§ 15-1201. PURPOSE.  


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  • The specific purposes of the Commercial Districts are to:

    A.

    Provide for a full range of commercial uses to serve Fresno and the greater region.

    B.

    Ensure the provision of shops, services, and facilities needed to accommodate future population and employment.

    C.

    Establish development and design standards that create a unified, distinctive, and attractive character along commercial streets.

    D.

    Provide appropriate buffers between commercial and adjacent residential uses to preserve both commercial feasibility and residential environments.

    E.

    Ensure that new development is designed to minimize traffic and parking impacts on surrounding residential neighborhoods and is appropriate to the physical characteristics of the area.

    F.

    Implement and provide appropriate regulations for General Plan classifications of "Main Street Commercial," "Community Commercial," "Regional Commercial," "General Commercial," "Highway and Auto Commercial," and "Commercial Recreation."

    Additional purposes of each Commercial District are as follows:

    CMS Commercial - Main Street. The CMS district is intended to preserve or promote small-scale, fine-grain commercial development in neighborhoods where single-family residential and townhomes are predominant. A traditional "Main Street" character is achieved with active storefronts, outdoor seating and pedestrian-oriented design.

    CC Commercial - Community. The CC district is intended for commercial development that primarily serves local needs such as convenience shopping and offices. Specific uses allowed include medium-scale retail, office, civic and entertainment uses, supermarkets, drug stores, and supporting uses.

    CR Commercial - Regional. The CR district is intended to meet local and regional retail demand, such as large-scale retail, office, civic and entertainment uses, shopping malls with large-format or "big-box" retail, and supporting uses such as gas stations and hotels. Buildings are typically larger-footprint and urban-scaled. Development and design standards will create a pedestrian-orientation within centers and along major corridors, with parking generally on the side or rear of major buildings, but automobile-oriented uses also will be accommodated on identified streets and frontages.

    CG Commercial - General. The CG district is intended to accommodate a range of retail and service uses that are not appropriate in other areas because of higher volumes of vehicle traffic and potential impacts on other uses. Examples of allowable uses include: building materials, storage facilities with active storefronts, equipment rental, wholesale businesses, and specialized retail not normally found in shopping centers. The focus of district development standards is to ensure structures fit into the surrounding development pattern and architectural or traffic conflicts are minimized.

    CH Commercial - Highway and Auto. The CH district is intended for limited areas near the freeway to accommodate uses that depend on or are supported by freeway access, but do not generate a large volume of traffic. Hotels, restaurants, and auto malls are typical land uses.

    CRC Commercial - Recreation. The CRC district is intended to provide areas for private commercial recreation uses where patrons usually pay to participate and to group commercial-recreation uses into a planned, integrated center, including related service and commercial uses. Typical uses include bowling alleys, family entertainment centers, driving ranges, miniature golf courses, skating rinks, tennis courts, swimming pools, sports stadiums, arenas, and the County fairgrounds.

(Added Ord. 2015-39, § 1, eff. 1-9-16).