20C.70.55 Gateway Design District (GDD) Zone.
20C.70.55-010 Purpose.
The Gateway Design District provides an area for the location of:
(1) High-technology research and development facilities;
(2) Associated light assembly and warehousing;
(3) Other manufacturing uses with similar character, intensity and impact;
(4) Support services;
(5) Regional retail/wholesale uses;
(6) Auto and marine parts and accessories in conjunction with regional retail/wholesale uses;
(7) General merchandise, apparel and accessories, miscellaneous retail in conjunction with regional retail/wholesale uses;
(8) Service and professional office uses;
(9) Corporate headquarters and regional offices; and
(10) Hotels/motels. (Ord. 2561; Ord. 1901)
20C.70.55-020 Site Planning and Design Objectives.
Site plans and architectural designs for development within the Gateway Design District shall be consistent with the objective of achieving a high-quality, aesthetically pleasing entry into the corporate limits of the City. Site plans shall comply with the requirements of RCDG 20C.70.55-050. (Ord. 2561; Ord. 1901)
20C.70.55-030 Boundaries and Performance Areas.
The boundaries and performance areas of the Gateway Design District are delineated by the City’s official Zoning Map. Performance Area 1 is north of NE 76th Street. Performance Area 2 is south of NE 76th Street and west of the cemetery. The remainder of the Design District is Performance Area 3, a smaller area adjacent to and west of 180th Avenue NE. All provisions of the Community Development Guide relating to the Gateway Design District govern the entire district unless the provision expressly states the intent to govern only one or more performance areas. (Ord. 2561; Ord. 1901)
20C.70.55-040 Gateway Permitted Land Uses.
The chart entitled Gateway Design District Zone Permitted Land Uses Chart indicates the permitted land uses and required review procedure for each use.
|
Land Use |
Permit Type |
|
Scientific, Electronic and Communications Research and Development; High Technology; Light Manufacturing; Wholesale Trade; Light Warehousing in Conjunction with Manufacturing and Office Uses; Light Assembly, Design, Processing, Light Fabrication and any Combination thereof; Together with Indoor Storage and Offices Associated with Such Uses 1,2 |
P |
|
General, Professional, and Government Offices 3,4,9 |
P |
|
Corporate Headquarters and Regional Offices 3,4,10
Business Services, Government Services and Educational Services 11 |
P |
|
Regional Retail/Wholesale 5,10 |
P |
|
Auto and Marine Parts and Accessories 13 |
P |
|
General Merchandise, Apparel and Accessories, Miscellaneous Retail 13 |
P |
|
Hotel/Motel 6 |
P |
|
Restaurant: Sit-Down, Carry-Out, or Combination 7,9 |
P |
|
Bank |
P |
|
Limited Support Services 3,8 |
P |
|
Day Care |
P |
|
Large Satellite Dishes/Amateur Radio Antenna(s)12 |
P |
|
Broadcast and Relay Towers12 |
S |
|
Wireless Communication Facilities12 |
P |
|
Adult Entertainment Facilities |
P |
|
P=Permitted Use; G=General Development Permit; S=Special Development Permit |
|
Notes:
1 No accessory or subordinate retail activity is permitted.
2 No outside storage is permitted; provided this does not exclude secured areas for overnight employee vehicle parking or storage of materials used on site in conjunction with construction activity for a permitted use’s use, as long as such storage does not face the perimeter of the district and is screened and meets fire and other applicable codes.
3 No financial, insurance, real estate, securities or title services are permitted unless the activity internally services the company of which the activity is a part and does not provide walk-in service to the general public.
4 No medical, dental, individual, or family social services are permitted.
5 No outdoor storage or sales is permitted unless contained fully by screening, excluding storage of shopping carts, sales from food stands or carts, and sale of bulk items in areas immediately adjacent to a sales building. In no case shall outdoor storage or sales be oriented to the perimeter of the district.
6 Includes associated conference center, meeting rooms, auditorium.
7 Drive-through restaurants are not permitted.
8 These uses shall not abut or be oriented to the perimeter of the district and no signs for such uses shall be oriented to the perimeter of the district. The total uses under this category shall not exceed 30,000 square feet. These uses are intended to service persons who are on site in connection with other permitted uses.
9 Storage, employee health club facilities, employee cafeterias or other employee food service, and other customary accessory uses associated with the permitted uses are allowed.
10 No more than a total of 20,000 gsf of restaurant uses nor more than two separate restaurants are permitted. Food stands or carts and areas used for sales of food for take out or consumption on premises as part of a regional retail/wholesale use, and on-site employee food service for employees of any permitted use, are excluded from this provision.
11 Educational services shall only include special vocational and trade.
12 Subject to Special Use Criteria, RCDG 20D.170.45, Telecommunications Facilities.
13 These uses shall be located on the same development site as a regional retail/wholesale use and shall be bound by a legal instrument recorded on the property, such as a binding site plan, that provides for shared, common parking and shared access with the regional retail/wholesale use. Only one of these uses, composed of a single commercial establishment, shall be allowed per regional retail/wholesale establishment. An existing development site containing a regional retail/wholesale use may not be enlarged in order to develop one of these uses. No driveways may be added to an existing development site containing a regional retail/wholesale use with the development of one of these uses.
(Ord. 2561; Ord. 1930; Ord. 1919; Ord. 1901)
20C.70.55-050 Site Plan Review.
(1) General. Any proposed structure within the Gateway Design District or an external addition to an existing structure must be approved by the Technical Committee through the site plan review process.
(2) Conditions. The Technical Committee and Design Review Board will require mitigation based upon the SE Redmond EIS and may impose other conditions on development in the Gateway Design District in order to ensure that the standards and intent of the Design District, and the Comprehensive Plan are met, and to mitigate potential adverse environmental impacts. (Ord. 2561; Ord. 1901)
20C.70.55-060 Site and Design Requirements.
(1) Conflict in Regulations. Except as otherwise provided in this section, all applicable provisions of the Community Development Guide and other applicable codes and ordinances apply to development in the Gateway Design District. Where there is a conflict between the regulations of the Gateway Design District and other portions of the Community Development Guide or other City Codes or ordinances, the Design District regulations govern.
(2) General Design Requirements.
(a) Site and building design should give a sense of arriving in the City. Site planning should take into account the objective of maintaining significant natural features. Site and building design should comply with the City’s design standards to result in a high-quality and attractive gateway to the City.
(b) Site buildings to create an interesting and attractive appearance at the streetscape and along building facades with significant visibility.
(c) Provide a coordinated entry theme through the use of physical improvements containing similar elements at district entry street points, with one entry receiving major recognition.
(d) A historical/cultural interpretive area shall be incorporated within development plans for Performance Area 2 in a highly visible and pedestrian-oriented section of the district recognizing the historical importance of the Snoqualmie Tribe. Design and features of this recognition shall be developed with input from the tribe. The final product shall be satisfactory to the tribe and applicant. Indication of such agreement shall be required prior to installation of improvements.
(e) Vary architectural features on building facades. Vary heights and surface treatments throughout the site to create design interest in this multi-use district.
(f) Screen service areas with “below grade” designs or sight-obscuring walls and/or vegetative barriers.
(g) Coordinate architectural design of adjacent structures within the district.
(h) Provide separation, with the use of landscaping and plantings, between incompatible land uses or activities, when separation of land uses of varying intensities is an appropriate site planning objective taking joint ownership and/or joint parking usage into consideration.
(i) Provide planting and/or architectural features to minimize the visual impact of less desirable structures, such as large blank walls and large areas of pavement. Particular attention should be devoted to landscape design along the perimeter of the district, including areas adjacent to SR 202, Avondale Road NE and 180th Avenue NE.
(3) Site Requirements. The RCDG 20C.70.55-060(3), Gateway Design District Zone Site Requirements Chart sets forth the dimensional and site requirements for the Gateway Design District. Each structure, development or activity in the district must comply with these requirements except when expressly limited to one or more performance areas, in which case each structure, development or activity within each regulated performance area shall comply with such regulations.
|
Site Requirement |
Distance/Amount |
|
Minimum Setback of Structures (in feet): |
|
|
Perimeter Streets (Avondale Road NE, NE Union Hill Road, 178th Place NE, SR 202, 180th Avenue NE) |
60'/35' 1 |
|
Internal Streets |
35'/20' 1 |
|
Rear |
35'/20' 1 |
|
Side |
35'/20' 1 |
|
Maximum Height of Structures (in feet/stories, whichever is greater) |
40'/3 2,3,4 |
|
Maximum Floor Area Ratio without TDRs: |
|
|
Regional Retail/Wholesale |
.25 |
|
Other |
.50 |
|
Maximum Floor Area Ratio with TDRs 5: |
|
|
Regional Retail/Wholesale |
.35 |
|
Other 3 |
.60 |
|
Maximum Site Footprint (ratio of building footprint to land area): |
|
|
Regional Retail/Wholesale |
.25 |
|
Other |
.35 |
Notes:
1 See RCDG 20C.70.55-060(5).
2 The maximum height for one corporate headquarters or regional office building located in Performance Area 2 is the greater of five stories or 70 feet, and shall not be exceeded using TDRs as provided for in Chapter 20D.200 RCDG.
3 The maximum height of structures or portions of structures located above parking shall not include the distance between the finished grade of the parking surface and the structure, or the stories of the structure devoted to parking.
4 TDRs shall not be used in the Gateway Design District zone to increase maximum height.
5 Please see Chapter 20D.200 RCDG, Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Program, for more information.
(4) Standards – Project Limits. The application of standards in the Gateway Design District shall be on a project-limit basis and not on a lot basis unless the project limit and the lot are the same. Project limits shall be as designated on the approved site plan for the project. A project limit may include property in two or more performance areas.
(5) Building Setbacks. Setbacks in the Gateway Design District shall be the smaller of the two distances shown in the Site Requirements Chart, RCDG 20C.70.55-060(3), if parking or outdoor storage within the reduced setback area is prohibited; if parking or outdoor storage within the setback area is not prohibited, then the larger setback distance shall apply.
(6) The maximum height requirements set the limit measured from the finished grade above which structures shall not extend. See Chapter 20A.20 RCDG, Definitions, for measuring building height. Chimneys, antennas, cooling and ventilation equipment and flagpoles may exceed the roofline of the structure by not more than 15 feet.
(7) Parking. The number of parking spaces shall be governed by the chart numbered RCDG 20C.70.55-060(7), Parking Requirements Chart. In addition to Citywide parking area regulations, the following shall apply:
(a) Major public views of surface parking shall be reduced through use of berms, landscaping, building placement and/or other effective techniques.
(b) Landscaping design and other site design shall incorporate a coordinated plan for minimizing monotonous views of parking areas.
|
Use |
Minimum |
Maximum |
|---|---|---|
|
Research and Development/Other Manufacturing or Assembly, Professional, Business and Governmental Services, Office, Wholesale Trade 3 |
2.0:1,000 gsf |
3.0:1,000 gsf |
|
Corporate Headquarters and Regional Office 3 |
3.0:1,000 gsf |
4.0:1,000 gsf |
|
Regional Retail/Wholesale |
4.0:1,000 gsf |
5.0:1,000 gsf 1 |
|
Other Service/Personal Services 3 |
2.0:1,000 gsf |
3.0:1,000 gsf |
|
Hotel/Motel (per rental room) |
1.0 |
1.0 |
|
Assembly Uses Associated with Hotel/Motel |
10.0:1,000 gsf or 1/5 fixed seats |
10.0:1,000 gsf or 1/5 fixed seats |
|
Restaurant |
9.0:1,000 gsf |
9.0:1,000 gsf |
|
Other Uses 2,3 |
|
|
Notes:
gsf = gross square feet
1 The maximum allowed parking for one regional retail/wholesale use located in Performance Area 2 shall be 8.0:1,000 gsf.
2 The parking requirement for uses not specifically listed will be determined by the Technical Committee based on the adopted parking section in the Redmond Community Development Guide for the BP zone.
3 See Comprehensive Plan Policy N-SE-73 for TMP requirement.
(8) Circulation.
(a) Circulation plans shall be coordinated with other properties in the district in order to provide an efficient transportation system and to minimize unnecessary paved area.
(b) When practical, site plans shall provide joint access ways designed to serve multiple structures or other destinations within the district.
(c) Site plan review shall ensure that parking lots, service areas and other similar areas are designed in a manner which will minimize negative aesthetic impacts from major public viewpoints through use of berms, landscaping which provides screening, location of facilities and/or other effective techniques.
(9) Landscaping and Vegetation Preservation.
(a) The applicant must provide landscaping as a setting for structures within and around parking areas. This landscaping must enhance the coordinated project design. All pervious surface must be landscaped, except those areas specified under other provisions of this code for natural vegetation. A minimum of 25 percent of the district shall be landscaped. This may include natural areas and, as an incentive, up to five percent may be met by providing pedestrian plazas for gathering. A minimum of 22 percent of any one parcel within the district must be landscaped.
(b) The appearance of all blank wall areas 144 square feet or greater (areas without windows or service doors) shall be softened by landscaping or architectural treatment.
(c) If landscaping is located between incompatible uses, the type and intensity of planting must reflect the variation in use category and intensity. The greater the incompatibility, the more the planting must serve as a solid screen.
(d) A significant number of trees at least 12 to 14 feet in height and two to two and one-half inches in diameter measured six inches above the ground, as specified in the American Standard Nursery Stock, and predominantly evergreen, must be included in planted areas, especially around the perimeter of the district.
(e) Thirty-five percent of the existing healthy trees at least six inches in diameter must be retained adjacent to front streets and the cemetery. The diameter of existing trees is measured four feet above existing grade. Tree protection techniques as specified in the Landscape Standards, RCDG 20D.80.10, must be utilized during construction. If a significant amount of trees to be retained are found to be hazardous due to disease or death, which leads to their removal, then a City-approved revegetation plan will be required.
(f) A tree survey which identifies the location of all significant trees (six inches or greater in diameter measured four feet above ground) shall be provided with the site plan.
(g) The applicant must install street trees at least three inches in diameter along all street frontages. The diameter of new trees is measured six inches above finished grade. The location and species installed are subject to approval of the Technical Committee. The applicant must also install interior parking area landscaping equal to at least seven percent of the area devoted to parking and circulation. Planting areas must be a minimum of 100 square feet in area. Each planting area must contain at least one tree combined with shrubs and ground cover which meet City landscape standards.
(10) Utilities. All utility distribution lines, other than electrical lines of 115 kV or greater, must be placed underground and shielded based on latest technology.
(11) Signs.
(a) Signs must be coordinated within each performance area. Sign size shall comply with the Sign Requirements Chart in RCDG 20D.160.10-050.
(b) Each sign must be architecturally compatible with the structures with which it is associated.
(c) Only major complex identification signs may be located at entrances to the Design District. (Ord. 2561; Ord. 2405; Ord. 2353; Ord. 1901)