Silverton City Zoning Code
§ 153.11
C-1 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL DISTRICT.
(A) Purpose. The purpose of the C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District is to provide a planned, mixed-use and pedestrian-oriented commercial district. This district shall be organized to function as a cohesive destination-based shopping, entertainment and employment center serving a local and semi-regional market area. Thus, retail uses shall be encouraged which provide specialty and some major purchase goods, and which individually complement other uses in the district to allow maximum lot coverage for clustered sales space and utilization of shared parking facilities. Land uses within this district shall also include personal services, professional services and office uses that may attract a non-local customer base while maintaining the appropriate development scale and intensity desired for this district. Residential dwelling units located above first floor retail or office uses shall also be encouraged to assist in creating a residential critical market mass within the district. Areas included in this district will be readily accessible via major and minor arterial streets and shall be organized to facilitate nuisance-free circulation of traffic and to avoid adverse impact on the utilization of adjacent areas.
(B) Permitted uses. A building or lot within a C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District shall be used only for the following purposes:
(1) Shops and stores for the retail sale of hardware, groceries and other food products, bakery goods (excluding their manufacture), drugs, liquors and beverages, periodicals, stationery books, tobacco, antiques, furniture, floor coverings, general dry goods and specialized clothing, shoes, lighting supplies and fixtures, cameras and photographic supplies, glassware, household appliances, jewelry, leather goods and luggage, music equipment and records, pets, toys, sporting goods, paints and wallpaper, plants and garden supplies, art supplies and art work, coffee shops, limited office supplies and specialized foods;
(2) Restaurants of appropriate scale and character for the district, excluding drive-in restaurants and auto restaurants, as defined in this Zoning Code;
(3) Personal services, including barber, beautician, nail and tanning salons, and dry cleaning services, including tailor, photographer, caterer, health clubs, and travel agencies, and excluding auto detailing or car wash uses;
(4) Repair services such as shops for appliances, watches, guns, bicycles, shoes, locks, and furniture, including refinishing;
(5) Banks and related savings and loan institutions that accept deposits;
(6) Residential dwelling units when located on the second floor or third floor of a structure that contains a first-floor permitted retail, service or office use as provided for under this section. First floor residential dwelling units are prohibited in this district;
(7) Professional services, including offices of realtors, physicians, lawyers, veterinarians, dentists, insurance agents, architects and engineers, accounting and bookkeeping services, security and commodity brokers, investment services, advertising and public relations services, employment services, business and management consulting services, and business associations;
(8) Business and administrative offices, including those of professional organizations, labor unions, civic associations, other general administrative offices, and broadcasting studios and other communication studios excluding transmitting or receiving towers; and
(9) Drive-thru or drive-in facilities shall be expressly prohibited in this district unless authorized as a conditional use in division (C) of this section.
(C) Conditional uses. The following conditional uses may be approved in accordance with the regulations and procedure set forth in § 153.16.
(1) Existing single- and multi-family dwelling units in buildings originally designed for residential purposes and existing at the time of enactment of this section, or the demolition and reconstruction of similar residential dwelling units that existed at the time of enactment of this section, including accessory uses such as:
(a) Private garages and parking;
(b) Structures such as fences and walls; and
(c) Buildings such as storage sheds.
(2) A large or small residential facility in buildings originally designed for residential purposes that existed at the time of enactment of this section;
(3) Recreation uses or spaces including indoor motion picture theaters, ice and roller skating rinks, bowling alleys, billiard halls, auditoriums, exhibition halls, and other public assembly spaces;
(4) Automotive service stations;
(5) Drive-in banking facilities that accept deposits;
(6) Nursery and child-care centers;
(7) Churches and other places of worship, Sunday School buildings, and parish houses;
(8) Mortuaries or funeral homes;
(9) Dwelling units occupied by owner-operators of attached permitted uses in the district, provided the building was originally designed for residential use, including accessory uses appropriate to the dwelling unit;
(10) Small scale cottage industry style uses involving the creation of retail goods typically catering to a specialized niche market or consumer;
(11) Low intensity service establishments limited to the repair, servicing and installation of the following types of mechanical services including electrical systems, heating, ventilation, air conditioning units, fire suppression systems, plumbing, and building automation; and
(12) Any substantially similar use which the Planning Commission determines to be of the same character and nature as those permitted in the C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District may be permitted in accordance with the conditional use standards set forth in § 153.16(F)(14).
(13) A private parking lot providing required parking spaces for an otherwise permitted land use on an unattached parcel.
(D) Accessory uses. Accessory uses, buildings, and structures which are customarily incidental and subordinate to any of the permitted uses in the C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District are permitted subject to the accessory use standards set forth in § 153.17.
(E) Minimum yard sizes. The required minimum lot and yard sizes for the principal structure located within a C-1 District shall be as follows:
(1) Front yard setback. The front face of the building shall be placed at the front yard line and maintain zero front yard setback. In the event the lot's front yard line is located within a public right-of-way easement, then the front face of the building shall be placed at the edge of the public right-of-way easement.
(2) Side yard setback. There shall be no minimum side yard setback requirement when abutting a non-residential use or non-residential zoning district. When a side yard abuts a residential use or residential zoning district, then the bufferyard requirements set forth in § 153.20(D) shall apply.
(3) Rear yard setback. There shall be no minimum rear yard setback requirement when abutting a non-residential use or non-residential zoning district. When a rear yard abuts a residential use or residential zoning district, then the bufferyard requirements set forth in § 153.20(D) shall apply.
(F) Maximum lot coverage. The maximum lot coverage for a principal structure located in this district shall be 80% of the applicable lot.
(G) Maximum structure height. The maximum height of a principal structure located in this district shall be 60 feet and contain no more than five occupied stories.
(H) Minimum lot area. There shall be no minimum lot area for this district.
(I) Minimum dwelling unit area. Residential dwelling units when located on the second floor or third floor of a structure that contains a first floor permitted retail, service or office use as provided for under this section shall have a minimum livable floor area based on the following schedule:
(1) One-bedroom unit: The minimum livable floor area shall be 800 square feet.
(2) Two-bedroom unit: The minimum livable floor area shall be 950 square feet.
(3) Three-bedroom unit: The minimum livable floor area shall be 1,100 square feet.
(4) Add 100 square feet for every additional bedroom beyond a three-bedroom unit.
(J) Architectural and exterior material standards.
(1) Architectural standards. All new principal and accessory structures permitted in this zoning district should be designed to conform to the following architectural standards in order to achieve a uniform and well-planned community appearance.
(a) Vary the planes of the exterior walls. Walls shall not run in one direction for more than 50 feet without an offset.
(b) Vary the height of buildings so that they appear to be divided into distinct massing elements.
(c) Articulate the different parts of a buildings' exterior by use of color and material changes, trim accents, window placement and other facade elements.
(d) All building faces shall receive architectural treatment, not just the street face of the building. Walls and roof lines should have varied planes.
(e) Rooflines should not run in a continuous plane for more than 50 feet without off-setting or jogging the roof plane.
(f) All roof-mounted equipment shall be screened from public view by materials similar to those used on the principal structure. Mechanical equipment should be located below the highest vertical element of the building. Rooftop solar panels may be visible from public view provided the connections securing the solar panels to the rooftop are approved by the Zoning Enforcement Officer.
(g) Where appropriate, the use of awnings is encouraged. Awning color and form should be consistent. Plexiglas, metal and glossy vinyl awning are prohibited, while canvas, fabric, and matte finish vinyl awnings are encouraged.
(h) The use of standardized corporate architectural styles associated with chain restaurants and stores is discouraged. Effort should be made to integrate the building design into the established architectural context of the surrounding neighborhood and the city as a whole.
(i) Glass windows shall occupy at least 75% of the front elevation of the first floor of a building in this district. All windows located above the first floor shall have a coordinated appearance that remains in context with the first-floor window design and placement.
(2) Exterior building materials. All principal buildings and accessory structures in the C-1 district shall be subject to the same exterior material standards as the R-1 District. See § 153.09(J)(2).
(3) Nonconforming structures. Principal buildings that do not conform to these architectural and building material standards on the date these standards became effective shall be considered nonconforming. Any such building damaged to the extent of 50% or greater of its fair market value shall be required to be reconstructed in compliance with these standards in accordance with § 153.21.
(K) Site design standards. Design and placement of new buildings in this district must consider the existing built environment of the surrounding area, in particular existing setbacks, building size and massing. Towards this end, the following objectives should be considered:
(1) Buildings should be sited in a manner that complements adjacent structures. Sites should be developed in a coordinated manner to provide order and diversity and avoid an unplanned, confused development pattern.
(2) When a development site features multiple integrated buildings and other structures, a visual link between separate buildings and structures should be established, by various means, including stamped concrete walkways, arcade systems, trellises or other open structures.
(3) Buildings should be sited to minimize conflicts between pedestrians and vehicle traffic. Buildings can be linked to adjoining street sidewalks with textured paving, landscaping and trellises.
(4) Outdoor spaces between buildings should be recognized as outdoor "rooms" that have clear recognizable shapes, as opposed to being considered as "left over" areas. These spaces can be used to provide important pedestrian amenities such as benches, trellises, fountains, artwork, etc.
(5) Freestanding structures should be oriented with the main entry towards the street and should have the main facade parallel to the street.
(6) Structures located on a corner lot shall orientate the primary access and building entry in a manner that fronts the street corner when feasible.
(Ord. 2025-10, passed 5-1-25)