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Image courtesy City of Eureka

Welcome to the sixth installment of our fourteen part series “Get to Know a Zone District.”  In this series, a staff-member in the Planning Division answers questions about each Zoning District in the City. This month we will be exploring one of our most mysterious commercial districts: CP

1.     What is CP? What does it stand for?

“CP” stands for “Planned Shopping Center Commercial.” Shopping center means mall.

2.     So that’s where the Mall is?

Yep. The Bayshore Mall and the Eureka Mall (See map above).

3.     What’s the Eureka Mall?

Winco and some other stuff.

4.     Gotcha. Tell me about the history of the district. How did it come about?

Well, in 1963, when this district was created, people were really stoked on malls. Just seven years earlier America’s first enclosed shopping mall was built in Edina, Minnesota, and Eureka residents were excited to start experiencing modernity for themselves. It took another 23 years for modernity to arrive (Bayshore Mall was built), but the zone district did its job as its designers intended. The Eureka Mall (admittedly, non-enclosed), was up and running in 1964 – when the ink was still figuratively wet on the ordinance which created the zone.

5.     So its purpose is to let us have malls?

Yep. I mean it’s phrased a little differently in the zoning code. I can show you the real thing if you want — want to see the real thing?

6.     I guess.

Ah yiss.

§ 155.076 SPECIAL PURPOSES OF SPECIFIC COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS.
…  
 (B)   CP Planned Shopping Center Commercial Districts.
      (1)   To provide large sites at appropriate locations for major shopping centers which provide a wide variety of goods and services drawing trade from the entire Humboldt Bay area. The principal establishment of a CP Planned Shopping Center Commercial District shall ordinarily be a variety store;
      (2)   To provide for the development of an organized group of compatible commercial uses planned and designed as an integral unit consistent with modern standards for site planning and landscape design; and,
      (3)   To minimize the adverse effect of major commercial facilities on nearby dwellings and minimize traffic congestion on public highways and streets.

7.     So how is this even different from Service Commercial (CS)?

There are a few differences in the permitted uses, most of which are nonsensical. Dance halls and bakeries aren’t permitted. Liquor stores are okay. Circuses are fine but they require a Conditional Use Permit. It’s the only zone where a “Fee Parking Facility” is principally permitted.

8.     Setbacks?

They are big. The biggest they get, actually: 50 feet. The minimum lot size is a whopping 10 acres! Though I should point out that the setback is from the perimeter of the zone district, and that the minimum lot size is actually the minimum district size. It’s all very unique.

9.     Wow. What kind of floor area ratio (F.A.R.) are we talking about?

A tidy 0.35. That means that 35 percent of a lot can be covered in buildings.

10.  What do you think the future has in store for the CP Zone?

I think that it could probably just be folded into or Service Commercial zone. If that happened, the property owners would get a bit more flexibility in permitted uses while only losing the ability to put in fee parking facilities without a conditional use permit.

11.  Man, at this point I’d really like to be able to look at the City’s Zoning Map. An online version would be super convenient.

We have that.  http://gis.ci.eureka.ca.gov/flexviewers/ComDevViewer/

12.  Where can I get more information about this and other zoning stuff?

The Development Services Department (and Planning Division) is open Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm (closed from noon-1:00) at City Hall. Stop by or call 441-4160 to speak with a planner.