All new businesses along Interstate 70 in the commercial areas Warrenton must have at least half of their floor plan dedicated to retail sales, according to a new rule approved by city aldermen Oct. 20.

The new rule is part of what the city calls a “retail overlay district” running along the I-70 corridor. Any commercial property within 100 feet of the I-70 right-of-way is potentially subject to the retail use requirement, although City Attorney Christopher Graville said preexisting businesses are exempt.

Warrenton’s Board of Aldermen voted 6-0 on Oct. 20 to place the retail use requirement on new I-70 businesses. Ward 2 Alderman Gary Auch said the board wants to reserve prime commercial space for businesses that fund public services through sales taxes.

“(Warrenton) survives on Interstate retail sales. That’s a major component of our revenue,” Auch told The Record. “If somebody pulls off the highway and spends on sales in town, it generates revenue, it generates jobs.”

City services like parks, police and street maintenance all receive funding through sales taxes, Auch said.

Auch cited offices for school administration and medical  services along Veterans Memorial Parkway as examples of prime retail space being used for some other service. Most recently, a construction business took over the site of a former car dealership on East Veterans Memorial Parkway.

Although none of those services will be affected by the new retail use requirement, Auch said the board wanted to prevent any more I-70 properties from being diverted away from retail.

“We really want to make sure that prime locations that have highway visibility and highway access remain open for retail sales,” Auch said. “As we saw property changing hands, and they were no longer retail sales, I was afraid that we are kind of hurting ourselves.”

Although some non-retail businesses might also see I-70 frontage as desirable, Auch said the board’s goal was to maximize the use of those properties for the benefit of the whole city.

During a prior planning and zoning meeting on Oct. 1, City Attorney Christopher Graville explained that the new rules will require new commercial developments along I-70 to ensure that half of their building area is devoted to retail sales. Commercial buildings that get repurposed will also be subject to the requirement.

However, Graville said existing businesses aren’t subject to the new requirement.

“Existing businesses ... would be grandfathered in. So if they have some type of industrial use, for example, that industrial use would continue,” Graville said. “Now, if they sold that property, and somebody bought it for a different use, they would have that 50 percent (retail) requirement.”

Graville further clarified that an existing business could be sold to a new owner without being subject to the retail use requirement, as long as the previous use of the property doesn’t change.