Chapter 17.42
MX MIXED USE DISTRICT
Sections:
17.42.050 Building site dimensions.
17.42.090 Mixed use design standards – Purpose.
17.42.100 Mixed use design standards – Applicability.
17.42.110 Mixed use design standards – Review process.
17.42.120 Mixed use design standards – Site planning.
17.42.130 Mixed use design standards – Structures.
17.42.140 Mixed use design standards – Amenities – Exceptions.
17.42.005 Purpose.
The purpose of the mixed use MX district is to help facilitate the application of zoning to properties that were previously unzoned while in the unincorporated county. The mixed use district is intended to provide the community with a mix of mutually supporting retail, service, office, light industrial, and multifamily residential uses. It promotes physically and functionally coordinated and cohesive site planning and design which maximizes land use. It also encourages development of a mix of uses expected to:
A. Allow for the continued operation of existing uses;
B. Provide neighborhood retail commercial and professional services uses to serve the residents of the city and immediate surrounding area;
C. Provide regional commercial opportunities for the greater North Cowlitz County area;
D. Provide commercial opportunities and services that support the family oriented recreational uses that attract visitors from throughout southwest Washington;
E. Provide light industrial employment-based opportunities;
F. Provide residential uses only as part of a mixed use development; and
G. Serve as a gateway to the city of Castle Rock. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.040 Building heights.
Maximum building and structure heights shall be 50 feet. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.050 Building site dimensions.
There are no minimum site dimension requirements for the MX district except the multifamily residential component of a mixed use project must meet the standards of the R-2 zoning district. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.060 Yard requirements.
A. Minimum Setbacks.
1. Residential.
a. Front: 25 feet;
b. Side: 10 feet;
c. Rear: 25 feet;
2. Commercial.
a. Front: zero feet;
b. Side: 10 feet;
c. Rear: zero feet, except 25 feet from property line when abutting a residential zone;
3. Industrial.
a. Front: 25 feet; may be reduced if provisions for screening are met;
b. Side: 10 feet;
c. Rear: zero feet, except 50 feet when abutting a residential zone. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.070 Permitted signs.
In the MX district only signs in conformance with Chapter 17.82 CRMC shall be permitted. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.090 Mixed use design standards – Purpose.
In accordance with the adopted comprehensive plan, performance standards and associated landscaping/screening requirements bear a substantial relationship to community welfare and safety by promoting compatibility between land uses and enhancing the livability of the community while limiting potentially harmful externalities that impact community aesthetics and public health. These standards are designed to protect and/or enhance aesthetic character, and ensure the compatibility of commercial and/or industrial/manufacturing development through the application of performance standards and landscaping/screening requirements, as more specifically set forth in this chapter. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.100 Mixed use design standards – Applicability.
These performance standards shall apply to all development within the MX mixed use district.
Commercial and/or industrial/manufacturing development or substantial additions or expansions of existing development initiated after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter shall adhere to the standards of this section. For the purposes of this section, “substantial additions or expansions of existing development” shall include any existing structure or operation/use that increases in size by more than 35 percent square feet or 50 percent increase in valuation within any time period. Where more than one structure or use exists on a site, the threshold shall be applied cumulatively to the total square footage of all existing structures and uses. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.110 Mixed use design standards – Review process.
The development review committee shall review the design standards in association with the building permit application. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.120 Mixed use design standards – Site planning.
A. Large commercial or industrial complexes containing more than one building or a site larger than three acres shall include a focal point such as a plaza area, created using hardscape and landscape treatments. Signage may be included in the focal point. The cost of the focal point improvements shall be no less than one-half of one percent of the total cost of the valuation used to calculate building permit fees. The focal point shall qualify the development for an intensity bonus provided in CRMC 17.42.130.
B. Buildings shall be sited so that main entrances are generally oriented toward the driveway (parking circulation area).
C. All trash, loading and service areas shall be screened from the public right-of-way and adjacent residential uses or districts.
D. Drive-through lanes and automotive or marine service station bays must either be screened or oriented away from the perimeter right-of-way by landscaping, wall or other aesthetically pleasing mechanism.
E. Retail uses are encouraged to adhere to the following standards:
1. Be oriented to West Side Highway or PH10;
2. Locate parking to the side or rear and reduce the setbacks so as to be pedestrian oriented; and
3. Utilize awnings and include outside seating. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.130 Mixed use design standards – Structures.
A. All outdoor mechanical and electrical equipment, whether rooftop, side of structure, or on the ground, shall be screened from view from the public street by architectural elements designed to be an integral part of the building or landscaping. Plans submitted shall include the locations and elevations of all outdoor equipment.
B. Long, unarticulated facades shall not exceed 40 feet. The building facade shall incorporate vertical or horizontal offsets and three-dimensional details between surface planes. The designer may employ any combination of the following techniques to create visual interest and shadow lines: textured and/or patterned surfaces, projections of exterior building walls, recesses and reveals in exterior building walls, variations in color, window fenestration, roof overhangs, and/or changes in parapet height. Additionally, significant landscaping improvements may be used to mask the wall massing. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].
17.42.140 Mixed use design standards – Amenities – Exceptions.
A. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to encourage the addition of enhanced site amenities and increased flexibility in design for new developments in the mixed use district through the granting of additional building height, or other differences from site development standards, CRMC 17.42.040 through 17.42.060.
B. Types of Amenities.
1. Public spaces, plazas.
2. Public art, sculptures.
3. Enhanced landscaping.
4. Other amenities as approved by the planning commission.
C. Exceptions. Exceptions from the provisions of site development standards, CRMC 17.42.040 through 17.42.060, may be approved when granting the underlying permit (i.e., building permit). Such exceptions are limited to:
1. Fifteen-foot increase in height, except within 100 feet of a residential use or district; or
2. Ten percent decrease in required landscape coverage, e.g., 10 percent to nine percent, 15 percent to 13.5 percent (except not for a landscape buffer adjacent to a residential property); or
3. Ten percent decrease in required setbacks, except when adjacent to residential uses or districts. [Ord. 2018-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2018].