Chapter 18.135
PACIFIC RIDGE ZONE
Sections
18.135.050 Subareas within Pacific Ridge Zone.
18.135.060 Environmental performance standards and general limitations.
18.135.070 Dimensional standards.
18.135.080 General site design requirements.
18.135.090 General building design requirements.
18.135.010 Title.
This chapter shall be entitled “Pacific Ridge Zone.” [Ord. 1591 § 311, 2014.]
18.135.020 Application.
This chapter shall apply to all areas zoned PR Pacific Ridge. [Ord. 1591 § 312, 2014.]
18.135.030 Purpose.
The principal objective and purpose of this zone and its application is to implement the City of Des Moines Comprehensive Plan, Pacific Ridge Neighborhood Improvement Plan, and other adopted policies for the commercial and residential areas of Pacific Ridge.
Furthermore, it is the objective and purpose of this zone to provide development regulations that will promote redevelopment of Pacific Ridge properties in order to create attractive, safe, and desirable areas to work and reside. Redevelopment of Pacific Ridge is appropriate because this area has excellent access to transportation facilities, view opportunities, and higher-density development which can help Des Moines meet or exceed population and employment growth targets specified by the countywide planning policies for King County. Also, redevelopment of Pacific Ridge properties is appropriate because many of the existing structures and land uses have resulted in social problems such as: high crime rates (especially major felony crimes); declining property values; unsafe and undesirable housing conditions; insufficient building and property maintenance; absentee property ownership/management; violation of zoning, construction, and health codes; transient residency; and marginal businesses.
A related consideration is to make it possible to efficiently and economically plan for, design, finance, and provide public services, capital facilities, and utilities for the populations and activities within this zone. For all of the above reasons, the purpose of this chapter is to promote public health, safety, and welfare through redevelopment of Pacific Ridge properties. [Ord. 1591 § 313, 2014.]
18.135.040 Authority.
This chapter is adopted pursuant to the provisions of chapters 35.63, 35A.63 and 36.70A RCW and other applicable laws. [Ord. 1591 § 314, 2014.]
18.135.050 Subareas within Pacific Ridge Zone.
(1) Except as provided below, properties within the Pacific Ridge Zone are located within one of two subareas as illustrated by the zoning map designated by DMMC 18.10.050. The two subareas, hereafter referred to as zones, have unique land use and development regulations, and some general regulations apply to each zone. The two Pacific Ridge Zones are as follows:
(a) PR-R, Pacific Ridge Residential, and
(b) PR-C, Pacific Ridge Commercial.
(2) For application of the general provisions of this Title, PR-R is a Multifamily Residential Zone while PR-C is a Commercial Zone. [Ord. 1591 § 315, 2014.]
18.135.060 Environmental performance standards and general limitations.
Every use permitted within the PR Zone shall conform to the following general limitations and standards:
(1) Provisions Applicable to All PR Zones.
(a) Accessory uses are permitted that are customarily appurtenant or incidental to the principally permitted uses.
(b) Landscaping and screening are required in accordance with chapter 18.195 DMMC.
(c) Off-street parking and loading areas are required in accordance with chapter 18.210 DMMC.
(d) Mixed-use development shall conform to the following limitations and standards:
(i) Within the PR-C Zone, structures containing only residential uses are not allowed; and
(ii) On-site multifamily recreation area is required for developments with four or more dwelling units as provided by chapter 18.155 DMMC, except the minimum area of common recreation space per dwelling unit shall be 50 square feet and the private recreation space per dwelling unit shall be 40 square feet for buildings over 35 feet.
(e) New construction shall conform to applicable Federal Aviation Administration regulations, including Part 77, Federal Aviation Regulations, Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace, as presently constituted or as may be subsequently amended.
(2) Provisions Applicable to the PR-R Zone. Parking and loading areas within the PR-R Zone are further allowed but parking spaces not within a parking garage structure shall be subject to maximum lot coverage limitations.
(3) Provisions Applicable to the PR-C Zone.
(a) All uses shall be primarily contained within an enclosed structure except the following:
(i) Outdoor seating and dining;
(ii) Signs;
(iii) Loading areas;
(iv) Motor vehicle fuel pumps;
(v) Retail nursery and garden centers (44422) in the PR-C Zone;
(vi) Incidental outdoor display areas for merchandise sold on site as approved through the design review process;
(vii) Play/recreation areas;
(viii) Miscellaneous storage when limited to 10 percent of the site area and when perimeter landscaping and fencing are provided as approved through the design review process for PR-C south of South 216th Street and for up to 25 percent of the site area north of South 216th Street when as part of an approved planned unit development (PUD) in accordance with chapter 18.230 DMMC; and
(ix) Industrial, warehousing, and distribution uses north of South 216th Street shall be processed as part of a planned unit development (PUD) in accordance with chapter 18.230 DMMC. [Ord. 1672 § 2, 2017; Ord. 1591 § 316, 2014.]
18.135.070 Dimensional standards.
(1) Lot Area. Every lot shall have a minimum area of 7,500 square feet.
(2) Lot Width. Every lot shall have a minimum width of 75 feet.
(3) Front Yard.
(a) In the PR-R Zone, not less than 15 feet except that no front yard is required if the project is at least 55 feet in height.
(b) In the PR-C Zone, no front yard is required.
(4) Side Yard.
(a) In the PR-R Zone, not less than 10 feet when abutting a single-family residence, except that no side yard is required if the project is at least 55 feet in height and does not abut a single-family residence.
(b) In the PR-C Zone, no side yard is required.
(5) Rear Yard. Every lot shall have a rear yard of not less than 15 feet, except as otherwise permitted in subsection (12) of this section.
(6) Measurement of Building Height.
(a) PR-R Zone. Building height shall be measured from average finish grade.
(b) PR-C Zone. Building height shall be measured from mean sidewalk grade as follows:
(i) Building height for properties abutting Pacific Highway South is measured from Pacific Highway South.
(ii) Building height for properties extending from Pacific Highway South to 24th Avenue South is measured from Pacific Highway South.
(iii) Building height for properties abutting South 216th Street is measured from average finish grade on South 216th Street.
(iv) Building height shall be measured from average finish grade for properties not abutting Pacific Highway South or South 216th.
(7) Minimum Building Height.
(a) Except for buildings containing only a full-service restaurant or a gasoline service station, and other instances specifically authorized by the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee in writing, no building shall be less than the height specified below:
(i) PR-R Zone: 35 feet.
(ii) PR-C Zone: no minimum building height for commercial projects and 55 feet for residential or mixed use projects.
(b) For the purposes of this subsection, minimum building height shall not include decorative towers or appurtenances, roof slopes out of character with the building’s architecture, or other contrivances provided solely for achievement of the required minimum building height. In calculating minimum building height, the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee shall include regular architectural features enclosing functional, occupiable building areas.
(8) Maximum Building Height. Buildings and structures may be built to the height specified below unless restricted by subsection (9) of this section:
(a) PR-R Zone: 75 feet, except that buildings may be built to a height of 200 feet with approval of a floor area clustering height bonus when the minimum building site area is 43,560 square feet and usable pedestrian plazas and open space are provided.
(b) PR-C Zone: 55 feet west of Pacific Highway South and 85 feet east of Pacific Highway South, except that buildings may be built to a height of 200 feet east of Pacific Highway South with approval of a floor area clustering height bonus when the minimum building site area is 43,560 square feet and usable pedestrian plazas and open space are provided.
(9) Building Height Limitation Adjacent to Single-Family. When an abutting property is designated single-family residential by the Des Moines Comprehensive Plan and being used as such, building height shall be limited as follows:
(a) Within 20 feet of the abutting single-family residential property, maximum building height shall be 35 feet.
(b) Within 40 feet of the abutting single-family residential property, maximum building height shall be 45 feet.
(c) During the design review and environmental review, the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee may impose other conditions of approval in order to mitigate potential height, bulk, and scale impacts upon adjacent single-family residents not sufficiently mitigated by existing regulations.
(10) Height Allowance for Enhanced Design of Distinctive Rooflines. In the PR-C and PR-R Zones, a portion of a building may exceed the maximum building height; provided, that the following provisions are met:
(a) The purpose of the additional height for the building is to provide a roofline that is of distinctive form through the use of design elements such as pitched roofs, sloped roofs, vertical offsets or other similar roof features that achieve the goals of Pacific Ridge Design Guideline 2.B.2.
(b) The maximum building height established in subsections (8) and (9) of this section shall only be increased by a maximum of 10 percent.
(c) Architectural features associated with the distinctive roofline shall be used to emphasize significant architectural elements of the building such as the main entrance of the building or the building’s orientation to a corner, or to provide for pitched or sloped roofs for the building.
(d) Height allowed for distinctive rooflines under this section shall not be used to determine the building height for the purposes of establishing the maximum gross floor area under DMMC 18.135.090(3).
(e) The building area or amount of building structure extending above the maximum height established in subsection (9) of this section shall be limited to 30 percent of the building roof deck area. When multiple building rooflines exist at different building levels or stories, the 30 percent requirement shall only apply to the area of the roof deck of the tallest portion of a building.
(11) Placement of Buildings.
(a) The distance between a building containing dwelling units and any other building shall be not less than 10 feet.
(b) On the rear third of an interior lot, accessory buildings not containing dwellings may be built to the side lot lines and the rear lot line.
(c) On the rear one-third of a corner lot:
(i) Accessory buildings not containing dwellings may be built to the interior side lot line and the rear lot line.
(ii) Where a setback from the street is required for the adjoining lot, no building shall be erected closer than 10 feet to the street side lot line.
(d) On the rear third of a reverse corner lot:
(i) Accessory buildings not containing dwellings may be built to the interior side lot line.
(ii) Where a setback from the street is required for the adjoining lot, no building shall be erected closer than 10 feet to the street side lot line.
(iii) No building shall be erected closer than five feet to the rear lot line.
(12) Adjustment of Required Yards. In the PR-C and PR-R Zones, the required rear yard area shall be reduced to a minimum of five feet; provided, that:
(a) A development site or potential project area is planned or may be planned for multiple buildings together as one development or in different development phases either under common ownership or separate ownership; and
(b) Buildings on a site or potential project area are served by a private, joint-use access or street which separates the rear yard area of one development site or project area from another development site or project area; and
(c) A physical separation of not less than 30 feet is provided between buildings which shall include the space or distance located within any such shared, joint-use access or street together with the yard areas adjoining and abutting buildings and said shared streets. [Ord. 1591 § 317, 2014.]
18.135.080 General site design requirements.
All development proposals shall demonstrate substantial compliance with the adopted Pacific Ridge Neighborhood Design Guidelines or modified by an approved planned unit development (PUD) in accordance with chapter 18.230 DMMC as determined by the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee. [Ord. 1672 § 3, 2017: Ord. 1591 § 318, 2014.]
18.135.090 General building design requirements.
(1) Design Guidelines. All development proposals shall demonstrate substantial compliance, as determined by the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee, with the adopted Pacific Ridge Design Guidelines.
(2) Minimum Floor-to-Ceiling Height for Dwellings. Dwellings shall have a minimum floor-to-ceiling height of eight feet, six inches.
(3) Maximum Gross Floor Area.
(a) The maximum gross floor area for buildings within Pacific Ridge neighborhood shall be determined by multiplying the lot area of the site by the floor area ratio (FAR) number established in the following table:
|
Building Height |
PR-C and PR-R FAR |
|---|---|
|
35 Feet or Less |
2.8 |
|
35 – 50 |
3.5 |
|
50 – 60 |
4 |
|
60 – 70 |
4.5 |
|
70 – 80 |
5 |
|
80 – 90 |
5.5 |
|
90 – 100 |
6.5 |
|
100 – 110 |
7.5 |
|
110 – 120 |
9 |
|
> 120 |
Increases by 0.5 per floor above 120 feet |
(b) Gross floor area shall include the total square footage of the enclosed building; provided, that:
(i) For properties located adjacent to Pacific Highway South, the area of parking garages constructed below the adjacent sidewalk grade on Pacific Highway South shall not be included in the calculation of gross floor area.
(ii) For all other properties in the Pacific Ridge neighborhood, the area of parking garages constructed below the lowest sidewalk grade adjacent to the property line shall not be included in the calculation of gross floor area.
(4) Within the PR-C Zone, structural encroachments into the right-of-way, such as cornices, signs, eaves, sills, awnings, bay windows, balconies, facade treatment, marquees, etc., shall conform to the provisions set forth by Title 12 DMMC, the International Building Code, and the following provisions:
(a) Structural encroachments into the right-of-way shall be capable of being removed without impact upon the structural integrity of the primary building;
(b) Structural encroachments into the right-of-way shall not result in additional building floor area than would otherwise be allowed;
(c) Except for awnings, signs, and marquees, the maximum horizontal encroachment into the right-of-way shall be two feet;
(d) The maximum horizontal encroachment in the right-of-way by signs shall be four feet;
(e) The maximum horizontal encroachment in the right-of-way by awnings and marquees shall be six feet;
(f) The minimum horizontal distance between the structural encroachment and the curbline shall be two feet;
(g) Except for awnings over the public sidewalk which may be continuous, the maximum length of each balcony, bay window, or similar feature that encroaches the right-of-way shall be 12 feet;
(h) Structural encroachments into the right-of-way shall maintain adequate distance away from utility, transportation, or other facilities as determined by the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee in consultation with the Public Works Director;
(i) The applicant shall demonstrate proof of public liability insurance and consent to a public place indemnity agreement;
(j) Owners of structural encroachments into the right-of-way must clear the public right-of-way when ordered to do so by City authorities for reasons of public health or safety; and
(k) In reviewing a proposed structural encroachment into the public right-of-way, the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee may include conditions as may be reasonably needed to ensure that the structure is consistent with the purpose of the PR Zone, and to minimize the likelihood of adverse impacts. The City Manager or the City Manager’s designee shall deny the request if it is determined that adverse impacts cannot be mitigated satisfactorily. [Ord. 1591 § 319, 2014.]