In addition to the general objectives of this Chapter (13.10), the “M” Industrial Districts are included in the Zoning Ordinance to achieve the following purposes:
(a) General Purposes.
1. To reserve appropriately located areas for mineral extraction and for industrial plants and related activities, so as to encourage the productive utilization of the County’s natural resources and provide employment for County residents.
2. To protect areas appropriate for industrial use from intrusion by dwellings and other inharmonious uses.
3. To minimize the impact of industrial plants on nearby residential, agricultural and commercial properties by encouraging nuisance-free, non-hazardous industrial uses through the control of noise, odor, dust, dirt, smoke, vibration, heat, glare, truck and rail traffic and other objectionable influences and protection from fire, explosion, noxious fumes, radiation and other hazards associated with certain industrial uses.
4. To provide locations for certain types of industrial plants to concentrate in mutually beneficial relationships.
5. To provide adequate space to meet the needs of modern industrial development, including areas for off-street parking, truck and rail loading, and landscaping.
6. To minimize traffic congestion and to avoid the overloading of utilities by preventing the development of excessively intense industrial uses or the construction of buildings of excessive size in relation to available public facilities.
7. To maximize efficient energy use and energy conservation in industrial districts, and to encourage the use of locally available renewable energy resources.
(b) Specific “M-1” Light Industrial District Purposes. To provide areas for light industrial facilities such as assembly and other types of manufacturing which have no potential for major pollution, adverse visual impacts, or nuisance or hazard factors.
(c) Specific “M-2” Heavy Industrial District Purposes. To provide areas for heavy industrial facilities such as lumber mills and major manufacturing or processing plants; to provide standards for their establishment and operation; and to ensure their compatibility with the environment, supporting public services, and adjacent land uses.
(d) Specific “M-3” Mineral Extraction Industrial District Purposes:
1. To identify the location of rock, sand, gravel and other mineral resources within the County of Santa Cruz which are valuable to the orderly and economic development of the County and region.
2. To conserve mineral resources for future use; and to insure that the recovery of these resources is not preempted by other uses of the land on which they are located, or by the introduction of non-compatible uses on other lands in the immediate vicinity.
3. To give public notice of the intent to preserve and plan for the continued or ultimate use of mineral resources and proposed access thereto.
4. To allow the orderly economic extraction of minerals by designating the sites of existing and potential mines and allowing for the establishment, operation, expansion and reclamation of mineral extraction facilities and sites with minimum adverse impacts on aquifers, streams, scenic values, and surrounding land uses. (Ord. 3186, 1/12/82; 3344, 11/23/82; 3432, 8/23/83; Ord. 3501, 3/6/84)