Sec. 24-111 Commercial General DistrictsSec. 24-111. — Commercial General Districts (CG).
A. Intent. Within the City of Atlantic Beach, the CG zoning district is intended for uses, which
provide general retail sales and services for the City of Atlantic Beach and the closely
surrounding neighborhoods. New development and new uses within these districts should have
direct access to arterial or collector streets, and sites should be designed so that increased
traffic through predominantly residential neighborhoods is avoided. The City of Atlantic Beach is
a predominantly residential community, with the exception of Section H, and it is a stated goal
with the comprehensive plan that the residential character of the city should be retained. As
such, the appropriate level of intensity for general commercial uses may be less than other
communities with large commercial zones or a more diverse mixture of uses in close proximity.
B. Permitted Uses. It is not possible to list all potential permitted or prohibited general commercial
uses within this section, but typical uses permitted within the CG zoning district shall include
neighborhood serving uses, which shall mean commercial use intended to serves the daily needs
of residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. Addendum for Section H or West Atlantic Beach.
For the purpose of this document, it is the area bounded south by Atlantic Boulevard, east by
the Mayport Road corridor, north by Dutton Island Road and west by Main Street. This area is
commonly referred to as Section H or West Atlantic Beach. For Section H the permitted uses
shall include, but are not limited to the following: manufacturing, warehousing, storage,
container service and retail and wholesale operation. These businesses shall and must abide by
all Federal, State and local government environmental and safety regulations including, but not
limited to their respective industries. There shall be no negative impacts to surrounding
neighborhoods and properties due to excessive traffic, noise, light or extreme hours of
operation. This Addendum shall include the following provisions for Section H only:
1) Allow outside storage of any equipment or vehicles o containers as long as they
are properly screened to include a zero lot line fencing.
2) Allow more than one commercial vehicle to be parked at the business, at any
time, as long as it is properly tagged and meets all licensing regulations and is in
working order.
3) Allow all service related business to occupy the space without a need for use -by -
exception as long as if falls under the accepted criteria.
C. Where a proposed use is not specifically listed in the section, the permissibility of the use will be
determined based upon its similarity to listed uses and the compatibility and potential for
adverse impacts to existing nearby uses. The uses permitted in the CG zoning district shall be
defined within section 24-17.
1) Institutional and government uses, buildings and facilties.
2) Churches in accordance with section 24-153.
3) A single dwelling unit, where such dwelling is an accessory use to the principal
use and located within the same building as the principle use. Such dwelling unit
is intended to be occupied by the owner or an employee of the principle use.
4) Those uses listed as permitted uses and uses -by -exception in the commercial
limited and commercial, professional and office zoning districts.
5) Residential use, consistent with the comprehensive plan, which permits
residential uses not exceeding the medium density category when in
conjunction with, or adjacent to commercial development and redevelopment,
provided that such residential development shall not be permitted within the
coastal high hazard area
Policy A.1.11.1(b)
Single-family residential uses within the CG zoning districts existing as of the
initial effective date of these land development regulations shall be considered
as vested development.
6) Mixed use projects combining the above uses and those approved as a use -by -
exception pursuant to subsection below.
D. Permitted uses shall also not include adult entertainment establishments, indoor or outdoor
firing ranges, indoor or outdoor flea markets, vendors on public rights-of-way, amusement or
game centers, bingo halls, billiard or pool halls, game arcades, gaming, video poker
establishments, computer game centers, or games played on individual machines or computers,
including any type of card, token or coin-operated video or simulated games or similar activities
or machines which are played for any type of compensation or reward.
E. Uses -by -exception. Within the CG zoning district, the following uses may be approved as a use -
by -exception where such proposed uses are found to be consistent with the uses permitted in
the CG zoning districts with respect to intensity of use, traffic impacts and compatibility with
existing commercial uses and any nearby residential uses:
1) Pet kennel and facilities for the boarding of animals.
2) Veterinary clinic.
3) On -premises consumption of alcoholic beverages in accordance with chapter 3
of the Code.
4) Restaurants with drive-through service where the site contains lanes deciated
solely to drive-through business (this shall not be construed to prohibit
restaurants with carry -out service, which are a permitted use), except for
Section H.
5) Produce and fresh markets with outdoor sale and display of garden product
only.
6) Hospitals.
7) Sales of new and used automobiles, motorcycles and boats, and automotive
leasing establishments, but not temporary car, truck, boat or motorcycle shows
or displays.
8) Businesses offering live entertainment, not including adult entertainment
establishments as defined by Section 847.001(2), Florida Statues.
F. Limitations on certain uses. Permitted uses within the CG zoning district shall not include large-
scale retail establishments, which for the purposes of this chapter shall be defined by their size
and as follows:
Large-scale retail establishments shall include those businesses, whether in a standing
building or in a multi -tenant building, which occupy a floor area exceeding sixty
thousand (60,000) square feet including any interior courtyards, all areas under roof and
also any other display, sales or storage areas partially or fully enclosed by any means
including walls, tarps, gates or fencing. Large-scale retail establishments are commonly
referred to as "big-box" retailers, discount department stores, supercenters, warehouse
clubs or by similar terms. Such establishments may offere a similar type of products
such as electronics or appliances or office products, but more typically offer a wide
variety of general merchandise and departments, which may include home
improvement, house-wares and home furnishings, sporting goods, apparel, pharmacy,
health and beauty products, automotive parts and services and may also include grocery
items. This definition shall not be construed to limit the overall size of shopping centers
as these are defined within section 24-17, but shall apply to any building where
businesses with separate local business tax receipts may share the same interior space
of a building which is not separated into individual units by structural fire rated walls or
that do not contain separate and distinct exterior entrances.
Intent. The intent of this limitation is to ensure that the city's limited commercial areas
are developed or redeveloped with uses that are compatible with the residential
character of the city and further, to implement related goals, objectives, and policies of
the 2015 Comprehensive Plan, restated in the part that follows.
Commercial and light industrial development shall be located and designed so as to
minimize adverse effects on residential areas, traffic facilities and the aesthetic
character of the city (Policy A.1.5.7).
1) The city shall provide for land use, development and redevelopment in an
efficient manner, which supports the land use designations as set forth
within the 2015 Future Land Use Map; which enforces the residential
densities and the limitation upon the type and intensity of uses, and which
results in development appropriate to the sensitive coastal location of the
city, particularly with respect to the predominantly residential character and
small-town scale of the city (Objective A.1.11 — Appropriate land use
patterns).
2) The city shall encourage future development and redevelopment, which
retains the exceptionally high quality of life and the predominantly
residential character of the City of Atlantic Beach (Objective A.1.3 —
Maintaining residential character).
G. Minimum lot size. The minimum size for lots within the commercial general zoning district shall
be:
1) Lot or site area: Five thousand (5,000) square feet.
2) Lot width: Fifty (50) feet.
3) Lot depth: One hundred (100) feet.
H. Minimum yard requirements. The minimum yard requirements within the commercial general
zoning district shall be:
1) Front yard: Twenty (20) feet, except that the front yard may be reduced to ten (10)
feet where required off-street parking is located at the rear or side of the building
site, and the primary business entrance is designed to face the street.
2) Rear yard: Ten (10) feet.
3) Side yard: Ten (10) feet where adjacent to existing residential use. Otherwise, a
combined fifteen (15) total feet with a five (5) feet minimum on either side.
I. Building restrictions. The building restrictions in the commercial general zoning district shall be
as follows:
1) Maximum impervious surface: Seventy (70) percent. Where existing impervious
surface area exceeds seventy (70) percent on previously developed sites, new
development shall not exceed the pre -construction impervious surface area, and
required landscaping shall be provided in accordance with division 8 of this chapter.
Stormwater management requirements shall apply to infill development and to
redevelopment projects involving exterior site changes.
2) Maximum building height: Thirty-five (35) feet.
3) Parking. Off-street parking shall be provided in accordance with section 24461 of
this chapter. Where existing uses, which do not provide the required number of off-
street parking spaces as set forth within subsection 24-161(g) are replaced with
similar uses (such as a restaurant replacing a restaurant), with no expansion in size
or increase in number of seats, additional parking shall not be required. Any
increase in floor area or expansion in building size, including the addition of seats
shall require provision of additional parking for such increase or expansion.
(Ord. No. 9040-212, § 2(Exh. A), 3-8-10)