Guides | Kai Bjarke

Commercial Neighborhood Zone

Commercial neighborhood zone (C-N). The C-N zone is intended to provide small scale shopping areas to serve the residential neighborhoods in outlying areas of the city. These are intended to be pedestrian-oriented areas in convenient locations and designed compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. These purposes are accomplished by:

1. Allowing small scale retail, personal services and other compatible uses that serve the surrounding residential neighborhood; 2. Providing a minimum separation of neighborhood commercial zones of 2,000 feet to minimize their overuse, while providing the opportunity for such uses to be within reasonable walking distance of all residential uses; 3. Providing a maximum size of five acres for neighborhood commercial zones to maintain a small scale and compact, pedestrian-oriented design; 4. Allowing townhouses and multifamily uses as a secondary use due to their complementary nature and ability to enhance the walkability of these zones; 5. Providing standards and guidelines that enhance the appearance and function of neighborhood center uses and their compatibility with surrounding residential uses; and 6. Use of this zone is appropriate for areas designated residential neighborhood, blended residential neighborhood, urban neighborhood, neighborhood mixed-use, or neighborhood commercial in the comprehensive plan.

Allowed Uses

RESIDENTIAL, GENERAL:
Dwelling, townhouse ¹
Dwelling, multifamily ¹
Dwelling, live-work

GROUP RESIDENCES:
Adult family home
Community residential facility ²
Senior citizen assisted housing
Transitional housing ¹
Permanent supportive housing ¹
Indoor emergency shelter ²
Indoor emergency housing ²

RESIDENTIAL ACCESSORY USES:
Home occupations

RETAIL:
Automobile Fueling
Automobile, EV charging station
Farmers' markets
Restaurants
Bars and brewpubs
Coffee house, espresso bar
Retail, small scale (less than 2,000 SF floor area)
Retail, medium scale (between 2,000 and 20,000 SF floor area)
Retail, large scale (between 20,001 and 60,000 SF floor area) ³
Regional retail commercial projects ⁴
Cannabis retailer

PERSONAL AND GENERAL SERVICE:
Day care I facilities
Day care II facilities
Offices, medical
Cannabis cooperative
Personal service establishments
Laundromats and dry cleaners
Places of assembly
Veterinary clinic ²

BUSINESS SERVICE:
Offices, business or professional, small scale (less than 2,000 SF floor area)

PARK, OPEN SPACE AND RECREATIONAL:
Recreation, small-scale indoor studios (commercial)
Parks and playgrounds (public or private) ⁴

CULTURAL AND ENTERTAINMENT:
Art, performing arts, and recording studios
Museums
Theaters

GOVERNMENTAL:
Police facility ⁶
Public agency or utility office
Public agency or utility yard
Utility facility

RESOURCE:
Gardening or fruit raising (accessory use or noncommercial)
Small wind energy systems

Note 1: Residential uses are permitted in the C-N zone provided nonresidential uses occupy the ground floor of all buildings fronting on the street. For example, residential uses could be on upper levels of buildings fronting on the street or, for deep lots, subject residential uses may occupy any buildings away from the street and behind the buildings that front onto the street.

Note 2: Subject to Conditional Use review procedures.

Note 3: Grocery stores shall be the only retail uses permitted with more than 20,000 square feet of gross floor area.

Note 4: Regional retail is administered as an overlay zone pursuant to chapters 15.390 and 15.390A ECC, and only permitted within the designated boundaries identified in figure 15.390.040(A), the south interchange area, and figure 15.390.040(B), the west interchange area. Permitted uses and use restrictions within a regional retail commercial project are described in ECC 15.390.030. Design criteria for regional retail is governed by chapter 15.390A ECC.

Note 5: Lighting for structures and fields shall be directed away from residential areas through the use of exterior full cut-off shields or through optics within the fixture.

Note 6: Limited to "storefront" police offices. Such offices shall not have holding cells, suspect interview rooms, or long-term storage of stolen properties.

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