Chapter 18.36
R-20 ZONE
Sections:
18.36.010 Primary uses.
(1) No more than one primary residential building may be constructed or occupied on each zoning lot or lot of record.
(2) The following bulk and area regulations apply to the primary residential building:
(a) Minimum lot size: 20,000 square feet.
(b) Minimum front lot line setback:
(i) Waterfront lot: The distance shall be as defined by a building line established by a plat or subdivision approved by the town, or the most recent approved building permit on file with the town of Hunts Point.
(ii) Non-waterfront lot: 40 feet.
(c) Minimum rear lot line setback: 35 feet.
(d) Minimum side lot line setback: 10 feet.
(e) Maximum gross floor area: the greater of either 5,200 square feet or a gross floor area ratio of 0.25.
(f) Maximum building height:
(i) Maximum building height shall be measured by an inward sloping line at 45 degrees from the vertical beginning at a point 15 feet above the intersection of the original grade and the minimum side yard setback lines but not to exceed 26 feet above an original grade reference line nor a height of 32 feet above the finish grade measured from any point of contact of the finish grade with the building wall, deck, porch or veranda structure to the highest point of the building structure (see illustration, Appendix B2).
(ii) The maximum building height may be extended to 30 feet above an original grade reference line or 36 feet above the finish grade, provided an additional setback measured from an inward sloping line 45 degrees from the vertical beginning at a point 15 feet above the intersection of the original grade and the minimum setback line on the addressed side of the property is incorporated into the project design.
(g) Eaves or roof overhangs up to 18 inches in depth are permitted in the setback area. [Ord. 571 § 2 (Exh. A), 2024]
18.36.020 Accessory uses.
(1) No accessory use, building, or structure is allowed absent of the permanent residential building.
(2) No more than two separate buildings, excluding the primary residential building, a single garden shed less than 120 square feet in floor area, a single pump house for lake irrigation less than 120 square feet in floor area, and all covered moorage, shall be permitted on any zoning lot.
(3) The following regulations apply to accessory uses, buildings, and structures:
(a) Minimum front lot line setback: The same as that required for the primary residential structure.
(b) Minimum side lot line setback: The same as that required for the primary residential structure.
(c) Minimum rear lot line setback:
(i) Waterfront lot: 35 feet.
(ii) Non-waterfront lot: 10 feet.
(d) Accessory buildings and structures shall observe the same height restrictions as the primary residential structure.
(e) The total gross floor area of all accessory buildings shall not exceed seven percent of the total lot area. This GFA allowance shall be in addition to the maximum gross floor area allowed for the primary residential building.
(f) Eaves up to 18 inches in depth are permitted in the setback area.
(4) No accessory uses, buildings, or structures are allowed in the setback areas except driveways and fences, hedges, walls, and similar elements as described in this section.
(5) Fence or fences, which terms shall include, unless otherwise specifically noted, walls, gates, rails, hedges, barriers or other boundary structures or any combination thereof, except as follows:
(a) In the front yard:
(i) No fence situated in a front yard shall have a height above the finished grade of the ground upon which it is situated exceeding four feet measured to the highest point, except in the case of swimming pool fences, which shall be governed by Chapter 18.40 HPMC.
(ii) Fences may be extended to the shoreline or face of a waterfront bulkhead when located on or within 10 feet of the side property line if provided with a safety opening at least three feet in width no more than 30 feet from the shoreline or the face of a waterfront bulkhead.
(iii) Front yard fences across the waterfront shall not be located within 10 feet of the shoreline or the inside edge of a waterfront bulkhead, whichever distance is greater, and shall be provided with a safety opening at least three feet in width.
(iv) Dirt or other fill under, behind, or in front of fences, or artificial mounds beneath the same shall not be deemed to be “finished grade.”
(b) Other yards:
(i) Except for swimming pool fences which are governed by Chapter 18.40 HPMC and lots that share a boundary with the State Route 520 (“SR 520”) Regional Bike Trail, fences located in the side and rear yards shall not exceed six and one-half feet in height, measured to the highest point, above the finished grade of the ground upon which they are situated. Dirt or other fill under, behind, or in front of such fences, or artificial mounds beneath the same shall not be deemed to be “finished grade.”
(ii) For lots that share a boundary with the SR 520 Regional Bike Trail, fences shall not exceed eight feet in height only along the property line shared by SR 520 Regional Bike Trail and the lot. Fences shall be measured to the highest point above the finished grade of the ground upon which they are situated. Swimming pool fences which shall be governed by Chapter 18.40 HPMC are exempted. Dirt or other fill under, behind, or in front of such fences, or artificial mounds beneath the same shall not be deemed to be “finished grade.”
(c) Except for hedges, fences shall maintain a minimum distance from the public street edge of curb or pavement.
(i) Waterfront lot: The minimum distance is 20 feet.
(ii) Non-waterfront lot: The minimum distance is 10 feet.
(d) Except for hedges, all portions of such structures visible from a town roadway shall be composed of materials and colors compatible with the evergreen setting of Hunts Point and visually screened from the roadway by plantings obscuring 75 percent of the visible structure at all times of the year. Such plant screening shall be at least 50 percent evergreen and be effectively complete or grown within three years of the date the structure is completed. Screen plantings shall be maintained at this minimum screening level thereafter.
(e) In the event a fence is finished on only one side, the finished side of such fence shall face away from the property being fenced.
(f) Gates constructed for security purposes across a driveway from the public right-of-way shall permit immediate access for police, fire, ambulance, and other emergency vehicles.
(g) Bellevue fire department approval is required as part of the application for all new gates.
(6) Off-street parking areas, driveways and private automobile storage garages or carports shall be permitted in front or rear yards, except that a private automobile storage garage or carport shall be permitted in a side yard when attached and formed as a part of the primary residential building, or separated by a structural breezeway and the minimum setback requirements are met.
(a) Parking areas may not be located in the setback areas for the respective primary or accessory building they serve.
(b) Parking of vehicles on private and public property shall conform to Chapter 18.42 HPMC and all other applicable regulations.
(c) The use of shared driveways is encouraged; provided, that any appropriate easements have been recorded.
(d) The location of driveways to allow for buffer plantings between adjacent properties is encouraged.
(7) Patios are allowed accessory uses provided they meet all setbacks and are uncovered in the front yard.
(8) Open structural ornamentation is an allowed accessory use, provided any ornamentation erected or grown within 10 feet of any building shall permit ingress and egress in the event of fire or other emergencies.
(9) Greenhouses and buildings erected for the storage of landscaping and gardening equipment, which equipment is used only for the purpose of maintaining the zoning lot upon which it is located, are allowed; provided, that such buildings shall only be permitted in the rear yard.
(10) Pump houses or other structures for enclosure of mechanical equipment, whether roofed or open; provided, that:
(a) No part of the structure shall be placed within 10 feet of the shoreline or face of a waterfront bulkhead.
(b) No part of the structure shall be placed within the side or rear lot line setbacks as required for other structures.
(c) The structure shall not exceed the height limit for fences in front, rear, and side yards.
(d) The structure shall be screened by evergreen plantings so that no part of the structure is visible from a point five feet above either the mean water level of Lake Washington or the finished grade of neighboring properties at the property line.
(e) The structure shall not exceed 120 square feet in floor area.
(11) Hobby shops: Permitted as a use in any accessory building or in the primary residential building. Any hobby conducted out of doors shall be so screened as to be obscured from public right-of-way and adjoining properties.
(12) Waterfront structures, swimming pools and spas, and game courts: See Chapter 18.40 HPMC.
(13) Animals: Permitted as a use on any zoning lot and in any primary or accessory building; provided, that no more than two dogs or two cats shall be kept on any zoning lot except for breeding litters under the age of six months; and provided further, that none of the following shall be permitted: horses, cattle, asses, sheep, goats, swine, domestic fowl, or nondomestic animals.
(14) Accessory dwelling units (ADUs): No more than one accessory dwelling unit, subordinate to and either attached to or detached from the primary residential building, may be constructed or occupied on each zoning lot or lot of record.
(a) If detached, the accessory dwelling unit shall:
(i) Be permitted only in the rear yard.
(ii) Have a minimum side and rear yard setback of 10 feet.
(iii) Have a minimum setback of 10 feet from all other structures.
(b) The total floor area of an attached ADU shall not increase the maximum gross floor area allowed for the primary residential building.
(c) The total floor area of an attached or detached ADU shall not exceed 25 percent of the total floor area of the primary residential building.
(d) The accessory dwelling unit shall meet all technical code standards, HPMC Title 15, including building, electrical, fire, and plumbing code requirements.
(e) Either the primary residential building or the detached accessory dwelling unit must be occupied by an owner of the property that meets the definition of owner occupancy in HPMC 18.10.437. [Ord. 571 § 2 (Exh. A), 2024]