatory authority.
E.
Prohibited Uses.
1.
Uses which would pose a threat of explosion, fire, leakage of potentially dangerous materials, or other hazardous conditions shall not be permitted.
2.
There is no residing in tents, campers, or motorized vehicles for greater than 29 days per annum except as provided in PMC § 17.04.040(D)(9).
F.
Density, Lot Size, and Setback.
1.
Lot Size. Not less than 5,000 square feet, except lots of record on the effective date of the ordinance codified in this title having less than 5,000 square feet on that date.
2.
Setback Required. Residential uses shall have a front yard setback of 20 feet, 10 feet for rear yards, and five feet for side yards except on a corner lot where the setback shall be 15 feet. No setback is required for nonresidential commercial uses except on a corner lot where a hazard may be created. Minimum setback shall be 10 feet in such circumstances. If nonresidential commercial uses are located adjacent to or across the street from a low-density zoned residential district, the setbacks shall conform to the setbacks required in the low-density residential district.
3.
Height Limit. No building shall exceed a height of 35 feet or two stories.
4.
Bulk Requirements. Residential uses shall have maximum lot coverage 48 percent.
5.
All commercial doorways flanking sidewalks and streets shall open toward the outside of the building.
6.
Commercial properties abutting, adjacent to, or across a river or public roadway from an R1 or R2 zoning district shall apply the following buffering standards:
a.
Any front, rear, or side facing the R1 or R2 district shall be screened by a minimum of a five-foot-wide all-season maintained landscaped or fenced area.
b.
Planting or fencing height and width shall effectively screen 25 percent of the view of the adjacent uses.
c.
Property entry and exit openings shall not exceed 50 percent of the developed lot frontage, and in no case exceed a total of 100 feet.
d.
Maintained landscaped area shall avoid obstructing views of crosswalks, intersections, and streetlights.
e.
Landscaping shall be required for parking lots of 10 spaces or more, with minimum landscaping requirement of 10 percent of the total lot area.
7.
All uses shall conform to the off-street parking requirements specified in PMC § 17.04.120 (A)(1) through (7).
8.
Noise and Odor Levels. Noise and odor levels shall not exceed those normally expected in a commercial area. Odors are addressed in PMC § 8.12.020.
9.
Off-Street Loading and Unloading. On every commercial or industrial lot, there shall be provided space outside a building for the unloading of goods and materials. Such space shall not be less than 15 feet in width or less than 30 feet in length, nor less than 15 feet in height. Such space shall be provided with access to an alley or, if no alley adjoins the lot, then with access to a street.
(Ord. 922 § 1, 2014; Ord. 954 § 1, 2017)
