More about zoning

Zoning is always brought up when talking about development in Rockridge. Here are some actual quotes from the Municipal Code about College Avenue’s zoning (also know as C-31).

(Of course, the city is in the middle of a process that will change this zoning system, but more about that later.)

17.48.010 Title, purpose, and applicability.

The C-31 zone is intended to create, preserve, and enhance areas with a wide range of retail establishments serving both short and long term needs in attractive settings oriented to pedestrian comparison shopping, and is typically appropriate along important shopping streets having a special or particularly pleasant character.

17.48.070 Restrictions on ground-level uses.
A. Parking and Loading at Ground Level. No off-street parking or loading area or driveway shall be located on any portion of the ground level of any lot except upon the granting of a conditional use permit pursuant to the conditional use permit procedure in Chapter 17.134.

17.48.080 Special regulations applying to Commercial and Manufacturing Activities.
The total floor area devoted to Commercial or Manufacturing Activities by any single establishment shall not exceed seven thousand five hundred (7,500) square feet, except that a greater floor area may be permitted upon the granting of a conditional use permit pursuant to the conditional use permit procedure in Chapter 17.134.

17.48.100 Use permit criteria.
A conditional use permit for any use under Section 17.48.040, 17.48.060, 17.48.070, or 17.48.080 may be granted only upon determination that the proposal conforms to the general use permit criteria set forth in the conditional use permit procedure in Chapter 17.134 and to the following use permit criteria:

A. That the proposal will not detract from the character desired for the area;
B. That the proposal will not impair a generally continuous wall of building facades;
C. That the proposal will not weaken the concentration and continuity of retail facilities at ground level, and will not impair the retention or creation of an important shopping frontage;
D. That the proposal will not interfere with the movement of people along an important pedestrian street;
E. That no driveway shall connect directly with the area’s principal commercial street unless:
1. Vehicular access cannot reasonably be provided from a different street or other way, and
2. Every reasonable effort has been made to share means of vehicular access with abutting properties;
F. That the amount of off-street parking, if any, provided in excess of the requirements of this code will not contribute significantly to an increased orientation of the area to automobile movement;
G. That the proposal will conform in all significant respects with any applicable district plan which has been adopted by the City Council.
17.48.100 Use permit criteria.
A conditional use permit for any use under Section 17.48.040, 17.48.060, 17.48.070, or 17.48.080 may be granted only upon determination that the proposal conforms to the general use permit criteria set forth in the conditional use permit procedure in Chapter 17.134 and to the following use permit criteria:
A. That the proposal will not detract from the character desired for the area;
B. That the proposal will not impair a generally continuous wall of building facades;
C. That the proposal will not weaken the concentration and continuity of retail facilities at ground level, and will not impair the retention or creation of an important shopping frontage;
D. That the proposal will not interfere with the movement of people along an important pedestrian street;
E. That no driveway shall connect directly with the area’s principal commercial street unless:
1. Vehicular access cannot reasonably be provided from a different street or other way, and
2. Every reasonable effort has been made to share means of vehicular access with abutting properties;
F. That the amount of off-street parking, if any, provided in excess of the requirements of this code will not contribute significantly to an increased orientation of the area to automobile movement;
G. That the proposal will conform in all significant respects with any applicable district plan which has been adopted by the City Council.
See also Section 17.102.210.