Santee, CA Zoning Ordinance

The following objectives have been formulated for the commercial and office districts for the implementation of the General Plan goals and objectives:

Provide appropriately located areas for office uses, retail stores and service establishments to meet the needs of the community;

Promote and encourage office and commercial locations and designs to be conveniently accessible by bicycle and foot, as well as by automobile;

Promote and encourage office and commercial uses to be designed in centers or like groups for the convenience of the public and to avoid creating nuisances among adjacent land uses;

Use and promote open spaces and landscaping to create a visually pleasing environment, as well as to distinguish City and neighborhood boundaries;

Intensified or regional-related commercial uses shall be organized and designed to promote maximum opportunity for transit usage;

It is intended that commercial/office uses and developments will promote social interaction and minimize adverse environmental impacts and resource consumption;

Commercial and office developments shall exhibit the highest standards of site planning, architecture and landscape design;

Regarding all properties designated as general commercial, neighborhood commercial or office professional: Development and redevelopment shall be comprehensively designed, entitled and developed whenever it is determined by the City that the permitting of incremental construction and uses may significantly inhibit or otherwise be detrimental to fulfilling the economic and development potential of the site. Any development review permit, conditional use permit or minor conditional use permit which is not consistent with this policy shall be denied.

(Ord. 566 § 3, 2019)

These districts have been created for implementation of the goals, objectives and land use designations of the General Plan.

Office/Professional District (OP). This district is intended primarily for the development of professional/administrative offices and personal services rather than commodities. Site development regulations and performance standards are designed to make such uses relatively compatible with residential uses.

Neighborhood Commercial District (NC). This district is intended to provide areas for immediate day-to-day convenience shopping and services for the residents of the immediate neighborhood. Site development regulations and performance standards are intended to make such uses compatible to and harmonious with the character of surrounding residential or less intense land use area.

General Commercial District (GC). This district is intended for general commercial activities and services of more intensive nature. These uses would be located primarily along major transportation routes and would include major shopping facilities, major service-oriented uses, and major financial and corporate headquarters which are designed to serve the City or the region as a whole.

(Ord. 566 § 3, 2019)

Uses listed in Table 13.12.030A shall be allowable in one or more of the commercial districts as indicated in the columns beneath each district heading. Where indicated with the letter "P," the use shall be a permitted use in that district. Where indicated with the letter "C," the use shall be a conditional use subject to a conditional use permit in that district. Where indicated with the letters "MC," the use shall be a conditional use subject to a minor conditional use permit in that district. Where indicated with a dash "—," or if the use is not specifically listed in Table 13.12.030A and is not subject to the use determination procedures contained in Section 13.04.040, the use shall not be permitted in that district. This section shall not be construed to supersede more restrictive use regulations contained in the conditions, covenants, and restrictions of any property. However, in no case shall uses be permitted beyond those allowable in this section. In the event a given use cannot be categorized in one of the districts by the Director, the use determination procedure outlined in Section 13.04.040 shall be followed.

Table 13.12.030A Use Regulations for Commercial/Office Districts
Use	OP	NC	GC
A. Offices and Related Uses
1. Administrative and executive offices	P	P	P
2. Bail bonds office	P	—	P
3. Clerical and professional offices	P	P	P
4. Financial services and institutions	P	P	P
5. Medical, dental and related health administrative and professional offices services (nonanimal related) including laboratories and clinics; only the sale of articles clearly incidental to the services provided shall be permitted	P	P	P
6. Accessory commercial uses when incidental to an office building or complex (blueprinting, stationery, quick copy, etc.)	P	P	P
B. General Commercial Uses
1. Antique shops	—	P	P
2. Animal care facility, small animal only (animal hospital, veterinarian, commercial kennel, grooming)
a. Excluding exterior kennel, pens or runs	—	P	P
b. Including exterior kennel, pens or runs	—	—	C
3. Apparel stores	—	P	P
4. Art, music and photographic studios and/or supply stores	P	P	P
5. Dance, gymnastics, martial arts, or fitness/sports school or studio	—	P	P
6. Appliance repair and incidental sales, including, but not limited to, small household appliances, computers and vending machines, and provided all work activities and storage occurs entirely within an enclosed building	—	P	P
7. Arcades, more than amusement devices (see special requirements per Section 13.12.030(F); also subject to the provisions contained in Title 4 of this code)		MC	MC
8. Athletic and health clubs	P	P	P
9. Auction house (conducted completely within an enclosed building and subject to the provisions contained in Title 4 of this code)			P
10. Automotive services including automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, boats, trailers, mopeds, recreational vehicles or other similar vehicles as determined by the Director
a. Sales	—	—	C
b. Rentals
i. With on-site vehicle storage	—	MC	MC
ii. No on-site vehicle storage	P	P	P
c. Repairs including painting, body work and services	—	—	C
d. Washing and detailing including full service car wash, self-service car wash, and/or express car wash facilities	—	C	C
e. Service or gasoline dispensing stations including mini-marts, accessory car washes, and minor repair services accessory to the gasoline sales	—	C	C
f. Parts and supplies excluding auto recycling or wrecking	—	P	P
g. Recreational vehicle storage facility	—	—	C
11. Bakeries	—	P	P
12. Barber and beauty shops and/or supplies	P	P	P
13. Bicycle sales and shops (nonmotorized)	—	P	P
14. Blueprint and photocopy services	P	P	P
15. Book, gift and stationery stores (other than adult related material)	P	P	P
16. Candy stores and confectioneries	—	P	P
17. Catering establishments (excluding mobile catering trucks)	—	—	P
18. Cleaning and pressing establishments, retail	P	P	P
19. Cemeteries	—	—	—
20. Commercial recreation facilities
a. Indoor uses, including, but not limited to, bowling lanes, theaters, and billiard parlors	—	—	P
b. Outdoor uses, including, but not limited to, golf, tennis, basketball, baseball, trampolines, and drive-in theaters	—	—	C
21. Contractor (all storage of material, equipment within an enclosed building)	—	—	P
22. Dairy products stores	—	P	P
23. Department stores	—	P	P
24. Drive-in business (excluding theaters and fast food restaurants)	—	P	P
25. Drug stores and pharmacies	P	P	P
26. Equipment sales/rental yards (light equipment only)	—	—	MC
27. Farmer's market (See Section 13.12.030(G)(4))	—	MC	MC
28. Feed and tack stores (all supplies and materials within an enclosed building)	—	—	P
29. Florist shops	P	P	P
30. Food and beverage sales or service
a. Cocktail lounge, bar or tavern
i. Not accessory to a restaurant and with or without entertainment, other than adult related	C	C	C
ii. Accessory to a restaurant, coffee shop and with or without entertainment, other than adult related	P	P	P
b. Nightclubs or dance halls, not including adult related entertainment	—	C	C
c. Snack bars, delicatessens, or refreshment stands, take-out only, and accessory to an office use	P	P	P
d. Fast food restaurants with drive-in or drive-through service	—	C	C
e. Restaurants or coffee shops, other than fast food with or without alcoholic beverages and without entertainment	P	P	P
f. Supermarkets (including the sale of alcoholic beverages)	—	P	P
g. Convenience markets	—	P	P
h. Liquor stores	—	C	C
i. Clubs and lodges with alcoholic beverage service	—	C	C
j. Micro-breweries, provided all equipment, supplies and materials are kept within an enclosed building	—	—	P
31. Furniture stores, repair and upholstery	—	P	P
32. General retail stores	—	P	P
33. Hardware stores	—	P	P
34. Home improvement centers
a. Material stored and sold within enclosed buildings	—	P	P
b. Outdoor storage of material such as lumber and building materials	—	—	MC
35. Hotels and motels	C		C
36. Interior decorating service	P	P	P
37. Janitorial services and supplies	—	P	P
38. Jewelry stores	—	P	P
39. Kiosks for general retail and food sales, key shops, film drops, automatic teller machines, etc. in parking lots	MC	MC	MC
40. Laundry, self-service	—	P	P
41. Locksmith shop	—	P	P
42. Mining	C	C	C
43. Mobile home sales	—	—	C
44. Mortuaries, excluding crematoriums	—	—	P
45. Newspaper and magazine stores	P	P	P
46. Nightclub, teenage	—	—	C
47. Nurseries (excluding horticultural nurseries) and garden supply stores; provided all equipment, supplies and material are kept within an enclosed building	—	P	P
a. with outdoor storage and supplies	—	MC	MC
48. Office and business machine stores and sales	P	P	P
49. Parking facilities (commercial) where fees are charged	P	—	P
50. Pawnshop	—	—	P
51. Parcel delivery service (excluding on-side truck storage and truck terminals)	—	—	P
52. Political or philanthropic headquarters	P	P	P
53. Pet shop¹	—	P	P
54. Plumbing shop and supplies (all materials stored within an enclosed building)	—	P	P
55. Printing and publishing	P	—	P
56. School, business or trade (all activities occurring within an enclosed building)	P	P	P
57. School, commercial (all activities occurring within an enclosed building)	—	P	P
58. Second hand store or thrift shop	—	P	P
59. Self-storage, public storage	—	—	C
60. Shoe stores, sales and repair	—	P	P
61. Shopping center subject to provisions in Section 13.12.030(F)	—	C	C
62. Small collection facility	P	P	P
63. Spiritualist readings or astrology forecasting	—	—	P
64. Sporting goods stores	—	P	P
65. Stamp and coin shops	—	P	P
66. Swimming pool or spa sales and/or supplies	—	P	P
67. Tailor or seamstress	P	P	P
68. Tanning salon, massage, and other body conditioning services	—	P	P
69. Tattoo parlor and/or body piercing salon	—	—	P
70. Taxidermist	—	—	P
71. Television, radio sales and service	—	P	P
72. Tire sales and installation, not including retreading and recapping	—	—	P
73. Toy stores	—	P	P
74. Travel agencies	P	P	P
75. Transportation facilities (train, bus, taxi depots)	C	C	C
76. Variety stores	—	P	P
C. Public and Semi-Public Uses
1. Ambulance service	C	C	C
2. Art galleries and museums, public or private	P	P	P
3. Biological habitat preserves (unless otherwise approved by another entitlement)	P	P	P
4. Churches, convents, monasteries and other religious institutions	C	C	C
5. Clubs and lodges, including YMCA, YWCA and similar group uses without alcoholic beverage sales (clubs and lodges serving or selling alcoholic beverages shall come under the provisions of subsection (B)(30) of this table)	MC	MC	MC
6. Convalescent facilities and hospitals	C	—	C
7. Day care center facilities	C	C	C
8. Detention facility	—	—	—
9. Educational facilities, excluding business or trade schools and commercial schools	C	C	C
10. Library	P	P	P
11. Parks and recreation facilities, public or private (excluding commercial recreation facilities)	C	C	C
12. Post office	P	P	P
13. Public buildings and facilities	P	P	P
14. Radio or television broadcast studio	—	—	C
D. Accessory Uses
1. Auxiliary structures and accessory uses customarily incidental to a permitted use and contained on the same site	P	P	P
2. Caretaker's living quarters only when incidental to and on the same site as a permitted or conditionally permitted use	P	P	P
3. Amusement devices, per Section 13.12.030(F)	—	P	P
E. Temporary Uses
1. Temporary uses subject to the provisions contained in Section 13.06.070	P	P	P

Note:
1	Subject to pet sourcing requirements of the State of California.

Special Use Regulations.

Amusement Devices. The use of amusement devices, as defined in Section 13.04.140, as an accessory use to a permitted use, shall be regulated based on the following criteria:

No more than five devices may be permitted per business without approval of a conditional use permit. Each machine and playing area shall occupy a minimum of 10 square feet of floor area.

The devices shall not obstruct or crowd entries, exits, or aisles.

Adult supervision (persons aged 21 and above) is required and the devices must be placed in an area which is visible to the supervisor at all times.

Arcades. A conditional use permit is required to establish an arcade, as defined in Section 13.04.140. The following information is required to process the permit application: Adult supervision to be provided, hours of operation, proximity to schools and other community uses, compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood and businesses, noise attenuation, bicycle facilities, size and location of interior waiting areas and any other information deemed necessary by the Director.

Each application shall contain a description of the types of machines, a floor plan, and any other information deemed necessary by the Director.

Shopping Centers. To ensure that the goals and policies of the General Plan are implemented, a conditional use permit shall be required for shopping centers. In such a review, the following criteria shall be considered:

The transition from more sensitive land uses and buffering methods to mitigate commercial activities such as loading, lighting, and trash collection;

The center has been planned as a group of organized uses and structures;

The center is designed with one theme, with buildings and landscaping consistent in design (similar architectural style, similar exterior building materials, and a coordinated landscaping theme);

The center makes provisions for consistent maintenance, reciprocal access and reciprocal parking;

Vehicle and pedestrian access is coordinated and logically linked to provide a comprehensive circulation system;

The development or approval of any portion of a center shall require the development of a conceptual development plan which shall consider such things as, but not limited to, circulation, uniform architectural design, drainage/grading, buffers, phased improvements and landscaping.

Congregate Care Facility Amenities. All new congregate care facilities shall provide adequate amenities, that may include, and not be limited to, swimming pools, fitness centers, spas, card rooms, billiards/game rooms, music rooms, reading rooms, internet lounges, etc., to the satisfaction of the Director.

Condition of Uses.

Outdoor Displays and Sales of Merchandise. All businesses shall be conducted completely within an enclosed building. The following outdoor sales and commercial activities may be permitted to operate outdoors, within their respective districts and subject to any required reviews and permits:

Automobile, boat, trailer, camper, and motorcycle sales and rental (subject to a conditional use permit);

Building material, supplies and equipment, rental and sales (subject to a conditional use permit);

Farmer's market (subject to the provisions of subdivision (3) of this subsection), fruit and vegetable stands (requires temporary use permit);

Horticultural nurseries (subject to a conditional use permit);

Gasoline pumps, oil racks, and accessory items when located on pump islands;

Outdoor display of merchandise as accessory to current on-site business (subdivision (3) of this subsection);

Outdoor recreation uses;

Parking lot and sidewalk sales (subject to Section 13.06.070, Temporary uses, set forth in this chapter);

Outdoor eating areas with more than 16 chairs (are subject to a minor conditional use permit); and

Other activities and uses similar to those above as determined by the Director.

Parking Lot and Sidewalk Sales. Parking lot and sidewalk sales are permitted in the commercial districts as described in Section 13.06.070 of this title.

Outdoor Display of Merchandise Accessory to Current On-Site Business. Any outdoor display must be done in conjunction with the business being conducted within the building and shall comply with the following regulations:

The aggregate display area shall not exceed 25% of the linear frontage of the storefront or six linear feet, whichever is greater;

Items shall not project more than four feet from the storefront;

No item, or any portion thereof, shall be displayed on public property; provided, however, items may be displayed within the public right-of-way if an encroachment permit has first been procured from the City;

Items shall be displayed only during the hours that the business conducted inside the building on the premises is open for business;

No item shall be displayed in a manner that causes a safety hazard; obstructs the entrance to any building; interferes with, or impedes the flow of, pedestrian or vehicle traffic; is unsightly or creates any other condition that is detrimental to the public health, safety or welfare or causes a public nuisance.

Farmer's Markets. Parking lot display and sale of produce and other agricultural products such as, but not limited to, fruits, vegetables, nuts, honey, eggs, herbs, flowers and plants may be permitted in the general commercial zone subject to approval of a minor conditional use permit and the following criteria:

The design, location and size of booths or method of display, signage, and the associated facilities and times of operation shall be reviewed and approved through the minor conditional use permit process;

A parking study shall be provided to determine if adequate off-street parking and traffic and pedestrian circulation exists for all existing on-site uses while the market is open for business;

All required permits from the San Diego County Health Services Department shall be obtained.

Accessory Eating Areas Permitted. The following performance standards shall apply to outdoor eating:

The outdoor eating area shall be arranged in such a way that it does not create a hazard to pedestrians or encroach on a required building exit;

The outdoor eating area cannot be located in any driveway, parking space, landscaped area, or required setback;

The outdoor eating area must be maintained so that it is not unsightly and does not create a condition that is detrimental to the appearance of the premises or surrounding property;

Signage may not be placed on the outdoor furniture or umbrellas, which advertise the business, service or use, or any product unless otherwise permitted by the sign ordinance.

Parking shall comply with Section 13.24.040 of this title.

Specialized Retail Sales and Food Services from Pushcarts. The following standards apply to all requests to establish a pushcart for specialized retail sales or food sales on private property in the general commercial, neighborhood commercial or office professional zones.

Pushcarts shall be located on private property and shall not be located in areas that:

Reduce the amount of required parking on the site.

ii.

Interfere with vehicular or pedestrian circulation.

iii.

Present a traffic hazard.

iv.

Result in the removal of mature landscaping (unless additional landscaping is provided elsewhere on the subject site).

Within the town center specific plan area, pushcarts shall not be located within any corridor open space area.

The pushcart owner or, if the owner does not operate the business, the pushcart operator is required to obtain a City business license and any required permits from the building division. A health permit from the County Department of Health Services may also be required.

Abandoned or Converted Service Stations.

Abandoned Service Stations. Service stations which become vacant or cease operation beyond 180 days shall be required to remove all underground storage tanks (unless waived by the Santee Fire Department), remove all gasoline pumps and pump islands, and shall remove freestanding canopies. In order to prevent said action, the owner must supply the Director with written verification prior to the 180th day from the time operations ceased that an allocation of gas has been received and operation of the station will commence within 30 days of the date of written correspondence. If the service station is to resume operation after the 180 days, then the Director shall require the processing and approval of a development review application to ensure that the facilities will be reasonably upgraded and maintained. This could include such things as, but not limited to, replanting existing landscape areas, installing new landscape areas, painting of structures, upgrading or installing trash enclosures, striping parking spaces, installation of signs in conformance with adopted sign provisions, resurfacing vehicle access and parking areas, and installation of missing street improvements.

Converted Service Stations. Buildings and structures which were originally designed as a gasoline service station and which are proposed to be used for another use shall be subject to a development review or conditional use permit. The conversion of the facilities to another use may require upgrading and remodeling for such things as, but not limited to, removal of all gasoline appurtenances, removal of canopies, removal of improvements or modification of existing improvements to conform to access regulations, and exterior remodeling.

Conversion of Residential Structures, Including Hotels and Motels. No structure originally designed as a residence, including hotels and motels, or as an auxiliary structure or addition to a residence, shall be used for any commercial or office uses unless the building and site are improved to meet all code requirements for an office or commercial development. This includes such things as, but not limited to, building code requirements, fire code requirements, and zoning ordinance requirements. A resident may convert up to 50% of the gross floor area of the existing residence to a business use and continue to reside in the residence, provided the resident is also the owner of the business and subject to the provisions of this subsection. Any expansion of a residence that is legal nonconforming shall comply with Section 13.04.110(F) of this title. Such a conversion may also be subject to the conditional use permit process, as required by the base district use regulations contained in Table 13.12.030A.

(Ord. 566 § 3, 2019; Ord. 591 § 2, 2021; Ord. 604 § 6, 2022; Ord. 611 § 2, 2023; Ord. 615, 6/26/2024; Ord. 619, 12/11/2024)

The site development criteria set forth in this section are intended to provide minimum standards for the development and use of land within the commercial/office districts. These site development criteria should be used in conjunction with the design guidelines which are set forth in Section 13.08.070. Use of the design guidelines in conjunction with these criteria will assist the designer in determining the best design for any given development project.

Site Dimensions and Height Limitations. Table 13.12.040A sets forth the minimum lot dimensions and height limitations. The creation of new lots within these zones shall conform to these minimum dimensions, except in the case of condominium lots or lots within a shopping center, in which case, no minimums are established. This exception is only applicable when the sites in question are being developed as one integrated development and appropriate measures are taken to insure reciprocal access, parking and maintenance.

Setbacks. Table 13.12.040B sets forth the minimum setbacks for buildings and parking facilities, as well as the amount of the setbacks to be landscaped. These provisions apply equally to each of the three commercial districts.

Table 13.12.040A Site Dimensions and Height Limitations
Feature	OP	Standard NC	GC
1. Minimum lot width¹	70 feet	300 feet	150 feet
2. Height limitations
a. Within 50 feet of a residential district	25 feet	25 feet	25 feet
b. Other locations	40 feet²	40 feet²	40 feet²

Notes:
1	Parcels created within shopping centers are exempt from these standards, as long as a conceptual development plan for the entire center has been developed and appropriate easements for reciprocal access, parking and maintenance is provided.
2	Proposals for development exceeding this height shall require the approval of a conditional use permit.

Table 13.12.040B Setbacks
	Standard
Yard	Building	Parking	Landscaping
1. Street yard setback (measured from the ultimate right-of-way):
a. All streets	10 feet	10 feet	Entire front setback
2. Rear property line setback:
a. Adjacent to residential zone	20 feet	10 feet	10 feet
b. Adjacent to commercial or industrial zone	5 feet²	0 feet	0 feet
3. Interior side property line setback:
a. Adjacent to residential zone	20 feet	10 feet	10 feet
b. Adjacent to commercial or industrial zones	5 feet²	5 feet¹	5 feet¹

Notes:
1	Unless specifically waived by the Director.
2	The five-foot rear property line and interior property line setbacks adjacent to commercial or industrial zones may be waived by the Director on two adjacent developments that share a common wall on the property line between the two lots or where a five-foot easement from the adjoining property owner has been acquired to ensure adequate maintenance of the proposed building.

Energy Conservation. All new commercial buildings shall meet or exceed California Green Building Standards Tier 2 Voluntary Measures and shall utilize high-efficiency equipment and fixtures consistent with California Code of Regulations, Title 24 ("Title 24") energy standards.

Cool Roofs. New commercial buildings shall be installed with cool roofs and designed as required by Title 24.

Photovoltaic Solar System. New commercial buildings shall be installed with at least 1.5 watt (W) photovoltaic system per square foot of building area.

(Ord. 566 § 3, 2019; Ord. 591 § 2, 2021; Ord. 599 § 2, 2022)