Chapter 18.60
CENTRAL MIXED USE ZONE (CMU)
Sections:
18.60.030 Conditional uses permitted.
18.60.045 Applicability of development and design requirements.
18.60.050 Development requirements.
18.60.060 Design requirements.
18.60.010 Purpose.
The central mixed use (CMU) zone supports active uses in the heart of the town center and historic city center, decreasing dependency on automobiles and creating a self-sustaining and interconnected geography with myriad services and attractions. Complementary commercial, civic, office and residential uses create a dynamic, mixed use environment. Preferred development incorporates active first-floor commercial uses with upper-story residential or office uses that increase the level of activity in the town center core, with multistory design that engages ground-floor users and passers-by while creating a sense of enclosure along the street. Building and site design function together to create a unified, inviting streetscape with attractive facades and functional design of entrances, lighting, and vehicle and bike parking areas. The CMU zone standards guide new development and redevelopment that create a walkable center focused on health and wellness, community and culture, and shopping and dining that serves the entire Cornelius community and attracts visitors from beyond the city. [Ord. 2019-10 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019.]
18.60.020 Permitted uses.
The following uses and their accessory uses are permitted outright:
(A) General retail.
(B) Commercial amusements, including, but not limited to, pool hall, internet and video game center, dance hall or theater, when enclosed in a building.
(C) Artisan manufacturing where a minimum of 25 percent of the floor area is devoted to retail sales or display, including, but not limited to, bakery, brewpub, specialty foods production, artisan studio such as pottery, metalwork, or jewelers.
(D) Service commercial, including but not limited to barber, banks, laundry or dry cleaning, repair shops.
(E) Sales, service or repair of nonmotorized sporting equipment, such as bicycles, skis, snowboards, skates, and general sporting goods, inclusive of electric bicycles and stationary exercise machines that incorporate motors such as treadmills.
(F) Office, business, professional, medical/dental, veterinarian including indoor animal boarding.
(G) Restaurant, eating and drinking establishments without drive-in service. May include outdoor seating areas, subject to CMC 18.60.060(H).
(H) Commercial lodging, including hotel, motel and bed and breakfast.
(I) Residential dwelling units located above ground floor, with the exception that regulated affordable housing units may be located on the ground floor.
(J) Single-family residences existing at the time of adoption. Residences may be subject to CMC 18.135.020, Nonconforming structures.
(K) Cultural and educational resource facilities.
(L) Health care and social service offices.
(M) Government structure or use including but not limited to public and private park, playground, library, museum, fire station, community center, noncommercial recreational facilities.
(N) Type “A” or Type “B” mobile vendor, as described in Chapter 5.35 CMC.
(O) Outdoor display and storage, subject to CMC 18.60.060(I). [Ord. 2019-10 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019.]
18.60.030 Conditional uses permitted.
The following uses and their accessory uses are permitted when in accordance with Chapter 18.105 CMC:
(A) A planned unit development conditional use as provided under Chapter 18.110 CMC.
(B) Ground-floor residential dwelling units.
(C) Church, and associated church activities.
(D) Certified child care center.
(E) Commercial parking lot or garage.
(F) Building height in excess of 40 feet.
(G) Outdoor display or storage in excess of the allowances in CMC 18.60.060(I). [Ord. 2019-10 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019.]
18.60.040 Prohibited uses.
Only uses specifically listed in CMC 18.60.020 and 18.60.030, and uses similar to these, are permitted in this district. The following uses are expressly prohibited:
(A) Heavy industrial uses.
(B) Self-service storage.
(C) Automobile drive-up, drive-in and drive-through uses.
(D) Automobile, truck, recreational vehicle storage, repair, fuel and/or sales.
(E) Marijuana facilities. [Ord. 2019-10 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019.]
18.60.045 Applicability of development and design requirements.
(A) New buildings must meet all standards of this chapter.
(B) Redevelopment valued at 50 percent of the building’s assessed value or more or expansions of more than 50 percent of the building’s gross floor area shall meet all standards for any expanded portions of the building and shall meet CMC 18.60.060(B), (C), and (F) for the entire building.
(C) Redevelopment valued at less than 50 percent of the building’s assessed value that does not expand the gross floor area of the building by more than 10 percent shall be exempt from compliance with CMC 18.60.060 and the expanded portion shall use materials that substantially match the originals. CMC 18.135.020, Nonconforming structures, shall apply.
(D) Redevelopment valued at less than 50 percent of the building’s assessed value that includes expansions of existing gross floor area by 10 to 50 percent shall either:
(1) Meet CMC 18.60.060(B), (C), and (F) for any expanded portions of the building; or
(2) Use materials that substantially match the originals for any expanded portions of the building. [Ord. 2019-10 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019.]
18.60.050 Development requirements.
(A) Lot Size. No minimum lot size is required. All lots must be functional and meet the minimum setback and parking requirements.
(B) Setback Requirements. For purposes of this section, the Adair or Baseline Street frontage shall be deemed the front lot line for any lots with multiple frontages that include frontage on Adair or Baseline Street.
(1) Front Setbacks. The front building setback shall be a minimum of zero and a maximum of 10 feet, unless the setback area is developed as an enhanced setback area consistent with CMC 18.60.060(E). No vehicular parking, storage, access or other vehicular use is permitted within the front yard setback, except for a single driveway to access an off-street parking area.
(2) Side Setbacks. The minimum building setback at a side lot line shall be zero. The maximum street side yard setback shall be 10 feet, unless the setback area is developed as an enhanced setback area consistent with CMC 18.60.060(E). No vehicular parking, storage, access or other vehicular use is permitted within the street side yard setback, except for a single driveway to access an off-street parking area.
(3) Rear Setbacks. The minimum building setback at a rear lot line shall be zero.
(C) Height of Buildings.
(1) Buildings may be a maximum of three stories or 40 feet in height, whichever is less.
(2) Buildings shall be a minimum of 16 feet in height. The minimum height is intended to maintain a sense of enclosure of the street. Single-story buildings shall incorporate false fronts, parapets, or other design elements that reach the minimum height along the entire length of the building. [Ord. 2019-10 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019.]
18.60.060 Design requirements.
(A) Building Frontage on Adair and Baseline. For lots with frontage on Adair or Baseline Street, buildings shall occupy the full width of the parcel’s frontage on Adair or Baseline Street with a maximum front setback of zero feet, with the following exceptions:
(1) One driveway to access an off-street parking area; and/or
(2) A pedestrian accessway perpendicular to Adair or Baseline Street with a maximum width of 12 feet connecting Adair or Baseline Street to a rear parking area or midblock alley; and/or
(3) Up to 40 percent of the building frontage may be set back up to 20 feet if the setback area is developed as an enhanced setback area consistent with subsection (E) of this section or outdoor seating area consistent with subsection (H) of this section; and/or
(4) A chamfered corner for a building at the intersection of two streets may be set back from the lot frontage for a maximum width of 20 feet along the lot frontage.
Figure 18.60.060-1: Minimum Building Frontage Requirements
(B) Entrances and Orientation. Building entrances shall define the building’s orientation toward the street. Buildings shall be oriented directly onto the Adair and Baseline Street frontages or at the corner to create a cohesive, pedestrian-oriented character along those streets.
(1) Main Entrances. Buildings shall provide at least one main entrance facing the street; for lots with a frontage along Adair or Baseline Street, at least one main entrance shall face Adair or Baseline Street or be oriented to the corner of two streets. Main entrances shall be clearly defined and distinguished from other parts of the building by at least one of the following design elements:
(a) Recessed entry.
(b) Entry surrounds such as arches, columns, insets and design elements above and/or flanking the entrance.
(c) Transom windows above the entrance door.
(2) Secondary Entrances. A secondary entrance must be provided along all facades facing a mid-block alley, and may be provided on any other facade.
(3) All entrances shall be served by a direct and convenient pedestrian connection from the nearest street frontage, either by being located along the frontage or connected by a pedestrian path.
(4) All entrances must have a light source to illuminate the entrance.
(C) Weather Protection. Weather protection shall consist of permanent canopies, awnings or arcades; canvas or fabric awnings are not considered permanent for the purposes of this standard because of their short life span. Weather protection elements shall extend at least five feet beyond the building facade with a minimum vertical clearance of at least eight feet.
(1) Weather protection shall be provided over at least the full width of all main building entrances on all street frontages.
(2) Weather protection shall be provided along at least 50 percent of the building frontage for Adair and Baseline Street frontages, including weather protection provided over the main entrance.
(3) Weather protection features may extend over the right-of-way, provided they are approved by the city engineer.
(D) Corner Enhancements. Buildings on corners where one leg of the corner is Adair or Baseline Street shall have an entry located at the corner and include one of the following features:
(1) Tower element, defined as an architectural feature that projects above the surrounding building, which has a separate roof structure and is uniquely identifiable from the rest of the building.
(2) Chamfered corner with an entry on the chamfer.
(3) Corner offset projecting from the main facade and/or incorporating distinctive materials compared to the main facade, and extending to a minimum height of one story.
(4) Corner inset from the building face and developed as enhanced setback area consistent with subsection (E) of this section.
(5) Accommodations or adjustment to these corner enhancement standards may be considered by the community development director in cases where public infrastructure or equipment (e.g., street light poles or utility boxes) create an impediment to accessing these corner features or entrances.
(E) Enhanced Setback Area. All setback areas between buildings and the street allowed under subsection (A)(3) of this section shall be enhanced with the following improvements:
(1) A paved area for use by pedestrians incorporating permanent amenities such as textured paving, planters connected to the earth and planting areas, seat walls and fences a maximum of 42 inches in height, outdoor lighting, short-term bicycle parking, kiosks, colonnades, drinking fountains, public art, etc.; or
(2) A landscaped area incorporating ground cover and shrubs with a mature height of less than five feet to maintain visibility between buildings and the street, achieving 80 percent plant cover at maturity; or
(3) A combination of the above and/or outdoor seating areas per subsection (H) of this section.
(F) Window Coverage.
(1) Ground-floor facades facing Adair and Baseline Street shall incorporate a minimum 25 percent of the ground-floor wall area in transparent windows, display areas, or doorways.
(2) Ground-floor facades facing all other public streets, excluding mid-block alleys, shall incorporate a minimum of 20 percent of the ground-floor wall area in transparent windows, display areas, or doorways.
(3) Ground-floor windows shall include sills at the bottom; bulkheads and piers; and a storefront cornice to separate the ground floor from the second story. Window sills shall be no more than two feet above grade along facades facing Adair and Baseline Streets, except for ground-floor residential uses.
(4) Windows, doorways and other openings along the ground-floor facade shall be arranged to prevent a blank length of wall more than 20 linear feet along any street-facing facade, excluding facades facing the mid-block alleys. A blank wall is a wall that contains no openings such as windows or doorways within the ground-floor wall area.
(5) Upper-story windows shall be vertically proportioned and repeated at regular intervals, with window trim at least two inches wide framing the windows.
(6) Glass curtain walls, reflective glass, and painted or darkly tinted glass shall not be used for ground-floor windows.
(G) Facade Design.
(1) Building Top. The building top must be distinguished from the building facade by a cornice, wall cap, or eaves provided with a pitched or overhung roof.
(2) Building Base. Buildings of three stories or more shall incorporate features to distinguish the base of the building from the upper stories, including:
(a) A horizontal architectural element such as a masonry string course, ledge, or band that projects or recesses from the building face and extends across the facade.
(b) Use of distinct materials on the ground floor compared to upper stories to create a solid foundation. Ground-floor materials shall be finished concrete, stone, brick, masonry or similar as determined by the community development director as the predominant facade material.
(H) Outdoor Seating Areas. Outdoor seating areas are encouraged to increase pedestrian activity and interest along the street.
(1) Outdoor seating areas shall be permitted on up to 25 percent of the gross site area.
(2) Outdoor seating areas are permitted anywhere on site, including within the enhanced setback area and the sidewalk fronting the site, as approved by the city engineer. A minimum width of six feet shall be maintained for pedestrian movement along the sidewalk.
(3) Outdoor seating areas shall be approved through site design review.
(I) Outdoor Display and Storage. Outdoor display of merchandise and vendors shall be permitted within the enhanced setback area and the sidewalk, as approved by the city engineer. Such outdoor display shall be limited to plants, gardening/floral products, food, books, newspapers, clothing, bicycles, and similar small items for sale or rental to pedestrians (i.e., non-automobile-oriented), and shall only be displayed during business hours. A minimum width of six feet shall be maintained for pedestrian movement along the sidewalk.
(1) Outdoor storage outside of business hours may only be approved through a site design review, which may include conditions limiting the size and requiring screening of such storage.
(2) Outdoor storage or display shall not exceed 10 percent of the gross site area unless approved as a conditional use. [Ord. 2019-10 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019.]
18.60.070 Parking.
(A) Off-Street Parking Requirements. Off-street parking shall be provided in accordance with the standards in Chapter 18.145 CMC, as adjusted by the following provisions:
(1) On-street parking spaces adjacent to the street frontage of a building or tenant lease space shall be counted toward meeting the minimum off-street parking requirement. Twenty-two feet of uninterrupted street frontage shall count as a single parking space, rounded down to the nearest whole number.
(2) The minimum required off-street vehicle parking requirements in CMC 18.145.030 shall be reduced by 25 percent for all sites.
(3) Developments with a mix of uses are encouraged to make use of shared parking, and may utilize additional parking reductions in CMC 18.145.020(D) in addition to the reductions in this section.
(B) Off-street parking areas shall be located to the side or rear of the lot. No parking areas shall be located between the front of the building and the street.
(C) Change of use of an existing commercial structure will not require additional parking to be constructed. However, construction of a new building or addition to an existing building will require the provision of off-street parking as required in CMC 18.145.030. [Ord. 2019-10 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019.]
18.60.080 Signs.
(A) Signs within the CMU district shall conform to Chapter 18.175 CMC, and are subject to the following considerations:
(1) All signs should be architecturally integrated with their surroundings in terms of size, shape, color, texture, and lighting so that they are complementary to the overall design of the buildings.
(2) Signs should respect the immediate context of the building’s location and the overall character of the CMU district.
(3) Signs should enhance the primary design elements or unique architectural features of buildings.
(4) Modification to logos and corporate identifiers may be required to fit attractively in the space provided.
(5) Signs should be designed with the purpose of promoting commercial and street activity while enhancing the pedestrian experience.
(B) Sign Design and Materials.
(1) Exterior materials, finishes, and colors should be the same or similar to those of the building or structures on site.
(2) Signs should be professionally constructed using high quality materials such as metal, stone, wood, brass plated, and exposed neon.
(3) Wall-mounted and freestanding LED signs are prohibited.
(4) Excessively bright colors or over-scaled letters shall not be used as a means to attract attention. [Ord. 2019-10 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019.]