23.204.100 C-SA South Area Commercial District

23.204.100 C-SA South Area Commercial District.

A. District Purpose. The purpose of the South Area Commercial (C-SA) district is to:

1. Implement the General Plan’s designations for Community Commercial, and the Commercial/Residential areas, as well as the policies of the South Berkeley Area Plan;

2. Provide locations for both community-serving and regional-serving businesses, particularly those which reflect the culture of the surrounding area;

3. Provide an area of neighborhood and lower intensity community commercial uses, serving as a transition between the Downtown area and the neighborhood-serving area south of Ashby Avenue;

4. Encourage the location of a wide variety of community-oriented retail goods and services in South Berkeley;

5. Encourage residential development for persons who desire both the convenience of location and more open space than is available in the Downtown;

6. Provide limited locations for other activities such as offices which may be compatible with both retail and residential uses;

7. Encourage development and amenities that support pedestrian-oriented uses;

8. Encourage appropriate mixed-use development (retail/office/residential) on appropriate sites in the district; and

9. Increase the opportunities for the establishment of businesses which are owned and operated by local residents.

1. General. See Table 23.204-1: Allowed Uses in the Commercial Districts

(a) Zoning Certificate. A mixed-use project is allowed with a Zoning Certificate if the project:

i. Complies with all applicable standards in Table 23.204-27, Table 23.204-28, and Table 23.204-29;

ii. Includes only residential uses above the ground floor; and

iii. Is less than 5,000 square feet in gross floor area, including any existing floor area incorporated into the project.

(b) Use Permit. If a mixed-use project does not meet the criteria for approval with a Zoning Certificate as provided above, the project requires a Use Permit and is subject to the findings in Section 23.204.100(E)– C-SA South Area Commercial District (Permit Findings).

i. In the C-SA district, small vehicle service is not permitted. Small vehicle sales that are exclusively indoor operations are permitted with a Zoning Certificate. Otherwise, a Use Permit is required.

ii. All new or relocated vehicle sales in the C-SA district shall be exclusively indoor operations with no outdoor activities and shall comply with the requirements of this subsection.

iii. Expansions or modifications of existing vehicle sales are:

(a) Encouraged to comply with standards in Paragraph b (Standards) below where feasible; and

(b) Shall not increase or exacerbate a non-conformity with these standards.

i. Street Frontage. Outdoor vehicle display is permitted only along Shattuck Avenue and Adeline Street and is limited to 30 percent of the lot frontage on those streets.

ii. Area for Outdoor Uses. A maximum of 40 percent of the lot area may be used for outdoor uses, including but not limited to vehicle display and storage. Adequate landscaping and/or fencing shall be used to filter the view of outdoor uses from the adjacent right-of-way and abutting properties, with the exception of outdoor vehicle display;

iii. Service Entries. Vehicle and repair service entries may not exceed 20 percent of the primary lot frontage, no entrance may exceed a width of 20 feet. The primary street frontage is the frontage towards which the primary building entrance is oriented.

iv. Transparency. At least 60 percent of any new building shall be within 10 feet of the right-of-way along the primary street frontage and 60 percent of the street-facing facade shall be comprised of clear glass.

v. Repair Activities. All vehicle repair activities shall be conducted indoors.

vi. Noise. All noise-generating equipment and activities, such as vehicle repair, shall be shielded by noise-attenuating materials. Outdoor amplification is not permitted.

vii. Lighting. Exterior light standards and fixtures shall not be taller than 20 feet, shall achieve uniform light coverage and minimize glare, shall use light cutoffs to control light spillover onto adjacent properties and urban sky glow, and shall use low energy light fixtures consistent with the City’s goals for energy efficiency.

viii. Vehicle Storage. No vehicles shall be stored in the public right-of-way.

(c) Modification of Standards. The Zoning Officer may allow modification to standards in Paragraph c (Standards) above with an AUP upon finding that the modification:

i. Is necessary to facilitate incorporation of an existing structure;

ii. Achieve greater consistency with the surrounding street pattern;

iii. Buffers impacts to an adjacent residential district; or

iv. Is needed to accommodate dealership operations.

C. Additional Permit Requirements. See Section 23.204.030--Additional Permit Requirements.

1. Basic Standards. See Table 23.204-27: C-SA Development Standards and Table 23.204-28: C-SA Maximum Building Height. For residential-only projects, see also Table 23.204-29: C-SA Setback and Building Separation Standards for Mixed Use and Residential-Only Uses and Table 23.204-30: C-SA Lot Coverage Standards for Mixed Use and Residential-Only Uses.

Table 23.204-27. C-SA DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
	Project Land Use			Supplemental Standards
	Non-Residential	Mixed Use	Residential Only	Supplemental Standards
Lot Area, Minimum				23.304.020
New Lots	No minimum	No minimum	5,000 sq. ft.
Per Group Living Accommodation Resident	No minimum	350 sq. ft. [1]
Usable Open Space, Minimum				23.304.090--Usable Open Space
Per Dwelling Unit	N/A	40 sq. ft. [3]	200 sq. ft.
Per Group Living Accommodation Resident	N/A	No minimum	90 sq. ft.
Floor Area Ratio, Maximum	4.0	4.0	No maximum
Main Building Height, Minimum	No minimum
Main Building Height, Maximum	See Table 23.204-28
Lot Line Setbacks, Minimum				23.304.030--Setbacks
Abutting/Confronting a Non-residential District	No minimum	See Table 23.204-29
Abutting/Confronting a Residential District	See 23.304.030.C.2	See Table 23.204-29
Building Separation, Minimum	No minimum	See Table 23.204-29		23.304.040--Building Separation in Residential Districts
Lot Coverage, Maximum	100%	See Table 23.204-30		23.304.120--Lot Coverage

[1]One additional resident is allowed for remaining lot area between 200 and 350 square feet.

[2]For mixed-use projects, minimum building separation shall be as required for residential-only projects

[3]No dimension may be less than 6 feet.

Table 23.204-28. C-SA Maximum Building Heights
Building Land Use	Maximum Height
Building Land Use	Subarea One	All other parcels
Non-Residential Uses	36 ft and 3 stories	24 ft and 2 stories
Mixed Use and Residential Only	60 ft and 5 stories [1]	36 ft and 3 stories [1]

[1]In mixed-use buildings, the third story and above must be used for residential purposes entirely.

Figure 23.204-3. C-SA Building Height Subarea One

Table 23.204-29. C-SA SETBACK AND BUILDING SEPARATION STANDARDS FOR MIXED USE AND RESIDENTIAL-ONLY USES
	STANDARDS BY BUILDING STORY						Supplemental Standards
	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th	6^th	Supplemental Standards
Lot Line Setbacks, Minimum							23.304.030--Setbacks
Front	15 ft.	15 ft.	15 ft.	15 ft.	15 ft.	15 ft.
Rear	15 ft.	15 ft.	15 ft.	15 ft.	15 ft.	15 ft.
Interior	4 ft.	4 ft.	6 ft.	8 ft.	10 ft.	12 ft.
Street Side	6 ft.	8 ft.	10 ft.	12 ft.	14 ft.	15 ft.
Building Separation, Minimum	8 ft.	12 ft.	16 ft.	20 ft.	24 ft.	28 ft.	23.304.040--Building Separation in Residential Districts

Table 23.204-30. C-SA LOT COVERAGE STANDARDS FOR MIXED USE AND RESIDENTIAL-ONLY USES
	STANDARD BASED ON BUILDING HEIGHT						SUPPLEMENTAL STANDARDS
	1 STORY	2 STORIES	3 STORIES	4 STORIES	5 STORIES	6 STORIES	SUPPLEMENTAL STANDARDS
Lot Coverage, Maximum							23.304.120--Lot Coverage
Interior and Through Lots	45%	45%	35%	35%	35%	35%
Corner Lots	50%	50%	45%	40%	40%	40%

2. Modification for Mixed Use and Residential Projects. The ZAB may modify development standards in Table 23.204-27, Table 23.204-28, and Table 23.204-29, and Table 23.204-30 – excluding FAR – for a mixed-use or residential-only project with a Use Permit, upon making one of the following findings:

(a) The project encourages utilization of public transit and existing off-street parking facilities in the area of the proposed building;

(b) The modification allows consistency with the building setbacks existing in the immediate area where a residential building setback would not serve a useful purpose;

(c) The modification facilitates the construction of affordable housing as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Guidelines; or

(d) The modification provides consistency with the purposes of the district as listed in Section 23.204.100.A (District Purpose).

E. Findings. To approve an AUP or Use Permit for a project in the C-SA district, the review authority must make the findings in Section 23.406.040 (Use Permits) and find that the proposed use or structure:

1. Is compatible with the purposes of the district;

2. Is compatible in design and character with the district and the adjacent residential neighborhoods; and

3. Will not result in the domination of one type of commercial/retail use in any one area of the district. (Ord. 7898-NS §§ 6, 7, 2024; Ord. 7850-NS § 16, 2023; Ord. 7810-NS §§ 3--5, 2022: Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)