CITY OF COON RAPIDS, MINNESOTA
CHAPTER 11-1300
(NC) NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL DISTRICT

11-1301 Intent. The intent of this District is to preserve land for the use of attractive neighborhood shopping centers that are compatible with residential neighborhoods. These are small centers that cater to the daily shopping needs of the surrounding neighborhood. Emphasis should be placed on convenience and pedestrian and bicycle access. The center should be designed to eliminate any nuisance or incompatibility with surrounding land uses.

11-1302 Permitted Uses.

(1) Agricultural uses, except feedlots.
(2) Offices.
(3) Public parks and their incidental structures.
(4) Public uses or utilities, except high voltage transmission lines.
(5) Retail stores, emphasizing the sale of convenience goods, such as groceries, drugs, or sundries, and personal services, such as laundry, dry cleaning, barbering, or shoe repairing. Retail stores do not include those subject to license pursuant to Title 5 of this Code, except as specifically provided under this Title ll. [Revised 5/6/97, Ordinance 1602]
(6) Medical and dental clinics.
(7) State licensed Day Care Facilities.
(8) Secondhand dealers or antique dealers as defined by Revised City Code - 1982 Sections 5-2602(15) and 5-2602(18).[Revised 2/4/97, Ordinance 1594][Revised 11/17/98, Ordinance 1651]
(9) City licensed transient merchants, solicitors, and canvassers operating from a fixed location. [Revised 4/1/97, Ordinance 1600]
(10) Precious metal dealers as defined by Revised City Code - 1982 Section 5-2702(6). [Revised 11/17/98, Ordinance 1651]

11-1303 Accessory Uses.

(1) Any accessory use that is permitted in (O) Office District.
(2) Medical and dental laboratories in conjunction with medical and dental clinics.

11-1304 Conditional Uses.

(1) High voltage transmission lines.
(2) Ice sales from vending machines.
(3) Nonprofit clubs or lodges.
(4) Restaurants or fast food establishments, provided that they do not locate in a separate building from the center.
(5) Duplicating, blueprinting, and photostating services.
(6) Motor vehicle fuel sales, provided that:

(a) The fuel sales is incidental to a retail store;
(b) No separate building, structure, or store is used as part of the fuel sales;
(c) No more than four (4) dispensing hoses may be operable simultaneously per neighborhood shopping center; and,
(d) The fuel sales shall be accessible from off the parcel of property on which it is located by way of at least two (2) in and out vehicular accesses.

(7) Physical Fitness Centers of 3000 square feet Floor Area or less. [Revised 8/16/05, Ordinance 1900]

11-1305 District Standards. The District Standards shall be as follows:

(1) Bike Racks. Bike racks shall be provided in an area that is convenient to each major building entrance, but which will not disrupt pedestrian or vehicular traffic or fire lanes.
(2) Landscaping and Screening. The landscape design objectives, the landscape plan and the size, location, quantity and type of landscape and screening plants shall meet the requirements of the current version of Landscape Standards On File With The Community Development Director and the following requirements:

(a) All landscaped areas shall be irrigated with an underground sprinkler system.
(b) Landscaped islands shall be provided in parking lots to break up and soften the appearance of large areas of paving.
(c) All areas of the site not covered by impervious surfaces or landscaping shall be planted with cultured sod laid over four inches of drought-resistant top soil.
(d) Trash and recycling areas, mechanical equipment and other screening shall be required in accordance with Sections 11-1833 through 11-1837. [Revised 12/16/03, Ordinance 1828]

(3) Building Appearance. The design of buildings and exterior building materials and colors shall be consistent with the following standards.

(a) Building Character. The design of buildings shall have a comparable, compatible and complementary relationship to surrounding land uses. Buildings shall be designed with interesting and varied exterior materials, setbacks and architectural features and details. All exterior wall surfaces shall be of the same materials.
(b) Development Guidelines. Developments shall satisfy the following guidelines. Determination of whether these guidelines are satisfied shall be made by the Planning Commission.

i. Vary building massing, using methods including staggering building components, adding columns, recessing doorways, creating interesting shapes and short, uneven facades.
ii. Articulate building facades using techniques such as staggering, arcades, awnings, special window treatments, ornamentation and unique details. Face primary entries to public or private streets and orient doors for loading and unloading goods away from public or private streets.
iii. Provide a variety of roof shapes using techniques including pitched, gable or hip roofs or detailed parapets and cornices creating interesting roof profiles for flat roofs.
iv. Every building shall include a focal element or feature adding interest or distinction, using techniques such as elevating parts of buildings, towers, or emphasizing a prominent part of the building such as a corner or main entry or by using features such as canopies, porticoes, overhangs, arcades, facade recesses and projections and peaked roofs or raised parapets above doors or windows.
v. High quality, exterior building materials shall be used. Such materials include brick, natural stone, textured pre-cast masonry, fiber-cement siding, integrally colored, concrete masonry units and similar materials. Accent materials may include metal, glass block, E.F.I.S and similar materials. Exterior materials shall not include smooth-faced concrete block, pre-fabricated steel panels, reflective glass or aluminum, fiberglass or vinyl siding.
vi. Exterior colors shall be approved by the Planning Commission shall not be changed, at the time of building construction or in the future, unless approved by the Commission.
vii. Where approved, the motor vehicle fuel pump canopy roof shall have the same shape, materials and color as the roof of the principal building. Canopy supports shall be enclosed in decorative masonry or metal columns. [Revised 7/6/04, Ordinance 1822] [Revised 8/16/05, Ordinance 1899]

(4) Building Height. The maximum building height is 25 feet.
(5) Reserved for future use. [Revised 12/16/03, Ordinance 1828]
(6) Outdoor Storage. Outdoor storage is prohibited except as authorized in Section 11-1854.
(7) Floor Area. The minimum floor area is 2,000 square feet.
(8) Reserved for future use. [Revised 12/16/03, Ordinance 1828]
(9) Loading Areas. Loading areas shall be provided as specified in Sections 11-1814 through 11-1818 of the City Code.
(10) Lot Area. The minimum lot area is one (1) acre in a single ownership or control.
(11) Lot Coverage. No more than 40 percent of a lot shall be covered by buildings.
(12) Mechanical Screening. All mechanical equipment on the ground or roof, such as heating and air conditioning units and electrical transformers, shall be screened on all sides so as not to be visible from public streets or other properties. Such screening shall be compatible with the building. Evergreen plant materials may be used to screen such equipment located on the ground.
(13) Parking, Driveways and Driving Areas. Such areas shall be provided as specified in Sections 11-1803 through 11-1812, 11-1819, 11-1820, and 11-1823 of City Code. All vehicles shall be parked on a paved surface.
(14) Setbacks. Minimum setbacks shall be as follows:

(a) Principal use buildings from:

Another principal use building: 25 feet

Arterial Street Right-of-Way (with or without service drive): 50 feet. This may be reduced to 30 feet if a 30 foot landscaped yard is maintained between the building and the right-of-way and if the arterial street is constructed as a completely improved roadway and no further upgrading of it is proposed or the full anticipated right-of-way has been dedicated or acquired. [Revised 12/5/00, Ordinance 1717]

Other Street Right-of-Way: 35 feet
Adjacent LDR-1, LDR-2 or MH districts: 50 feet
Other adjacent property: 25 feet
Parking and drives: 5 feet

(b) Parking and drives from:

Street Right-of-Way: 20 feet

Adjacent Moderate Density Residential or High Density Residential districts: 25 feet. The Planning Commission may reduce this to 5 feet when the use on the abutting property is a nonresidential use.

Adjacent Low Density Residential-1, Low Density Residential-2 or Mobile Home districts: 35 feet. The Planning Commission may reduce this to 5 feet when the use on the abutting property is a non-residential conditional use.

Other adjacent property: 5 feet

(15) Sidewalks. Public sidewalks shall be installed at all locations designated in the Sidewalk System Plan adopted by the City Council and elsewhere as deemed necessary by City Council. The location, design and elevation of such sidewalks shall be in conformance with the standards on file in the office of the City Engineer. If the Planning Commission determines that sidewalk construction is not feasible because of future street construction, the Planning Commission may postpone such construction, provided a cash payment is made to the City in an amount determined by the City Engineer sufficient to cover the cost of constructing the sidewalk when it is feasible. On-site sidewalks shall be provided where necessary for pedestrian safety and convenience.
(16) Sign Plan. A sign plan shall be submitted with the site plan for new developments or when existing developments are being enlarged or extensively remodeled.
(17) Site Design. Access to buildings within a shopping center shall be planned so as to avoid pedestrian crossings of vehicular traffic lanes. Adjacent commercial uses shall be designed to encourage pedestrian movement between uses. Common drives, parking, walks and green space shall be used whenever possible.

11-1306 Site Plan Approval. Site plan approval shall be required pursuant to Sections 11-320 through 11-328. Before a site plan is approved, a finding shall be made that the proposed uses are planned as one (1) integrated project.