Paramount City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 17
80 O-P, OFFICE PROFESSIONAL ZONE
§ 17.80.010 Purpose.
It is the intent of this zoning classification to encourage development of superior design and quality of business and professional office centers necessary for the economic and cultural well-being of the City.
(Prior code § 44-242)
§ 17.80.020 Permitted uses-Generally.
A.
In an O-P zone, the following uses only are permitted and as hereinafter specifically provided and allowed by this chapter:
1.
Advertising agencies;
2.
Arts and crafts studios, subject to the following conditions:
a.
That the major character of such studios be that of providing a service,
b.
That any equipment or apparatus used on the premises be of a scale and construction that facilitate easy handling and operation by nonprofessionals,
c.
That in no way shall subject operation be noxious or objectionable to surrounding property or endanger those people who come in close contact with subject operation;
3.
Banks and savings and loan institutions;
4.
Barber shops and beauty salons;
5.
Coin shops;
6.
Dental laboratories, manufacturing dentures for retail sale;
7.
Employment agencies;
8.
Escrow offices;
9.
Laboratories, biochemical and x-ray;
10.
Libraries;
11.
Medical and dental buildings;
12.
Prescription pharmacies;
14.
Public utility commercial offices;
15.
Real estate, insurance, and stock brokers;
16.
Studios: interior decorating, photographer, couturier, artist, and music;
17.
Telephone answering and secretarial services;
18.
Travel agencies;
19.
Similar business and professional offices when interpreted by the Planning Commission as consistent with the purpose and intent of the O-P zoning classification.
(Prior code § 44-243)
§ 17.80.030 Uses subject to a conditional use permit.
A.
The following uses may be permitted, provided that in each instance a conditional use permit is first obtained and continued in full force and effect as provided in Section 17.48.020:
1.
Churches;
2.
Day care centers;
3.
Day treatment hospitals;
4.
Fire and police stations;
5.
Hospitals;
6.
Private clubs, fraternities, sororities, lodges, and non-profit organizations for young people featuring recreational activities such as dancing and training in social decorum, except those the chief activity of which is a service customarily carried on as a business;
7.
Psychiatric hospitals;
8.
Post offices;
9.
Public parking areas, subject to the following conditions:
a.
Such area shall be for the temporary parking of automobiles without monetary charge except when operated by, or for, a public parking authority,
c.
Such lot shall abut a lot zoned for commercial or industrial uses or an intervening alley, and it shall be shown that such parking is to be used to provide the parking needs of such abutting commercially or industrially zoned lot,
d.
No such parking area shall be used for a used car sales area or for the accessory storage of cars,
e.
Seven percent of the parking lot area shall be landscaped;
10.
Reducing salons;
11.
Sanitarium, convalescent homes and nursing homes;
12.
Surgical supply sales.
(Prior code § 44-244)
§ 17.80.040 Limitations.
A.
Every use permitted shall be subject to the following conditions and limitations:
1.
All uses except parking lots shall be conducted wholly within an enclosed building.
2.
Storage shall be limited to the accessory storage of supplies utilized in the business conducted on the premises and shall be wholly within an enclosed building.
3.
All products made incidental to a permitted use which are manufactured, processed, or treated on the premises shall be sold on the premises and at retail only, and not more than five persons may be employed in the manufacturing, processing, or treatment of products.
4.
All operations conducted on the premises shall not be objectionable by reason of noise, mud, steam, vibration, hazard or other causes, and any use the operation of which produced odor, fumes (toxic and nontoxic), gases, airborne solids or other atmospheric contaminants shall be allowed to locate only when conforming to limitations now or hereafter defined by law and shall have secured a permit to operate from the air pollution control district.
5.
Where any property used for business or professional offices has a common property line with property zoned for residential purposes, there shall be installed and maintained a solid wall constructed of concrete, cinder block, brick, masonry, or other similar materials, not less than six feet in height. Where the wall of a building is on such common property line, no separate wall need be installed.
B.
Furthermore, on any portion of the common lot line constituting the depth of the required front yard on the adjoining residentially zoned property, such wall shall be not more than 42 inches nor less than 36 inches in height.
(Prior code § 44-245)
§ 17.80.050 Height.
In an O-P zone, buildings may be erected to a height of 45 feet.
(Prior code § 44-246)
§ 17.80.060 Floor area.
The maximum permitted floor area to be contained in all buildings on a lot in an O-P zone shall not exceed one and one-half times the area of the lot.
(Prior code § 44-247)
§ 17.80.070 Front yards.
No building, wall, structure, or fence shall be located closer than 10 feet to the property line except as otherwise permitted herein. The space between the building, wall, structure, or fence and the property front line shall be landscaped and permanently maintained, and not otherwise used. On property which has a common property line with property zoned for residential purposes, a solid wall constructed of concrete, cinder block, brick, masonry, or other similar materials, not more than 42 inches nor less than 36 inches in height, shall be installed and maintained along the common property line in the front yard.
(Prior code § 44-248)
§ 17.80.080 Side yards.
Side yards shall be provided as follows:
A.
Interior Lots. On interior lots no side yard need be provided except as may be required by a variance, conditional use permit, or unclassified use permit.
(Prior code § 44-249)
§ 17.80.090 Landscaping.
Exclusive of driveways and walkways, all required setback areas shall be landscaped and improved in accordance with the provisions specified herein. Landscaping plans specifying the size, type, quantity, and location of all plant material shall be submitted to the Director of Planning for approval. All required landscaping areas shall be subject to, but not limited to, the following minimum standards:
A.
Irrigation. All landscaped areas shall be provided with a fixed and permanent watering system, consisting of piped water lines with sufficient sprinklers to insure complete coverage.
B.
Planters. All landscaping shall be planted in permanent planters surrounded by six inches by six inches tall concrete curbing except where a planter abuts a building or concrete block wall.
C.
D.
Turf. All setback areas shall be fully turfed as a minimum requirement. Additional plant material such as shrubs and groundcover may be used to supplement turfed areas.
E.
Approval criteria for landscaping plans will consider, but not be limited to, the following items:
(Prior code § 44-250)
§ 17.80.100 Parking.
Uses in the O-P zone shall provide parking as follows:
A.
General and Professional, Medical, Dental, and Clinical Offices. One parking space for each 300 square feet of gross floor area.
B.
Banks. One parking space per 200 square feet of floor area.
C.
Churches. One parking space for each four seats in the principal place of assembly for worship, including balconies and choir lofts. Where fixed seats consist of pews or benches, the seating capacity shall be computed upon not less than 22 lineal inches of pew or bench length per seat. If there be no fixed seats, there shall be provided one parking space for each 60 square feet of gross floor area of such principal place of assembly or worship.
D.
Hospitals. Two parking spaces for each bed.
E.
Libraries. When located on publicly-owned sites, one parking space for each 250 square feet of gross floor area.
F.
Public Uses. (Utility facilities, including telephone exchanges, maintenance facilities which are not generally visited by the general public.) One space for each 500 square feet of office/work area space within a structure; or one per two employees, whichever is greater. Plus one space per vehicle utilized in the facility.
G.
Rest Homes, Nursing and Convalescent Homes, Sanitariums. (One space for each four beds.) The parking requirements for a use not specifically named herein shall be determined by the Planning Commission in the manner set forth in Section 17.44.040, and such determination shall be based upon the requirements for the most comparable use specified herein.
(Prior code § 44-251)
§ 17.80.110 Refuse storage areas.
All uses permitted in the O-P zone shall be provided with refuse storage facilities in the following manner:
A.
There shall be provided and maintained within 100 feet of each building an enclosure for the purpose of storing containers for garbage, waste, refuse and trash of all persons utilizing said parcel. Said enclosure shall have on each side thereof a solid reinforced masonry wall of not less than five feet in height except for openings. All openings shall be equipped with gates or doors which meet the height requirement of this subsection and the fence requirements for durability. Such gates or doors shall be equipped at all times with a fully operating, self-closing device. At least one opening or gate or door shall be of sufficient width to provide reasonable and necessary access to the storage area and said opening door or gate shall at all times be located and maintained at such a place and in such fashion that access to the storage area for the deposit and removal of waste, trash, refuse and garbage is reasonably afforded. The City may approve substitution of a solid fence or other material when in its opinion such fence or other material will adequately comply with the provisions of this subsection.
B.
All garbage stored within such enclosure shall be placed and maintained in a metal or plastic container which has an overlapping fly-tight lid. The lid shall be secured in place at all times when the container is not being filled or emptied.
C.
Waste, refuse and trash, other than garbage, shall be placed, maintained, and stored in a container of substantial design and construction that will retain therein said trash, refuse, and waste and may be readily emptied by trash collectors; and which, furthermore, do not readily disintegrate, fall apart, blow, or scatter about the premises.
D.
Garbage, waste, refuse, and trash may also be stored in metal bins equipped with wheels approved by the Director. All garbage, waste, refuse, and trash contained in such bins shall be maintained within the interior of said metal bins and shall be equipped with a lid which shall be completely closed at all times except when being filled or emptied.
E.
All of said aforementioned containers shall be kept and maintained within the walls of said enclosure except when being emptied by a collector.
F.
There shall be provided and maintained within said storage area trash containers, as aforementioned, of not less than 50-gallon capacity.
G.
No person shall deposit, maintain, accumulate, dispose of, or allow the deposit, accumulation, maintenance or any disposal of any garbage, waste, refuse or trash outside of a building except as authorized in this section.
H.
Recycling Facilities. All development projects for which a building permit is submitted on or after September 1, 1994 shall include adequate, accessible, and convenient areas for collecting and loading recyclable materials. "Development project" means any of the following:
1.
A project for which a building permit will be required for a commercial, industrial, or institutional building, or residential building having five or more living units, where solid waste is collected and loaded and any residential project where solid waste is collected and loaded in a location serving five or more units.
2.
Any new public facility where solid waste is collected and loaded and any improvements for areas of a public facility used for collecting and loading solid waste.
(Prior code § 44-252)
§ 17.80.120 Signs.
Signs are subject to the following conditions:
A.
A sign drawing must be submitted to the Director of Planning for approval prior to the installation of any sign. Approval criteria shall include, but not be limited to, letter type, logos, and colors. All necessary permits shall be obtained prior to the installation of any sign.
B.
The sign shall display only the established trade or business name or basic product name, or a combination thereof.
C.
Permitted sign types shall include wall, plaque, undercanopy, suspended, address, monument, or windows.
D.
The following sign types shall be prohibited: signs constituting a traffic hazard; unlawful advertising; animated, audible, or moving signs; off-premises signs; vehicle signs; pole signs; light bulb strings and exposed tubing; flashing signs; exposed neon tubing wall signs; banners, pennants, flags, and balloons used as permanent signs; signs in proximity to utility lines; signs on public property or public rights-of-way; temporary signs, except those which receive Planning Department approval; can style wall signs; painted wall signs; flat, unframed metal/wood/acrylic "panel" signs; roof-mounted signs. All off-premises signs of any type whatsoever, shall be prohibited.
E.
Lettering shall be individual channel letters with trim caps and returns of an appropriate design as approved by the Director of Community and Economic Development.
F.
Specific design criteria for wall, plaque, undercanopy, and suspended signs shall be as follows:
1.
One sign space shall be allowed for each occupant. The occupant shall verify the sign location and size with the City prior to installation or fabrication.
2.
No more than two rows of letters are permitted, provided their maximum total height does not exceed the height of the net sign area (overall height and width of the sign, including all trim or molding).
3.
Maximum sign area shall be one and one-half square feet of sign area per one lineal foot of building frontage.
4.
Maximum sign width shall not exceed 60% of the building width.
G.
Specific design criteria for address signs shall be as follows:
1.
Each occupant shall be allowed to place upon each primary entrance not more than 144 square inches of gold leaf or decal application lettering not to exceed two inches in height indicating hours of business, emergency telephone, etc. Type face shall be subject to approval by the Director of Planning.
2.
Premises numbers shall be placed on a wall facing the street on which the number is assigned, and shall be permanent in character and of contrasting color so as to be easily readable.
H.
Specific design criteria for monument signs shall be as follows:
1.
Monument signs shall be allowed where the site area equals one-half acre or more, or on sites which have a minimum 10-foot landscaped setback.
2.
Monument signs shall be placed in a landscaped planter area which shall include a minimum of 200 square feet.
3.
One monument sign shall be allowed per 150 lineal feet of street frontage.
4.
No more than two rows of letters are permitted, provided their maximum total height does not exceed the height of the net sign area (overall height times width of the sign, including all trim and molding).
5.
Monument signs shall display only the project title or name of the same of the major tenant.
6.
Maximum sign area shall be one-half foot of sign area per one lineal foot of street frontage not to exceed 100 square feet.
7.
In no case shall a monument sign be located closer than the distance computed as 40% of the lot width from any side property line (excluding side property lines adjacent to a public street).
I.
Specific design criteria for window signs shall be as follows:
1.
Windows signs shall be allowed on windows facing streets and windows facing interior areas of a shopping center.
2.
Exposed neon tubing signs shall be allowed in windows facing streets and windows facing interior areas of a shopping center. Neon sign area shall be included in the calculation of the allowable sign area for single or individually framed panes of glass as set out in paragraph 3 below. Neon sign area shall be calculated using the dimensions of the sign frame. Where no frame exists total neon sign area shall be calculated using the dimensions of a frame that would enclose the neon sign.
3.
a.
Sign area shall be limited to 40% of each single or individually framed pane of glass on each street frontage, or 40% of each single or individually framed pane of glass facing the interior of a shopping center. Sign area shall be limited to 40% of each door consisting of glass.
b.
No more than 33% of the square footage of a single or individually framed pane of glass and clear doors of an establishment that sells alcohol for off-site consumption shall bear advertising or signs of any sort, and all advertising and signage shall be placed and maintained in a manner that ensures that law enforcement personnel have a clear and unobstructed view of the interior of the premises, including the area in which the cash registers are maintained, from the exterior public sidewalk or entrance to the premises. Window signs advertising alcohol and tobacco shall be placed a minimum of 42 inches above the interior floor.
(Prior code § 44-253; Ord. 1198, 4/22/2025)