4-11-210 DEFINITIONS U:

UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE: Any spilling, leaking, emitting, discharging, escaping, leaching, or disposing of a hazardous material into the air, into groundwater, surface water, surface soils or subsurface soils. Unauthorized release does not include: intentional withdrawals of hazardous materials for the purpose of legitimate sale, use or disposal; and discharges permitted under Federal, State or local law.

UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE, UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK: See RMC 4-5-120G.

UNDERGROUND STORAGE FACILITY: See RMC 4-5-120G.

UNDERWRITERS’ LABORATORIES: The Underwriters’ Laboratories, Inc.

UNIQUE AND FRAGILE AREAS: Those portions of the shoreline which (1) contain or substantially contribute to the maintenance of endangered or valuable forms of life and (2) have unstable or potentially hazardous topographic, geologic or hydrologic features (such as steep slopes, marshes).

UNIQUE/OUTSTANDING #1 RATING: A rating assigned to wetlands in King County which have species that are listed as endangered or threatened, or the presence of critical or outstanding habitat for those species; wetlands having forty to sixty percent (40% to 60%) permanent open water in dispersed patches with two (2) or more vegetation classes; wetlands equal to or greater than ten (10) acres in size and having three (3) or more wetland classes, one of which is open water; or the presence of plant associations of infrequent occurrence.

URBAN: A Shoreline Master Program land use designation identifying an area for high intensity land uses. It is suitable for those areas presently subjected to extremely intensive land use pressures, as well as areas planned to accommodate future intensive urban expansion.

URBAN CHARACTER: Attributes such as high residential densities and use intensities in multi-story buildings with small setbacks.

URBAN EDGE AND URBAN FRINGE: The interface between high-density residential/high intensity uses and those that have lower density and intensity and are, therefore, more suburban. The urban fringe is the area where the suburban densities and uses become noticeably less intense and more rural.

URBAN ENVIRONMENT: The combination of buildings, structures, and streetscape that, due to their nature, i.e., multi-storied, continuous facade, zero side setbacks, form a neighborhood or section of a city or urban place.

URBAN GROWTH AREAS: Areas designated by a city and county for urban development over the next twenty (20) years as required by the Growth Management Act beyond which urban growth should not occur.

USE:

A. Use, Change of: A change of the primary use of a lot, building, or portion of a building to another use, as distinguished in RMC 4-2-060, Zoning Use Table – Uses Allowed in Zoning Designations.

B. Uses, Permitted: Land uses allowed outright within a zone. Uses accessory to permitted uses are treated in RMC 4-11-010 and 4-2-050.

C. Uses, Prohibited: Any such use not specifically enumerated or interpreted as allowable in that district. See RMC 4-2-050.

D. Uses, Residential: Developments where persons reside including but not limited to single family dwellings, apartments, and condominiums.

E. Uses, Unclassified: A use which does not appear in a list of permitted, conditional, or accessory uses, but which is interpreted by the Community and Economic Development Administrator as similar to a listed permitted, conditional, or accessory use and not otherwise prohibited. See RMC 4-2-050.

USED: The word “used” in the definition of “adult motion picture theater” herein describes a continuing course of conduct of exhibiting “specific sexual activities” and “specified anatomical areas” in a manner which appeals to a prurient interest.

UTILITIES: Utility lines and facilities related to the provision, distribution, collection, transmission or disposal of water, storm and sanitary sewage, oil, gas, power, and telephone cable, and includes facilities for the generation of electricity. This definition does not include sewage wastewater treatment plants, wireless communication facilities, or solid waste disposal/recycling facilities.

A. Utilities, Large: Large scale facilities with either major above-ground visual impacts, or serving a regional need such as two hundred thirty (230) kv power transmission lines, natural gas transmission lines, and regional water storage tanks and reservoirs, regional water transmission lines or regional sewer collectors and interceptors.

B. Utilities, Medium: Moderate scale facilities serving the City, including subregional switching stations (one hundred fifteen (115) kv and smaller), and municipal sewer, water, and storm water facilities not included in a Council-adopted utility system plan.

C. Utilities, Small: Small scale facilities serving local areas within the City, including underground power lines, water, sewer, and storm water facilities included within a Council-adopted utility system plan, fiber optic cable, pump stations and hydrants, switching boxes, and other structures normally found in a street right-of-way to serve abutting properties. Facilities also include electric vehicle infrastructure located on public or private property such as a charging station.

UTILITY STANDARDS: For purposes of the aquifer protection regulations contained in RMC 4-3-050, Critical Area Regulations, standard design and construction practices adopted by the Renton Water Utility.

(Ord. 3719, 4-11-1983; Ord. 4007, 7-14-1986; Ord. 4346, 3-9-1992; Ord. 4577, 1-22-1996; Ord. 4716, 4-13-1998; Ord. 4851, 8-7-2000; Amd. Ord. 4963, 5-13-2002; Ord. 5124, 2-7-2005; Ord. 5450, 3-2-2009; Ord. 5650, 12-12-2011; Ord. 5676, 12-3-2012; Ord. 5869, 12-11-2017)