HomeMy WebLinkAbout6534 ORDINANCE NO. 6 5 3 4
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
AUBURN, WASHINGTON, AMENDING SECTION 18.29.060
OF THE AUBURN CITY CODE RELATED TO FLOOR AREA
RATIO IN THE DOWNTOWN URBAN CENTER ZONE
WHEREAS, from time to time, amendments to the City of Auburn zoning code
are appropriate, in order to update and better reflect the current use regulations and
development needs of the City; and
WHEREAS, from time to time, amendments to the City of Auburn zoning code
are appropriate, in order to remain consistent with changes in the policy guidance of the
City's Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of this amendment to the code is to better respond to
the market place regarding development within the downtown core; and
WHEREAS, this amendment to the code is a blend of proactive and predictive
approaches to development regulations assuring that basic community values and
aspirations are reflected in the City's planning approach; and
WHEREAS, the code amendment was subject to environmental review process -
under the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). A Determination of Non-
Significance (DNS) was issued September 24, 2014 and the City observed a fourteen-
day public comment period. The City did not receive any comments in response to
notice of the public comment period; and
WHEREAS, the code amendment was considered by the Planning Commission
at a duly noticed public hearing on October 7, 2014 and after the close the public
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Ordinance No. 6534
October 14, 2014
Page 1
hearing the Planning Commission forwarded a recommendation for approval to the City
Council; and
WHEREAS, the code amendment were reviewed by the Planning and
Community Development Committee of the City Council on October 13, 2014 and the
Committee recommended approval to the full City Council of the code change as
recommended by the Planning Commission; and
WHEREAS, the City Council determined, in light of the recommendations it
received, that the following code changes are in the best interest of the City.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUBURN,
WASHINGTON, DO ORDAIN, as follows:
Section 1. Amendment to City Code. That section 18.29.060 of the
Auburn City Code entitled "Development Standards" is hereby amended as follows:
18.29.060 Development standards.
.................
A. Minimum lot area: none.
B. Minimum lot width: none.
C. Minimum lot depth: none.
D. Floor Area Ratio. Floor area ratio is the cumulative amount of floor area within a building as a
multiple of the lot area.
Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
1
FoF prepertie6 abutting the south 6ide of Main StFeet and to the reuth:
Maxmmurn Allowable wwth Bonuses
NORFesidentie D c c i d ento.a12 NenFesmde d e A t 3 �e14
2-0 4-.5 3-.5 5-.0
Basic Allowable "As of Right" Maximum Allowable with Bonuses
Nonresidentia12 Residentia12 Nonresidential Residentia13 Combined4
3.0 2.0 4.0 3.5 5.0
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Ordinance No. 6534
October 14, 2014
Page 2
' Floor area is measured to the inside face of exterior walls. The following shall be excluded
from floor area calculation:
a. All space below finished grade.
b. Space dedicated to structured parking.
c. Space used for any bonus feature listed in subsection E of this section.
2 Minimum required FAR is 0.75; basic allowable FAR is 1.0.
3 Hotels, nursing homes, assisted living centers, etc. shall be considered residential for the
purpose of calculating FAR.
4 Allowable FAR for nonresidential and residential uses may be added together within a project,
for a combined total.
u.{
EAR t.0 EAR-LO EAR 3,0 FAR 5.0 EAR 5.0
E. Bonus Features Allowing Increased Floor Area Ratio.
Additional Gross
Floor Area for Each
Feature Feature
Street level retail 100 sf of floor area
for each linear foot
of retail frontage
Restaurant 100 sf of floor area
for each linear foot
of restaurant
frontage
Public plaza 5 sf of floor area for
each sf of plaza
Widening public 4 sf of floor area for
sidewalk each sf of sidewalk
made available for
public use
Canopy 4 sf of floor area for
each sf of canopy
Daycare 4 sf of floor area for
each sf of daycare
Health club 2 sf of floor area for
each sf of health
club
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Ordinance No. 6534
October 14, 2014
Page 3
Additional Gross
Floor Area for Each
Feature Feature
Performing space 2 sf of floor area for
each sf of
performing space
Public meeting room 5 sf of floor area for
each sf of meeting
room
Public art (arts 10 sf of floor area
commission approval for each $100 of
required) valuation
Water feature 10 sf of floor area
for each $100 of
valuation
Structured parking 0.5 sf of floor area
for each sf of
required parking
above grade
Below grade parking 1 sf of floor area for
each sf of required
parking below
grade (including
half-level plate
below grade)
Green roof 2 sf of floor area for
each sf of green
roof
Public restrooms 10 sf of floor area
for each sf of public
restroom
Contribution to a public 10 sf of floor area
park or cultural facility for each $100 of
such as a library, contribution
museum or theater towards acquisition
within 0.5 miles of the or development.
DUC zone; also, any This can be used to
project including a exceed both
performance or maximum FAR and
entertainment venue is maximum building
eligible for these height by up to 25%
bonuses, based upon
the value of
construction
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Ordinance No. 6534
October 14, 2014
Page 4
Additional Gross
Floor Area for Each
Feature Feature
Development of open 5 sf of floor area for
space such as open each sf of open
roof decks, balconies, space
lanais or parts of the
building and improved
for outdoor living;
including rooftop
daycare play areas,
dog walking areas, etc.
An applicant may be required to provide a legally binding agreement or easement to ensure any
of the above features is maintained over the life of the project.
F. Maximum Building Height. Maximum building height within the DUC zone shall be 75 feet,
unless bonus height is permitted per subsection E of this section.
1. If retail uses occupy the ground floor, the minimum height for that floor shall be 14 feet.
2. Mechanical penthouses, stair/elevator overruns, and antennas may be excluded from
building height calculation provided they extend no more than 20 feet above the roof deck.
3. Maximum building height may be increased by up to 20 percent if the top is designed as
a nonhabitable, architectural element. This element may extend above the increased
height limit.
G. Minimum Building Height. The minimum height for any new structure within the DUC zone
shall be two stories for the full extent of the building footprint.
H. Parking Ratios. The following parking standards shall apply within the DUC zone in lieu of
any standard noted in ACC 18.52.020 or pro vision of ACC 18.52.030:
Maximum
Use Type Minimum Allowed for
Required Surface
Parking Lots
Retail 2 stalls/1,000 4 stalls/1,000
nsf nsf'
Office 2 stalls/1,000 4 stalls/1,000
nsf nsf
Residential 1 stall per 2 per dwelling
dwelling unit unit
Restaurant 0.5 stall per 4 1 stall per 4
seats seats
nsf= net square feet
1. Parking requirements for uses not listed shall be determined by a study of parking
demand for that use, as prepared by a qualified professional and as accepted by the
director.
2. Retail and restaurant uses less than 3,000 nsf in area shall be exempt from parking
requirements.
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Ordinance No. 6534
October 14, 2014
Page 5
3. Uses sharing a common parking facility may reduce the required number of stalls by 25
percent.
4. Required parking may be located off site, so long as it is: (a) located within the DUC
zone, (b) within 1,000 feet of the property, (c) connected to the property by streets
improved with sidewalks or walkways, and (d) tied to the site by a contractual agreement
reviewed and approved by the city attorney that is filed with the city and deed of record at
the county.
5. On-street parking that is located directly adjacent to a development site may be used to
satisfy minimum parking requirements and shall not be included in determining maximum
surface parking allowances.
6. Dedicated off-site parking provided within a parking structure may be used to provide
FAR bonuses for a project on a separate site, provided the parking structure is located
consistent with this chapter.
7. The maximum standards noted in the table above may be exceeded if all stalls above
the maximum limit are provided within a parking structure.
8. Compliance with these standards is not required for a change of use within an existing
building or whenever there is an expansion of an existing building or a new building
replaces an existing building that does not increase the floor area by more than 25
percent.
9. In lieu of providing the minimum parking required by this section, an applicant may
request to pay for each required parking stall into a special fund that will be used to
provide and upgrade municipal parking to serve the DUC zone. The per-stall fee shall be
as specified in the city's fee schedule.
I. Signs. The design of all signs shall be in conformance with the design standards referenced in
ACC 18.29.070. Allowable types, numbers and sizes of signs shall be as follows:
1. Freestanding: not allowed, except for monument signs as described within the
"Downtown Auburn Design Standards"; no more than one per street frontage; maximum
size: 64 square feet, calculated at a rate of one square foot of sign area per lineal foot of
site frontage; minimum entitlement shall be 32 square feet; maximum height: five feet.
2. Wall signs: maximum area of 150 square feet per building facade, calculated at a rate of
one square foot of sign area for every lineal foot of facade; minimum entitlement shall be
16 square feet.
3. Suspended signs attached under a marquee or canopy: one double-faced sign, no
greater than three square feet per face allowed for each building entrance; minimum
clearance above grade: eight feet.
4. Portable Signs. One portable sign may be allowed for each business entrance, not to
exceed one portable sign per building frontage, subject to the following:
a. May be placed within public right-of-way subject to the guidelines provided by the
director in consultation with the city engineer such that sign placement does not
interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic and conforms to the requirements of the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
b. May not exceed 36 inches in height and 30 inches in width and be limited to two
faces.
c. May be displayed during business hours only.
d. Must be constructed of either wood or another sturdy material to ensure stability in
the wind.
e. May not move, spin, flash, or otherwise be animated.
J. Landscaping. Landscaping shall be provided as defined in the Downtown Auburn Design
Standards. (Ord. 6419 § 1, 2012; Ord. 6071 § 6 (Exh. A), 2007.)
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Ordinance No. 6534
October 14, 2014
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Section 2. Implementation. The Mayor is hereby authorized to implement
such administrative procedures as may be necessary to carry out the directions of this
legislation.
Section 3. Severability. The provisions of this ordinance are declared
to be separate and severable. The invalidity of any clause, sentence, paragraph,
subdivision, section or portion of this ordinance, or the invalidity of the application
thereof to any person or circumstance shall not affect the validity of the remainder of
this ordinance, or the validity of its application to other persons or circumstances.
Section 4. Effective date. This Ordinance shall take effect and be in
force five days from and after its passage, approval and publication as provided by law.
INTRODUCED: OCT 20 2014
PASSED: OCT 2 0 2014
APPROVED: OCT 2 0 2014
N(a' rc" —P)CC�U-,5
ATTEST: NANCY Bln W8, MAYOR
Ddnjelle E. Daskam, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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Da �i I' . Heid, ity-' orney _
PUBLISHED:
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Ordinance No. 6534
October 14, 2014
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