Somers Point City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VIII
HC-1 Highway Commercial-One District
§ 114-46 Intent; applicable regulations.
A.
Intent. The purpose of the Highway Commercial-One District is to encourage major commercial concentration with easy highway access, with sufficient controls.
B.
Regulations in district. The use, height and area regulations of §§ 114-46 through 114-52 inclusive, and those regulations set forth elsewhere in this chapter, where applicable to these sections, and the general regulations of Article XX are the regulations in the HC-1 Highway Commercial-One District.
§ 114-47 Permitted uses.
A building or land shall be used only for the following purposes:
A.
Principal uses and buildings.
(1)
Retail stores and service establishments.
(2)
Fully enclosed restaurants and drinking establishments.
(3)
General business and professional offices.
(4)
Banks.
(5)
Personal service and establishments, including, but not limited to, barber- and beauty shops, tailors and similar facilities.
(6)
Minor repair operations for televisions, radios, watches, shoes and appliances.
(7)
Public buildings operated by the City of Somers Point.
(8)
Quasi-public establishments.
(9)
Service stations, including gasoline service stations, provided that:
[Amended 8-24-2017 by Ord. No. 13-2017]
(a)
Excepting for gasoline and oil sales, changing of tires or other minor services, all repair work shall be carried on in fully enclosed structures.
(b)
Equipment or parts, including junk vehicles, shall not be stored outdoors.
(c)
All gasoline and similar substances shall be stored underground at least 25 feet from any property line other than a street line. No gasoline pump shall be erected within 20 feet of any street or property line.
(10)
Methadone clinic.
[Added 3-22-2001 by Ord. No. 1-2001]
B.
Accessory uses. Any accessory use and building reasonably and customarily incidental to any of the principal uses permitted, provided that they do not create conditions detrimental to the health, safety or general welfare of the community.
C.
Conditional uses. Fast-food restaurants subject to the same requirements for fast-food restaurants established by § 114-35C(3).
[Added 7-9-1992 by Ord. No. 20-1992; amended 4-8-1999 by Ord. No. 4-1999]
§ 114-48 Area and bulk requirements.
Area and bulk requirements shall be as follows:
A.
Lot size: 15,000 square feet minimum; drive-in restaurants: 30,000 square feet minimum.
B.
Lot width: 100 feet minimum; drive-in restaurants: 200 feet minimum.
C.
Lot depth, all uses: 100 feet minimum.
D.
Lot coverage, all uses: 30% maximum.
E.
Front yard setback, all uses: 50 feet minimum.
F.
Side yard setback: 30 feet minimum, except where the property adjoins another used for the same purpose, in which case the setback of that side may be reduced to 15 feet.
G.
Rear yard, all uses: 30 feet minimum.
H.
I.
Distance between two or more buildings on the same lot: 35 feet minimum.
J.
Structure size: 1,400 square feet minimum for principal and accessory uses.
§ 114-49 General regulations.
§ 114-50 Landscaping; fences.
A.
All areas not covered by roadways and parking areas or sidewalks shall be landscaped. A complete site plan showing all proposed planting shall be required for review and approval by the Planning Board. Minimum standards shall be:
(1)
Canopy species a minimum of eight feet at planting shall be installed on site in accordance with the planting specifications and list of suggested species available from the City Construction Official according to the following planting schedule:
[Amended 12-14-2023 by Ord. No. 30-2023]
Total Site Disturbance Proposing Proposed: | Planting Requirements: | Example: Project |
|---|---|---|
40,000 sq. ft. of disturbance | ||
Up to 10,000 sq. ft. | 2 trees per every 1,000 sq. ft. of site disturbance | 20 Trees (0 to 10,000 sq. ft.) |
10,000 to 30,000 sq. ft. | 1 tree per every 2,000 sq. ft. of site disturbance | 10 Trees (10,000 to 30,000 SF) |
Over 30,000 sq. ft. | 1 tree per every 5,000 sq. ft. of site disturbance | 2 Trees (30,000 to 40,000 sq. ft.) |
32 Trees - Total Requirement |
(a)
Should the required tree plantings not be able to be completed on-site due to specific conditions, plantings shall be completed by the applicant on City-owned property with the approval of the reviewing Board. Plantings on City property shall be completed in consultation with City Council and the City Administrator with recommendations from the reviewing Board, Environmental Commission and City Engineer, and meet all district-specific requirements including coverage by applicable performance/maintenance guarantees. Any planting on recreation property must be approved by the Recreation Commission. All planting will be coordinated with the Director of Public Works.
(b)
In lieu of completing required tree plantings on City-owned lands, an applicant may also provide a lump sum payment into the City's Tree Preservation Fund at a rate determined by City Council based on average tree purchase and planting rates at the time. This payment shall be made concurrently with the deposit of the requisite performance guarantee for project improvements.
(2)
All perimeter setbacks shall have a buffer strip eight feet wide, consisting of trees, evergreens and deciduous plant material. The only exception to this requirement shall be roadway frontage, where the buffer strip will be eight feet wide and approximately 1/3 of the lot width.
(3)
All irregular spaces in parking areas not used for parking shall be landscaped and bordered with natural materials.
(4)
All planting required shall be maintained and replaced regularly.
§ 114-51 Off-street parking.
Parking requirements shall be as follows:
A.
For retail and service establishments, public and quasi-public buildings, personal service establishments, banks, minor repair operations, general business and professional offices: one off-street on-site parking space for every 200 square feet of floor area in the building, minimum.
B.
For restaurants: one on-site off-street parking space for each five seats devoted to service.
[Amended 6-22-2023 by Ord. No. 10-2023]
C.
For gasoline service stations: a minimum of four on-site off-street parking spaces.
D.
Ten percent of all required parking shall be constructed for and reserved for the handicapped.
E.
No parking space shall be located closer than 10 feet to any building.
§ 114-52 Signs.
The following signs shall be permitted:
A.
Official highway route number signs, street name signs and official directional signs.
C.
Individual identification signs, provided that:
(1)
Not more than one sign shall be permitted for each tenant on the premises on each wall fronting on a street.
(2)
The total gross advertising area shall not exceed 3% of the area of the building face fronting the street or a maximum of 50 square feet and shall relate only to the use conducted on the premises.
(3)
No sign shall exceed two feet in height.
(4)
Signs attached to a principal building may not be located or may not project above the roofline or more than six inches beyond the front wall of any structure.
(5)
They have no moving parts or flashing effect and have an external light source properly focused upon the sign itself so as to prevent glare.
E.
All signs within this district are subject to Planning Board review as part of the site plan process.