§ 115-84. C2, General business district.

(a)

[In general.] The C2, General business district is intended to provide adequate space in appropriate locations along major streets, thoroughfares and at intersections for various types of business use. These uses should include the retailing of major goods and services, general office facilities and public functions that would serve a community area of several neighborhoods. Development of uses in the district characteristically occupies a larger area than in the C1, Neighborhood business district because it is intended to serve a greater population and to offer a wider range of services. Orientation and expansion of this district should occur as an increase in depth at major intersections rather than as a strip-like extension along the street or thoroughfare.

(b)

Permitted uses. Only the following permitted use shall be allowed in the C2, General business district and no structure shall be erected, structurally altered or enlarged for any use other than a use permitted herein with the exception of: uses lawfully established prior to the effective date of the amendment; special uses as permitted herein; accessory uses as defined in section 115-5, pertaining to definitions; or other uses which are clearly similar to and consistent with the purpose of this district.

(1)

Retail and service uses.

a.

Antique shops.

b.

Animal hospitals or veterinary clinics.

c.

Art and school supply stores.

d.

Art galleries.

e.

Automotive parts stores, no on-premises installation.

f.

Bakeries.

g.

Banks or financial institutions. Automatic tellers as accessory or freestanding use.

h.

Barbershops and beauty shops.

i.

Bicycle shops.

j.

Blueprinting establishments.

k.

Bookstores or stationery stores.

l.

Building, electrical or plumbing contractors, provided no equipment or materials are stored outside.

m.

Business college or business schools operated as a business enterprise.

n.

Bus stations, provided:

1.

They are not located in shopping centers;

2.

They are located in a freestanding building;

3.

No other uses are permitted on the same lot as the bus station.

o.

Certified massage therapist meeting the requirements of chapter 8, article XI, pertaining to massage therapy.

p.

Clothing sale or rental stores.

q.

Convenience food stores with or without fuel pumps.

r.

Custom dressmaking and sewing shops.

s.

Instructional dance studios.

t.

Day care centers, provided the following conditions are met:

1.

At least 100 square feet of outdoor recreation area per child and the outdoor play area is enclosed with a six-foot-high fence.

2.

Comply with all state day care requirements.

3.

Comply with all health regulations.

u.

Department stores.

v.

Drive-in restaurants.

w.

Drugstores.

x.

Dry cleaning pickup and delivery stations.

y.

Electronic sales and service establishments.

z.

Emission inspection stations, provided the following design standards are met:

1.

The facility shall be located in a permanent noncombustible structure.

2.

The structure shall include a designated indoor public waiting area (minimum six fixed seats) with restrooms; or as an alternative, shall provide the required designated indoor waiting area and restrooms upon the same lot, within 500 feet of the testing facility.

3.

The facility shall provide a minimum of four paved parking spaces. Drive-through facilities shall also provide a paved stacking lane for a minimum of four vehicles. Parking spaces and stacking lane shall be striped.

4.

If constructed in an existing parking lot, the facility and stacking lane shall not occupy any required on-site parking space or encroach into any minimum required driveway width.

aa.

Florists.

bb.

Food catering establishments.

cc.

Food stores or grocery stores.

dd.

Funeral homes and mausoleums.

ee.

Furniture rental or sales establishments.

ff.

Equipment rental, excluding heavy equipment, bulldozers, backhoes, forklifts, cranes, etc., and provided there is no outside storage associated with the use.

gg.

Garden supply centers and greenhouses, including accessory outdoor storage.

hh.

Gift shops.

ii.

Group and congregate personal care homes.

jj.

Hardware stores.

kk.

Health clubs or spas.

ll.

Hobby shops.

mm.

Ice cream shops.

nn.

Instruction of fine arts.

oo.

Interior decorating shops.

pp.

Jewelry stores.

qq.

Laundries and dry cleaning establishments, including self-service laundries.

rr.

Locksmith shops.

ss.

Mobile buildings, temporary, while any of the permitted or special uses are under construction but not exceed six months.

tt.

Motels and hotels provided the following minimum standards are met:

1.

Guest rooms shall be accessed internally to the building with no direct room access to the outside. The lobby shall be a minimum of 700 square feet in size.

2.

Each hotel/motel site shall be a minimum of two acres.

3.

Each hotel/motel must provide management on duty 24 hours a day.

4.

Each guest room shall have a minimum of 300 square feet and shall be accessed with a magnetic keycard entry-locking device.

5.

For buildings three stories or less or containing no more than 130 rooms, each motel/hotel building shall have a minimum roof pitch of four in 12.

6.

Outside storage of commercial equipment is prohibited.

7.

No business license shall be issued for any business operating from any guest room of the facility.

8.

Provide a 75-foot natural buffer, enhanced with an additional 25-foot landscaped buffer (total 100 feet) adjacent to residentially zoned property.

uu.

Museums and libraries.

vv.

Music stores or studios.

ww.

Newspaper and printing plants.

xx.

Off-street parking lots.

yy.

Outdoor theatres, provided there are acceleration and deceleration lanes at least 200 feet in length, and provided the screen is not visible from any public street located within 500 feet of the screen.

zz.

Parking lots and garages.

aaa.

Pest control businesses.

bbb.

Pet shops or grooming establishments.

ccc.

Photocopying and reproduction services.

ddd.

Photography shops and studios.

eee.

Plant nursery sales facilities.

fff.

Plumbing, electrical, pool and home building supply showrooms and sales centers, provided there is no outdoor storage associated with the use.

ggg.

Psychics and/or fortunetellers, provided they meet the following standards:

1.

Road frontage requirement. The proposed establishment must have road frontage, in conformance with the requirements of this zoning district, on a major arterial street. Major arterial streets are shown on the official thoroughfare map of the City, on file with the Office of Community Development.

2.

Minimum distance requirement from other psychics and/or fortunetellers. No psychics and/or fortunetellers shall be located, established, maintained or operated on any lot that has a property line within 500 feet of the property line of any other lot on which any other psychics and/or fortunetellers are located, established, maintained or operated.

3.

Minimum distance from protected uses. No psychic and/or fortuneteller shall be located, established, maintained or operated on any lot that has a property line within 500 feet of the property line of any lot on which any protected use is located, established, maintained or operated.

4.

Minimum distance from residential property. No psychic and/or fortuneteller shall be located, established, maintained or operated on any lot that has a property line within 500 feet of the property line of any residential property.

5.

Measurement. For purposes of this subsection, distances shall be measured in a straight line, without regard to intervening structures or objects, from the nearest point on the property line of the lot on which the psychic and/or fortuneteller is located to the nearest point on a property line of any residential property or any lot on which a protected use or other psychic and/or fortuneteller, as the case may be, is established, maintained or operated.

6.

Limited exception for subsequent protected uses or residential property. A psychic and/or fortuneteller lawfully operating under this Code shall not be deemed to be in violation of the location restrictions set forth solely herein because a protected use subsequently locates within the minimum required distance of the psychic and/or fortuneteller, or property within the minimum required distance of a psychic and/or fortuneteller subsequently becomes residential property. This subsection shall not apply to a psychic and/or fortuneteller at a time when an application for a business license for that establishment is submitted after the license has previously expired, has been revoked, or is at that time under suspension.

hhh.

Radio, recording or television studios and broadcasting stations.

iii.

Radio and television repair shops.

jjj.

Record/video sales and rental stores.

kkk.

Recreation facilities, indoor, such as bowling alleys, skating rinks, shooting ranges, movie theatres, and game rooms.

lll.

Restaurants, including brewpubs meeting all of the regulations of article 4 of the city Code with respect to alcoholic beverages and the following supplemental standards:

1.

Brewing activities shall be accessory to sales and consumption of food and beverages on-premises.

2.

Shall be located wholly in an enclosed building.

3.

Production space shall be limited subject to O.C.G.A. § 3-5-36.

4.

No outdoor equipment or outdoor storage is permitted.

mmm.

Shoe stores and shoe repair shops.

nnn.

Small appliance repair shops.

ooo.

Sporting goods.

ppp.

Tailor shops.

qqq.

Tattoo and/or body piercing establishments.

1.

Road frontage requirement. The proposed establishment must have road frontage, in conformance with the requirements of this zoning district, on a major arterial street. Major arterial streets are shown on the official thoroughfare map of the city, on file with the office of community development.

2.

Minimum distance requirement from other tattoo and/or body piercing establishment. No tattoo and/or body piercing establishments shall be located, established, maintained or operated on any lot that has a property line within 500 feet of the property line of any other lot on which any other tattoo and/or body piercing establishments are located, established, maintained or operated.

3.

Minimum distance from protected uses. No tattoo and/or body piercing establishments shall be located, established, maintained or operated on any lot that has a property line within 500 feet of the property line of any lot on which any protected use is located, established, maintained or operated.

4.

Minimum distance from residential property. No tattoo and/or body piercing establishments shall be located, established, maintained or operated on any lot that has a property line within 500 feet of the property line of any residential property.

5.

Measurement. For purposes of this subsection, distances shall be measured in a straight line, without regard to intervening structures or objects, from the nearest point on the property line of the lot on which the tattoo and/or body piercing establishments are located to the nearest point on the property line of any residential property or any lot on which a protected use or other tattoo and/or body piercing establishment as the case may be, is established, maintained or operated.

6.

Limited exception for subsequent protected uses or residential property. A tattoo and/or body piercing establishment lawfully operating under this Code shall not be deemed to be in violation of the location restrictions set forth solely herein because a protected use subsequently locates within the minimum required distance of the tattoo and/or body piercing establishments, or property within the minimum required distance of a tattoo and/or body piercing establishments subsequently becomes residential property. This subsection shall not apply to a tattoo and/or body piercing establishment at a time when an application for a business license for that establishment is submitted after the license has previously expired, has been revoked, or is at that time under suspension.

rrr.

Taxidermist.

sss.

Theaters and other indoor places of amusement, not specifically excluded by law.

ttt.

Toy stores (children's and hobby stores).

uuu.

Travel agencies.

vvv.

Watch and clock repair shops.

www.

Weaving apparel shops.

xxx.

Indoor flea markets.

yyy.

Reserved.

zzz.

Private schools, vocational schools and commercial schools.

aaaa.

Window tinting or stereo installation that is not associated with an auto repair business.

bbbb.

Personal services, hair salons, nail salons, tanning salons, hydrotherapy salons, and sauna salons.

cccc.

Adult entertainment establishments meeting all the requirements of the adult entertainment establishment ordinance.

dddd.

Within the C2, General business district, gasoline service station pumps are permitted within the front yard setback, provided they are located not closer than 15 feet to the highway right-of-way.

(2)

Office uses.

a.

Accounting offices.

b.

Architecture or engineering offices.

c.

Doctor, dentist or chiropractor offices.

d.

Insurance offices.

e.

Law offices.

f.

Medical clinics.

g.

Office/showroom facilities.

h.

Other public or professional offices.

i.

Real estate offices.

j.

Wholesale warehouse and with no outdoor storage.

(3)

Public and semipublic uses.

a.

Semipublic institutions, such as clubs, churches, mosques, synagogues or other places of worship, provided:

1.

The club, church, mosque, synagogue or other place of worship is located on not less than five acres if it is a stand-alone use; or

2.

A special use permit must be obtained if the club, church, mosque, synagogue or other place of worship is located in an established business park or industrial park.

b.

Clubs, lodges, fraternal institutions and meeting halls.

c.

Government offices.

d.

Post offices.

e.

Public or semipublic buildings and land uses, parks, playgrounds or community centers.

f.

Utility offices.

(4)

Residential. Caretaker or watchman quarters as an accessory use when granted a special exception by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

(5)

Special uses. Within the C2, General business district the following uses may be permitted provided the applicant for such development is granted a special use permit by the governing authority after receiving recommendation from the Community Development Department head and the Planning and Zoning Board and after a public hearing.

a.

Auto body repair shops.

b.

Automotive car wash (full-service or self-service).

c.

Auto repair shops or tire stores including lubrication or tune-up centers (full service and self-service).

d.

Automotive sales lots new or used and associated service facilities with the following conditions:

1.

Lot size one and one-half acres for used.

2.

Minimum inventory of automobiles shall be displayed in parking lot/spaces that meet the minimum standard of this Code for parking lots/spaces including size and surface treatment; and

3.

All vehicles on sales lots are in operating condition at all times.

e.

Pawn shops, title loan and check cashing facilities.

f.

Pool halls or billiard halls (three or more tables).

g.

Precious metals dealers.

h.

Taxi cab or limousine services.

i.

Any retail or service establishment not specifically permitted herein, but which is similar to the listed uses, compatible with uses on adjoining property and which meets the intent and purpose of the district.

j.

Telecommunications antenna.

k.

Telecommunication tower.

(Code 1979, § 8-4-49; Code 1998, § 106-85; Ord. No. 1-95, 2-6-1995; Ord. No. 10-95, 8-7-1995; Ord. No. 13-96, 5-6-1996; Ord. No. 16-96, 8-5-1996; Ord. No. 21-96, 10-7-1996; Ord. No. 08-97, § II, 5-5-1997; Ord. No. 06-98, 4-6-1998; Ord. No. 02-99, 2-1-1999; Ord. No. 13-2000, 10-2-2000; Ord. No. 14-2000, 11-6-2000; Ord. No. 06-2002, § 106-85, 3-4-2002; Ord. No. 03-2003, § 106-85, 3-3-2003; Ord. No. 11-2003, § 106-85, 8-4-2003; Ord. No. 14-2003, § 106-85, 10-6-2003; Ord. No. 18-2011, 10-3-2011; Ord. No. 09-2013 , 12-3-2013; Ord. No. 07-2018 § I, 6-4-2018; Ord. No. 09-2018 , § 1, 8-6-2018)