HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Resolution 2016-0022EXHIBIT A: Categorical Exemption
PLN 2013-1462 / ZCH 2013-0168
Title 9 Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments
EXHIBIT B: Zone Text Change – Title 9 Zoning Ordinance
PLN 2013-1462 / ZCH 2013-0168
Chapter 3
ZONING DISTRICTS
Sections:
Article 1. General Provisions
9-3.101 Purpose.
9-3.102 Zoning districts established.
9-3.103 Overlay districts established.
9-3.104 Symbols used.
9-3.105 Off-site sale of new and used automobiles and trucks is prohibited.
Article 2. Agriculture & Residential Zoning Districts
9-3.210 Intent
9-3.220 Purposes of the Agriculture & Residential Zoning Districts
9-3.230 Agriculture & Residential district allowable land uses.
9-3.240 Lot Sizes.
9-3.241 Minimum Lot Size – A Zone
9-3.242 Minimum Lot size—RS Zone.
9-3.243 Minimum lot size—RSF Zone.
9-3.244 Minimum lot size—LSF Zone.
9-3.245 Minimum lot size—RMF Zone.
9-3.250 Density.
9-3.251 Density – Agriculture & Single Family Residential Zones.
9-3.252 Density – RMF Zone.
9-3.260 Property Development Standards.
9-3.262 Property development standards –RMF
Article 3. Non – Residential Zoning Districts
9-3.301 Intent
9-3.320 Purposes of Non-Residential Zoning Districts
9-3.330 Non-Residential Districts Allowable Land Uses
9-3.340 Property Development Standards.
9-3.341 CN Zone
9-3.342 CP Zone
9-3.343 CR Zone
9-3.344 CS Zone
9-3.345 CT Zone
9-3.346 CPK Zone
9-3.347 DC / DO Zone
9-3.348 IP Zone
9-3.349 I Zone
Article 4. Public Zoning Districts
9-3.401 Intent
9-3.420 Purposes of Public Zoning Districts.
9-3.430 Public Districts Allowable Land Uses
9-3.440 Property Development Standards.
9-3.441 P Zone
9-3.442 L Zone
9-3.443 LS Zone
9-3.444 OS Zone
Article 5. Definitions
9-3.450 Purpose
9-3.451 Definitions
Articles 6 through 22. Reserved.
Article 2. A (Agriculture) Zone
9-3.121 Purpose.
9-3.122 Allowable uses.
9-3.123 Conditional uses.
9-3.124 Lot size.
Article 3. Residential Zoning Districts
9-3.141 Purpose—RS (Residential Suburban) Zone.
9-3.142 Lot size—RS Zone.
9-3.151 Purpose—RSF (Residential Single-Family) Zone.
9-3.152 Minimum lot size—RSF Zone.
9-3.161 Purpose—LSF (Limited Single-Family Residential) Zone.
9-3.162 Minimum lot size—LSF Zone.
9-3.171 Purpose—RMF (Residential Multiple-Family) Zone.
9-3.172 Minimum lot size—RMF Zone.
9-3.173 Density—RMF Zone.
9-3.174 Property development standards.
9-3.180 Residential district allowable land uses.
Articles 4—6. Reserved.
Article 7. CN (Commercial Neighborhood) Zone
9-3.201 Purpose.
9-3.202 Allowable uses.
9-3.203 Conditional uses.
9-3.204 Lot size.
Article 8. CP (Commercial Professional) Zone
9-3.211 Purpose.
9-3.212 Allowable uses.
9-3.213 Conditional uses.
9-3.214 Lot size.
Article 9. CR (Commercial Retail) Zone
9-3.221 Purpose.
9-3.222 Allowable uses.
9-3.223 Conditional uses.
9-3.224 Lot size.
9-3.225 Development standards.
Article 10. CS (Commercial Service) Zone
9-3.231 Purpose.
9-3.232 Allowable uses.
9-3.233 Conditional uses.
9-3.234 Lot sizes.
Article 11. CT (Commercial Tourist) Zone
9-3.241 Purpose.
9-3.242 Allowable uses.
9-3.243 Conditional uses.
9-3.244 Lot size.
Article 12. CPK (Commercial Park) Zone
9-3.251 Purpose.
9-3.252 Allowable uses.
9-3.253 Conditional uses.
9-3.254 Lot size.
9-3.255 Development standards.
Article 13. Downtown Zone 1—PC (Pedestrian
Commercial) Zone
9-3.261 Purpose of downtown districts.
9-3.262 Downtown district allowable land uses and permit requirements.
9-3.263 Downtown district general development standards.
Article 17. IP (Industrial Park) Zone
9-3.301 Purpose.
9-3.302 Allowable uses.
9-3.303 Conditional uses.
9-3.304 Lot size.
Article 18. I (Industrial) Zone
9-3.311 Purpose.
9-3.312 Allowable uses.
9-3.313 Conditional uses.
9-3.314 Lot size.
Article 19. L (Recreation) Zone
9-3.401 Purpose.
9-3.402 Allowable uses.
9-3.403 Conditional use.
9-3.404 Lot size.
Article 20. LS (Special Recreation) Zone
9-3.411 Purpose.
9-3.412 Allowable uses.
9-3.413 Conditional uses.
9-3.414 Lot size.
Article 21. P (Public) Zone
9-3.421 Purpose.
9-3.422 Allowable uses.
9-3.423 Conditional uses.
9-3.424 Lot size.
Article 23. ES (Emergency Shelter) Overlay Zone.
9-3.501 Purpose.
9-3.502 Applicability of emergency shelter standards.
9-3.503 Minimum site design and development standards.
9-3.504 Operating standards.
Article 24. FH (Flood Hazard) Overlay Zone
9-3.601 Purpose.
9-3.602 Applicability of flood hazard standards.
9-3.603 Drainage plan and related requirements.
9-3.604 Construction standards.
Article 25. GH (Geologic Hazard) Overlay Zone
9-3.611 Purpose.
9-3.612 Applicability of geologic hazard standards.
9-3.613 Application content: Geologic and soils report required.
9-3.614 Geologic Hazard Overlay Zone special standards.
Article 26. HS (Historical Site) Overlay Zone
9-3.621 Purpose.
9-3.622 Applicability of historic site standards.
9-3.623 Processing requirements.
9-3.624 Required findings for archeological resources.
9-3.625 Required findings for historic structures, landmarks and districts.
Article 27. SR (Sensitive Resource) Overlay
Zone
9-3.631 Purpose.
9-3.632 Applicability of sensitive resource overlay zone standards.
9-3.633 Processing requirements.
9-3.634 Required findings.
9-3.635 Minimum site design and development standards.
Article 28. PD (Planned Development)
Overlay Zone
9-3.641 Purpose.
9-3.642 Applicability of planned development standards.
9-3.643 Minimum development standards and processing requirements.
9-3.644 Required findings.
9-3.645 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 1: (PD1).
9-3.646 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 2: (PD2).
9-3.647 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 3: (PD3).
9-3.648 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 4: (PD4).
9-3.649 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 5: (PD5).
9-3.650 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 6: (PD6).
9-3.651 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 7: (PD7).
9-3.652 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 8: (PD8).
9-3.653 Establishment of Commercial Park Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 9:
(PD9).
9-3.654 Establishment of Residential Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 9: (PD9)
North of Union Pacific Railroad.
9-3.655 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 10: (PD10).
9-3.656 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 11: (PD11).
9-3.657 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 12: (PD12).
9-3.658 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 14: (PD14).
9-3.660 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 15: (PD15).
9-3.661 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 16: (PD16).
9-3.662 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 17: (PD17).
9-3.663 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 18: (PD18).
9-3.664 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 19: (PD19).
9-3.665 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 20: (PD20).
9-3.666 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 21: (PD21).
9-3.667 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 22: (PD22).
9-3.668 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 23: (PD23).
9-3.669 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 24: (PD24).
9-3.670 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 25: (PD25).
9-3.671 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 26: (PD26).
9-3.672 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 27: (PD27).
9-3.673 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 28: (PD28).
9-3.674 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 29: (PD29).
9-3.675 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 30: (PD30).
9-3.676 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 31: (PD31).
9-3.677 Establishment of Planned Development Overlay Zone No. 32: (PD32).
9-3.690 Establishment of Specific Plan Zone No. 1: (SP-1).
9-3.691 Establishment of Specific Plan Zone No. 2: (SP-2).
Article 29. Land Use DescriptionsReserved
9-3.701 Purpose.
Article 30. Density Bonus
9-3.801 Purpose.
9-3.802 Applicability.
9-3.803 Calculating the density bonus.
9-3.804 Developer incentives.
9-3.805 Waivers and modifications of development standards.
9-3.806 Application procedure.
Article 1. General Provisions
9-3.101 Purpose.
This chapter establishes zoning districts and overlay districts in order to separate incompatible
land uses from each other by:
(a) Providing different zoning districts for agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial,
recreation and public uses;
(b) Establishing the approval procedure necessary to establish certain land uses in various
zoning districts; and
(c) Delineating between various uses for the purpose of regulating the location, height, bulk,
number of stories and size of buildings and structures; and, the use of lots, setbacks and open spaces;
and, the intensity of land uses.
In so doing, it is intended to implement the General Plan adopted pursuant to Government Code
Section 65300 et seq. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.101, 1983)
9-3.102 Zoning districts established.
The following zoning districts are established:
(a) Agricultural & Residential zoning districts:
(1) Agriculture—A;.
(b) Residential zoning districts:
(12) Residential Suburban—RS;
(23) Residential Single Family—RSF;
(34) Limited Single Family Residential—LSF;
(45) Residential Multiple Family—RMF.
(cb) Commercial Non-Residential zoning districts:
(1) Commercial Neighborhood—CN;
(2) Commercial Professional—CP;
(3) Commercial Retail—CR;
(4) Commercial Service—CS;
(5) Commercial Tourist—CT;
(6) Commercial Park—CPK;.
(7) Downtown Commercial – DC;
(8) Downtown Office – DO;
(d) Industrial zoning districts:
(19) Industrial Park—IP;
(210) Industrial—I.
(ec) Miscellaneous specialPublic zoning districts:
(1) Recreation—L;
(2) Special Recreation—LS;
(3) Public—P;
(4) Open Space – OS.. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.102, 1983)
9-3.103 Overlay districts established.
Overlay districts intended to protect public safety and the environment and to preserve scenic,
cultural and historic resources are established as follows:
(a) Overlay districts:
(1) Flood Hazard—FH;
(2) Geologic Hazard—GH;
(3) Historic Site—HS;
(4) Sensitive Resource—SR;
(5) Planned Development—PD;
(6) Emergency Shelters (ES) (9-3.501). (Ord. 571 § 1, 2013; Ord. 68 § 9-3.103, 1983)
9-3.104 Symbols used.
(a) Zoning Districts. The letter symbols listed after each zoning district in Section 9-3.102(a)
through (ec) shall be used to designate the location of various zoning districts on the official zoning
maps (Section 9-1.102).
(b) Overlay Districts. The letter symbols listed after each overlay district in Section 9-3.103(a)
shall be appended to the base zoning dis trict and be placed in parentheses thereafter to designate the
location of various overlay districts on the official zoning maps (Section 9-1.102). Example:
Residential Suburban as the base zone within a Flood Hazard and Geologic Hazard overlay area
would show on the official zoning maps as RS (FH) (GH).
(c) Density in Residential Multiple-Family Zoning District. A number specifying the
maximum permitted number of dwelling units per net acre in multiple-family residential zoning
districts shall be appended to the base zoning district to des-ignate the density on the official zoning
maps (Section 9-1.102). Example: Residential Multiple Family allowing twenty (20) units per net
acre within a Historic Site overlay area would show on the official zoning maps as RMF/20 (HS).
(d) Minimum Lot Size in Residential and Agricultural Zoning District Areas. A symbol
specifying the minimum lot size in acres in certain residential zoning districts shall be appended to
the base zoning district and be placed following a hyphen thereafter where necessary to designate the
minimum lot size on the official zoning maps (see Section 9-1.102).
Example: Residential single-family with a half-acre minimum lot size in a Flood Hazard
Overlay Zone would show on the official zoning maps as RSF-X(FH). Minimum lot size will not
always be shown on the official maps especially in zoning districts where the minimum size is
uniform, in circumstances where Chapter 9-6 establishes minimum sizes for some, but not all, uses
within a zoning district, and where performance standards identified for certain zoning districts in
this chapter are used to establish the minimum lot size. (Ord. 554 § 2, 2011; Ord. 68 § 9-3.104, 1983)
9-3.104
9-3.105 Off-site sale of new and used automobiles and trucks is prohibited.
In all zone districts, the off-site sale of new and used automobiles and trucks is unlawful. New
and used automobile and truck sales must be conducted only at the permanent property address in
the City of Atascadero listed for the dealership on its Department of Motor Vehicle Dealers license.
(Ord. 406 § 1, 2002)
Article 2. Agriculture & Residential Zoning Districts
9-3.210 Intent.
This chapter lists the land uses that may be allowed within the agriculture and residential zoning
districts established by Section 9-3.102 (Zoning Districts), determines the type of planning permit /
approval required for each uses, and provides basic lot size and development standards for specific
zones.
9-3.220 Purposes of the Agriculture & Residential Zoning Districts.
The purposes of the individual agriculture and residential zoning districts and the manner in
which they are applied are as follows:
(a) A (Agriculture) Zoning District. This zone is established to protect, preserve and
encourage agriculture on suitable land. The Agriculture Zone is intended to support and
encourage the continuation of the Agricultural Preserve Program and the maintenance of
productive open space.
(b) RS (Residential Suburban) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for large
lot residential uses in areas outside the urban services line or in other areas where large lots
are desirable to protect land uses and buildings subject to inundation, steep slopes or other
hazards.
(c) RSF (Residential Zoning Family) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for
single-family residential areas within the urban services line.
(d) LSF (Limited Single Family) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for
single-family residential areas within the urban services line where the raising of farm
animals would not be allowable.
(e) RMF (Residential Multi-Family) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for
apartment, condominium, townhouse development, and other small lot residential products,
where higher density residential development is desired within the urban services line.
9-3.230 Agriculture & Residential district allowable land uses.
Table 3-1 identifies the uses of land allowed this Zoning Code in each agriculture and residential
district, and the planning permit required to establish each use, in compliance with Section 9 -1 and
Section 9-2 of this code. Where the last column in the tables (“Specific Use Regulations”) includes
a section number, the regulations in the referenced section apply to the use. Provisions in other
sections of this article may also apply.
Table 3-1 – Agriculture & Residential Land Uses
Allowed Land Uses and Permit Requirements
Agriculture / Residential Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s)
A RS RSF LSF RMF
Agricultural Related Uses
Agricultural Accessory Uses A A A 9-6.109
Agricultural Produce Stands A A A AUP AUP 9-6.117
Agriculture Employee Housing A 9-6.107
Farm animal raising A A A AUP 9-6.112
Horticultural specialties A A 9-6.116
Large Scale Ag Manufacturing A CUP 9-6.103
Livestock Specialties A CUP 9-6.115
Medical Marijuana Cultivation A A A A 9-6.186
Small Scale Ag Processing A A A AUP AUP 9-6.103
Natural Resources and Processing
Resource Extraction CUP CUP 9-6.147- 9.6-61
Residential Uses
Multi-Family Housing A 9-3.175
Manufactured Home / Mobile Home A A A A A 9-6.143
Mobile Home Parks CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.142, 9-6.143
Organizational Houses CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-3.175
Residential accessory uses A A A A 9-6.106
Single-family dwelling A A A A 9-6.143, 9-6.184
Secondary Residential Units A A A 9.5
Temporary dwelling A A A A 9-6.175
Recreation, Education, & Public Assembly
Churches and related activities CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.121
Parks & Playgrounds
Schools CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.125
Schools – Business and Vocational CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.125
Temporary events A A A A A 9-6.177
Tourism, Lodging, & Dining
Bed and Breakfast CUP CUP CUP CUP
Services-Professional
Day Care – Small Family Day Care Home A A A A 9-6.125
Day Care – Large Family Day Care / Child
Care Center
CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.125
Table 3-1 – Agriculture & Residential Land Uses
Allowed Land Uses and Permit Requirements
Agriculture / Residential Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s)
A RS RSF LSF RMF
Kennels CUP CUP 9-6.111
Medical Extended Care Services, six (6)
clients or less
A A A CUP 9-6.134
Medical Extended Care Services, seven
(7) clients or more
CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.134
Residential Care, six (6) clients or less A A A A 9-6.135
Residential Care, seven (7) clients or
more
CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.135
RCFE – Assisted Living, six (6) clients or
less
A A A A 9-6.135
RCFE – Assisted Living, seven (7) clients
or more
CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.135
RCFE – Independent Living Center /
Senior Apartments
CUP
RCFE – Retirement Hotel CUP
Transportation, Infrastructure & Communication
Pipelines Utility Infrastructure CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP
Utility Transmission Facilities A A A A A
Wireless Communication Facilities CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP
Notes:
Zoning Districts Abbreviations
A – Agriculture; RS-Residential Suburban ; RSF-Residential Single Family Residential ; LSF – Limited Single Family
Residential ; RMF – Residential Multi-Family
9-3.240 Lot Sizes.
New subdivisions and the densities of agriculture and residential development shall comply with
the requirement for lot sizes in subsections 9-3.231 through 9-3.235.
9-3.241 Minimum Lot Size – A Zone.
The minimum lot size in the Agriculture Zone shall be established by the minimum area needed
to maintain productive agricultural use of the property.
9-3.242 Minimum Lot Size – RS Zone.
The minimum lot size in the Residential Suburban Zone shall be two and one-half (2 1/2) acres
and may range up to ten (10) acres depending upon conformance with performance standards
established in this section.
(a) Performance Standards. The following performance standards shall be evaluated for each
lot in determining its minimum lot size:
(1) Distance from the Center of the Community. Using the Atascadero Administration
Building as the center of the community, the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall
be:
Distance* Lot Size Factor
0 — 8,000′ 0.20
8,000′ — 10,000′ 0.25
10,000′ — 12,000′ 0.30
12,000′ — 14,000′ 0.40
14,000′ — 16,000′ 0.50
16,000′ — 18,000′ 0.60
18,000′ — 20,000′ 0.75
20,000′ + 0.90
* To be measured as radial distance using map maintained in Planning Department.
(2) Septic Suitability. Using generalized soils data from the Soil Conservation Service Reports,
the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall be:
SCS Rating* Lot Size Factor
Well suited 0.50
Moderate 0.75
Slow 1.00
Severe 1.50
* Refer to map maintained in Community Development Department.
Percolation tests may be substituted for the Soil Conservation Service Reports. These shall be
prepared by a registered civil engineer or licensed sanitarian. The following conversion chart shall
be used to determine the appropriate lot size factor:
Percolation Rating Minutes Per Inch
Well suited Less than 20
Moderate or slow 20 to 39
Slow 40 to 59
Severe Greater than 60
(3) Average Slope. Using the Basic, Sectional or Contour Measurement Method, the lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be:
Slope Lot Size Factor
0 — 10% 0.50
11 — 20% 0.75
21 — 25% 1.00
26 — 30% 1.25
31 — 35% 1.75
36 — 40% 2.00
40% + 2.25
(4) Condition of Access. Using the road right-of-way with the shortest accessible distance
between a lot and an improved collector road, the lot size factor based on this performance standard
shall be:
Condition Lot Size Factor
City accepted road 0.40
Paved road, less than 15% slope 0.40
Paved road, greater than 15% slope 0.50
All-weather road less than 15% slope 0.75
All-weather road greater than 15% slope 1.00
Unimproved road less than 15% slope 1.25
Unimproved road greater than 15% slope 1.50
(5) General Neighborhood Character. Using the average lot size of existing lots which are
zoned for single-family residential use (except that lots larger than fifteen (15) acres shall be excluded
unless they constitute more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total number of lots) within a one
thousand five hundred (1,500) foot radius, the minimum lot size factor based on this performance
standard shall be determined by multiplying the average lot size by 0.2.
(b) Determination of Minimum Lot Size. The minimum lot size shall be determined by the
sum of each of the lot size factors for the performance standards set forth in subsection (a) of this
section.
(1) The most current information shall be used to determine the lot size factor. Where
information is not available, the Planning Director shall determine which lot size factor shall apply.
(2) If more than one (1) lot size factor can be applied to a lot, the less restrictive factor shall
be used.
(3) Lot size factors shall be based on conditions in existence at the time of filing an application
unless information is included with the application which will alter a lot size factor.
9-3.243 Minimum Lot Size – RSF Zone.
The minimum lot size in the Residential Single-Family Zone shall be one-half (1/2) acre and may
range up to two and one-half (2 1/2) acres. The size of a lot shall be consistent with the land use
designation set forth in the General Plan and shall be indicated by the symbols set forth in the
following chart, which shall be shown on the official zoning maps as provided by Section 9-3.104(d).
Symbol Minimum Lot Size
X One-half (1/2) acre net area (excluding land needed for street rights-
of-way whether publicly or privately owned).
Y One (1) acre gross area.
Z One and one-half (1-1/2) to two and one-half (2-1/2) acres gross
based on performance standards set forth in this section.
(a) Performance Standards. The following performance standards shall be evaluated for each
lot which is appended with the “Z” symbol in determining its minimum lot size:
(1) Distance from the Center of the Community. Using the Atascadero Administration
Building as the center of the community, the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall
be:
Distance* Lot Size Factor
0—4,000' 0.08
4,000'—6,000' 0.10
6,000'—8,000' 0.12
* To be measured as radial distance using map maintained in the Planning Department.
(2) Septic Suitability. Using generalized soils data from the Soil Conservation Service Reports,
the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall be:
SCS Rating* Lot Size Factor
Well suited 0.30
Moderate or slow 0.50
Severe 0.70
* Refer to map maintained in Community Development Department.
Percolation tests may be substituted for the soil conservation service reports. These shall be
prepared by a registered civil engineer or licensed sanitarian. The following conversion chart shall
be used to determine the appropriate lot size factor:
Percolation Rating Minutes Per Inch
Well suited Less than 20
Moderate 20 to 39
Slow 40 to 59
Severe Greater than 60
(3) Average Slope. Using the basic, sectional or contour measurement method, the lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be:
Slope Lot Size Factor
0—20% 0.30
21—30% 0.50
31%+ 0.70
(4) Condition of Access. Using the road right-of-way with the shortest accessible distance
between a lot and an improved collector road, the lot size factor based on this performance standard
shall be:
Condition Lot Size Factor
Paved with slope of less than 15% or City-accepted 0.15
Paved with slope of greater than 15% 0.20
All-weather surface with slope of less than 15% 0.25
All-weather surface with slope of greater than 15% 0.30
Unimproved surface 0.40
(5) General Neighborhood Character. Using the average lot size of existing lots (except that
lots larger than five (5) acres shall be excluded unless they constitute more than twenty-five percent
(25%) of the total number of lots) within a one thousand (1,000) foot radius, the minimum lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be determined by multiplying the average lot size by
zero point two (0.2).
(b) Determination of Minimum Lot Size. The minimum lot size shall be determined by the
sum of each of the lot size factors for the performance standards set forth in subsection (a) of this
section.
(1) The most current information shall be used to determine the lot size factor. Where
information is not available, the Planning Director shall determine which lot size factor shall apply.
(2) If more than one (1) lot size factor can be applied to a lot, the less restrictive factor shall be
used.
(3) Lot size factors shall be based on conditions in existence at the time of filing an application
unless information is included with the application which will alter a lot size factor.
9-3.244 Minimum Lot Size – LSF Zone.
The minimum lot size in the Limited Residential Single-Family Zone shall be twenty thousand
(20,000) square feet with sewer, one-half (1/2) acre where sewer is not available and may range up
to two and one-half (2-1/2) acres. The size of a lot shall be consistent with the land use designation
set forth in the General Plan and shall be indicated by the symbols set forth in the following chart,
which shall be shown on the official zoning maps as provided by Section 9-3.104(d).
Symbol Minimum Lot Size
X One-half (1/2) acre net area (excluding land needed for street rights-of-way
whether publicly or privately owned).
Y One (1) acre, when sewers are available.
One and one-half (1-1/2) acres, when sewers are not available.
Z One and one-half (1-1/2) to two and one-half (2-1/2) acres based on
performance standards set forth in this section.
(a) Performance Standards. The following performance standards shall be evaluated for each
lot which is appended with the “Z” symbol in determining its minimum lot size:
(1) Distance from the Center of the Community. Using the Atascadero Administration
Building as the center of the community, the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall
be:
Distance* Lot Size Factor
0—4,000′ 0.08
4,000′—6,000′ 0.10
6,000′—8,000′ 0.12
* To be measured as radial distance using map maintained in the Planning Department.
(2) Septic Suitability. Using generalized soils data from the Soil Conservation Service Reports,
the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall be:
SCS Rating* Lot Size Factor
Well suited 0.30
Moderate or slow 0.50
Severe 0.70
* Refer to map maintained in Community Development Department.
Percolation tests may be substituted for the Soil Conservation Service Reports. These shall be
prepared by a registered civil engineer or licensed sanitarian. The following conversion chart shall
be used to determine the appropriate lot size factor:
Percolation Rating Minutes Per Inch
Well suited Less than 20
Moderate 20 to 39
Slow 40 to 59
Severe Greater than 60
(3) Average Slope. Using the Basic, Sectional or Contour Measurement Method, the lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be:
Slope Lot Size Factor
0—20% 0.30
21—30% 0.50
31%+ 0.70
(4) Condition of Access. Using the road right-of-way with the shortest accessible distance
between a lot and an improved collector road, the lot size factor based on this performance standard
shall be:
Condition Lot Size Factor
Paved with slope of less than 15% or City-accepted 0.15
Paved with slope of greater than 15% 0.20
All-weather surface with slope of less than 15% 0.25
All-weather surface with slope of greater than 15% 0.30
Unimproved surface 0.40
(5) General Neighborhood Character. Using the average lot size of existing lots (except that
lots larger than five (5) acres shall be excluded unless they constitute more than twenty-five percent
(25%) of the total number of lots) within a one thousand (1,000) foot radius, the minimum lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be determined by multiplying the average lot size by
0.2.
(b) Determination of Minimum Lot Size. The minimum lot size shall be determined by the
sum of each of the lot size factors for the performance standards set forth in subsection (a) of this
section.
(1) The most current information shall be used to determine the lot size factor. Where
information is not available, the Planning Director shall determine which lot size factor shall apply.
(2) If more than one (1) lot size factor can be applied to a lot, the less restrictive factor shall
be used.
(3) Lot size factors shall be based on conditions in existence at the time of filing an application
unless information is included with the application which will alter a lot size factor.
9-3.245 Minimum Lot Size – RMF Zone.
The minimum lot size in the Residential Multiple-Family Zone shall be one-half (1/2) acre.
Smaller lot sizes may be allowed for planned residential developments, including condominiums and
mobilehome developments, provided that the overall density within the project conforms with
Section 9-3.252.
9-3.250 Density.
New residential subdivisions and the density of residential Development shall comply with the
requirements of sections 9-3.251 thorough 9-3.259.
9-3.251 Density—Agriculture & Single Family Residential Zones.
New residential subdivisions and the density of residential Development shall comply with the
following for single family residential zones:
(a) A (agriculture). A maximum of one (1) single family residence. Additional housing for
Agriculture Employees may be permitted, consistent with this Municipal Code.
(b) RS (Residential Suburban). A maximum of 0.1 to 0.4 units per gross acre. A 2nd unit may
be permitted consistent with Section 9-5 of this zoning ordinance.
(c) RSF-Z / LSF-Z. A maximum of one (1) unit per gross acre. A 2nd unit may be permitted
consistent with Section 9-5 of this zoning ordinance.
(d) RSF-Y / LSF-Y. A maximum of one (1) unit per gross one-half acre. A 2nd unit may be
permitted consistent with Section 9-5 of this zoning ordinance.
(e) RSF-X / LSF-X. A maximum of four (4) residential units per net acre, with approval of a
Planned Development Overlay zones with innovative design concepts, as approved by the
City Council. A 2nd unit may permitted consistent with Section 9-5 of this zoning ordinance.
9-3.252 Density—RMF Zone.
The maximum allowable density in the Residential Multiple-Family Zone shall be designated
on the official zoning maps as provided by Section 9-3.104(c) and be consistent with the General
Plan for new residential subdivisions as follows:
(a) Areas Designated Low Density Multiple-Family Residential. The minimum number of
dwelling units per net acre is two (2). The maximum number of dwelling units per net acre is ten
(10).
(b) Areas Designated High Density Multiple-Family Residential. The minimum number of
dwelling units per net acre is twenty (20). The maximum number of dwelling units per net acre is
twenty-four (24).
(c) Hillside Density Standards. The densities permitted by subsections (a) and (b) of this
section shall be modified to the following densities based on-site topography, as follows:
Average Slope Low Density Multiple-
Family (units/acre)
High Density Multiple-
Family (units/acre)
0—10.99% 10 20
11—15.99% 7 14
16—20.99% 5 10
21—25.99% 3 6
26—30.0% 2 4
> 30% 1 2
(d) For medical extended care services, where residents are primarily non-ambulatory, the
following maximum bed/net acre densities may be permitted, where subject to Planning Commission
conditional use permit approval:
RMF-10 District Thirty-four (34) beds/net acre
RMF-20 District Fifty-five (55) beds/net acre
Such approval shall require a finding that the average daily traffic generated by the project
would not exceed that of a multifamily project. The project would be further subject to the
“percentage coverage” constraints of subsection (a) of the district. Off-street parking requirements
would be as established by the Planning Commission.
(e) Sewer Service. Sewer service and the inclusion of property within the urban services line
(USL) shall be a prerequisite to developing multiple-family projects to the density standards of the
RMF zone.
(f) Density Bonus. A density bonus may be granted, subject to approval by the City Council
through a master plan of development (CUP), consistent with Sections 9-3.801 through 9-3.806.
(g) In lieu of granting a density bonus, the Planning Commission shall consider other bonus
incentives allowable under Government Code Section 65915.
9-3.260 Property Development Standards.
New land uses, structures, and alterations to existing land uses and structures shall be designed,
constructed and established in compliance with the subsection 9-3.261 through 9-2.269, in addition
to applicable standards (e.g. landscaping, parking, fencing, etc) in Chapter 4 of this Title.
9-3.262 Property development standards – RMF.
In addition to the standards specified in Chapter 4 of this title, General Site Design and
Development Standards, the following development standards shall apply to mobile home and
multiple-family residential projects:
(a) Percent Coverage. The maximum percent of a lot that may be covered by structures
(excluding decks less than thirty (30) inches from the ground) shall be forty percent (40%) for low
density multiple-famil y projects and fifty percent (50%) for high density multiple-family projects.
(b) Enclosed Storage. Each dwelling unit shall be provided a minimum of one hundred (100)
cubic feet of enclosed storage space, exclusive of closets, which may be located in either a principal
or accessory building.
(c) Outdoor Recreation Areas. For developments of four (4) to seven (7) dwelling units,
outdoor recreational open space shall be provided at a ratio of three hundred (300) square feet per
unit. This open space may be provided either as: (1) a private amenity designed for exclusive use of
a dwelling unit; or (2) as common open space provided that no individual open space is less than one
thousand (1,000) square feet. For developments of eight (8) or more dwelling units, outdoor
recreational open space shall be provided at a ratio of three hundred (300) square feet per unit. This
common open space may be provided in more than one (1) location provided that no individual open
space area is less than one thousand (1,000) square feet.
(d) Screening Wall. A solid wall or fence not less than six (6) feet in height shall be placed and
maintained on interior lot lines abutting property zoned for single-family residential use.
(e) Covered Parking. One (1) covered parking space (carport or garage) shall be required per
dwelling unit of the total off-street parking required by Section 9-4.118.
(f) Laundry Facilities. Laundry facilities shall be provided in the form of either: (1) laundry
hook-ups within each individual dwelling unit; or (2) a shared laundry facility equipped with washers
and dryers.
(g) Appearance Review. All projects shall be consistent with the multifamily design and
landscape requirements of the Appearance Review Manual.
(h) Maintenance Requirement. A maintenance agreement for all landscaping, building
exteriors, accessory structures, parking areas and other common facilities shall be approved by the
Community Development Director and City Attorney prior to final occupancy.
(i) RMF-20 properties identified in Appendix 1 (Vacant Residential Parcels RMF-20) of the
Housing Element shall be permitted “by right” and will not be subject to conditional use permit or
specific plan. Proposed planned development projects or other relief from property development
standards on these parcels shall be subject to discretionary review per the requirements of the
Municipal Code.
Article 3. Non – Residential Zoning Districts
9-3.310 Intent.
This chapter lists the land uses that may be allowed within primarily non-residential zoning
districts established by Section 9-3.102 (Zoning Districts), determines the type of planning permit /
approval required for each uses, and provides basic lot size and development standards for specific
zones.
9-3.320 Purposes of the Non-Residential Zoning Districts.
The purposes of the individual non-residential zoning districts and the manner in which they are
applied are as follows:
(a) CN (Commercial Neighborhood) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for
small scale retail shopping and personal service facilities at the neighborhood level. The
Commercial Neighborhood Zone is situated and designed to serve the limited shopping and
service needs of the immediately surrounding residential area.
(b) CP (Commercial Profession) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for
offices and limited retail shopping and personal service facilities along arterials and major
collectors. The Commercial Professional Zone is situated to serve streets with higher
traffic volumes while also serving to provide a compatible transition between such streets
and adjacent single family residential areas.
(c) CR (Commercial Retail) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for a wide
range of commercial uses to accommodate most of the retail and service needs of the
residents of the City and surrounding areas.
(d) CS (Commercial Service) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for light
manufacturing and large lot service commercial needs of the residents of the City and
surrounding areas.
(e) CT (Commercial Tourist) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for limited
commercial uses intended primarily to serve the public traveling along Highway 101.
(f) CPK (Commercial Park) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for large lot
commercial and light manufacturing uses. It is intended that special attention be given to
providing for comprehensive development plans to achieve appropriate functional
relationships between various uses and preclude “piecemeal” development of existing larger
lots.
(g) DC (Downtown Commercial) Zoning District. The Downtown Commercial (DC) Zoning
District is intended to enhance the economic viability and pedestrian-oriented character of
the downtown by encouraging a wide range of retail shops, including artisan craft sales and
production; Restaurants, entertainment facilities, lodging, and non-automotive services
(banks, health care, etc.); First floor office uses are allowed with storefront and signage
appearance review and approval of the Design Review Committee (DRC); however, office
uses are encouraged to locate on upper floors leaving prime first floor spaces available for
retail and restaurant spaces; and Residential uses on upper floors.
(h) DO (Downtown Office) Zoning District. The Downtown Office (DO) Zoning District is
intended to apply to properties that border the DC District, where a wide variety of
professional and other office uses will encourage a weekday pedestrian flow that can take
advantage of the restaurant and shopping opportunities in the overall downtown area.
(i) IP (Industrial Park) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide for the light
manufacturing and large lot service commercial needs of the residents of the City and
surrounding areas.
(j) I (Industrial) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide suitable locations for
heavy manufacturing and industrial uses within the City.
9-3.330 Non-Residential district allowable land uses.
Table 3-2 identifies the uses of land allowed this Zoning Code in each non-residential district,
and the planning permit required to establish each use, in compliance with Section 9-1 and Section
9-2 of this code. Where the last column in the tables (“Specific Use Regulations”) includes a section
number, the regulations in the referenced section apply to the use. Provisions in other sections of this
article may also apply.
Table 3-2 – Non-Residential Use Table
Allowed Land Uses and
Permit Requirements
Non-Residential Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s) CN CP CR CS CT CPK DC DO IP I
Agricultural Resources
Agricultural Produce
Stands
A A A A 9-6.117
Farm Equipment &
Supplies
A A A A A
Farmer’s Market CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP A A
Horticultural specialties A A A A A 9-6.116
Large Scale Ag
Manufacturing
CUP CUP A 9-6.103
Livestock Specialties A CUP 9-6.115
Residential Uses
Age Restricted Housing CUP
Care Taker’s
Residence / Employee
Unit
CUP CUP CUP
Live/Work Unit A3
Multi-family Dwellings CUP1 CUP2 CUP1 CUP2 A3 A3
Single-family dwelling A3 A3
Single-Room
Occupancy Units
CUP 9-6.184
Recreation, Education, & Public Assembly
Amusement Services CUP CUP CUP A A
Churches & Related
Activities
CUP CUP 9-6.121
Indoor Recreation
Services
CUP CUP CUP A
A A CUP CUP
Libraries, Museums A A A A A A
Membership
Organizations
A A CUP CUP
Outdoor Recreation
Services
CUP CUP A 9-6.123
Parks & Playgrounds A A
Table 3-2 – Non-Residential Use Table
Allowed Land Uses and
Permit Requirements
Non-Residential Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s) CN CP CR CS CT CPK DC DO IP I
Public Assembly &
Entertainment
CUP CUP A CUP CUP
Schools -Business &
Vocational
A A A A CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.125
Schools A A A CUP CUP 9-6.125
Recreation, Education, & Public Assembly
Social & Service
Organizations
A A A
Sports Assembly CUP CUP A
Temporary Events A A A A A A 9-6.177
Tourism, Lodging, & Dining
Bar/Tavern CUP CUP CUP A
Bed and Breakfast CUP CUP CUP CUP
Drive-Through Sales or
Services
CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-4.122
Eating &Drinking
Places A A A A A A A
Hotels, Motels CUP A A A CUP
Microbrewery -
Brewpub
A CUP A A A A A CUP
Recreational Vehicle
Parks
A 9-6.180
Tasting Room A CUP A A A A A CUP
Retail Trade and Sales5
Accessory Storage A A A A A A A 9-6.103
Adult Oriented
Business
A A A A 9-16
Artisan Foods and
Products A A A A4 A A
Auto Dealers (New &
Used) & Supplies
CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP 9.6.163
Building Materials &
Hardware
A A A A A A 9-6.165
Fuel Dealer A A A A A 9-6.129
General Retail A A A A A A A
General Retail greater
than 50,00 sf CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP
Mobile eating and
drinking vendors6
A A A A A A A A
Sales Lots CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.139
Service Stations CUP CUP CUP A 9-6.164
Table 3-2 – Non-Residential Use Table
Allowed Land Uses and
Permit Requirements
Non-Residential Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s) CN CP CR CS CT CPK DC DO IP I
Temporary or Seasonal
Sales
A A A A A A A A A 9-6.176
Services-Business, Financial & Professional
ATM A A A A A A A A A A
Financial Services &
Banks
A A A A A A CUP A
Government Offices &
Facilities
A A A A A A A A A A
Health Care Services A A A CUP A A A
Offices A A A A A A A A
Temporary Offices A A A 9-6.176
General Services
Animal Hospitals CUP A CUP 9-6.110
Auto Repair and
Services
CUP A A CUP A A 9-6.168
Business Support
Services
A A A A A A A A
Contact Construction
Services
A A A A
Day Care
Childcare Center A A A CUP 9-6.125
Large Family Day
Care
A A A CUP 9-6.125
Small Family
Daycare
A3
Adult Day Care
Facility
A A A CUP
Kennels CUP A 9-6.111
Medical Extended Care
Services: 6 Residents
or Less
A A 9-6.134
Medical Extended Care
Services: 7 Residents
or More
A A 9-6.134
Mini-Storage CUP CUP A A
Mortuary Services A A
Personal Services A A A A A CUP A
Personal Service
Restricted
A CUP CUP
Printing & Publishing CUP CUP A A A
Table 3-2 – Non-Residential Use Table
Allowed Land Uses and
Permit Requirements
Non-Residential Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s) CN CP CR CS CT CPK DC DO IP I
RCFE – Assisted Living A A A 9-6.135
RCFE – Independent
living / Senior
Apartments
CUP CUP CUP 9-6.135
RCFE – Retirement
Hotel
CUP CUP CUP 9-6.135
Residential Care: 6
Residents or Less A3 A3 9-6.135
Vehicle & Equipment
Storage5
CUP CUP A A 9-6.183
Industrial, Wholesale, Manufacturing Uses
Brewery – Production CUP CUP A A
Collection Stations A A A A A A A A 9-6.130
Laundries & Dry
Cleaning Plants
A A A A
Medical Research CUP A A CUP A A
Manufacturing &
Processing - Low
Intensity
CUP CUP A A A A
Manufacturing &
Processing – High
Intensity5
CUP CUP AUP AUP
Recycling & Scrap CUP CUP 9-6.131
Recycling Centers CUP CUP 9-6.132
Research &
Development CUP A A CUP A A A
Storage, Recycling and
Dismantling of Vehicles
and Material
CUP A A 9-6.131
Warehousing CUP CUP A A
Wholesaling &
Distribution Center5
AUP AUP A A A A
Winery - Boutique A A A A A A A
Winery – Production CUP CUP A A
Transportation Communication & Infrastructure
Broadcast Studios A A
Data and Computer
Services Center
AUP AUP CUP A A
Parking Lots AUP AUP AUP AUP AUP AUP AUP AUP AUP AUP
Telecommunication
Facility
CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP
Table 3-2 – Non-Residential Use Table
Allowed Land Uses and
Permit Requirements
Non-Residential Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s) CN CP CR CS CT CPK DC DO IP I
Transit Stations CUP CUP A CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP
Utility Facilities CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP CUP
Vehicle & Freight
Terminals
CUP CUP CUP
Utility Infrastructure A A CUP A A A CUP CUP A A
Notes: (Only these notes apply to this table below).
1 Multi-family dwellings permitted when located on the second floor or above.
2 Multi-Family dwellings permitted when located on the second floor or above, or within an existing
residential structure of historical significance.
3 Residential uses allowed only on second and third floor, except sites north of Olmeda Avenue. If a project
is required to provide a unit in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the handic apped
accessible unit may be located on a first floor. A first floor unit shall be located in a non -storefront location
within a tenant space.
4 Handcrafted and artisan food production shall be ancillary to the retail component.
5 Outdoor commercial and industrial sales and storage developments as defined by Section 9-9.102 of ten
thousand (10,000) square feet or more, even if such a development is listed as an allowable use in a
particular zoning district.
6 Mobile Food vending permitted if use is located outside of right-of-way and located on private property
Zoning District
Abbreviations
CN – Commercial Neighborhood; CP – Commercial Professional; CR – Commercial Retail; CS –
Commercial Service ; CT – Commercial Tourist; CPK – Commercial Park; DC – Downtown Commercial;
DO – Downtown Office; IP – Industrial Park ; I – Industrial
9-3.340 Property Development Standards.
New subdivisions, land uses, structures, and alterations to existing land uses and structures shall
be designed, constructed and established in compliance with the subsection 9-3.461 through 9-3.450,
in addition to applicable standards (e.g. landscaping, parking, fencing, etc) in Chapter 4, and Special
Land Use Regulation in Chapter 6 of this Title.
9-3.341 CN Zone
The following are property development standards for the CN in addition to those found in
Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Neighborhood Zone.
(b) Multi-Family Dwellings. Multi-Family dwellings are permitted with a minor conditional use
permit when located on the 2nd floor or above.
9-3.342 CP Zone
The following are property development standards for the CP in addition to those found in
Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Professional Zone.
9-3.343 CR Zone
The following are property development standards for the CR in addition to those found in
Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Retail Zone.
(b) Parking. Parking areas designated to have vehicles facing El Camino Real or the freeway
shall be screened with a landscaped berm a minimum of thirty (30) inches in height.
(c) Setback. A minimum freeway setback of ten (10) feet shall be provided. Said se tback area
shall be landscaped.
(d) Utilities. All new and existing utilities shall be installed underground
9-3.344 CS Zone
The following are property development standards for the CS in addition to those found in
Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Service Zone.
9-3.345 CT Zone
The following are property development standards for the CT in addition to those found in
Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Tourist Zone.
9-3.346 CPK Zone
The following are property development standards for the CPK in addition to those found in
Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. The minimum lot size in the Commercial Park Zone shall be two (2) acres. Smaller
lot sizes may be allowed for planned commercial and industrial developments, including
condominiums, where the Planning Commission determines that such smaller lot sizes will
not be detrimental to the purpose and intent of the Commercial Park Zone.
(b) Parking. Customer and employee parking areas designed to have vehicles facing El Camino
Real or the freeway shall be screened with a landscaped berm a minimum of thirty (30) inches
in height. This may be modified through the conditional use permit process.
(c) Setback. A minimum freeway setback shall be provided. Said setback shall be landscaped.
This may be modified through the conditional use permit process.
(d) Utilities. All new and existing utilities shall be installed underground.
9-3.347 DC / DO Zone
The following are property development standards for both the DC and DO zoning districts, in
addition to those found in Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title.
Development Feature
Requirement by Zoning District
DC DO
Downtown Commercial Downtown Office
Minimum lot size No minimum
Setbacks Minimum and maximum setbacks required. See Section 9-4.103 for setback
requirement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to setbacks.
Front None allowed, except for building
insets designed to accommodate
outdoor eating and seating areas, and
except for East and West Mall
between El Camino Real and Palma
Avenue, where a minimum of twenty
(20) feet is required.
As required by Section 9-4.106
when adjacent to a residential
zone, none required otherwise.
Sides (each) None required
Rear None required
Creek To be determined through Design Review
Height limit Forty-five (45) feet not to exceed
three (3) stories; eighteen (18) feet on
the west side of El Camino Real
between Atascadero Creek and the lot
line common to Lots 19 and 20, Block
H-B, Atascadero Colony Map.
Thirty-five (35) feet
Landscaping As required by Sections 9-4.124 et seq. (Landscaping, screening and fencing)
Off-street parking None required, except as required by
Section 9-4.114 for hotels, motels, and
residential uses, and for all development
east of Atascadero Creek.
As required by Sections 9-4.114
et seq.
Signs See Section 9-15.005(b)
Density Twenty (20) dwelling units/acre
maximum
Twenty (20) dwelling units/acre
maximum
9-3.348 IP Zone
The following are property development standards for both IP zoning district, in addition to
those found in Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title.
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Industrial Park Zone.
9-3.349 I Zone
The following are property development standards for both I zoning district, in addition to those
found in Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title.
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Industrial Zone.
Article 4. Public Zoning Districts
9-3.410 Intent.
This chapter lists the land uses that may be allowed within primarily public zoning districts
established by Section 9-3.102 (Zoning Districts), determines the type of planning permit / approval
required for each uses, and provides basic lot size and development standards for specific zones.
9-3.420 Purposes of the Non-Residential Zoning Districts.
The purposes of the individual public zoning districts and the manner in which they are applied
are as follows:
(a) L (Recreation) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide suitable locations and
standards for the development of recreational facilities accommodating the needs of the
general public.
(b) LS (Special Recreation) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide suitable
locations and standards for the development of recreational facilities on land in private
ownership. This zone also provides for residential and agricultural uses where intensive
recreational activity may not be appropriate.
(c) P (Public) Zoning District. This zone is established to provide suitable locations and
standards for the maintenance and development of public and quasi-public facilities and
services.
(d) OS (Open Space) Zoning District. This zone is established to cover areas with
environmentally sensitive natural or cultural resources and generally is intended to remain
free of structures but may be developed with low intensity recreational improvements, where
appropriate.
9-3.430 Public districts allowable land uses.
Table 3-3 identifies the uses of land allowed this Zoning Code in each public district, and the
planning permit required to establish each use, in compliance with Section 9-1 and Section 9-2 of
this code. Where the last column in the tables (“Specific Use Regulations”) includes a section
number, the regulations in the referenced section apply to the use. Provisions in other sections of this
article may also apply.
Table 3-3 Public Zone Uses
Allowed Land Uses and Permit
Requirements
Public Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s) L LS P OS
Agricultural Resources
Agricultural Accessory Uses A
Farm Animal Raising A
Farmers Market A A A
Horticultural Specialties CUP
Residential Uses
Residential Accessory Uses A 9-6.106
Single-Family Dwelling A CUP
Temporary Dwelling A 9-6.176
Caretaker’s Residence / Employee Unit CUP 9-6.184
Recreation, Education, & Public Assembly
Schools -Business & Vocational A CUP 9-6.125
Schools A 9-6.125
Churches & Related Activities CUP 9-6.121
Membership Organizations A CUP
Indoor Recreation Services CUP CUP A
Outdoor Recreation Services A CUP A 9-6.123
Libraries, Museums A A A
Amusement Services A CUP
Public Assembly & Entertainment CUP A
Parks & Playgrounds A A A A
Rural Sports & Group Facilities A CUP 9-6.124
Social & Service Organizations CUP
Sports Assembly CUP
Temporary Events A A A 9-6.177
Cemeteries CUP CUP CUP
Tourism, Lodging, & Dining
Table 3-3 Public Zone Uses
Allowed Land Uses and Permit
Requirements
Public Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s) L LS P OS
Bed and Breakfast A A
Hotels, Motels CUP
Recreational Vehicle Parks CUP CUP CUP 9-6.180
Eating &Drinking Places CUP CUP
Retail Trade & Sales
Accessory Storage A A 9-6.103
General Retail A CUP
Temporary or Seasonal Retail Sales A A A 9-6.174
Services-Business, Financial & Professional
ATM A
Government Offices & Facilities A
Health Care Services CUP
Temporary Offices A
Home Occupation A
General Services
Animal Hospitals CUP
Residential Care: 6 Residents or Less CUP 9-6.125
Residential Care: 7 Residents or More CUP 9-6.125
Medical Extended Care Services: 6
Residents or Less
CUP 9-6.134
Day Care
Childcare Center CUP 9-6.125
Adult Day Care Facility CUP
Medical Extended Care Services:7
Residents or More
CUP 9-6.134
Mortuary Services CUP
Mini-Storage CUP
Industrial, Wholesale, Manufacturing Uses
Collection Stations A A A 9-6.130
Transportation Communication & Infrastructure
Parking Lots A
Transit Stations CUP CUP
Utility Facilities A A A CUP
Utility Infrastructure CUP CUP CUP CUP
Table 3-3 Public Zone Uses
Allowed Land Uses and Permit
Requirements
Public Zones
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
AUP Administrative Use Permit Required
Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s) L LS P OS
Broadcast Studios A
Telecommunication Facilities CUP CUP CUP
Notes:
Zoning Districts Abbreviations
L – Recreation; LS-Special Recreation; P-Public ; OS – Open Space
9-3.440 Property Development Standards.
New subdivisions, land uses, structures, and alterations to existing land uses and structures shall
be designed, constructed and established in compliance with the subsection 9-3.461 through 9-3.450,
in addition to applicable standards (e.g. landscaping, parking, fencing, etc) in Chapter 4, and Special
Land Use Regulation in Chapter 6 of this Title.
9-3.441 L Zone
The following are property development standards for L in addition to those found in Chapter
4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Recreation Zone.
9-3.442 LS Zone
The following are property development standards for the LS in addition to those found in
Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Special Recreation Zone, except for
parcels in-tended for single-family residential use where the minimum lot size shall be one
(1) acre when sewers are available and one and one-half (1 1/2) acres when sewers are not
available.
9-3.443 P Zone
The following are property development standards for the P in addition to those found in Chapter
4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Public Zone, except for parcels intended
for single family residential use where the minimum lot size shall be two and one-half (2
1/2) acres.
9-3.444 OS Zone
The following are property development standards for the OS in addition to those found in
Chapter 4, Chapter 6, and other special use regulations found in this title:
(a) Lot Size. There shall be no minimum lot size in the Open Space Zone.
Article 5. Land Use Definitions
9-3.501 Purpose.
This section contains descriptions of the types of land uses which can be established in the
various zones. The uses described here are allowed in the various zoning districts established. The
description of land uses are intended only to list the various land uses included under each general
heading and do not explain what permit requirements or performance standards may be applicable to
a given use. If a use here within is not defined in this section, or in other provisions of the City of
Atascadero Municipal Code, the Community Development Director shall determine the correct
definition.
9-3.520 Definitions.
As used in Title 9, the following terms and phrased shall have the meaning ascribed to them in
this Section, unless the context in which they are used clearly requires otherwise.
A. Definitions “A”
Accessory Storage. The indoor or outdoor storage of various materials on the same site as a principal
building or land use which is other than storage, which supports the activities or conduct of the
principal use.
Adult-Oriented Business. Any business defined by Chapter 19 of Title 9 in the Atascadero
Municipal Code, or subsequent code section, as an adult arcade, adult bookstore, adult novelty store,
adult video store, adult cabaret, adult motel, adult motion picture theater, adult theater, massage
parlor (excluding State-licensed massage therapy), sexual encounter establishment, or nude model
studio is a adult oriented business.
Age Restricted Housing. Residential multifamily or single-family units that restrict occupancy
based on age. This use typically consists of senior housing which restricts age for fifty-five (55) and
older.
Agricultural Accessory Uses. Use that are customarily part of an agricultural including structures
that are designed to house farm implements, hay, grain, poultry, livestock, or other horticulture
products, including non-commercial greenhouse that are incidental and secondary to a residential
use. This does not include garages, workshops, or other similar residential accessory structures.
Agriculture Employee Housing. Includes single-family dwellings, or other lodging
accommodations provided as a part of farming operations, as regulated under the California Health
and Safety Code, employees on land owned by the owner of the building site on which the lodging
is located.
Agricultural Produce Stands. Open structures for the retail sale of agricultural products (except
hay, grain and feed sales which are included under “Farm Equipment and Supplies”) which are grown
on the site in residential or agriculture zones. This does not include Farmer’s Markets or “seasonal
sales located in non-residential zoning districts, defined under “temporary sales”.
Amusement Services. Establishments providing indoor amusement or entertainment on payment of
a fee or admission charge, such as: arcades and coin-operated amusements; card rooms, billiard and
pool halls as a primary use; alleys; ice skating and roller skating; dance halls, and ballrooms which
are principal uses rather than being subordinate to an eating or drinking place; gymnasiums, reducing
salons, health and exercise facilities that do not include courts or similar facilities designed for tennis,
handball, racquetball or similar indoor participation sports.
Animal Hospitals . Establishments primarily engaged in performing services for animals ,
including veterinary services and animal hospitals. Does not include kennels, which are listed as
a separate category.
Artisan Foods and Products. An establishment that specializes in artisan food production, art glass,
ceramics, jewelry, paintings, sculpture, and other handcrafted items, where the facility includes a
retail component.
Auto Dealers (New and Used) and Supplies. Retail and wholesale trade establishments selling new
and used automobiles, including, but not limited to, light trucks (US DOT Class 1, 2, and 3), boats
(FBSA Class A and Class 1 boats (under twenty-six (26) feet in length)), recreational vehicles,
recreational/utility trailers, motorcycles and mopeds. Also includes establishments selling new parts
and accessories within a building for the above. Does not include establishments dealing exclusively
in used parts. Includes automobile repair shops only when maintained by establishment engaged in
the sale of vehicles on the same site. Does not include “service stations,” which are separately
defined.
Auto Repair and Services. Service establishments primarily engaged in the repair, alteration,
painting, washing or waxing of automobiles , and lube services . May also include rental of cars,
trucks or trailers; leasing of cars and trucks. D oes not include repair shops which are subordinate
to and maintained by a vehicle dealership.
Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Computerized, self-service machines used by banking
customers for financial transactions, including deposits, withdrawals and fund transfers, without
face-to-face contact with financial institutions personnel. The machines may be located at or within
banks, or in other locations.
B. Definitions “B”
Bar/Tavern. Establishments where alcoholic beverages are sold for on -site consumption, which is
not part of a larger restaurant. Includes bars, taverns, pubs, night clubs, and similar establishments
where any food service is subordinate to the sale of alcoholic bevera ges. Does not include adult
entertainment businesses or uses defined under microbreweries or tasting rooms.
Bed and Breakfast. Transient lodging establishments primarily engaged in providing overnight or
otherwise temporary lodging for the general public. Such establishments provide limited meal
service, generally breakfast, for lodgers
Broadcasting Studios. Commercial and public communications uses including radio, television
broadcasting and receiving stations and studios with facilities entirely within buildings. Does not
include antennas and towers, which are defined under “telecommunications facilities”.
Brewery – Production. An establishment which produces ales, beers, meads, hard ciders, and/or
similar beverages on-site. Production breweries are classified as a use which requires a Class 01
type licensure from Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC). Breweries may also serve beverag es on-site,
and sell beverages for off -site consumption in keeping with the regulations of the Alcohol Beverage
Control (ABC) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF).
Building Materials and Hardware. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in the sale of
lumber and other building materials, including paint, wallpaper, glass, hardware, nursery stock, lawn
and garden supplies. Includes all such stores selling to the general public, even if sales to contractors
account for a larger proportion of total sales. Establishments primarily selling plumbing, heating, and
air conditioning equipment and electrical supplies are classified in “Wholesaling and Distribution
Centers.”
Business Support Services . An establishment or business located within a building and provides
services to other business including but not limited to:
Blueprinting and reprographics, copying and quick printing services;
Computer related services repair and rental;
Private mail and mailbox service not affiliated with federal mailing agency;
Protective services (other than office related) and security system services;
Outdoor advertising and signage services;
Services to structures such as window cleaning, exterminators, janitorial services and other
similar types.
C. Definitions “C”
Caretaker Residence/Employee Unit. A permanent residence that is secondary or accessory to the
primary use of the property, and used for housing a caretaker employed on the site of any
nonresidential use where a caretaker is needed for security purposes or to provide twenty-four (24)
hour care or monitoring of plants, animals, equipment, or other conditions on the site. Does not
include housing for caretaker-type employees in the Agriculture Zone which is defined as
“Agriculture Employee Housing.”
Cemeteries. Interment establishments engaged in subdividing property into cemetery lots and
offering burial plots or air space for sale. Includes animal cemeteries and cemetery, mauso-leum and
columbarium operations. Excludes funeral parlor and related facilities which are listed under
“Mortuary Services.”
Churches and Related Activities. Religious organization facilities operated for worship or for
promotion of religious activities, including churches and religious Sunday-type schools. Other
establishments maintained by religious organizations, such as educational institutions, hospitals
and other operations that may be considered commercial in nature if not run by the religious
organization (such as a recreational camp) are classified accordi ng to their respective activities.
Collection Stations. Facilities for the temporary accumulation and storage of recyclable discarded
materials, which are subsequently transported to recycling centers or solid waste disposal sites for
further processing. Does not include automobile wrecking yards or any recycling processing
facilities, which are listed under “Recycling and Scrap.” Does not include temporary storage of toxic,
mutagenic or radioactive waste materials.
Contract Construction Facilities. Office uses with indoor/or outdoor facilities operated by, or on
behalf of a contractor for storage of large equipment, vehicles, and/or other materials commonly used
in the individual contractor’s type of business and can include the storage of materials used for repair
and maintenance of contractor’s own equipment; and buildings or structures for uses by the
contractor.
D. Definitions “D”
Data and Computer Services / Center . A use where the majority of the space is occupied by
computers and/or related equipment and where information is processed, transferred, and/or stored
(also commonly referred to as “server farms”. Data and computer service / centers may contain
data technology centers, internet service providers (ISPs), network operation centers, web hosting
facilities and other similar establishments primarily engaged in providing direct access through
telecommunication networks to computer -held information.
Day Care. Facilities that provide non-medical care and supervision of individuals for periods of less
than twenty-four (24) hours. These facilities include the following, all of which are required to be
licensed by the California State Department of Social Services or successor agency. Day care uses
include the following:
Child Care Center. Child day care facilities designed and approved to accommodate
fifteen (15) or more children. Includes infant centers, nursery school, preschools, sick-
child centers, and school-age day care facilities. These may be operated in conjunction
with a school or church facility, or as an independent land use.
Large Family Day Care Home. As provided by Health and Safety Code Section
1596.78 or successor provision, a home that regularly provides care, protection, and
supervision for seven (7) to twelve (12) children, including up to two (2) children
under the age of ten (10) years who reside in the home, for periods of less than twenty-
four (24) hours per day, while the parents or guardians are away.
Small Family Day Care Home. As provided by Health and Safety Code Section
1596.78 or successor provision, a home that provides family day care for six (6) or
fewer children, including two (2) children under the age of ten (10) years who reside
in the home.
Adult Day Care Facility. A day care facility providing care and supervision for adult
clients.
Drive-Through Sales or Services. A facility where food or other products may be purchased or
where services may be obtained by motorists without leaving their vehicles. Examples of drive-
through sales facilities include fast-food restaurants, drive-through coffee, photo-stores, pharmacies,
etc. Examples of drive-through service facilities include drive-through bank teller windows,
automated teller machines (ATM), dry cleaners / laundromats, etc. but do not include service stations
or other vehicle services, which are separately defined. .
E. Definitions “E”
Eating and Drinking Places. Restaurants and other establishments selling prepared foods and drinks
for consumption on the premises, as well as facilities for dancing and other entertainment which are
secondary and subordinate to the principal use of the establishment as an eating and drinking place.
Also includes lunch counters and refreshment stands selling prepared goods and drinks for immediate
consumption. Restaurants, lunch counters, and drinking places operated as subordinate service
facilities within other establishments are not included here unless they are operated as leased
departments by outside operators. Does not include establishments with drive-through facilities or
uses defined under adult oriented business.
EV Charging Site. Electric Vehicle (EV) charging site includes level one, level two, and level three
charging sites that are an accessory use to a primary use, such as a parking lot, building, or multi -
family residence. These charging sites are incidental uses and may or may not charge a fee for use.
Does not include stand alone EV charging station as defined in “Service Stations”.
F. Definitions “F”
Farm Animal Raising. The keeping, feeding or grazing of animals as an avocation, hobby, or
school project, subordinate to the principal residential use of a property, includes species
commonly considered as farm animals as well as exotic species, but does not include household
pets. This includes the raising or feeding of beef cattle, sheep and goats by grazing or pasturing.
Does not include uses defined as “Livestock Specialties.”
Farm Equipment and Supplies. Establishments primarily engaged in the sale or rental of
agricultural machinery and equipment for use in the preparation and maintenance of the soil, the
planting and harvesting of crops, and other operations and processes pertaining to work on the farm;
also dairy and other livestock equipment including trailers. Includes agricultural machinery, dairy
farm machinery and equipment, irrigation equipment, poultry equipment and frost protection
equipment; hay, grain and feed sales.
Farmers Market. The temporary and intermittent use of a public or private property for the outdoor
sales of food and farm produce in compliance with California Food and Agriculture Code Section
1392 et. seq., and artisan products or similar famers markets products that include multiple sales
vendors.
Financial Services. Service establishments primarily engaged in the field of finance, including:
banks and trust companies; credit agencies other than banks; brokers and dealers in securities and
commodity contracts; security and commodity exchanges; holding (but not predominantly operating)
companies; and other investment companies.
Fuel Dealers. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in the sale to consumers of liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG), propane, bottled or other fuels in bulk. Does not include accessory uses as part
of a service station.
G. Definitions “G”
General Retail. Stores and shops selling either many lines of merchandise, or specialized type of
merchandise, where the retail sales are conducted within the entire footprint of a building . Examples
include but not limited to:
Antique stores; second hand stores, jewelry stores, hobby materials, specialty stores;
Art galleries, art supplies, collectibles, hobby materials;
Bicycles, toys, games, sporting goods and equipment;
Department stores, drug stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, groceries stores, specialty food
markets, membership warehouse clubs;
Florists, house plant stores (indoor sales), small house wares;
Home Furniture stores, consumer electronic / audio visual goods, bookstores, home and/or
office appliance stores (excludes wholesale sales not open to the general public )
New clothing, shoes, and accessory retail stores;
Stationary, dry goods, fabric stores and sewing supplies, and variety stores;
Stand-alone convenience markets (excludes fuel sales), warehouse retail stores, building
supply hardware stores where outdoor sales are limited to under 10,000 sf.
Government Offices & Facilities. Administrative, clerical, or public contact and/or service offices
of recognized local, state, or federal agencies. Includes post offices, City Hall, municipal corporation
yards, etc.
H. Definitions “H”
Health Care Services. Service establishments primarily engaged in furnishing medical, mental
health, surgical and other personal health services including: medical, dental and psychiatric offices
(mental health) related services, including various types of counseling practiced by licensed
individuals other than medical doctors or psychiatrists, or unlicensed individuals, are included under
“Offices”; medical and dental laboratories; outpatient care facilities; and allied health services.
Associations or groups primarily engaged in providing medical or other health services to members
are included. Also includes hospitals and similar establishments primarily engaged in providing
diagnostic services, extensive medical treatment including surgical and other hospital services; such
establishments have an organized medical staff, inpatient beds, and equipment and facilities to
provide complete health care. Nursing homes and similar long-term personal care facilities are
classified in “Residential Care.”
Home Occupations. The gainful employment of the occupant of a dwelling, with such employment
activity being subordinate to the residential use of the property.
Horticultural Specialties. Businesses engaged in the production of ornamental plants, tree farms,
and other products, grown under cover or outdoors. Also includes establishments engaged in the sale
or on-site production of such product.
Hotels, Motels. Commercial transient lodging establishments, including hotels, motor hotels, motels,
tourist courts or cabins, primarily engaged in providing overnight or otherwise temporary lodging,
with or without meals, for the general public. Such establishments shall not provide kitchen facilities
in more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the units.
I. Definitions “I”
J. Definitions “J”
K. Definitions “K”
Kennels. A lot, building, structure, enclosure or premises where four (4) or more dogs or cats (four
(4) months of age or older) are kept or maintained, including the keeping of such animals for sale,
for commercial breeding or for lodging and care. Does not include dogs and cats kept for
noncommercial purposes.
L. Definitions “L”
Large Scale Ag Manufacturing. The large scale processing of agriculture products subsequent to
their harvest, with the intent of preparing them for market or further processing including: alfalfa
cubing; hay baling and cubing; corn shelling; drying of corn, rice, hay, fruits and vegetables; grain
cleaning and custom grinding; custom grist mills; custom milling of flour, feed and grain; sorting,
grading and packaging of fruits and vegetables; tree nut hulling and shelling; cotton ginning; and
wineries in excess of 1,000 square feet in total use area. This does not include the growing,
harvesting, and production of medical marijuana, or legally approve uses of marijuana by either the
State of California or Federal Government.
Laundries and Dry Cleaning Plants. Service establishments primarily engaged in high volume
laundry and garment services, including: power laundries (family and commercial); garment pressing
and dry cleaning; linen supply; diaper service; industrial laundries; carpet and upholstery cleaners.
Does not include coin-operated laundries or dry cleaning pickup stores without dry cleaning
equipment, which are classified in “Personal Services.”
Libraries, Museums. Permanent public or quasi-public facilities generally of a noncommercial
nature such as libraries, museums, art exhibitions, planetariums, aquariums, botanical gardens,
arboretums and zoos. Also includes historic sites and exhibits.
Livestock Specialties. Agricultural establishments primarily engaged in commercial livestock
keeping or feeding as a principal land use which, because of operational characteristics, may generate
dust, odors or visual impacts which could have an adverse effect upon adjacent properties. Such uses
include dairies, chicken, turkey and other poultry farms; animal specialties (such as rabbit farms and
other fur-bearing animals); other specialties such as bee farms, aviaries, worm farms, etc.
Live/Work Units. An integrated housing unit and working space, occupied and utilized by a single
household in a structure, either single-family or multifamily, that has been designed or structurally
modified to accommodate joint residential occupancy and work activity, and which includes:
Complete kitchen space and sanitary facilities in compliance with the Building Code; and
Working space reserved for and regularly used by one or more occupants of the unit.
Working space include uses that are either permitted within the zoning district.
M. Definitions “M”
Manufacturing, Repair, & Processing – Low Intensity. A facility or business that engages in
the assembly, fabrication, and conversion of already processed raw materials into products, where
the operational characteristics of the manufacturing process and the materials used are unlikely to
cause significant impacts to the existing surrounding neighborhood or businesses in a indoor
setting. Example of manufacturing and processing uses that are considered low intensity include
the following but are not limited to:
Artisan manufacturing and production where no retail component exists;
Production, assembly, and/or repair where no raw materials are manufactured;
Production and assembly of precision electronics and scientific instruments , including on-
site offices ;
Producing or processing of foods and beverages for human consumption where no retail
component exists and does not include noxious odors or excessive noise and no slaughter
occurs on-site;
Repair and service of small consumer products;
Small scale manufacturing where assembling and/or manufacturing is completed by hand
or precision tools;
Small product manufacturing not classified in another major manufacturing group.
Manufacturing, Repair, & Processing – High Intensity. A facility or establishment that
accommodates manufacturing process that involve and/or produce building materials, fabricated
metal products, machinery, and other similar manufacturing uses, where the intensity or scale of
operations is determined to be greater than those classified under “manufacturing & processing – low
intensity”, but where impacts to surrounding neighborhoods, businesses, and the community may
cause a significant impact. Uses may have an indoor setting, however uses may also be conducted
outdoors. Examples of manufacturing and processing uses that are considered high-intensity
include the following but are not limited to:
Machinery manufacturing that makes or process raw materials into products;
Metal fabrication and welding shops engaged in the production and/or assembly of metal, and
other similar metal shops;
Manufacturing that cuts, shapes, and/or finishes building materials used in home or non-
residential construction;
Chemical product manufacturing that produces or uses basic chemicals and other
establishments creating products predominantly by chemical processes;
Product manufacturing that produces bulk concrete, asphalt, and other paving materials;
Paving and roof materials manufacturing of various common paving and petroleum-based
roofing materials including bulk asphalt, paving blocks made of asphalt, creososte wood, and
various compositions of asphalt and tar;
Plastics, other synthetics and rubber manufacturing;
Primary metal industries engaged in smelting, refining of ferrous and non-ferrous metals;
Other similar heavy intensive uses
Medical Extended Care Services. Residential facilities providing nursing and health-related care as
a primary use with in-patient beds. Examples of these uses include: board and care homes;
convalescent and rest homes; extended care facilities; and skilled nursing facilities. Long-term
personal care facilities that do not emphasize medical treatment are included under “Residential
Care.”
Medical Marijuana. See Section 9-6.186.
Medical Research. Establishment related to medical and/or dental research, testing and analysis,
including but not limited to trial and clinical research. Biomedical and pharmaceutical research and
development facilities are not included in this definition. Medical Research does not include the
storage or use of quantities of hazardous materials nor any toxic gas. Additionally, Medical Research
may include storage and use of etiological (biological) agents up to and including Risk Group 2 or
Bio Safety Level 2 (Center for Disease Control). Typically uses are a part of a campus like setting
such as a business park or stand-alone building.
Membership Organizations. Organizations operating on a membership basis for the promotion of
the interests of the members, including: business associations; professional membership
organizations; labor unions and similar labor organizations; civic, social and fraternal organizations
(not lodging); political organizations and other membership organizations.
Micro-Brewery/Brewpub. An establishment that produces ales, beers, meads, hard ciders / and or
similar beverages to serve on-site. Sale of beverages for off-site consumption is also permitted
consistent with the regulations of the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) and Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). Food service for on-site consumption is allowed as an ancillary use.
Brewpubs and microbreweries are considered small operations consistent with ABC license type 23,
40, or 42 or State similar licensures.
Mini-Storage. Buildings containing individual storage areas rented or leased to the general public.
Does not include warehousing or exterior storage facilities.
Mobile home Park. Any site that is planned and improved to accommodate two (2) or more mobile
homes used for residential purposes, or on which two (2) or more mobile homes, as the term “mobile
home” is defined in California Civil Code Section 798.3 or successor provision o f the California
Mobilehome Residency Law, for non-transient use, are rented, leased, or held out for rent or lease,
or were formerly held out for rent or lease and later converted to a subdivision, cooperative,
condominium, or other form of resident ownership, to accommodate mobile homes used for
residential purposes.
Mobile home / Manufactured home. A modular structure that is transportable in one or more
sections, that is certified under the Nation Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards
Act of 1974, is tied down to either a permanent foundation with wheels removed and skirted. A
mobile home on a permanent foundation is considered a single-family dwelling.
Mobile eating and drinking vendors. Any vehicle, wagon, or pushcart that is self-propelled or can
be pushed/pulled down a street or sidewalk, on which food is displayed, prepared, or processed for
the purpose of selling food or drinks to a consumer.
Mortuary Services. Establishments with facilities for the preparation of the dead for burial,
cremation and for the holding of funeral observances and services. Accessory facilities may include
a cemetery, columbarium or mausoleum. Includes: funeral homes and parlors, mortuaries and related
facilities.
Multiple-Family Dwelling. Two (2) or more dwelling units located on a single lot, each occupied
by a single housekeeping unit; includes buildings or groups of buildings designated as apartments,
duplexes, triplexes and condominiums, but not including motels, hotels, dormitories, or RV parks as
herein defined. Also includes transitional housing, supportive housing and single room occupancy
housing where people live as independently as possible with the assistance of social services tailored
to each person’s needs as defined in Section 9-9.102 of the Zoning Ordinance. This does not include
secondary units in single family zoning districts.
N. Definitions “N”
O. Definitions “O”
Offices. Establishments engaged in performing a service in a professional office including:
engineering, architectural and surveying services; real estate agencies; noncommercial educational,
scientific and research organizations; accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping services; authors,
writers, artists, etc.; advertising agencies; photography studios and small commercial art studios;
employment agencies and stenographic services; reporting services; data processing and computer
services; management, public relations, and consulting services; detective agencies and other similar
professional services; attorneys; and counseling services provided by individuals other than licensed
psychiatrists, which are included under “Health Care Services.”
Organization Houses. Residential lodging houses operated by membership organizations for the
benefit of their constituents and not open to the general public. Also includes fraternity and sorority
residential houses and religious residential retreats.
Outdoor Recreation Services. Facilities for various outdoor sports and recreation, including:
amusement and kiddie parks; golf courses, golf driving ranges and miniature golf courses; skateboard
parks; go-cart and miniature auto race tracks; tennis courts, swim and tennis clubs and facilities; play
lots, playgrounds and athletic fields; recreation and community centers.
P. Definitions “P”
Parking Lot. An open area, excluding a street or other public right -of-way, for the exclusive use
of parking as a primary use for automobiles and available to either to the public or patrons of
adjacent buildings or structures. Parking lots can either be free for use, or may charge a fee for
compensation.
Parks and Playgrounds. A public outdoor recreational facility that may provide a variety of
recreational activities including playground equipment, open space areas for passive recreation
including hiking and biking trails, zoos, picnicking, and sport and active recreation facilities
dedicated for use to the public.
Personal Services. Service establishments primarily engaged in providing non-medical services as
a primary use and may include accessory retail sales of products related to the services provided.
These uses include the following: beauty shops (includes permanent makeup when less than ten
percent (10%) of overall sales), barber shops, day spas and massage therapy where each massage
therapist is certified/licensed by a State-recognized organization, shoe repair shops, dry cleaning
pickup stores, clothing rental, tailors, tanning salons, pet grooming services, nail salons, and other
similar uses.
Personal Services—Restricted. Service establishments that may have a blighting and/or
deteriorating effect upon the surrounding area which may need to be dispersed in order to minimize
their adverse impact. Examples of these uses include, but are not limited to, the following: check
cashing and/or payday/same day loans; smoking, tobacco and vaping products as a primary use,
fortunetellers, psychics; palm, tarot and card readers; tattoo and body piercing services; pawn shops,
to which the business of pawn brokering, or the business of lending money upon personal property,
pawns or pledges is done; and hot tubs and saunas that are not an accessory to a permitted use.
Printing and Publishing. An establishment engaged in printing letter press, lithography gravure,
screen offset or electrostic copying and other establishments serving the printing trade such as
bookbinding, typesetting, engraving, photoengraving, and electrotyping. The use also includes
establishments that publish newspapers, books, and periodicals; establishments manufacturing
business forms and binding devices. “Quick printing” services are included in the definition
“Business Support Services”.
Public Assembly and Entertainment. Facilities for public assembly and group entertainment such
as: public and semi-public auditoriums; exhibition and convention halls; civic theaters and meeting
halls; motion picture theaters; legitimate theater facilities for live theatrical presentations or concerts
by bands and orchestras; amphitheaters; meeting halls for rent and similar public assembly uses.
Q. Definitions “Q”
R. Definitions “R”
Recreational Vehicle Parks. Transient lodging establishments primarily engaged in renting, leasing
or otherwise providing overnight or short-term sites for trailers, campers, or tents, with or without
individual utility hookups, but with other facilities such as public restrooms. Does not include
incidental camping areas, which are included under “Rural Sports and Group Facilities.”
Recycling and Scrap. Establishments primarily engaged in assembling, breaking up, sorting,
temporary storage and distribution of recyclable or reusable scrap and waste materials, including auto
wreckers engaged in dismantling automobiles for scrap. Does not include waste disposal sites, which
are separately defined. Does not include temporary storage of toxic or radioactive waste materials.
Recycling Centers. An establishment, which is larger than a “collection station,” that serves as a
community-wide center for the collection and/or processing of recyclable materials such as glass,
paper, plastic, aluminum and metal cans.
Research & Development. Research and development offices, devoted to scientific and engineering
research and the design, development and testing of new technology and products; usually includes
laboratory space or small-scale manufacturing operations.
Residential Accessory Uses. Includes any use that is customarily part of a residence and is clearly
incidental and secondary to a residence and does not change the character of the residential use.
Residential accessory uses include the storage of vehicles and other personal property and accessory
structures including garages, studios and workshops.
Residential Care. A single-family or multiple-family dwelling unit that is licensed or supervised by
a Federal, State, or local health/welfare agency that provides non-medical care of unrelated persons
who are in need of personal service, supervision, or assistance essential for sustaining activities of
daily living or for the protection of the individual. Use includes the following: children’s homes;
halfway houses; rehabilitation centers; self-help group homes.
Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE). A housing arrangement chosen voluntarily by
the residents or the residents’ guardians, conservators or other responsible person(s) where the
following occurs: where seventy-five (75) percent of the residents are at least sixty-two (62) years of
age, or, if younger, have needs compatible with other residents; and where varying levels of care and
supervision are provided, as agreed to at the time of admission or as determined necessary. RCFE
uses may include basic services and community space. RCFE uses include the following:
Assisted Living Facility. A residential building or buildings that also provide
housing, personal and health care, as permitted by the Department of Social Services,
designed to respond to the daily, individual needs of the residents. Assisted living
facilities may include kitchenettes (small refrigerator, sink and/or microwave oven)
within individual rooms. Assisted living facilities are required to be licensed by the
California Department of Social Services, and do not include Medical Extended Care
Services.
Independent Living Center/Senior Apartment. Independent living centers and
senior apartments are multi-family residential projects reserved for senior citizens,
where common facilities may be provided (for example, recreation areas), but where
each dwelling unit has individual living, sleeping, bathing, and kitchen facilities.
Retirement Hotel. Establishments primarily engaged in providing lodging facilities
limited to the aged where no medical care is provided. Such establishments may
provide housekeeping and meals to the residents
Resource Extraction. Uses primarily engaged in resource extraction, including but not limited to
mining, developing mines or exploring for metallic minerals (ores), coal and nonmetallic minerals),
or surface mines extracting crushed and broken stone, dimension stone or sand and gravel.”
Rural Sports and Group Facilities. Establishments supporting special group activities such as:
archery, pistol, rifle, and skeet clubs and facilities; dude ranches; health resorts including outdoor hot
spring, spa or hot tub facilities; hunting and fishing clubs; recreational camps; group or organized
camps; incidental, seasonal camping areas without facilities; equestrian facilities, including riding
academies, schools, stables and exhibition facilities.
S. Definitions “S”
Sales Lots. Sales lots consist of any outdoor sales area for permanent display of motorized farm
equipment, boats (FBSA Class 3 and 4 boats (over twenty-six (26) feet in length)), heavy commercial
trucks (US DOT Class 4 through 8), mobilehomes, construction equipment, or other heavy
equipment; outdoor equipment rental yards.
Schools—Business and Vocational. Business and secretarial schools; vocational schools offering
specialized trade and commercial courses; specialized nondegree granting schools, such as: music
schools; dramatic schools; language schools; driver education schools; ballet and other dance studios;
and establishments furnishing educational courses by mail.
Schools. An institution or establishment that provides a program of instruction and teaching
services. Includes: preschools, elementary and secondary schools serving grades K through 12 (or
portions thereof); junior colleges, colleges and universities; and similar education institutions.
Does not include Sunday schools which are permitted under “Churches and Related Facilities.”
Secondary Residential Unit. Second residential units are defined as residential occupancy
constructions (R) with a kitchen and full bathroom that is accessory to the primary unit and intended
for permanent occupancy by a second housekeeping unit.
Service Stations. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in the sale of gasoline, which may
also provide lubrication, oil change and tune-up services incidental to gasoline sales. May also
include a towing service but does not include storage of wrecked or abandoned vehicles. Does not
include uses defined as auto repair and service, or vehicle equipment storage.
Single-Family Dwelling. An attached or detached building not to contain more than one (1) kitchen
wherein the occupants of the dwelling unit are living and functioning together as a single
housekeeping unit, meaning that they have established ties and familiarity with each other, jointly
use common areas, interact with each other, membership in the single housekeeping unit is fairly
stable as opposed to transient, and members have some control over who becomes a member of the
single housekeeping unit. Also includes factory-built, manufactured housing units and mobile homes
constructed in compliance with Title 25 of the California Health and Safety Code, or successor
provision as defined in Section 9-9.102 of the Zoning Ordinance; transitional housing and supportive
housing serving six (6) or fewer persons as defined in Section 9-9.102 of the Zoning Ordinance.
Single Room Occupancy Unit (SRO). A structure that provides separate, single room, residential
living units with no on-premises residential medical care. Units within the structure may have
individual bathroom facilities, shared bath or toilet facilities for the residents, or any combination
thereof. SRO may include structures commonly called rooming houses or boarding houses. SRO
facilities shall not be age restricted. Age restricted SRO facilities shall be considered a residential
care facility for the elderly (RCFE).
Small Scale Ag Processing. The small scale processing of agriculture products grown or produced
on-site, bottling, canning, or storage of agriculture products grown and processed on-site, where the
processing or storage shall not exceed 1,000 square feet (sf) in total use areas. This does not include
tasting rooms.
Social and Service Organizations. Public or quasi-public establishments providing social services
and rehabilitation services to such as counseling centers, welfare offices, job counseling and training
centers, or vocational rehabilitation agencies, persons with social or personal problems requiring
special services and to the handicapped and the disadvantaged. Also included are organizations
soliciting funds to be used directly for these related services. Also includes establishments engaged
in community improvement and neighborhood development. Does not include child day care services
which are classified under “Schools.”
Sports Assembly. Facilities for spectator-oriented specialized group sports assembly that includes:
stadiums and coliseums; arenas and field houses; race tracks (auto and animals); motorcycle racing
and drag strips; and other sports that are considered commercial.
Storage, Recycling and Dismantling of Vehicles and Material. Establishments primarily engaged
in the storage, assembling, dismantling, sorting, and distribution of materials, equipment and
vehicles. This use may be located either outdoors or indoors and includes, but is not limited to, auto
wrecking yards, vehicle storage areas, vehicle impound lots, recyclable/waste material storage and
transfer facilities. This does not include waste disposal sites, which are separately defined, or
temporary storage of toxic or radioactive waste materials.
T. Definitions “T”
Tasting Room. Establishment that allows for beer, wine, or spirit tasting on-site with off-site sales
directly to the public. Tasting rooms must meet the requirements of the Alcoholic Beverage Control
(ABC) license type (Type 02, Type 23, Type 40, Type 42 or Type 74 license, or similar). Tasting
rooms may operate within a large scale brewing, winery, or distillery facility as an ancillary.
Telecommunication Facility . Public, commercial and private electromagnetic and photoelectrical
transmission, broadcast, repeater and receiving stations for radio, television, telegraph, telephone,
cellular data network, and wireless communication towers (cellular phones), including commerical
earth stations for satellite-based communications. Includes antennas, commercial satellite dish
antennas, and equipment buildings. Does not include telephone, telegrap h, and cable television
transmission facilities utilizing hard -wired or direct cable connections. Does not include data
processing centers.
Temporary Dwelling. Includes the temporary use of a mobilehome or recreational vehicle as a
dwelling unit, following the issuance of a building permit for a permanent residence while the
permanent residence is under construction.
Temporary Events. Any use of a structure or land for an event for a limited period of time where
the site is not to be permanently altered by grading or construction of accessory facilities. Events
include: art shows; rodeos; religious revivals; tent camps; outdoor festivals and concerts.
Temporary Offices. The utilization of a mobilehome or recreational vehicle as a temporary office
during the period of a construction of a permanent office facility on the same site.
Temporary or Seasonal Retail Sales. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in the sale of
Christmas trees or other seasonal items; or semiannual sales of art or handcrafted items in conjunction
with community festivals or art shows. Does not include Farmers Markets or Agricultural Roadside
Stands.
Transitional Housing. Buildings configured as rental housing developments, but operated under
program requirements that call for the termination of assistance and recirculation of the assisted unit
to another eligible program recipient at some predetermined future point in time, which shall be no
less than six (6) months (Health and Safety Code Section 50675.2(h)). This definition excludes
housing for halfway houses intended for occupancy by parolees or convicted persons, children’s
homes, halfway houses, rehabilitation centers, and self-help group homes.
Transit Stations. Passenger stations for vehicular, bus, and rail mass transit systems; also terminal
facilities providing maintenance and service for the vehicles operated in the transit system.
U. Definitions “U”
Utility Facilities. A fixed-base structure or facility serving as a junction point for transferring electric
utility services from one transmission voltage to another or to local distribution and service voltages,
and similar facilities for water supply, natural gas distribution, wastewater pump station, fiber optics
junction box, or other similar facilities that are not exempted from land use permit requirements by
California Government Code section 53091 or successor code.
Utility Infrastructure. Pipelines for water, natural gas, sewage collection and disposal; and facilities
for the transmission of electrical energy for sale, including transmission lines for a public utility
company. Also include telephone, cable television, and other communications transmission facilities
utilizing direct physical conduits. Does not include offices or service center as defined under
“offices” or distribution substations (“Utility Facilities”).
V. Definitions “V”
Vehicle and Equipment Storage , Service establishments primarily engaged in the business of
storing cars, buses and other motor vehicles; recreational vehicles (such as campers, motor homes,
boats); construction equipment; and farm equipment. Includes both day use and long-term public and
commercial garages, parking lots and structures. Does not include wrecking yards (classified in
“Recycling and Scrap”).
Vehicle and Freight Terminals. Transportation establishments furnishing services incidental to
transportation, including: freight forwarding services; transportation arrangement services; parking,
crating, inspection and weighing services; freight terminal facilities; joint terminal and service
facilities; trucking facilities, including transfer and storage; public warehousing and storage. Includes
both railroad transportation and motor freight transportation.
W. Definitions “W”
Warehousing. Uses engaged in storage of manufactured products, supplies, and equipment
excluding bulk storage of materials that are flammable or explosive or that present hazards, or
conditions commonly recognizable as offensive. Does not include personal storage as defined as
“mini-storage”.
Wholesaling and Distribution Centers. Establishments engaged in selling merchandise to retailers;
to industrial, commercial, institutional, farm, or professional business users; or to other wholesalers;
or acting as agents or brokers in buying merchandise for or selling merchandise to such persons or
companies.. Also includes storage, processing, packaging, and shipping facilities for mail order and
e-commerce retail establishments.
Winery – Boutique. Winery or distillery production for no more than 3,000 cases of wine per year.
Uses include fruit processing, fermentation pressing, barrel and bottle storage, bottling, wine
tasting, and direct retail sale of wine. Does not include winery production in residential zones,
which is defined as Small Scale Agriculture.
Winery – Production. Winery or distillery production of more than 3,001 cases of wine per year.
Uses include fruit processing, fermentation pressing, barrel and bottle storage, bottling, wine
tasting, and direct retail sale of wine. This also includes uses that produce 3,001 cases of beverages
or less, but do not meet the requirements for “winery – boutique”, “winery – production”, or
“brewery – production”.
X. Definitions “X”
Y. Definitions “W”
Z. Definitions “Z”
Articles 6 through 22. Reserved.
Article 2. A (Agriculture) Zone
9-3.121 Purpose.
This zone is established to protect, preserve and encourage agriculture on suitable land. The
Agriculture Zone is intended to support and encourage the continuation of the Agricultural Preserve
Program and the maintenance of productive open space. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.121, 1983)
9-3.122 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Agriculture Zone. The establishment of allowable
uses shall be as provided by Sections 9-2.108 and 9-2.109:
(a) Animal hospitals (see Section 9-6.110);
(b) Accessory storage (see Section 9-6.103);
(c) Crop production and grazing (see Section 9-6.113);
(d) Forestry;
(e) Horticultural specialties, where no permanent retail facilities are provided (see Section 9-
6.116);
(f) Pipelines, where pipelines are below the surface and where pipelines are not used to convey
toxic or hazardous substances other than gasoline, crude oil, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas or
liquefied natural gas;
(g) Residential accessory uses (see Section 9-6.106);
(h) Single-family dwelling;
(i) Temporary dwelling (see Section 9-6.176);
(j) Temporary or seasonal retail sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(k) Mobilehome dwelling (see Section 9-6.142);
(l) Agricultural processing;
(m) Agricultural accessory uses (see Section 9-6.109);
(n) Primary family housing (see Section 9-6.107);
(o) Farm labor quarters (see Section 9-6.107);
(p) Collection station (see Section 9-6.130);
(q) Livestock specialties (see Section 9-6.115);
(r) Farm animal raising (see Section 9-6.112);
(s) Food and kindred products (see Section 9-6.128);
(t) Home occupations (see Section 9-6.105);
(u) Utility transmission facilities;
(v) Roadside stands (see Section 9-6.117);
(w) Temporary events (see Section 9-6.177);
(x) Kennels (see Section 9-6.111). (Ord. 68 § 9-3.122, 1983)
9-3.122
9-3.123 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Agriculture Zone. The establishment of conditional
uses shall be provided by Section 9-2.110:
(a) Horticultural specialties, where permanent retail facilities are provided (see Section 9-
6.116);
(b) Pipelines, where pipelines are not below the surface and where pipelines are used to convey
toxic or hazardous substances other than gasoline, crude oil, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas or
liquefied natural gas;
(c) Fisheries and game preserves;
(d) Surface mining (see Section 9-6.151);
(e) Petroleum extraction (see Section 9-6.148);
(f) Rural sports and group facilities (see Section 9-6.124);
(g) Mining (see Section 9-6.159);
(h) Caretaker residence (see Section 9-6.104). (Ord. 68 § 9-3.123, 1983)
9-3.124 Lot size.
The minimum lot size in the Agriculture Zone shall be established by the minimum area needed
to maintain productive agricultural use of the property. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.124, 1983)
Article 3. Residential Zoning Districts
9-3.141 Purpose—RS (Residential Suburban) Zone.
This zone is established to provide for large lot residential uses in areas outside the urban
services line or in other areas where large lots are desirable to protect land uses and buildings subject
to inundation, steep slopes or other hazards. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 68 § 9-3.141, 1983)
9-3.142 Lot size—RS Zone.
The minimum lot size in the Residential Suburban Zone shall be two and one-half (2 1/2) acres
and may range up to ten (10) acres depending upon conformance with performance standards
established in this section.
(a) Performance Standards. The following performance standards shall be evaluated for each
lot in determining its minimum lot size:
(1) Distance from the Center of the Community. Using the Atascadero Administration
Building as the center of the community, the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall
be:
Distance* Lot Size Factor
0 — 8,000′ 0.20
8,000′ — 10,000′ 0.25
10,000′ — 12,000′ 0.30
12,000′ — 14,000′ 0.40
14,000′ — 16,000′ 0.50
16,000′ — 18,000′ 0.60
18,000′ — 20,000′ 0.75
20,000′ + 0.90
* To be measured as radial distance using map maintained in Planning Department.
(2) Septic Suitability. Using generalized soils data from the Soil Conservation Service Reports,
the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall be:
SCS Rating* Lot Size Factor
Well suited 0.50
Moderate 0.75
Slow 1.00
Severe 1.50
* Refer to map maintained in Community Development Department.
Percolation tests may be substituted for the Soil Conservation Service Reports. These shall be
prepared by a registered civil engineer or licensed sanitarian. The following conversion chart shall
be used to determine the appropriate lot size factor:
Percolation Rating Minutes Per Inch
Well suited Less than 20
Moderate or slow 20 to 39
Slow 40 to 59
Severe Greater than 60
(3) Average Slope. Using the Basic, Sectional or Contour Measurement Method, the lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be:
Slope Lot Size Factor
0 — 10% 0.50
11 — 20% 0.75
21 — 25% 1.00
26 — 30% 1.25
31 — 35% 1.75
36 — 40% 2.00
40% + 2.25
(4) Condition of Access. Using the road right-of-way with the shortest accessible distance
between a lot and an improved collector road, the lot size factor based on this performance standard
shall be:
Condition Lot Size Factor
City accepted road 0.40
Paved road, less than 15% slope 0.40
Paved road, greater than 15% slope 0.50
All-weather road less than 15% slope 0.75
All-weather road greater than 15% slope 1.00
Unimproved road less than 15% slope 1.25
Unimproved road greater than 15% slope 1.50
(5) General Neighborhood Character. Using the average lot size of existing lots which are
zoned for single-family residential use (except that lots larger than fifteen (15) acres shall be excluded
unless they constitute more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total number of lots) within a one
thousand five hundred (1,500) foot radius, the minimum lot size factor based on this performance
standard shall be determined by multiplying the average lot size by 0.2.
(b) Determination of Minimum Lot Size. The minimum lot size shall be determined by the
sum of each of the lot size factors for the performance standards set forth in subsection (a) of this
section.
(1) The most current information shall be used to determine the lot size factor. Where
information is not available, the Planning Director shall determine which lot size factor shall apply.
(2) If more than one (1) lot size factor can be applied to a lot, the less restrictive factor shall
be used.
(3) Lot size factors shall be based on conditions in existence at the time of filing an application
unless information is included with the application which will alter a lot size factor. (Ord. 570 § 1,
2013; Ord. 113 § 2, 1985; Ord. 68 § 9-3.144, 1983)
9-3.142
9-3.151 Purpose—RSF (Residential Single-Family) Zone.
This zone is established to provide for single-family residential areas within the urban services
line. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 68 § 9-3.151, 1983)
9-3.152 Minimum lot size—RSF Zone.
The minimum lot size in the Residential Single-Family Zone shall be one-half (1/2) acre and
may range up to two and one-half (2 1/2) acres. The size of a lot shall be consistent with the land use
designation set forth in the General Plan and shall be indicated by the symbols set for th in the
following chart, which shall be shown on the official zoning maps as provided by Section 9-3.104(d).
Symbol Minimum Lot Size
X One-half (1/2) acre net area (excluding land needed for street rights-of-
way whether publicly or privately owned).
Y One (1) acre gross area.
Z One and one-half (1-1/2) to two and one-half (2-1/2) acres gross based
on performance standards set forth in this section.
(a) Performance Standards. The following performance standards shall be evaluated for each
lot which is appended with the “Z” symbol in determining its minimum lot size:
(1) Distance from the Center of the Community. Using the Atascadero Administration
Building as the center of the community, the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall
be:
Distance* Lot Size Factor
0—4,000' 0.08
4,000'—6,000' 0.10
6,000'—8,000' 0.12
* To be measured as radial distance using map maintained in the Planning Department.
(2) Septic Suitability. Using generalized soils data from the Soil Conservation Service Reports,
the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall be:
SCS Rating* Lot Size Factor
Well suited 0.30
Moderate or slow 0.50
Severe 0.70
* Refer to map maintained in Community Development Department.
Percolation tests may be substituted for the soil conservation service reports. These shall be
prepared by a registered civil engineer or licensed sanitarian. The following conversion chart shall
be used to determine the appropriate lot size factor:
Percolation Rating Minutes Per Inch
Well suited Less than 20
Moderate 20 to 39
Slow 40 to 59
Severe Greater than 60
(3) Average Slope. Using the basic, sectional or contour measurement method, the lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be:
Slope Lot Size Factor
0—20% 0.30
21—30% 0.50
31%+ 0.70
(4) Condition of Access. Using the road right-of-way with the shortest accessible distance
between a lot and an improved collector road, the lot size factor based on this performance standard
shall be:
Condition Lot Size Factor
Paved with slope of less than 15% or City-accepted 0.15
Paved with slope of greater than 15% 0.20
All-weather surface with slope of less than 15% 0.25
All-weather surface with slope of greater than 15% 0.30
Unimproved surface 0.40
(5) General Neighborhood Character. Using the average lot size of existing lots (except that
lots larger than five (5) acres shall be excluded unless they constitute more than twenty-five percent
(25%) of the total number of lots) within a one thousand (1,000) foot radius, the minimum lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be determined by multiplying the average lot size by
zero point two (0.2).
(b) Determination of Minimum Lot Size. The minimum lot size shall be determined by the
sum of each of the lot size factors for the performance standards set forth in subsection (a) of this
section.
(1) The most current information shall be used to determine the lot si ze factor. Where
information is not available, the Planning Director shall determine which lot size factor shall apply.
(2) If more than one (1) lot size factor can be applied to a lot, the less restrictive factor shall be
used.
(3) Lot size factors shall be based on conditions in existence at the time of filing an application
unless information is included with the application which will alter a lot size factor. (Ord. 570 § 1,
2013; Ord. 524 § 2, 2008; Ord. 412 § 3, 2003; Ord. 184 § 2, 1989; Ord. 175 § 2, 1988; Ord. 154 § 2,
1987; Ord. 152 § 2, 1987; Ord. 145 § 3, 1987; Ord. 113 § 2, 1985; Ord. 68 § 9-3.154, 1983)
9-3.152
9-3.161 Purpose—LSF (Limited Single-Family Residential) Zone.
This zone is established to provide for single-family residential areas within the urban services
line where the raising of farm animals would not be allowable. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 68 § 9-
3.161, 1983)
9-3.162 Minimum lot size—LSF Zone.
The minimum lot size in the Limited Residential Single-Family Zone shall be twenty thousand
(20,000) square feet with sewer, one-half (1/2) acre where sewer is not available and may range up
to two and one-half (2-1/2) acres. The size of a lot shall be consistent with the land use designation
set forth in the General Plan and shall be indicated by the symbols set forth in the following chart,
which shall be shown on the official zoning maps as provided by Section 9-3.104(d).
Symbol Minimum Lot Size
X One-half (1/2) acre net area (excluding land needed for street rights-of-way
whether publicly or privately owned).
Y One (1) acre, when sewers are available.
One and one-half (1-1/2) acres, when sewers are not available.
Z One and one-half (1-1/2) to two and one-half (2-1/2) acres based on
performance standards set forth in this section.
(a) Performance Standards. The following performance standards shall be evaluated for each
lot which is appended with the “Z” symbol in determining its minimum lot size:
(1) Distance from the Center of the Community. Using the Atascadero Administration
Building as the center of the community, the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall
be:
Distance* Lot Size Factor
0—4,000′ 0.08
4,000′—6,000′ 0.10
6,000′—8,000′ 0.12
* To be measured as radial distance using map maintained in the Planning Department.
(2) Septic Suitability. Using generalized soils data from the Soil Conservation Service Reports,
the lot size factor based on this performance standard shall be:
SCS Rating* Lot Size Factor
Well suited 0.30
Moderate or slow 0.50
Severe 0.70
* Refer to map maintained in Community Development Department.
Percolation tests may be substituted for the Soil Conservation Service Reports. These shall be
prepared by a registered civil engineer or licensed sanitarian. The following conversion chart shall
be used to determine the appropriate lot size factor:
Percolation Rating Minutes Per Inch
Well suited Less than 20
Moderate 20 to 39
Slow 40 to 59
Severe Greater than 60
(3) Average Slope. Using the Basic, Sectional or Contour Measurement Method, the lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be:
Slope Lot Size Factor
0—20% 0.30
21—30% 0.50
31%+ 0.70
(4) Condition of Access. Using the road right-of-way with the shortest accessible distance
between a lot and an improved collector road, the lot size factor based on this performance standard
shall be:
Condition Lot Size Factor
Paved with slope of less than 15% or City-accepted 0.15
Paved with slope of greater than 15% 0.20
All-weather surface with slope of less than 15% 0.25
All-weather surface with slope of greater than 15% 0.30
Unimproved surface 0.40
(5) General Neighborhood Character. Using the average lot size of existing lots (except that
lots larger than five (5) acres shall be excluded unless they constitute more than twenty-five percent
(25%) of the total number of lots) within a one thousand (1,000) foot radius, the minimum lot size
factor based on this performance standard shall be determined by multiplying the average lot size by
0.2.
(b) Determination of Minimum Lot Size. The minimum lot size shall be determined by the
sum of each of the lot size factors for the performance standards set forth in subsection (a) of this
section.
(1) The most current information shall be used to determine the lot size factor. Where
information is not available, the Planning Director shall determine which lot size factor shall apply.
(2) If more than one (1) lot size factor can be applied to a lot, the less restrictive factor shall
be used.
(3) Lot size factors shall be based on conditions in existence at the time of filing an application
unless information is included with the application which will alter a lot size factor. (Ord. 570 § 1,
2013; Ord. 184 § 2, 1989; Ord. 175 § 2, 1988; Ord. 154 § 2, 1987; Ord. 152 § 2, 1987; Ord. 145 § 3,
1987; Ord. 113 § 2, 1985; Ord. 68 § 9-3.164, 1983)
9-3.162
9-3.171 Purpose—RMF (Residential Multiple-Family) Zone.
This zone is established to provide for apartment, condominium and townhouse development
where higher density residential development is desired within the urban services line. (Ord. 570 §
1, 2013; Ord. 68 § 9-3.171, 1983)
9-3.172 Minimum lot size—RMF Zone.
The minimum lot size in the Residential Multiple-Family Zone shall be one-half (1/2) acre.
Smaller lot sizes may be allowed for planned residential developments, including condominiums and
mobilehome developments, provided that the overall density within the project conforms with
Section 9-3.173. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 68 § 9-3.174, 1983)
9-3.173 Density—RMF Zone.
The maximum allowable density in the Residential Multiple-Family Zone shall be designated
on the official zoning maps as provided by Section 9-3.104(c) and be consistent with the General
Plan as follows:
(a) Areas Designated Low Density Multiple-Family Residential. The minimum number of
dwelling units per net acre is two (2). The maximum number of dwelling units per net acre is ten
(10).
(b) Areas Designated High Density Multiple-Family Residential. The minimum number of
dwelling units per net acre is twenty (20). The maximum number of dwelling units per net acre is
twenty-four (24).
(c) Hillside Density Standards. The densities permitted by subsections (a) and (b) of this
section shall be modified to the following densities based on-site topography, as follows:
Average Slope Low Density Multiple-
Family (units/acre)
High Density Multiple-
Family (units/acre)
0—10.99% 10 20
Average Slope Low Density Multiple-
Family (units/acre)
High Density Multiple-
Family (units/acre)
11—15.99% 7 14
16—20.99% 5 10
21—25.99% 3 6
26—30.0% 2 4
> 30% 1 2
(d) For medical extended care services, where residents are primarily non -ambulatory, the
following maximum bed/net acre densities may be permitted, where subject to Planning Commission
conditional use permit approval:
RMF-10 District Thirty-four (34) beds/net acre
RMF-20 District Fifty-five (55) beds/net acre
Such approval shall require a finding that the average daily traffic generated by the project
would not exceed that of a multifamily project. The project would be further subject to the
“percentage coverage” constraints of subsection (a) of the district. Off-street parking requirements
would be as established by the Planning Commission.
(e) Sewer Service. Sewer service and the inclusion of property within the urban services line
(USL) shall be a prerequisite to developing multiple-family projects to the density standards of the
RMF zone.
(f) Density Bonus. A density bonus may be granted, subject to approval by the City Council
through a master plan of development (CUP), consistent with Sections 9-3.801 through 9-3.806.
(g) In lieu of granting a density bonus, the Planning Commission shall consider other bonus
incentives allowable under Government Code Section 65915. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 554 § 2,
2011; Ord. 457 § 3, 2004; Ord. 194 § 2 (Exh. A), 1989; Ord. 149 § 2, 1987; Ord. 68 § 9-3.175, 1983)
9-3.173
9-3.174 Property development standards.
In addition to the standards specified in Chapter 4 of this title, General Site Design and
Development Standards, the following development standards shall apply to mobile home and
multiple-family residential projects:
(a) Percent Coverage. The maximum percent of a lot that may be covered by structures
(excluding decks less than thirty (30) inches from the ground) shall be forty percent (40%) for low
density multiple-family projects and fifty percent (50%) for high density multiple-family projects.
(b) Enclosed Storage. Each dwelling unit shall be provided a minimum of one hundred (100)
cubic feet of enclosed storage space, exclusive of closets, which may be located in either a principal
or accessory building.
(c) Outdoor Recreation Areas. For developments of four (4) to seven (7) dwelling units,
outdoor recreational open space shall be provided at a ratio of three hundred (300) square feet per
unit. This open space may be provided either as: (1) a private amenity designed for exclusive use of
a dwelling unit; or (2) as common open space provided that no individual open space is less than one
thousand (1,000) square feet. For developments of eight (8) or more dwelling units, outdoor
recreational open space shall be provided at a ratio of three hundred (300) square feet per unit. This
common open space may be provided in more than one (1) location provided that no individual open
space area is less than one thousand (1,000) square feet.
(d) Screening Wall. A solid wall or fence not less than six (6) feet in height shall be placed and
maintained on interior lot lines abutting property zoned for single-family residential use.
(e) Covered Parking. One (1) covered parking space (carport or garage) shall be required per
dwelling unit of the total off-street parking required by Section 9-4.118.
(f) Laundry Facilities. Laundry facilities shall be provided in the form of either: (1) laundry
hook-ups within each individual dwelling unit; or (2) a shared laundry facility equipped with washers
and dryers.
(g) Appearance Review. All projects shall be consistent with the multifamily design and
landscape requirements of the Appearance Review Manual.
(h) Maintenance Requirement. A maintenance agreement for all landscaping, building
exteriors, accessory structures, parking areas and other common facilities shall be approved by the
Community Development Director and City Attorney prior to final occupancy.
(i) RMF-20 properties identified in Table V-48 of the Housing Element shall be permitted “by
right” and will not be subject to conditional use permit or specific plan. Proposed planned
development projects or other relief from property development standards on these parcels shall be
subject to discretionary review per the requirements of the Municipal Code. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013;
Ord. 554 § 2, 2011; Ord. 457 § 3, 2004; Ord. 149 § 2, 1987)
9-3.180 Residential district allowable land uses.
Allowed Land Uses and Permit
Requirements
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
Residential Zones ― Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s)
RS RSF LSF RMF
Agricultural Related Uses
Agricultural accessory uses A A 9-6.109
Agricultural processing CUP
Animal hospitals CUP 9-.6.110
Crop production and grazing CUP 9-6.113
Farm animal raising A A CUP 9-6.112
Horticultural specialties A 9-6.116
Livestock specialties CUP 9-6.115
Industrial, Manufacturing, Processing
Mining CUP 9-6.159,
9-6.151
Petroleum extraction CUP 9-6.148
Surface mining CUP 9-6.159,
9-6.151
Recreation, Education, & Public Assembly
Churches and related activities CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.121
Rural sports and group facilities CUP 9-6.124
Schools CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.125
Schools – Business vocational CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.125
Residential Uses
Accessory storage A A A A 9-6.103
Home occupations A A A A 9-6.105
Mobilehome developments CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.142,
9-6.143
Multiple-family dwellings A 9-3.175
Organizational houses CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-3.175
Residential accessory uses A A A A 9-6.106
Residential care six (6) clients and less A A A A 9-6.135
Residential care seven (7) clients or more CUP CUP CUP A 9-6.135
Residential care for the elderly (RCFE) CUP 9-3.175
Secondary residential units A A A Chapter 5
Single-family dwelling A A A A 9-6.143,
9-6.184
Temporary dwelling A A A A 9-6.175
Allowed Land Uses and Permit
Requirements
A Allowed Use, Zoning Clearance Required
CUP Conditional Use Permit Required
Residential Zones ― Not Permitted
Use Permitted Uses By Zones Special Use
Regulation(s)
RS RSF LSF RMF
Retail
Roadside stands A A 9-6.117
Temporary or seasonal retail sales A 9-6.174
Services-Professional
Bed and breakfast CUP CUP CUP CUP
Day care, six (6) clients or less A A A A 9-6.125
Day care, seven (7) clients or more CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.125
Kennels CUP CUP 9-6.111
Medical extended care services, six (6) clients
or less
A A A CUP 9-6.134
Medical extended care services, seven (7)
clients or more
CUP CUP CUP CUP 9-6.134
Temporary events A A A A 9-6.177
Transportation, Infrastructure & Communication
Parking lots CUP 9-4.120
Pipeline CUP CUP CUP
Pipelines, where pipelines are below the
surface and where pipelines are not used to
convey toxic or hazardous substances other
than gasoline, crude oil, natural gas, liquefied
petroleum gas or liquefied natural gas
A
Pipelines, where pipelines are not below the
surface and where pipelines are used to convey
toxic or hazardous substances other than
gasoline, crude oil, natural gas, liquefied
petroleum gas or liquefied natural gas
CUP
Utility transmission facilities A A A A
(Ord. 570 § 1, 2013)
Articles 4—6. Reserved.
Article 7. CN (Commercial Neighborhood) Zone
9-3.201 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide for small scale retail shopping and personal service facilities
at the neighborhood level. The Commercial Neighborhood Zone is situated and designed to serve the
limited shopping and service needs of the immediately surrounding residential area. (Ord. 287 § 2,
1995; Ord. 68 § 9-3.201, 1983)
9-3.202 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Commercial Neighborhood Zone. The
establishment of allowable uses shall be as provided by Section 9 -2.108 (plot plans) and Section
9-2.109 (precise plans):
(a) Food and beverage retail sales, where areas of use are less than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet per store;
(b) Roadside stands (see Section 9-6.116);
(c) Temporary or seasonal retail sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(d) General merchandise stores, where areas of use are less than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet per store;
(e) Personal services, where areas of use are less than two thousand five hundred (2,500)
square feet per store;
(f) Collection stations (see Section 9-6.130);
(g) Eating and drinking places, where areas of use are less than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet per store;
(h) Financial services, where the aggregate area of the uses, in combination with other “office”
uses does not exceed thirty percent (30%) of the available floor area of the project or neighborhood
center;
(i) Offices, where the aggregate area of the uses, in combination with other “financial
services” does not exceed thirty percent (30%) of the available floor area of the project or
neighborhood center;
(j) Light repair services. (Ord. 287 § 2, 1995; Ord. 68 § 9-3.202, 1983)
9-3.202
9-3.203 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Commercial Neighborhood Zone. The establishment
of conditional uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.110 (conditional use permits):
(a) Service stations (see Section 9-6.164);
(b) Food and beverage retail sales, where areas of use are greater than two thousand five
hundred (2,500) square feet per store;
(c) General merchandise stores, where areas of use are greater than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet per store;
(d) Eating and drinking places, where areas of use are greater than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet per store;
(e) Eating and drinking places with drive-through facilities;
(f) Multifamily dwelling, when located on the second floor or above;
(g) Artisan shop. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord. 287 § 2, 1995; Ord. 68 § 9-
3.203, 1983)
9-3.203
9-3.204 Lot size.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Neighborhood Zone. (Ord. 287 § 2, 1995;
Ord. 68 § 9-3.204, 1983)
Article 8. CP (Commercial Professional) Zone
9-3.211 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide for offices and limited retail shopping and personal service
facilities along arterials and major collectors. The Commercial Professional Zone is situated to
serve streets with higher traffic volumes while also serving to provide a compatible transition
between such streets and adjacent single family residential are as. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.211, 1983)
9-3.212 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Commercial Professional Zone. The establishment of
allowable uses shall be as provided by Sections 9-2.108 and 9-2.109:
(a) Food and beverage retail sales, where areas of use are less than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet per store;
(b) Roadside stands (see Section 9-6.116);
(c) Temporary or seasonal retail sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(d) General merchandise stores, where areas of use are less than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet per store;
(e) Accessory storage (see Section 9-6.103);
(f) Personal services, where areas of use are less than two thousand five hundred (2,500)
square feet per store;
(g) Utility transmission facilities;
(h) Collection stations (see Section 9-6.130);
(i) Eating and drinking places;
(j) Libraries and museums;
(k) Broadcast studios;
(l) Building materials and hardware, where areas of use are less than two thousand five
hundred (2,500) square feet per store (see Section 9-6.165);
(m) Furniture, home furnishings and equipment, where areas of use are less than two thousand
five hundred (2,500) square feet;
(n) Mail order and vending;
(o) Financial services;
(p) Health care services;
(q) Temporary offices (see Section 9-6.176);
(r) Light repair services;
(s) Horticultural specialties (see Section 9-6.116);
(t) Business support services, where all areas of use are located within a building;
(u) Social and service organizations;
(v) Offices;
(w) Bed and breakfast;
(x) Schools (see Section 9-6.125);
(y) Utility service center;
(z) Business and vocational schools;
(aa) Day care (see Section 9-6.125);
(bb) Artisan shops. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 547 § 2, 2009; Ord. 300 § 2(1), 1996; Ord. 281
§ 2, 1994; Ord. 68 § 9-3.212, 1983)
9-3.213 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Commercial Professional Zone. The establishment of
conditional uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.110;
(a) Caretaker’s residence (see Section 9-6.104);
(b) Churches and related activities (see Section 9-6.121);
(c) Pipelines;
(d) Eating and drinking places with drive-through facilities;
(e) Food and beverage retail sales, where areas of use are greater than two thousand five
hundred (2,500) square feet per store;
(f) General merchandise stores, where areas of use are greater than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet per store;
(g) Hotels and motels;
(h) Personal services, where areas of use are greater than two thousand five hundred (2,500)
square feet per store;
(i) Building materials and hardware, where areas of use are greater than two thousand five
hundred (2,500) square feet per store (see Section 9-6.165);
(j) Furniture, home furnishings and equipment, where areas of use are greater than two
thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet per store;
(k) Multifamily dwelling, when located on the second floor or above, or within an existing
residential structure of historical significance. (Ord. 578 § 1, 2013; Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 547 §
2, 2009; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord. 75 § 2(2), 1984; Ord. 68 § 9-3.213, 1983)
9-3.214 Lot size.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Professional Zone. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.214,
1983)
Article 9. CR (Commercial Retail) Zone
9-3.221 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide for a wide range of commercial uses to accommodate most
of the retail and service needs of the residents of the City and surrounding areas. (Ord. 364 § 2,
Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 310 § 3, Exh. B, 1996; Ord. 68 § 9-3.221, 1983)
9-3.222 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Commercial Retail Zone. The establishment of
allowable uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.108 (Plot plans) and Section 9-2.109 (Precise
plans):
(a) Broadcast studios;
(b) Building materials and hardware (see Section 9-6.165);
(c) Food and beverage retail sales;
(d) Furniture, home furnishings and equipment;
(e) General merchandise stores;
(f) Mail order and vending;
(g) Temporary or seasonal sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(h) Financial services;
(i) Health care services;
(j) Offices;
(k) Small scale manufacturing;
(l) Temporary offices (see Section 9-6.176);
(m) Personal services;
(n) Light repair services;
(o) Accessory storage (see Section 9-6.103);
(p) Eating and drinking places;
(q) Membership organizations;
(r) Horticultural specialties (see Section 9-6.116);
(s) Schools—Business and vocational (see Section 9-6.125);
(t) Utility transmission facilities;
(u) Business support services, where all areas of use are located within a building;
(v) Social and service organizations;
(w) Collection stations (see Section 9-6.130);
(x) Farm equipment and supplies;
(y) Fuel and ice dealers (see Section 9-6.134);
(z) Hotels and motels;
(aa) Medical extended care services (see Section 9-6.134);
(bb) Bed and breakfast;
(cc) Residential care facility for the elderly (RCFE);
(dd) Funeral services;
(ee) Schools (see Section 9-6.125);
(ff) Utility service center;
(gg) Libraries and museums;
(hh) Temporary events (see Section 9-6.177);
(ii) Sexually oriented businesses (see Chapter 5-10);
(jj) Artisan shop;
(kk) Day care (see Section 9-6.125). (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord. 364 § 2,
Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 310 § 3, Exh. B, 1996; Ord. 300 § 2 (2), 1996; Ord. 68 § 9-3.222, 1983)
9-3.222
9-3.223 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Commercial Retail Zone. The establishment of
conditional uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.110 (Conditional use permits):
(a) Amusement services;
(b) Bar/tavern;
(c) Caretaker residence (see Section 9-6.104);
(d) Eating and drinking places with drive-through facilities;
(e) Service station (see Section 9-6.164);
(f) Public assembly and entertainment;
(g) Indoor recreation services;
(h) Animal hospitals (see Section 9-6.110);
(i) Auto repair and services (see Section 9-6.168);
(j) Churches and related activities (see Section 9-6.121);
(k) Food and kindred products (see Section 9-6.128);
(l) Pipelines;
(m) Outdoor recreation services (see Section 9-6.123);
(n) Sports assembly;
(o) Transit stations and terminals;
(p) Kennels (see Section 9-6.111);
(q) Vehicle and equipment storage (see Section 9-6.183);
(r) Auto dealers (new and used) and supplies (see Section 9-6.163);
(s) Personal services—Restricted;
(t) Multifamily dwelling, when located on the second floor or above;
(u) Single room occupancy unit (see Section 9-6.184). (Ord. 572 § 1, 2013; Ord. 570 § 1, 2013;
Ord. 552 § 2, 2010; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 310 § 3, Exh. B, 1996; Ord.
68 § 9-3.223, 1983)
9-3.223
9-3.224 Lot size.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Retail Zone. (Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999;
Ord. 310 § 3, Exh. B, 1996; Ord. 68 § 9-3.224, 1983)
9-3.225 Development standards.
A. Parking areas designated to have vehicles facing El Camino Real or the freeway shall be
screened with a landscaped berm a minimum of thirty (30) inches in height.
B. A minimum freeway setback of ten (10) feet shall be provided. Said setback area shall be
landscaped.
C. All new and existing utilities shall be installed underground. (Ord. 310 § 3, Exh. B, 1996)
Article 10. CS (Commercial Service) Zone
9-3.231 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide for light manufacturing and large lot service commercial
needs of the residents of the City and surrounding areas. (Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 169 § 1,
Exh. A, 1988; Ord. 68 § 9-3.231, 1983)
9-3.232 Allowable uses.
The following uses are allowed in the Commercial Service Zone. The establishment of
allowable uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.108 (Plot plans) and Section 9-2.109 (Precise
plans):
(a) All uses listed as allowable uses in the CR (Commercial Retail) Zone;
(b) Wholesaling and distribution;
(c) Light repair services;
(d) Apparel and finish products, where areas of use are less than five thousand (5,000) square
feet;
(e) Electronic and scientific instruments, where areas of use are less than five thousand (5,000)
square feet;
(f) Furniture and fixtures, where areas of use are less than five thousand (5,000) square feet;
(g) Animal hospitals (see Section 9-6.110);
(h) Auto repair and services (see Section 9-6.168);
(i) Laundries and dry cleaning plants;
(j) Stone and cut stone products, where all areas of use are less than five thousand (5,000)
square feet;
(k) Contract construction services;
(l) Food and kindred products (see Section 9-6.128);
(m) Kennels (see Section 9-6.111);
(n) Personal services—Restricted;
(o) Sexually oriented businesses (see Chapter 5-10). (Ord. 552 § 2, 2010; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord.
364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 300 § 2(3), 1996; Ord. 169 § 2, Exh. A, 1988; Ord. 68 § 9-3.232, 1983)
9-3.232
9-3.233 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Commercial Service Zone. The establishment of
conditional uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.110 (Conditional use permits):
(a) Amusement services;
(b) Warehousing;
(c) Vehicle and freight terminal;
(d) Service stations (see Section 9-6.164);
(e) Caretaker residence (see Section 9-6.104);
(f) Transit stations and terminals;
(g) Public assembly and entertainment;
(h) Indoor recreation services;
(i) Outdoor recreation services (see Section 9-6.123);
(j) Apparel and finish products, where areas of use exceed five thousand (5,000) square feet;
(k) Sports assembly;
(l) Electronic and scientific instruments, where areas of use exceed five thousand (5,000)
square feet;
(m) Furniture and fixtures, where areas of use exceed five thousand (5,000) square feet;
(n) Glass products manufacturing;
(o) Pipelines;
(p) Stone and cut stone products, where all areas of use exceed five thousand (5,000) square
feet;
(q) Auto dealers (new and used) and supplies (see Section 9-6.163);
(r) Storage yard (see Section 9-6.140);
(s) Multifamily dwelling within an existing residential structure of historical significance.
(Ord. 578 § 1, 2013; Ord. 549 § 2, 2010; Ord. 494 § 3, 2006; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord. 364 § 2, Exh.
B, 1999; Ord. 237 § 1(D), 1992; Ord. 169 § 2, Exh. A, 1988; Ord. 68 § 9-3.233, 1983)
9-3.234 Lot sizes.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Service Zone. (Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B,
1999; Ord. 169 § 2, Exh. A, 1988; Ord. 68 § 9-3.234, 1983)
Article 11. CT (Commercial Tourist) Zone
9-3.241 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide for limited commercial uses intended primarily to serve the public
traveling along Highway 101. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.241, 1983)
9-3.242 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Commercial Tourist Zone. The establishment of
allowable uses shall be as provided by Sections 9-2.108 and 9-2.109:
(a) Eating and drinking places;
(b) Financial services;
(c) Furniture, home furnishings, and equipment;
(d) General merchandise stores;
(e) Hotels and motels;
(f) Service station (see Section 9-6.164);
(g) Accessory storage (see Section 9-6.103);
(h) Utility transmission facilities;
(i) Libraries and museums;
(j) Outdoor recreation services (see Section 9-6.123);
(k) Offices;
(l) Sports assembly;
(m) Temporary events (see Section 9-6.177);
(n) Transit stations and terminals;
(o) Collection station (see Section 9-6.130);
(p) Recreational vehicle park (see Section 9-6.180);
(q) Roadside stands (see Section 9-6.117);
(r) Temporary and seasonal sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(s) Public assembly and entertainment;
(t) The following only apply when clearly subordinate and incidental to an allowable use as
provided in this section:
(1) Food and beverage retail sales,
(2) Personal services,
(3) Auto repair and services (see Section 9-6.168);
(u) Bed and breakfast;
(v) Indoor recreation services. (Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord. 68 § 9-3.242, 1983)
9-3.242
9-3.243 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Commercial Tourist Zone. The establishment of
conditional uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.110:
(a) Amusement services;
(b) Auto, mobilehome and vehicle dealers and supplies (see Section 9-6.163);
(c) Bar/tavern;
(d) Eating and drinking places with drive-through facilities;
(e) Health care services;
(f) Sales lots (see Section 9-6.139);
(g) Caretaker’s residence (see Section 9-6.104);
(h) Pipelines;
(i) Personal services—Restricted. (Ord. 552 § 2, 2010; Ord. 509 § 2, 2007; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005;
Ord. 68 § 9-3.243, 1983)
9-3.244 Lot size.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Commercial Tourist Zone. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.244, 1983)
Article 12. CPK (Commercial Park) Zone
9-3.251 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide for large lot commercial and light manufacturing uses. It is
intended that special attention be given to providing for comprehensive development plans to achieve
appropriate functional relationships between various uses and preclude “piecemeal” development of
existing larger lots. (Ord. 489 § 2, 2006; Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 311 § 3, Exh. B, 1996;
Ord. 169 § 2, Exh. B, 1988; Ord. 68 § 9-3.251, 1983)
9-3.252 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Commercial Park Zone. The establishment of
allowable uses shall be as provided by Chapter 9-2 of this title:
(a) Apparel and finished products;
(b) Accessory storage (see Section 9-6.103);
(c) Broadcasting studios;
(d) Building materials and hardware (see Section 9-6.165);
(e) Business support services;
(f) Contract construction services;
(g) Electronic and scientific instruments;
(h) Farm equipment and supplies;
(i) Food and kindred products (see Section 9-6.128);
(j) Fuel and ice dealers (see Section 9-6.129);
(k) Furniture and fixtures;
(l) Horticultural specialties (see Section 9-6.116);
(m) Laundries and dry cleaning plants;
(n) Light repair services;
(o) Mail order and vending;
(p) Roadside stands (see Section 9-6.117);
(q) Schools—business and vocational (see Section 9-6.125);
(r) Small scale manufacturing;
(s) Stone and cut stone products;
(t) Temporary events (see Section 9-6.177);
(u) Temporary or seasonal sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(v) Utility transmission facilities;
(w) Wholesaling and distribution;
(x) The following uses when established in conjunction with a commercial center containing
at least one major commercial tenant with a minimum of twenty thousand (20,000) square feet of
floor area:
(1) Financial services,
(2) Food and beverage retail sales,
(3) Furniture, home furnishings and equipment,
(4) General merchandise store;
(y) Eating and drinking places of up to two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet;
(z) Office;
(aa) Health care services. (Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord. 425 § 3, 2003; Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999;
Ord. 311 § 3, Exh. B, 1996; Ord. 169 § 2, Exh. B, 1988; Ord. 77 § 1(1), 1984; Ord. 68 § 9-3.252, 1983)
9-3.252
9-3.253 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be established in the Commercial Park Zone with Planning Commission
approval. The establishment of conditional uses shall be as provided by Chapter 9-2:
(a) Animal hospitals;
(b) Auto repair and services (see Section 9-6.168 of this title);
(c) Bar/tavern;
(d) Chemical products;
(e) Concrete, gypsum and plaster products;
(f) Eating and drinking places where areas of use are greater than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet per store;
(g) Eating and drinking places with drive-through facilities;
(h) Glass products;
(i) Indoor recreational uses;
(j) Lumber and wood products;
(k) Machinery manufacturing;
(l) Membership organizations;
(m) Mini-storage;
(n) Paper products;
(o) Paving materials;
(p) Pipelines;
(q) Plastics and rubber products;
(r) Public assembly and entertainment;
(s) Sales lots (see Section 9-6.139 of this title);
(t) Structural clay pottery products;
(u) Textile mills;
(v) Transit stations and terminals;
(w) Vehicle and equipment storage (see Section 9-6.183 of this title);
(x) Warehousing;
(y) Auto dealers (new and used) and supplies (see Section 9-6.163 of this title);
(z) Personal services—Restricted. (Ord. 552 § 2, 2010; Ord. 489 § 2, 2006; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005;
Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 349 § 3, 1998; Ord. 311 § 3, Exh. B, 1996; Ord. 169 § 2, Exh. B,
1988; Ord. 75 § 2(3), 1984; Ord. 68 § 9-3.253, 1983)
9-3.254 Lot size.
The minimum lot size in the Commercial Park Zone shall be two (2) acres. Smaller lot sizes
may be allowed for planned commercial and industrial developments, including condominiums,
where the Planning Commission determines that such smaller lot sizes will not be detrimental to the
purpose and intent of the Commercial Park Zone. (Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 169 § 2, Exh. B,
1988; Ord. 68 § 9-3.254, 1983)
9-3.255 Development standards.
The following development standards may be modified through the conditional use permit
process.
(a) Customer and employee parking areas designed to have vehicles facing El Camino Real or
the freeway shall be screened with a landscaped berm a minimum of thirty (30) inches in height.
(b) A minimum freeway setback shall be provided. Said setback shall be landscaped. All new
and existing utilities shall be installed underground. (Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 311 § 3, Exh.
B, 1996)
Article 13. Downtown Zone 1—PC (Pedestrian Commercial) Zone
9-3.261 Purpose of downtown districts.
The downtown zoning districts are intended to develop an attractive, pedestrian-oriented, and
economically successful downtown area by providing for a mixture of commercial, office, and
residential land uses in two (2) and three (3) story buildings of traditional architectural styles. The
purposes of the individual downtown districts are as follows:
(a) Downtown Commercial (DC) Zoning District. The Downtown Commercial (DC) Zoning
District is intended to enhance the economic viability and pedestrian-oriented character of the
downtown by encouraging:
(1) A wide range of retail shops, including artisan craft sales and production;
(2) Restaurants, entertainment facilities, lodging, and non-automotive services (banks, health
care, etc.);
(3) First floor office uses are allowed with storefront and signage appearance review and
approval of Atascadero Main Street Association; however, office uses are encouraged to locate on
upper floors leaving prime first floor spaces available for retail and restaurant spaces;
(4) Residential uses on upper floors.
(b) Downtown Office (DO) Zoning District. The Downtown Office (DO) Zoning District is
intended to apply to properties that border the DC District, where a wide variety of professional and
other office uses will encourage a weekday pedestrian flow that can take advantage of the restaurant
and shopping opportunities in the overall downtown area. (Ord. 421 § 3, 2003; Ord. 375 § 3, 2001)
9-3.261
9-3.262 Downtown district allowable land uses and permit requirements.
The following table identifies the land uses allowed by this article in the downtown zoning
districts, and the land use permit required to establish each use. In addition to the land use permit
required by this section, special provisions related to certain land uses may apply, precise plan
approval may also be required for certain uses in compliance with Section 9-1.108. A building permit
is required prior to any construction. Design review approval shall be required for all permits,
consistent with Appendix A of the Downtown Revitalization Plan.
Allowed Uses and Permit Requirements for Downtown
Zoning Districts
P Permitted Use
CUP Conditional Use Permit required
— Use not allowed
Permit Required Specific Use
Regulations Land Use1 DC DO
Manufacturing & Processing Uses
Light repair services P —
Printing and publishing P P
R&D2 (Research and development including technology) P P
R&D — Biotechnology, chemical, pharmaceutical CUP CUP
Recreation, Education & Assembly Uses
Membership organizations CUP —
Amusement services P —
Indoor recreation services P —
Libraries, museums, galleries P P
Public amusement and entertainment CUP —
Public parks and playgrounds P P
Schools — Public CUP —
Schools — Business and vocational CUP CUP
Studios — Art, dance, martial arts, music, etc. P CUP
Residential Uses
Age restricted housing CUP4 —
Home occupations P P 9-6.105
Live/work projects P5/CUP6 —
Multifamily and single-family dwellings P3 P3
Retail Trade
Artisan shops P —
Auto and vehicle dealerships — Indoor display/sales only CUP —
Bar/tavern P —
Building materials and hardware — All activities indoors P —
Eating and drinking places — Without drive-through P —
Food and beverage retail sales P —
Furniture, home furnishings and equipment P —
General merchandise P —
Temporary or seasonal sales P — 9-6.174
Services
Automated teller machines (ATMs) P P
Banks and financial services — Without drive-through CUP P
Bed and breakfast CUP —
Business services P P
Child/adult day care centers — CUP
Government offices and facilities P P
Health care services P P
Allowed Uses and Permit Requirements for Downtown
Zoning Districts
P Permitted Use
CUP Conditional Use Permit required
— Use not allowed
Permit Required Specific Use
Regulations Land Use1 DC DO
Hotels and motels CUP —
Offices P P
Personal services P —
Transportation, Communications & Infrastructure Uses
Broadcasting studios CUP P
Transit stations and terminals CUP CUP
Utility facilities CUP CUP
Key to Zoning District Symbols
DC Downtown Commercial
DO Downtown Office
Notes: (Only the notes that apply to this table are shown below.)
1 See Section 9-3.701 for land use descriptions. See Section 9-1.106(d) regarding uses not listed.
2 Plot Plan approval required (9-2.108). Precise Plan approval (9-2.109) may also be required.
Conditional Use Permit approval required for all projects over 10,000 sf in floor area and multiple -family
residential developments consisting of twelve or more units.
3 Residential uses allowed only on second and third floor, except sites north of Olmeda Avenue. If a project
is required to provide a unit in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the handicapped
accessible unit may be located on a first floor. A first floor unit shall be located in a non -storefront location
within a tenant space.
4 Use allowed only on sites north of Olmeda Avenue.
5 Permitted use if the residential quarters are located on the second or third floors.
6 Conditional Use Permit required if the residential quarters are located on the first floor.
Note: Where the last column in the tables (“Specific Use Regulations”) includes a section
number, the regulations in the referenced section apply to the use. Provisions in other sections of this
article may also apply. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 552 § 2, 2010; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord. 421 § 3,
2003; Ord. 375 § 3, 2001)
9-3.263 Downtown district general development standards.
Subdivisions, new land uses and structures, and alterations to existing land uses and structures,
shall be designed, constructed, and/or established in compliance with the requirements in the
following table, in addition to the other applicable development standards of this article.
Development Feature
Requirement by Zoning District
DC DO
Downtown Commercial Downtown Office
Minimum lot size No minimum
Setbacks Minimum and maximum setbacks required. See Section 9-4.103 for setback
requirement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to setbacks.
Front None allowed, except for building
insets designed to accommodate
outdoor eating and seating areas, and
except for East and West Mall
between El Camino Real and Palma
Avenue, where a minimum of twenty
(20) feet is required.
As required by Section 9-4.106
when adjacent to a residential
zone, none required otherwise.
Sides (each) None required
Rear None required
Creek To be determined through Design Review
Height limit Forty-five (45) feet not to exceed
three (3) stories; eighteen (18) feet on
the west side of El Camino Real
between Atascadero Creek and the lot
line common to Lots 19 and 20, Block
H-B, Atascadero Colony Map.
Thirty-five (35) feet
Landscaping As required by Sections 9-4.124 et seq. (Landscaping, screening and fencing)
Off-street parking None required, except as required by
Section 9-4.114 for hotels, motels, and
residential uses, and for all development
east of Atascadero Creek.
As required by Sections 9-4.114
et seq.
Signs See Section 9-15.005(b)
Density Twenty (20) dwelling units/acre
maximum
Twenty (20) dwelling units/acre
maximum
(Ord. 554 § 2, 2011; Ord. 421 § 3, 2003; Ord. 375 § 3, 2001)
Article 17. IP (Industrial Park) Zone
9-3.301 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide for the light manufacturing and large lot service commercial
needs of the residents of the City and surrounding areas. (Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 68 § 9-
3.301, 1983)
9-3.302 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Industrial Park Zone. The establishment of allowable
uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.108 (Plot plans) and Section 9-2.109 (Precise plans):
(a) Farm equipment and supplies;
(b) Laundries and dry cleaning plants;
(c) Broadcast studios;
(d) Stone and cut stone products;
(e) Temporary events (see Section 9-6.177);
(f) Temporary or seasonal sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(g) Building materials and hardware (see Section 9-6.165);
(h) Utility transmission facilities;
(i) Fuel and ice dealers (see Section 9-6.129);
(j) Warehousing;
(k) Wholesaling and distribution;
(l) Light repair services;
(m) Accessory storage (see Section 9-6.103);
(n) Storage yards (see Section 9-6.140);
(o) Apparel and finish products;
(p) Collection stations (see Section 9-6.130);
(q) Electronic and scientific instruments;
(r) Furniture and fixtures;
(s) Auto repair and serv ices (see Section 9 -6.168);
(t) Business support services;
(u) Vehicle and equipment storage (see Section 9-6.183);
(v) Contract construction services;
(w) Small scale manufacturing;
(x) Food and kindred products (see Section 9-6.128);
(y) Sexually oriented businesses (see Chapter 5-10). (Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 300 § 2
(4), 1996; Ord. 68 § 9-3.302, 1983)
9-3.303 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Industrial Park Zone. The establishment of conditional
uses shall be provided by Section 9-2.110 (Conditional use permits):
(a) Agricultural processing;
(b) Chemical products;
(c) Concrete, gypsum and plaster products;
(d) Caretaker’s residence (see Section 9-6.104);
(e) Glass products manufacturing;
(f) Machinery manufacturing;
(g) Lumber and wood products;
(h) Paving materials;
(i) Pipelines;
(j) Plastic and rubber products;
(k) Recycling and scrap (see Section 9-6.131);
(l) Schools—business and vocational (see Section 9.6.125);
(m) Textile mills;
(n) Transit stations and terminals;
(o) Vehicle and freight terminals;
(p) Paper products;
(q) Structural clay pottery products;
(r) Indoor recreation;
(s) Recycling centers (see Section 9-6.132);
(t) Utility service centers;
(u) Sales lots (see Section 9-6.139). (Ord. 499 § 2, 2006; Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 237
§ 1 (D), 1992; Ord. 77 § 1 (2), 1984; Ord. 68 § 9-3.303, 1983)
9-3.304 Lot size.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Industrial Park Zone. (Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999;
Ord. 68 § 9-3.304, 1983)
Article 18. I (Industrial) Zone
9-3.311 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide suitable locations for heavy manufacturing and industrial
uses within the City. (Ord. 567 § 2, 2013; Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 68 § 9-3.311, 1983)
9-3.312 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Industrial Zone. The establishment of allowable uses
shall be as provided by Section 9-2.108 (Plot plan) and Section 9-2.109 (Precise plan):
(a) All uses listed as allowable uses in the IP (Industrial Park) Zone;
(b) Agricultural processing;
(c) Lumber and wood products;
(d) Concrete, gypsum and plaster products;
(e) Glass products manufacturing;
(f) Paper products;
(g) Paving materials;
(h) Structural clay pottery products;
(i) Machinery manufacturing;
(j) Sexually oriented businesses (see Chapter 5-10). (Ord. 567 § 2, 2013; Ord. 364 § 2, Exh.
B, 1999; Ord. 300 § 2 (5), 1996; Ord. 68 § 9-3.312, 1983)
9-3.313 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Industrial Zone. The establishment of conditional
uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.110 (Conditional use permits):
(a) Chemical products;
(b) Caretaker’s residence (see Section 9-6.104);
(c) Petroleum refining and related products;
(d) Textile mill;
(e) Metal industries—Primary;
(f) Pipelines;
(g) Recycling and scrap (see Section 9-6.131);
(h) School—Business and vocational (see Section 9-6.125);
(i) Transit stations and terminals;
(j) Vehicle and freight terminals;
(k) Plastic and rubber products;
(l) Recycling centers (see Section 9-6.132);
(m) Utility service centers;
(n) Sales lots (see Section 9-6.139);
(o) Indoor recreation. (Ord. 567 § 2, 2013; Ord. 499 § 2, 2006; Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. B, 1999;
Ord. 237 § 1 (D), 1992; Ord. 68 § 9-3.313, 1983)
9-3.314 Lot size.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Industrial Zone. (Ord. 567 § 2, 2013; Ord. 364 § 2,
Exh. B, 1999; Ord. 68 § 9-3.314, 1983)
Article 19. L (Recreation) Zone
9-3.401 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide suitable locations and standards for the development of
recreational facilities accommodating the needs of the general public. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.401, 1983)
9-3.402 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Recreation Zone. The establishment of allowable
uses shall be as provided by Sections 9-2.108 and 9-2.109:
(a) Amusement services;
(b) Membership organizations;
(c) Libraries and museums;
(d) Bed and breakfast;
(e) Temporary events (see Section 9-6.177);
(f) Indoor recreation services;
(g) Collection stations (see Section 9-6.130);
(h) Accessory storage (see Section 9-6.103);
(i) Rural sports and group facilities (see Section 9-6.124);
(j) Outdoor recreation services (see Section 9-6.123);
(k) Fisheries and game preserves;
(l) General merchandise stores, where related to recreational use on the site;
(m) Temporary or seasonal sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(n) Utility transmission facilities;
(o) Forestry;
(p) School—Business and vocational (see Section 9-6.125). (Ord. 68 § 9-3.402, 1983)
9-3.402
9-3.403 Conditional use.
The following uses may be allowed in the Recreation Zone. The establishment of conditional
uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.110:
(a) Caretaker’s residence (see Section 9-6.104);
(b) Sports assembly;
(c) Public assembly and entertainment;
(d) Eating and drinking places;
(e) Cemeteries;
(f) Pipelines;
(g) Recreational vehicle park (see Section 9-6.180);
(h) Transit stations and terminals. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.403, 1983)
9-3.404 Lot size.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Recreation Zone. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.404, 1983)
Article 20. LS (Special Recreation) Zone
9-3.411 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide suitable locations and standards for the development of
recreational facilities on land in private ownership. This zone also provides for residential and
agricultural uses where intensive recreational activity may not be appropriate. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.411,
1983)
9-3.412 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Special Recreation Zone. The establishment of
allowable uses shall be as provided by Sections 9-2.108 and 9-2.109:
(a) Accessory storage (see Section 9-6.103);
(b) Collection station (see Section 9-6.130);
(c) Crop production and grazing;
(d) Farm animal raising (see Section 9-6.111);
(e) Forestry;
(f) Home occupation (see Section 9-6.105);
(g) Libraries and museums;
(h) Residential accessory uses (see Section 9-6.106);
(i) Single-family dwelling;
(j) Temporary dwelling (see Section 9-6.176);
(k) Temporary events (see Section 9-6.177);
(l) Temporary or seasonal retail sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(m) Utility transmission facilities;
(n) Agricultural accessory uses (see Section 9-6.109);
(o) Bed and breakfast. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.412, 1983)
9-3.413 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Special Recreation Zone. The establishment of
conditional uses shall be as provided by Section 9-2.110:
(a) Amusement services;
(b) Business support services;
(c) Caretaker residence (see Section 9-6.103);
(d) Cemeteries;
(e) Eating and drinking places;
(f) Fisheries and game preserves;
(g) Food and beverage retail sales;
(h) General merchandise stores;
(i) Horticultural specialties (see Section 9-6.115);
(j) Hotels and motels;
(k) Indoor recreation services;
(l) Outdoor recreation services (see Section 9-6.123);
(m) Recreational vehicle parks (see Section 9-6.180);
(n) Rural sports and group facilities (see Section 9-6.124);
(o) Pipelines. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.413, 1983)
9-3.414 Lot size.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Special Recreation Zone, except for parcels in-tended
for single-family residential use where the minimum lot size shall be one (1) acre when sewers are
available and one and one-half (1 1/2) acres when sewers are not available. (Ord. 68 § 9-3.414, 1983)
Article 21. P (Public) Zone
9-3.414
9-3.421 Purpose.
This zone is established to provide suitable locations and standards for the maintenance and
development of public and quasi-public facilities and services. (Ord. 179 § 2, Exh. A, 1988; Ord. 68
§ 9-3.421, 1983)
9-3.422 Allowable uses.
The following uses shall be allowed in the Public Zone. The establishment of allowable uses
shall be as provided by Sections 9-2.108 and 9-2.109:
(a) Broadcasting studios;
(b) Libraries and museums;
(c) Offices (City, County, State or Federal government or public utilities);
(d) Temporary offices (see Section 9-6.176);
(e) Public assembly and entertainment;
(f) Schools (see Section 9-6.125);
(g) Temporary events (see Section 9-6.177);
(h) Temporary or seasonal retail sales (see Section 9-6.174);
(i) Outdoor recreation services;
(j) Indoor recreation services;
(k) Day care (see Section 9-6.125). (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 308 § 2 (Exh. A), 1996; Ord.
179 § 2, Exh. A, 1988; Ord. 157 § 2, 1987; Ord. 68 § 9-3.422, 1983)
9-3.423 Conditional uses.
The following uses may be allowed in the Public Zone. The establishment of conditional uses
shall be as provided by Section 9-2.110:
(a) Animal hospitals (see Section 9-6.110);
(b) Caretaker residence (see Section 9-6.104);
(c) Cemeteries;
(d) Churches and related activities (see Section 9-6.121);
(e) Collection station;
(f) Funeral services;
(g) Health care services;
(h) Membership organizations;
(i) Residential care;
(j) Schools, business and vocational (see Section 9-6.125);
(k) Single-family residences;
(l) Skilled nursing facility (see S ection 9-6.134);
(m) Social and service organizations;
(n) Transit stations and terminals;
(o) Utility service centers;
(p) Mini storage facilities;
(q) Vehicle and equipment storage (see Section 9-6.183) (where all areas of the use are within
a building);
(r) Recreational vehicle park (see Section 9-6.180) (only when clearly subordinate and
incidental to an allowable use or an approved conditional use). (Ord. 303 § 2 (Exh. B), 1996; Ord.
179 § 2, Exh. A, 1988; Ord. 68 § 9-3.423, 1983)
9-3.424 Lot size.
There shall be no minimum lot size in the Public Zone, except for parcels intended for single
family residential use where the minimum lot size shall be two and one-half (2 1/2) acres. (Ord. 179
§ 2, Exh. A, 1988; Ord. 68 § 9-3.424, 1983)
Article 29. Land Use Descriptions
9-3.701 Purpose.
This section contains descriptions of the types of land uses which can be established under this
article. The uses described here are allowed in the various zoning districts established. The
description of land uses are intended only to list the various land uses included under each general
heading and do not explain what permit requirements or performance standards may be applicable to
a given use.
Accessory Storage. The indoor or outdoor storage of various materials on the same site as a
principal building or land use which is other than storage, which supports the activities or conduct of
the principal use.
Adult-Oriented Business. Any business defined by the Atascadero Sexually Oriented Business
Ordinance (see Chapter 5-10 of this code) as an adult arcade, adult bookstore, adult novelty store,
adult video store, adult cabaret, adult motel, adult motion picture theater, adult theater, massage
parlor (excluding State-licensed massage therapy), sexual encounter establishment, or nude model
studio is a sexually oriented business.
Age Restricted Housing. Residential multifamily or single-family units that restrict occupancy
based on age. This use typically consists of senior housing which restricts age for fifty-five (55) and
older.
Agricultural Accessory Uses. Includes any use that is customarily part of an agricultural activity
and is clearly incidental and secondary to that activity and does not change the character of the
agricultural use. Agricultural accessory uses include grazing, crop production to feed animals, and
related storage of vehicles and personal property, and accessory structures including barns, stables
and corrals.
Ag Processing. Establishment performing a variety of operations on crops subsequent to their
harvest, with the intent of preparing them for market or further processing and packaging at a distance
from the agricultural area including: alfalfa cubing; hay baling and cubing; corn shelling; drying of
corn, rice, hay, fruits and vegetables; grain cleaning and custom grinding; custom grist mills; custom
milling of flour, feed and grain; sorting, grading and packaging of fruits and vegetables; tree nut
hulling and shelling; cotton ginning; and wineries.
Amusement Services. Establishments providing indoor amusement or entertainment on
payment of a fee or admission charge, such as: arcades and coin-operated amusements; card rooms,
billiard and pool halls as a primary use; alleys; ice skating and roller skating; dance halls, and
ballrooms which are principal uses rather than being subordinate to an eating or drinking place;
gymnasiums, reducing salons, health and exercise facilities that do not include courts or similar
facilities designed for tennis, handball, racquetball or similar indoor participation sports.
Animal Hospitals. Establishments primarily engaged in performing services for animals,
including veterinary services and animal hospitals. Does not include kennels, which are listed as
a separate category.
Apparel and Finished Products. Manufacturing establishments, known as the cutting-up and
needle trades, producing clothing and fabricating products by cutting and sewing purchased woven
or knit textile fabrics, plastics and furs. Included in the apparel industries are three (3) types of
establishments: (i) “regular” or inside factories; (2) contract factories; and (3) apparel jobbers.
Regular factories perform all of the usual manufacturing functions within their own plant; the
contract factories manufacture apparel from materials owned by others; and apparel jobbers perform
the entrepreneurial functions of a manufacturing company, such as buying raw materials, designing
and preparing samples, arranging for the manufacture of the garments from their materials and selling
of the finished apparel. Also includes leather and leather products, tanning and finished products.
Custom tailors and dressmakers not operating as a factory are not included.
Artisan Shops. A retail store selling art glass, ceramics, jewelry, paintings, sculpture, and other
handcrafted items, where the facility includes an area for the crafting of the items being sold.
Auto Dealers (New and Used) and Supplies. Retail and wholesale trade establishments selling
new and used automobiles, including, but not limited to, light trucks (US DOT Class 1, 2, and 3),
boats (FBSA Class A and Class 1 boats (under twenty-six (26) feet in length)), recreational vehicles,
recreational/utility trailers, motorcycles and mopeds. Also includes establishments selling new parts
and accessories within a building for the above. Does not include establishments dealing exclusively
in used parts. Includes automobile repair shops only when maintained by establishment engaged in
the sale of vehicles on the same site. Does not include “service stations,” which are separately
defined.
Auto Repair and Services. Service establishments primarily engaged in the repair, alteration,
painting, washing or waxing of automobiles. May also include rental of cars, trucks or trailers;
leasing of cars and truc ks. Does not include repair shops which are subordinate to and maintained
by a vehicle dealership.
Bar/Tavern. Establishments where alcoholic beverages are sold for on -site consumption,
which is not part of a larger restaurant. Includes bars, taverns, pub s, night clubs, and similar
establishments where any food service is subordinate to the sale of alcoholic beverages. May also
include beer brewing as part of a microbrewery, and other beverage tasting facilities. Does not
include adult entertainment busine sses.
Bed and Breakfast. Transient lodging establishments primarily engaged in providing overnight
or otherwise temporary lodging for the general public. Such establishments provide limited meal
service, generally breakfast, for lodgers.
Broadcasting Studios. Communications uses including radio, television, telegraph and
telephone broadcasting and receiving stations which are facilities and equipment enclosed entirely
within buildings, except for accessory transmission facilities such as antennas, satellite receiving
dishes and similar transmission and receiving apparatus.
Building Materials and Hardware. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in the sale of
lumber and other building materials, including paint, wallpaper, glass, hardware, nursery stock, lawn
and garden supplies. Includes all such stores selling to the general public, even if sales to contractors
account for a larger proportion of total sales. Establishments primarily selling plumbing, heating, and
air conditioning equipment and electrical supplies are classified in “Wholesaling and Distribution.”
Business Support Services. Service establishments housed primarily within buildings, which
provide particular businesses with services that are maintenance and repair related, service
oriented, testing, rental, etc. This group includes: outdoor advertising services; mail advertising
services (reproduction and shipping); blueprinting, photocopying, photofinishing, commercial art
and design (production); services to structures, such as wind ow cleaning, exterminators, janitorial
services; heavy equipment and business equipment repair services including welding repair and
armature rewinding and repair (except vehicle repair which is included under “Auto Repair and
Service”); computer related s ervices (rental, repair, and maintenance); research and development
laboratories, including testing facilities; protective services (other than office -related); equipment
rental yards are included under “Vehicle and Equipment Storage” and which include the leasing of
tools, machinery and other business items, except vehicles; trading stamp services: repair of large
size consumer products including major appliances; and other business services that may be of a
“heavy service” nature.
Caretaker Residence/Employee Unit. A permanent residence that is secondary or accessory to
the primary use of the property, and used for housing a caretaker employed on the site of any
nonresidential use where a caretaker is needed for security purposes or to provide twenty-four (24)
hour care or monitoring of plants, animals, equipment,
or other conditions on the site. Does not include housing for caretaker-type employees in the
Agriculture Zone which is defined as “farm labor quarters.”
Cemeteries. Interment establishments engaged in subdividing property into cemetery lots and
offering burial plots or air space for sale. Includes animal cemeteries and cemetery, mauso-leum and
columbarium operations. Excludes funeral parlor and related facilities which are listed under
“Funeral Services.”
Chemical Products. Manufacturing establishments producing basic chemicals and
establishments manufacturing products predominantly by chemical processes. Establishments
classified in this major group manufactures three (3) general classes of products: (1) basic chemicals
such as acids, alkalis, salts, and organic chemicals; (2) chemical products to be used in further
manufacture such as synthetic fibers, plastic materials, dry colors, and pigments; (3) finished
chemical products to be used for ultimate consumption such as drugs, cosmetics, and soaps; or to be
used as materials or supplies in other industries such as paints, fertilizers and explosives.
Churches and Related Activities. Religious organization facilities operated for worship or for
promotion of religious activities, including churches and religious Sunday-type schools. Other
establishments maintained by religious organizations, such as educational institutions, hospitals
and other operations that may be considered commercial in nature if not run by the religious
organization (such as a recreational camp) are classified according to their respecti ve activities.
Collection Stations. Facilities for the temporary accumulation and storage of recyclable
discarded materials, which are subsequently transported to recycling centers or solid waste disposal
sites for further processing. Does not include automobile wrecking yards or any recycling processing
facilities, which are listed under “Recycling and Scrap.” Does not include temporary storage of toxic,
mutagenic or radioactive waste materials.
Concrete, Gypsum, and Plaster Products. Manufacturing establishments primarily engaged in
producing concrete building block, brick and all types of pre-cast and prefab concrete products. Also
includes ready-mix concrete batch plants, lime manufacturing, and the manufacture of gypsum
products, such as plasterboard.
Contract Construction Services. Service establishments primarily engaged in construction,
including new work, additions, alterations, and repairs. Construction activities are generally
administered or managed from a relatively fixed place of business, but the actual construction work
is performed at one or more different sites which may be dispersed geographically. Three (3) broad
types of construction activity are covered: building construction by general contractors or by
operative builders, other construction by general contractors, and construction by special trade
contractors such as electrical, air conditioning and plumbing contractors, or others such as well
drilling services. The installation of prefabricated buildings and equipment is also included.
Crop Production and Grazing. Agricultural uses including the production of grains, field crops,
vegetables, melons, fruits, tree nuts, flower fields and seed production, tree and sod farms, crop
services and crop harvesting. Also includes the raising or feeding of beef cattle, sheep and goats by
grazing or pasturing. Does not include feedlots, which are not allowed.
Day Care. Facilities that provide non-medical care and supervision of individuals for periods of
less than twenty-four (24) hours. These facilities include the following, all of which are required to
be licensed by the California State Department of Social Services or successor agency. Day care uses
include the following:
1. Child Care Center. Child day care facilities designed and approved to accommodate fifteen
(15) or more children. Includes infant centers, preschools, sick-child centers, and school-age day care
facilities. These may be operated in conjunction with a school or church facility, or as an independent
land use.
2. Large Family Day Care Home. As provided by Health and Safety Code Section 1596.78
or successor provision, a home that regularly provides care, protection, and supervision for seven (7)
to twelve (12) children, including up to two (2) children under the age of ten (10) years who reside
in the home, for periods of less than twenty-four (24) hours per day, while the parents or guardians
are away.
3. Small Family Day Care Home. As provided by Health and Safety Code Section 1596.78
or successor provision, a home that provides family day care for six (6) or fewer children, including
two (2) children under the age of ten (10) years who reside in the home.
4. Adult Day Care Facility. A day care facility providing care and supervision for adult
clients.
Eating and Drinking Places. Restaurants and other establishments selling prepared foods and
drinks for consumption on the premises, as well as facilities for dancing and other entertainment
which are secondary and subordinate to the principal use of the establishment as an e ating and
drinking place. Also includes lunch counters and refreshment stands selling prepared goods and
drinks for immediate consumption. Restaurants, lunch counters, and drinking places operated as
subordinate service facilities within other establishments are not included here unless they are
operated as leased departments by outside operators. Does not include establishments with drive-
through facilities.
Eating and Drinking Places with Drive-Through Facilities. Establishments which include points
of service where customers are served prepared food without leaving their vehicles.
Electronic and Scientific Instruments. Manufacturing and establishments producing
instruments (including professional and scientific) for measurement, testing, analysis and co ntrol,
and their associated sensors and accessories; optical instruments and lenses; surveying and drafting
instruments; surgical, medical, and dental instruments, equipment, and supplies; ophthalmic goods;
photographic equipment and supplies; and watches and clocks; and electrical instruments,
components and equipment including integrated circuits, semiconductors, calculators and
computers.
Farm Animal Raising. The keeping, feeding or grazing of animals as an avocation, hobby, or
school project, subordina te to the principal residential use of a property, includes species
commonly considered as farm animals as well as exotic species, but does not include household
pets. See also “Livestock Specialties.”
Farm Equipment and Supplies. Establishments primarily engaged in the sale or rental of
agricultural machinery and equipment for use in the preparation and maintenance of the soil, the
planting and harvesting of crops, and other operations and processes pertaining to work on the farm;
also dairy and other livestock equipment. Includes agricultural machinery, dairy farm machinery and
equipment, irrigation equipment, poultry equipment and frost protection equipment; hay, grain and
feed sales.
Farm Labor Quarters. Includes residences, rooming houses and boardinghouses and mess halls
for farm workers employed on land owned by the owner of the building site on which the quarters
are located.
Financial Services. Service establishments primarily engaged in the field of finance, including:
banks and trust companies; credit agencies other than banks; brokers and dealers in securities and
commodity contracts; security and commodity exchanges; holding (but not predominantly operating)
companies; and other investment companies.
Fisheries and Game Preserves. Resource extraction operations engaged in commercial fishing
(including marine-related animals, mammals, etc.) and the operation of fish hatcheries, fish and game
preserves and game propagation.
Food and Beverage Retail Sales. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in selling food
for home preparation and consumption, as well as the retail sale of packaged alcoholic beverages for
consumption off the premises, including wine tasting facilities which are not on the same site as the
winery.
Food and Kindred Products. Manufacturing establishments engaged in producing or processing
foods and beverages for human consumption and certain related products. Includes: (1) meat and
poultry products (slaughtering, canning, and curing and by-product processing); (2) dairy products
processing; (3) canned and preserved fruit and vegetables and related processing; (4) grain mill
products and by-products; (5) bakery products, sugar and confectionery products; (6) fats and oil
products; (7) beverages and liquors (except wineries, which are included under “Ag Processing”);
and (8) miscellaneous food preparation from raw products. Operations on crops subsequent to their
harvest are included under “Ag Processing.”
Forestry. Establishments primarily engaged in the operation of timber tracts, tree farms, forest
nurseries, and related activities such as reforestation services; also the gathering of gum barks, sap,
moss and other forest products. Does not include logging camps.
Fuel and Ice Dealers. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in the sale to consumers of
coal, wood, ice, fuel, oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), bottled or in bulk.
Funeral Services. Establishments with facilities for the preparation of the dead for burial or
cremation and for the holding of funeral observances and services. Accessory facilities may include
a cemetery, columbarium or mausoleum. Includes: funeral homes and parlors, mortuaries and related
facilities.
Furniture and Fixtures. Manufacturing establishments producing: wood and metal household
furniture and appliances; bedsprings and mattresses; all types of office furniture and public building
furniture and partitions, shelving, lockers and store furniture; and miscellaneous drapery hardware,
window blinds and shades.
Furniture, Home Furnishings and Equipment. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in
selling furnishings for the home, such as furniture, floor coverings, draperies, glass and chinaware,
domestic stoves, refrigerators and other household electrical and gas appliances. Establishments
selling electrical and gas appliances are included only if the major part of their sales consist of articles
for home use. Also includes retail sale of office furniture, as well as music stores.
General Merchandise Stores. Retail trades included in this group are department stores, variety
stores, drug and discount stores, general stores, etc., engaged in retail sales of many lines of new and
used merchandise, including: dry goods; apparel and accessories; furniture and home furnishings;
small wares; hardware; sporting goods and equipment; bicycles, parts and accessories. Also includes
sales of miscellaneous shopping goods such as: books; stationery; jewelry; hobby materials, toys and
games; cameras and photographic supplies; gifts, novelties and souvenirs; luggage and leather goods;
fabrics and sewing supplies; florists; cigar and newsstands; artists’ items (stores for which may
include space for crafting operations when such area is subordinate to the retail sales); and other
miscellaneous retail shopping goods.
Glass Products. Manufacturing establishments producing flat glass and other glass products
which are pressed, blown, or shaped from glass produced in the same establishment. Does not include
artisan and craftsman type operations of a larger scale than home occupations, which are listed under
“Small Scale Manufacturing.”
Health Care Services. Service establishments primarily engaged in furnishing medical, mental
health, surgical and other personal health services including: medical, denta l and psychiatric offices
(mental health) related services, including various types of counseling practiced by licensed
individuals other than medical doctors or psychiatrists, or unlicensed individuals, are included under
“Offices”; medical and dental laboratories; outpatient care facilities; and allied health services.
Associations or groups primarily engaged in providing medical or other health services to members
are included. Also includes hospitals and similar establishments primarily engaged in providing
diagnostic services, extensive medical treatment including surgical and other hospital services; such
establishments have an organized medical staff, inpatient beds, and equipment and facilities to
provide complete health care. Nursing homes and similar long-term personal care facilities are
classified in “Residential Care.”
Home Occupations. The gainful employment of the occupant of a dwelling, with such
employment activity being subordinate to the residential use of the property.
Horticultural Specialties. Agricultural establishments primarily engaged in the production of
ornamental plants and other nursery products, grown under cover or outdoors. Also includes
establishments engaged in the sale of such products, i.e., wholesale and retail nurseries.
Hotels, Motels. Commercial transient lodging establishments, including hotels, motor hotels,
motels, tourist courts or cabins, primarily engaged in providing overnight or otherwise temporary
lodging, with or without meals, for the general public. Such establishments shall not provide kitchen
facilities in more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the units.
Indoor Recreation Services. Facilities for various indoor sports and recreation, including:
bowling alleys; ice skating and roller skating; gymnasiums, health and athletic clubs; tennis,
handball, racquetball and similar indoor sports; shooting and archery ranges; recreation and
community centers.
Kennels. A lot, building, structure, enclosure or premises where four (4) or more dogs or cats
(four (4) months of age or older) are kept or maintained, including the keeping of such animals for
sale, for commercial breeding or for lodging and care for which a fee is charged. Does not include
dogs and cats kept for noncommercial purposes, including hunting and herding livestock, which are
allowed as residential accessory uses.
Laundries and Dry Cleaning Plants. Service establishments primarily engaged in high volume
laundry and garment services, including: power laundries (family and commercial); garment pressing
and dry cleaning; linen supply; diaper service; industrial laundries; carpet and upholstery cleaners.
Does not include coin-operated laundries or dry cleaning pickup stores without dry cleaning
equipment, which are classified in “Personal Services.”
Libraries, Museums. Permanent public or quasi-public facilities generally of a noncommercial
nature such as libraries, museums, art exhibitions, planetariums, aquariums, botanical gardens,
arboretums and zoos. Also includes historic sites and exhibits.
Light Repair Services. Service establishments where repair of small consumer products is the
principal business activity, including: electrical repair shops; television and radio and other small
appliance repair; and watch, clock and jewelry repair. Does not include repair or services that are
incidental and accessory to retail sales. Does not include businesses serving the repair needs of heavy
equipment, or large size consumer products which are included under “Business Support Services.”
Livestock Specialties. Agricultural establishments primarily engaged in commercial livestock
keeping or feeding as a principal land use which, because of operational characteristics, may generate
dust, odors or visual impacts which could have an adverse effect upon adjacent properties. Such uses
include dairies, chicken, turkey and other poultry farms; animal specialties (such as rabbit farms and
other fur-bearing animals); other specialties such as bee farms, aviaries, worm farms, etc.
Live/Work Units. An integrated housing unit and working space, occupied and utilized by a
single household in a structure, either single-family or multifamily, that has been designed or
structurally modified to accommodate joint residential occupancy and work activity, and which
includes:
1. Complete kitchen space and sanitary facilities in compliance with the Building Code; and
2. Working space reserved for and regularly used by one or more occupants of the unit.
3. Working space include uses that are either permitted within the zoning district.
Lumber and Wood Products. Manufacturing and processing uses, including merchant sawmills,
lath mills, shingle mills, cooperage stock mills, planing mills, and plywood mills and veneer mills
engaged in producing lumber and basic wood products; and establishments engaged in manufacturing
finished articles made entirely or mainly of wood or wood substitutes. Also included are: truss and
structural beam assembly; wood containers; pallets and skids; wood preserving; particle board
assembly; turning and shaping wood and wood products on a manufacturing basis; mobilehome and
modular home assembly. Wood and cabinet shops are included in “Furniture and Fixtures.” Craft
type shops are included in “Small Scale Manufacturing.”
Machinery Manufacturing. Establishments engaged in manufacturing machinery and equipment
such as: engines and turbines; farm and garden machinery and equipment (except for secondary
assembly of such products which is included under “Farm Equipment and Supplies”); construction,
mining and materials handling machinery and equipment such as bulldozers, cranes, dredging
machinery, mining equipment, oil field equipment, passenger and freight elevators, conveyors,
industrial trucks and tractors; machine tools such as gear cutting machines, die casting machines,
dies, jigs, industrial molds, power-driven hand tools; machinery for use in the food products, textile,
woodworking, paper or printing industries; general machinery and equipment such as pumps, roller
bearings, industrial furnaces and ovens; office, computing and accounting machines such as
typewriters, computers, dictating machines; machinery for refrigeration and service industries such
as commercial laundry and dry cleaning equipment, heating, ventilating and air conditioning
equipment, commercial cooking and food warming equipment; miscellaneous machinery such as
carburetors, pistons and valves.
Mail Order and Vending. Establishments primarily engaged in retail sale of products by catalog
and mail order. Also includes vending machine distributorships and suppliers.
Medical Extended Care Services. Residential facilities providing nursing and health-related care
as a primary use with in-patient beds. Examples of these uses include: board and care homes;
convalescent and rest homes; extended care facilities; and skilled nursing facilities. Long-term
personal care facilities that do not emphasize medical treatment are included under “Residential
Care.”
Membership Organizations. Organizations operating on a membership basis for the promotion
of the interests of the members, including: business associations; professional membership
organizations; labor unions and similar labor organizations; civic, social and fraternal organizations
(not lodging); political organizations and other membership organizations.
Metal Industries, Primary. Manufacturing establishments engaged in the smelting and refining
of ferrous and nonferrous metals from ore, pig, or scrap; in the rolling, drawing, and alloying of
ferrous and nonferrous metals; in the manufacture of castings and other basic products of ferrous and
nonferrous metals; and in the manufacture of nails, spikes, and insulated wire and cable. Merchant
blast furnaces and by-product or beehive coke ovens are also included.
Mining. Resource extractions establishments primarily engaged in mining, developing mines or
exploring for metallic minerals (ores), coal and nonmetallic minerals (except fuels), or surface mines
extracting crushed and broken stone, dimension stone or sand and gravel. See also “Stone and Cut
Stone Products.”
Mini-Storage. Buildings containing individual storage areas rented or leased to the general
public. Does not include warehousing or exterior storage facilities.
Mobilehome Developments. Any site that is planned and improved to accommodate two (2) or
more mobile homes used for residential purposes, or on which two (2) or more mobile homes, as the
term “mobile home” is defined in California Civil Code Section 798.3 or successor provision of the
California Mobilehome Residency Law, for non-transient use, are rented, leased, or held out for rent
or lease, or were formerly held out for rent or lease and later converted to a subdivision, cooperative,
condominium, or other form of resident ownership, to accommodate mobile homes used for
residential purposes.
Mobilehome Dwelling. A vehicle without self-propulsion designed and equipped as a dwelling
unit to be used with a foundation.
Multiple-Family Dwelling. Two (2) or more dwelling units located on a single lot, each
occupied by a single housekeeping unit; includes buildings or groups of buildings designated as
apartments, duplexes, triplexes and condominiums, but not including motels, hotels, dormitories, or
RV parks as herein defined. Also includes transitional housing, supportive housing and single room
occupancy housing where people live as independently as possible with the assistance of social
services tailored to each person’s needs as defined in Section 9-9.102 of the Zoning Ordinance.
Offices. Establishments engaged in performing a service in a professional office including:
engineering, architectural and surveying services; real estate agencies; noncommercial educational,
scientific and research organizations; accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping services; authors,
writers, artists, etc.; advertising agencies; photography studios and small commercial art studios;
employment agencies and stenographic services; reporting services; data processing and computer
services; management, public relations, and consulting services; detective agencies and other similar
professional services; attorneys; and counseling services provided by individuals other than licensed
psychiatrists, which are included under “Health Care Services.”
Organization Houses. Residential lodging houses operated by membership organizations for the
benefit of their constituents and not open to the general public. Also includes fraternity and sorority
residential houses and religious residential retreats.
Outdoor Recreation Services. Facilities for various outdoor sports and recreation, including:
amusement and kiddie parks; golf courses, golf driving ranges and miniature golf courses;
skateboard parks; go-cart and miniature auto race tracks; ten nis courts, swim and tennis clubs and
facilities; play lots, playgrounds and athletic fields; recreation and community centers.
Paper Products. Includes the manufacture of pulps from wood, other cellulose fibers, and rags;
the manufacture of paper and paperboard; and the manufacture of paper and paperboard into
converted products such as paper coated off the paper machine, paper bags, paper boxes, and
envelopes. Also includes building paper and building board mills.
Paving Materials. Manufacturing establi shments producing various common paving and
roofing materials, including paving blocks made of asphalt, creosoted wood and various
compositions of asphalt and tar.
Personal Services. Service establishments primarily engaged in providing non-medical services
as a primary use and may include accessory retail sales of products related to the services provided.
These uses include the following: beauty shops (includes permanent makeup when less than ten
percent (10%) of overall sales), barber shops, day spas and massage therapy where each massage
therapist is certified/licensed by a State-recognized organization, shoe repair shops, dry cleaning
pickup stores, clothing rental, tailors, tanning salons, pet grooming services, and other similar uses.
Personal Services—Restricted. Service establishments that may have a blighting and/or
deteriorating effect upon the surrounding area which may need to be dispersed in order to minimize
their adverse impact. Examples of these uses include, but are not limited to, the following: check
cashing and/or payday/sameday loans; fortunetellers, psychics; palm, tarot and card readers; tattoo and
body piercing services; pawn shops, to which the business of pawn brokering, or the business of lending
money upon personal property, pawns or pledges is done; and hot tubs and saunas that are not an
accessory to a permitted use.
Petroleum Extraction. Resource extraction establishments primarily engaged in: producing crude
petroleum and natural gas; recovering oil from oil sands and shales; producing natural gasoline and
cycle condensate. Activities include exploration, drilling, oil and gas well operation and maintenance,
operation of natural gas and cycle plants, and the mining and extraction of oil from oil sands and shales.
Petroleum Refining and Related Industries. Manufacturing and processing establishments
primarily engaged in petroleum refining, and compounding lubricating oils and greases from
purchased materials. Also includes manufacture of petroleum coke and fuel briquettes and
petroleum bulk stations. Petroleum and petroleum products distributors are included in
“Wholesaling and Distribution.”
Pipelines. Facilities primarily engaged in the pipeline transportation of crude petroleum; refined
products of petroleum such as gasoline and fuel oils; mixed, manufactured or liquefied petroleum
gas; or the pipeline transmission of other commodities, excluding natural gas.
Plastics and Rubber Products. Manufacturing establishments producing rubber products such
as: tires; rubber footwear; mechanical rubber goods; heels and soles; flooring; and rubber sundries
from natural, synthetic or reclaimed rubber, gutta percha, balata, or gutta siak. Also includes
establishments primarily manufacturing tires (establishments primarily recapping and re treading
automobile tires are classified in “Auto, Mobilehome and Vehicle Dealers and Supplies”). Also
includes establishments engaged in molding primary plastics for the trade, and manufacturing
miscellaneous finished plastics products.
Primary Family Housing. A secondary dwelling to a single family dwelling which is limited to
occupancy by members of the immediate family of the property owner. Immediate family members
shall only include grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, sisters and brothers of the property
owner or spouse of the property owner.
Public Assembly and Entertainment. Facilities for public assembly and group entertainment
such as: public and semi-public auditoriums; exhibition and convention halls; civic theaters and
meeting halls; motion picture theaters; legitimate theater facilities for live theatrical presentations or
concerts by bands and orchestras; amphitheaters; meeting halls for rent and similar public assembly
uses.
Recreational Vehicle Parks. Transient lodging establishments primarily engaged in renting,
leasing or otherwise providing overnight or short-term sites for trailers, campers, or tents, with or
without individual utility hookups, but with other facilities such as public restrooms. Does not include
incidental camping areas, which are included under “Rural Sports and Group Facilities.”
Recycling and Scrap. Establishments primarily engaged in assembling, breaking up, sorting,
temporary storage and distribution of recyclable or reusable scrap and waste materials, including auto
wreckers engaged in dismantling automobiles for scrap. Does not include waste disposal sites, which
are separately defined. Does not include temporary storage of toxic or radioactive waste materials.
Recycling Centers. An establishment, which is larger than a “collection station,” that serves as
a community-wide center for the collection and/or processing of recyclable materials such as glass,
paper, plastic, aluminum and metal cans.
Residential Accessory Uses. Includes any use that is customarily part of a residence and is
clearly incidental and secondary to a residence and does not change the character of the residential
use. Residential accessory uses include the storage of vehicles and other personal property and
accessory structures including garages, studios and workshops.
Residential Care. A single-family or multiple-family dwelling unit that is licensed or supervised
by a Federal, State, or local health/welfare agency that provides non-medical care of unrelated
persons who are in need of personal service, supervision, or assistance essential for sustaining
activities of daily living or for the protection of the individual. Use includes the following: children’s
homes; halfway houses; rehabilitation centers; self-help group homes.
Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE). A housing arrangement chosen voluntarily by
the residents or the residents’ guardians, conservators or other responsible person(s) where the
following occurs: where seventy-five (75) percent of the residents are at least sixty-two (62) years of
age, or, if younger, have needs compatible with other residents; and where varying levels of care and
supervision are provided, as agreed to at the time of admission or as determined necessary. RCFE
uses may include basic services and community space. RCFE uses include the following:
1. Assisted Living Facility. A residential building or buildings that also provide housing,
personal and health care, as permitted by the Department of Social Services, designed to respond t o
the daily, individual needs of the residents. Assisted living facilities may include kitchenettes (small
refrigerator, sink and/or microwave oven) within individual rooms. Assisted living facilities are
required to be licensed by the California Department of Social Services, and do not include skilled
nursing services.
2. Independent Living Center/Senior Apartment. Independent living centers and senior
apartments are multi-family residential projects reserved for senior citizens, where common facilities
may be provided (for example, recreation areas), but where each dwelling unit has individual living,
sleeping, bathing, and kitchen facilities. Retirement Hotel. Establishments primarily engaged in
providing lodging facilities limited to the aged where no medical care is provided. Such
establishments may provide housekeeping and meals to the residents.
Roadside Stands. Open structures for the retail sale of agricultural products (except hay, grain
and feed sales which are included under “Farm Equipment and Supplies”) which are located on the
site or in the area of the property where the products being sold were grown.
Rural Sports and Group Facilities. Establishments supporting special group activities such as:
archery, pistol, rifle, and skeet clubs and facilities; dude ranches; health resorts including outdoor hot
spring, spa or hot tub facilities; hunting and fishing clubs; recreational camps; group or organized
camps; incidental, seasonal camping areas without facilities; equestrian facilities, including riding
academies, schools, stables and exhibition facilities.
Sales Lots. Sales lots consist of any outdoor sales area for permanent display of motorized farm
equipment, boats (FBSA Class 3 and 4 boats (over twenty-six (26) feet in length)), heavy commercial
trucks (US DOT Class 4 through 8), mobilehomes, construction equipment, or other heavy
equipment; outdoor equipment rental yards; or large scale temporary or permanent outdoor sales
activities, including, but not limited to, swap meets and flea markets.
Schools—Business and Vocational. Business and secretarial schools; vocational schools
offering specialized trade and commercial courses; specialized nondegree granting schools, such as:
music schools; dramatic schools; language schools; driver education schools; ballet and other dance
studios; and establishments furnishing educational courses by mail.
Schools. An institution or establishment that provides a program of instruction and teaching
services. Includes: preschools, nursery schools and day car e centers; elementary and secondary
schools serving grades K through 12 (or portions thereof); junior colleges, colleges and
universities; and similar education institutions. Does not include Sunday schools which are
permitted under “Churches and Related F acilities.”
Secondary Residential Unit. Second residential units are defined as residential occupancy
constructions (R) with a kitchen and full bathroom that is accessory to the primary unit and intended
for permanent occupancy by a second housekeeping unit.
Service Stations. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in the sale of gasoline, which
may also provide lubrication, oil change and tune-up services incidental to gasoline sales. May also
include a towing service but does not include storage of wrecked or abandoned vehicles, paint spray-
ing body and fender work, or trailer and equipment rental, unless rental uses are allowed in the subject
zoning district as “Storage Yards and Sales Lots.” Does not include the retail sale of gasoline as a
subordinate service to a liquor store unless such sale includes more than two (2) pumps.
Sexually Oriented Business. Any business defined by the Atascadero Sexually Oriented
Business Ordinance (see Chapter 5-10 of this code) as an adult arcade, adult bookstore, adult novelty
store, adult video store, adult cabaret, adult motel, adult motion picture theater, adult theater, massage
parlor, sexual encounter establishment, or nude model studio is a sexually oriented business.
Single-Family Dwelling. An attached or detached building not to contain more than one (1)
kitchen wherein the occupants of the dwelling unit are living and functioning together as a single
housekeeping unit, meaning that they have established ties and familiarity with each other, jointly
use common areas, interact with each other, membership in the single housekeeping unit is fairly
stable as opposed to transient, and members have some control over who becomes a member of the
single housekeeping unit. Also includes factory-built, manufactured housing units and mobile homes
constructed in compliance with Title 25 of the California Health and Safety Code, or successor
provision as defined in Section 9-9.102 of the Zoning Ordinance; transitional housing and supportive
housing serving six (6) or fewer persons as defined in Section 9-9.102 of the Zoning Ordinance.
Skilled Nursing Facility. Residential establishments primarily engaged in providing nursing and
health-related personal care, generally on a long-term basis, with in-patient beds, including skilled
nursing facilities; extended care facilities; convalescent and rest homes.
Small Scale Manufacturing. Manufacturing establishments not classified in any other major
manufacturing group, including: jewelry, silverware and plated ware; musical instruments; toys;
sporting and athletic goods; pens, pencils, and other office and artists’ materials; buttons, costume
novelties, miscellaneous notions; brooms and brushes; and other miscellaneous manufacturing
industries. Also included are artisan and craftsman type operations which are not home occupations,
and which are not secondary to on-site retail sales.
Social and Service Organizations. Public or quasi-public establishments providing social
services and rehabilitation services to such as counseling centers, welfare offices, job counseling and
training centers, or vocational rehabilitation agencies, persons with social or personal problems
requiring special services and to the handicapped and the disadvantaged. Also included are
organizations soliciting funds to be used directly for these related services. Also includes
establishments engaged in community improvement and neighborhood development. Does not
include child day care services which are classified under “Schools.”
Sports Assembly. Facilities for spectator-oriented specialized group sports assembly that
includes: stadiums and coliseums; arenas and field houses; race tracks (auto and animals); motorcycle
racing and drag strips; and other sports that are considered commercial.
Stone and Cut Stone Products. Manufacturing establishments primarily engaged in cutting,
shaping, and finishing marble, granite, slate, and other stone for building and miscellaneous uses.
Also includes establishments primarily engaged in buying or selling partly finished monuments and
tombstones.
Storage, Recycling and Dismantling of Vehicles and Material. Establishments primarily
engaged in the storage, assembling, dismantling, sorting, and distribution of materials, equipment
and vehicles. This use may be located either outdoors or indoors and includes, but is not limited to,
auto wrecking yards, vehicle storage areas, vehicle impound lots, recyclable/waste material storage
and transfer facilities. This does not include waste disposal sites, which are separately defined, or
temporary storage of toxic or radioactive waste materials.
Structural Clay and Pottery-Related Products. Manufacturing establishments primarily
producing brick and structural clay products, including pipe,
ITEM: 3
DATE: 8-16-16
china plumbing fixtures, and vitreous china articles, fine earthenware and porcelain electrical
supplies and parts. Artist/craftsman uses are included in “Small Scale Manufacturing” or “Home
Occupations.”
Temporary Dwelling. Includes the temporary use of a mobilehome or recreational vehicle as
a dwelling unit, following the issuance of a building permit for a permanent residence while the
permanent residence is under construction.
Temporary Events. Any use of a structure or land for an event for a limited period of time
where the site is not to be permanently altered by grading or construction of accessory facilities.
Events include: art shows; rodeos; religious revivals; tent camps; outdoor festivals and concerts.
Temporary Offices. The utilization of a mobilehome or recreational vehicle as a temporary
office during the period of a construction of a permanent office facility on the same site.
Temporary or Seasonal Retail Sales. Retail trade establishments primarily engaged in the sale
of fireworks; produce; Christmas trees or other seasonal items; or semiannual sales of art or
handcrafted items in conjunction with community festivals or art shows.
Textile Mills. Manufacturing establishments engaged in performing any of the following
operations: preparation of fiber and subsequent manufacturing of yarn, threads, braids, twine
cordage; manufacturing woven fabric and carpets and rugs from yarn; dying and finishing fiber,
yard, fabric, and knit apparel; coating, waterproofing, or otherwise treating fabric; the integrated
manufacture of knit apparel and other finished products from yarn; and the manufacture of felt
goods, lace goods, nonwoven fabrics and miscellaneous textiles.
Transit Stations and Terminals. Passenger stations for vehicular and rail mass transit systems;
also terminal facilities providing maintenance and service for the vehicles operated in the transit
system.
Utility Service Centers. A private or public utility facility providing for customer services
(including bill paying), engineering, production and treatment facilities, clerical, and construction
crew activities. Includes vehicle, material and equipment parking and storage.
Utility Transmission Facilities. Utility transmission lines and distribution facilities, including
substations for electric, gas, other energy sources, water, cable television and telephone. Does not
include lines serving individual customers.
Vehicle and Freight Terminals. Transportation establishments furnishing services incidental
to transportation, including: freight forwarding services; transportation arrangement services;
parking, crating, inspection and weighing services; freight terminal facilities; joint terminal and
service facilities; trucking facilities, including transfer and storage; public warehousing and
storage. Includes both railroad transportation and motor freight transportation.
Vehicle and Equipment Storage. Service establishments primarily engaged in the business
of storing cars, buses and other motor vehicles; recreational vehicles (such as campers, motor
homes, boats); construction equipment; and farm equipment. Includes both d ay use and long-
term public and commercial garages, parking lots and structures. Does not include wrecking
yards (classified in “Recycling and Scrap”).
Warehousing. Establishments primarily engaged in the storage of farm products, furniture,
household goods, or other commercial goods of any nature for later distribution to wholesale and
retailers. Does not include terminal facilities for handling freight (classified in “Vehicle and
Freight Terminals”). Also includes storage or mini-storage facilities offered for rent or lease to the
general public.
ITEM: 3
DATE: 8-16-16
Wholesaling and Distribution. Establishments engaged in selling merchandise to retailers; to
industrial, commercial, institutional, farm, or professional business users; or to other wholesalers;
or acting as agents or brokers in buying merchandise for or selling merchandise to such persons or
companies. Includes such establishments as: merchant wholesalers; agents, merchandise or
commodity brokers, and commission merchants; assemblers, buyers and associations engaged in
the cooperative marketing of farm products. (Ord. 570 § 1, 2013; Ord. 554 § 2, 2011; Ord. 552 §
2, 2010; Ord. 547 § 2, 2009; Ord. 499 § 2, 2006; Ord. 489 § 2, 2006; Ord. 473 § 2, 2005; Ord. 427
§ 1, 2003; Ord. 364 § 2, Exh. A, 1999; Ord. 303 § 2 (Exh. A), 1996; Ord. 300 § 2 (6), 1996; Ord.
237 § 1 (C), 1992; Ord. 68 § 9-3.701, 1983)