CITY OF COON RAPIDS, MINNESOTA
CHAPTER 11-1500
(GC) GENERAL COMMERCIAL DISTRICT

11-1501 Intent. These areas are intended to encourage businesses that do not belong in shopping centers, businesses which are highway-oriented, or businesses that tend to service industries, other businesses, and residences. These areas tend to include businesses which are less compatible with residential areas than other commercial districts. Therefore, such uses should be buffered from residential areas. The site plan should be designed to produce the maximum efficiency for the business, while protecting the interests of the surrounding land uses.

11-1502 Permitted Uses.

(1) Agricultural uses, except feedlots.
(2) Amusement centers defined and regulated by Section 5-300.
(3) Animal hospitals and kennels, duly licensed under Chapter 6-200, excluding such establishments with outside runs. 
(4) Barber shops and beauty shops.
(5) Bowling alleys, defined and regulated by Chapter 5-600.
(6) Building material sales, including lumber, heating, plumbing, electrical, or hardware supply shops.
(7) Dancing, defined and regulated by Chapter 5-1000.
(8) Financial institutions.
(9) Greenhouses or nurseries.
(10) Hotels and motels, other than Adult Oriented Businesses defined by Chapter 5-2200.
(11) Lawful gambling defined and regulated by Chapter 5-2000.
(12) Marine sales.
(13) Medical and dental clinics and medical and dental laboratories.
(14) Motor vehicle accessory sales, service, or repair, excluding body work or spray painting.
(15) Motor vehicle washes.
(16) New vehicle sales.
(17) Offices.
(18) Outdoor sales of household and garden equipment.
(19) Pet grooming shops, provided no animal is kept overnight or outside and no noise is audible outside of the building or bay occupied by the grooming shop.
(20) Printing and advertising services.
(21) Public parks and their incidental structures.
(22) Public uses or utilities.
(23) Rental businesses without exterior storage.
(24) Repair and/or servicing of carry-in items, including musical, scientific and medical instruments, photographic equipment, jewelry, watches, clocks, household appliances, furnishings and equipment, office machines, firearms, small engines, and bicycles, and tailoring and dressmaking services.
(25) Restaurants, fast food establishments and on-sale alcohol establishments defined and regulated by Chapter 5-200.
(26) Retail stores except as may be regulated by Section 11-1502(36).[Revised 5/16/06, Ordinance 1920]
(27) Roller rinks.
(28) Pawnbrokers defined and regulated by Chapter 5-2400.
(29) Precious Metal Dealers defined and regulated by Chapter 5-2700.
(30) Secondhand Dealers or Antique Dealers defined and regulated by Chapter 5-2600. [Revised 2/4/97, Ordinance 1594][Revised 11/17/98, Ordinance 1651]
(31) Service Stations.
(32) Theater uses defined and regulated by Chapter 5-1400, except as may be regulated by Section 11-1502(36).[Revised 5/16/06, Ordinance 1920].
(33) Transient Merchants, Solicitors, and Canvassers, defined and regulated by Chapter 5-1500.[Revised 4/1/97, Ordinance 1600]
(34) Off-sale intoxicating liquor establishments regulated by Chapter 5-200.
(35) Non-Profit Clubs, Lodges, and Halls. [Revised 5/7/02, Ordinance 1761]
(36) No adult oriented business, as defined by Section 5-2202, is permitted, except adult book stores, adult cabarets, adult conversation parlors, adult motion picture theaters, and adult novelty businesses, subject to regulation under Chapter 5-2200 and Section 11-1863, Revised City Code 1982, or state or federal law.[Revised 7/2/02, Ordinance 1775]

11-1503 Conditional Uses.

(1) Agricultural, construction, and industrial machinery, equipment, sales, or service.
(2) Archery Clubs defined and regulated by Section 5-400.
(3) Automobile Rental Facility. [Revised 5/15/07, Ordinance 1949]
(4) Commercial storage facilities.
(5) Contractors’ and carpenters’ shop.
(6) Gun Clubs defined and regulated by Section 5-1100.
(7) Motor vehicle body work or spray painting.
(8) Physical Fitness Centers. [Revised 8/16/05, Ordinance 1900]
(9) Rental businesses with exterior storage.
(10) State licensed day care facilities.
(11) Trailer, travel trailer, or mobile home sales or rental.
(12) Used vehicle sales in conjunction with new vehicle sales.
(13) Warehousing and wholesale business.[Revised 7/2/02, Ordinance 1775][Revised 8/16/05, Ordinance 1900] [Revised 5/15/07, Ordinance 1949]

11-1504 District Standards. The District Standards shall be as follows:

(1) Building Appearance. The design of buildings and exterior building materials 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 or by the City Council after receiving a recommendation from 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, integrally colored, concrete masonry units, and similar materials. Accent materials may include metal, glass block, EIFS 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 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 1/2/96, Ordinance 1557] [Revised 7/6/04, Ordinance 1822][Revised 8/16/05, Ordinance 1899]

(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 large areas of paving.
(c) All areas 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) Outdoor Storage. Outdoor storage is prohibited except as authorized in Section 11-1854.
(4) Lot Area. The lot area shall be sufficient to accommodate principal and accessory buildings, and required parking, setbacks, and landscaped areas.
(5) Maximum Lot Coverage. No more than 40 percent of the lot shall be covered by buildings.
(6) Minimum Floor Area. 600 square feet.
(7) Minimum Lot Width. 100 feet.
(8) Minimum Setbacks Required.

(a) Buildings from:
Another 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 12/05/00, Ordinance 1717]

Other street right-of-way: 35 feet

Adjacent LDR-1, LDR-2, MH, MDR districts: 50 feet plus 2.5 feet for every foot (or fraction of a foot) of building height over 30 feet. In granting site plan approval the Planning Commission may approve a reduction to 10 feet for a side yard or 25 feet for a rear yard when the use of the abutting property is a utility use including, but not limited to, a pump house, sewage lift station, substation, water tower, reservoir, or water treatment facility.[Revised 6/06/00, Ordinance 1696]

Adjacent HDR district side yard: 20 feet, provided, however, in granting site plan approval the Planning Commission may approve a reduction to 10 feet when the use on the abutting property is a utility use including, but not limited to, a pump house, sewage lift station, substation, water tower, reservoir, or water treatment facility.[Revised 6/06/00, Ordinance 1696]

Rear yard: 25 feet
Other adjacent property:
Side yard: 10 feet
Rear yard: 25 feet
Parking and drives: 5 feet

(b) Parking and drives from:

Street right-of-way: 20 feet
Adjacent residential district: 20 feet. Provided, however, in granting site plan approval, the Planning Commission may reduce to 5 feet when the use on the abutting property is a non-residential conditional use.[Revised 06/06/00, Ordinance 1696]
Other adjacent property: 5 feet

11-1505 Site Plan Approval. Site plan approval and security agreement shall be required pursuant to Sections 11-320 through 11-328.