Chapter 17.28
INDUSTRIAL (I) ZONE
Sections:
17.28.030 Minimum lot size requirements.
17.28.040 Screening requirements.
17.28.050 General regulations on uses and property.
17.28.070 Parking for work/live units in the industrial zone.
17.28.005 Intent.
The intent of the industrial zone is to provide appropriately located areas for manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and office uses to enhance the city’s economic base in a manner that minimizes impacts to surrounding nonindustrial zones. The standards recognize the market preferences and construction techniques characteristic of this type of use. Commercial, retail, and residential uses are permitted at a limited scale so as to preserve the majority of land in this category for industrial and business uses. (Ord. 1664-10 § 2 (Exh. E) (part), 2010: Ord. 1484-04 § 8 (part), 2004)
17.28.010 Use restrictions.
Use restrictions in the industrial (I) zone shall be as follows:
A. Permitted Uses.
1. Office parks, medical services, wholesaling, and light manufacturing and processing;
2. Industrial equipment, supplies, services, including storage;
3. Agricultural processing;
4. Parking lots serving any use;
5. Trade schools, warehouses, storage, utilities other than wireless communications facilities, government services;
6. Limited retail and service uses up to five percent of the total site;
7. Work/live units as a transition between industrial and residential;
8. On-site day care serving a specified permitted use;
9. On-site recreational facilities serving a specified permitted use;
10. Adult entertainment establishments, as herein defined; provided, that no adult entertainment establishment shall be located nearer than seven hundred fifty feet from any other adult entertainment establishment; and provided further, that no adult entertainment establishment shall be located nearer than seven hundred fifty feet from any residential zone, seven hundred fifty feet from any school, public or private, seven hundred fifty feet from any church, and seven hundred fifty feet from any park. Distances as provided in this subsection shall be measured by following a straight line, without regard to intervening buildings, from the nearest point of the property parcel upon which the proposed use is to be located to the nearest point of the parcel property of the land use from which the proposed use is to be separated;
11. Alcohol production establishments, subject to the following conditions:
a. A minimum of fifty percent of the building floor area shall be designated for production. Outdoor seating areas are specifically excluded from floor area calculations. Any associated kitchen floor area is specifically included in the calculation for retail/commercial floor area;
b. The required number of parking spaces shall be calculated by using a combination of Section 17.36.030(G), “high intensity sales and service,” and (M), “industry, wholesaling, warehousing, nonpassenger transportation facilities except ministorage”; and
c. Subsection (A)(6) of this section, which limits retail and service uses to five percent of the total site, does not apply.
B. Conditional Industrial Uses.
1. Vehicle wrecking yards, vehicle impound lots;
2. Power generation facilities;
3. Airports, heliports;
4. Prisons;
5. Incinerators;
6. Animal slaughtering and meat packing, food processing;
7. Wireless communication facilities;
8. On-site hazardous waste treatment and storage facilities as accessory to a permitted or conditional use are allowed as a conditional use; provided, such facilities comply with the state hazardous waste citing standards and Sedro-Woolley and State Environmental Policy Act requirements;
9. Garbage and/or recycling transfer stations or sorting facilities;
10. Composting facilities;
11. All uses not permitted above or otherwise prohibited.
C. Prohibited Uses. Residential uses other than those that are ancillary to an industrial use listed above. (Ord. 2046-23 § 3, 2024; Ord. 2044-23 § 4, 2023; Ord. 1664-10 § 2 (Exh. E) (part), 2010: Ord. 1484-04 § 8 (part), 2004: Ord. 1312-98 § 1 (part), 1998: Ord. 1309-98 § 5, 1998; Ord. 1063 § 5 (Exh. D § 2.06.01.05), 1988; Ord. 1013 § 2.06.01, 1985)
17.28.020 Bulk restrictions.
A. Minimum Setbacks to Adjacent Zones.
1. Setbacks to Residential (R-5, R-7 and R-15) Zones. Front setbacks shall be a minimum of twenty feet. Side setbacks shall be a minimum of thirty feet. Rear setbacks shall be a minimum of thirty feet.
2. Setbacks to All Other Zones. Front setbacks on an arterial street shall be a minimum of twenty feet. Side setbacks shall be a minimum of twenty feet. Rear setbacks shall be a minimum of twenty feet.
3. Setbacks to the Industrial Zone. Buildings shall maintain a minimum ten-foot setback to all lot lines when adjacent to other properties zoned industrial.
B. Maximum building height: thirty-five feet. A variance to the maximum building height may be granted as set forth in Chapter 17.60.
Exception: sixty feet, if minimum side and rear setbacks required in subsection A of this section are doubled. (Ord. 1677-10 § 1 (part), 2010; Ord. 1664-10 § 2 (Exh. E) (part), 2010: Ord. 1522-05 § 3, 2005: Ord. 1484-04 § 8 (part), 2004: Ord. 1387-00 § 1, 2000: Ord. 1312-98 § 1 (part), 1998: Ord. 1013 § 2.06.02, 1985)
17.28.030 Minimum lot size requirements.
There is no categorical minimum lot size for industrial uses in this zone. However, the lot size may be made a condition of approval in design review and conditional uses if relevant in those proceedings. (Ord. 1664-10 § 2 (Exh. E) (part), 2010: Ord. 1484-04 § 8 (part), 2004: Ord. 1312-98 § 1 (part), 1998: Ord. 1013 § 2.06.03, 1985)
17.28.040 Screening requirements.
A six-foot-tall totally sight-obscuring fence, wall or other screen of equal effectiveness shall be maintained around all industrial storage and activity areas where adjacent to or across a public right-of-way from any other zone. The planning director may waive the screening requirement in a case where a permanent feature (such as an elevated railroad grade) that meets the screening requirements exists between the project and adjacent property. The screening requirements in Section 17.50.120 shall also apply. In the case of conflict between screening requirements, the higher standards shall apply. (Ord. 1664-10 § 2 (Exh. E) (part), 2010: Ord. 1484-04 § 8 (part), 2004: Ord. 1312-98 § 1 (part), 1998: Ord. 1013 § 2.06.04, 1985)
17.28.050 General regulations on uses and property.
The following provisions shall apply to all new and expanded uses within this zone when located adjacent to a residential zoned district:
A. There shall be no unusual fire, explosion, or safety hazards;
B. Sound levels are not to exceed levels established by noise control regulations of the Department of Labor and Industries. Maximum permissible environmental noise levels are not to exceed the levels of the environmental designations for noise abatement (EDNA) as established by the state of Washington, Department of Ecology (WAC 173-60-040);
C. Pollution standards set by regional, state, or federal pollution control commissions or boards shall apply to all uses;
D. There shall be no production of heat, glare, or vibration perceptible from any property line of the premises upon which such heat, glare, or vibration is being generated;
E. If less intense uses are proposed, they shall be located adjacent to the residential zoning to lessen the impacts of the industrial activity. Uses such as live/work units, parking areas, office buildings, stormwater facilities and open spaces should be used as a transition between industrial and residential zoning. (Ord. 1664-10 § 2 (Exh. E) (part), 2010: Ord. 1484-04 § 8 (part), 2004: Ord. 1387-00 § 2, 2000)
17.28.060 Design review.
All developments in this zone which are subject to environmental review shall comply with the design review standards of Chapter 15.44 for conformance with this and other provisions of the city code. (Ord. 1664-10 § 2 (Exh. E) (part), 2010: Ord. 1484-04 § 8 (part), 2004)
17.28.070 Parking for work/live units in the industrial zone.
The parking requirements for work/live units in the industrial zone shall be as follows:
Studio |
2 spaces |
1 bedroom |
2 spaces |
2 bedrooms |
2 spaces |
3 bedrooms |
3 spaces |
4 or more bedrooms |
4 spaces |
Visitor/overflow spaces |
1 additional space per 6 units |
Work/live units shall provide parking per the table above for the residential use based on the number of bedrooms in the unit. Work/live units shall also provide parking spaces for the business use per the development standards in Section 17.36.030.
Parking spaces counted for the residential portion of the work/live unit shall not be counted towards the parking requirements of Chapter 17.36 for the business portion. (Ord. 2046-23 § 4, 2024)