§ 18.12.010 — Purpose of Commercial Zones

A. The purpose of the individual commercial uses and the way they are applied are as follows: The purpose of this Chapter is to describe the character and intent of each of the City’s commercial zones, describe allowed land uses and permit requirements in commercial zones, identify any supplemental land use regulations applicable to commercial zones, and establish development standards for the same. This Chapter does not apply to the Downtown zone, the standards for which are set forth separately in Chapter 18.26. B. The purpose of the individual commercial uses and the way they are applied are as follows: 1. Commercial-Neighborhood Zone (C-N). The purpose of the C-N Commercial-Neighborhood Zone is to provide land areas for the construction, use, and occupancy of a broad range of neighborhood-serving commercial uses. It is the intent of this zone to encourage the development of neighborhood shopping centers that focus on neighborhood amenities including grocery stores, coffee shops, cafes, local-serving offices, and drug stores. The maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is 0.5. This zone implements the Neighborhood Commercial land use designation in the General Plan. 2. Community-Commercial Zone (C-C). The purpose of the C-C Community-Commercial Zone is to provide land areas for the construction, use, and occupancy of a broad range of community-serving uses. It is the intent of this zone to encourage the development of commercial shopping centers that focus on community amenities including grocery stores, restaurants, banks, professional offices, and vehicle fueling stations. The maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is 0.8. This zone implements the Community Commercial land use designation in the General Plan. 3. Commercial-Regional Zone (C-R). The purpose of the C-R Commercial-Regional Zone is to provide land areas for the construction, use, and occupancy of a broad range of commercial uses ranging from regional-serving to large-scale commercial centers. It is the intent of this zone to encourage the development of unique commercial shopping environments that serve as a node of commercial and entertainment activity and attract visitors and shoppers from outside the City. The maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is 1.0. This zone implements the Regional Commercial land use designation in the General Plan. C. Although the commercial zones are intended for commercial uses, pursuant to state law, certain types of multifamily residential developments may also be authorized, as described in more detail in Section 18.12.040.A.7.