The Light Industrial/Business Park (LI/BP) district is intended to provide for employment growth in the city by protecting industrial areas for future light industrial development. Design of light industrial facilities in this district will be "campus-style," with ample landscaping, effective buffers, and architectural features compatible with, and not offensive to, surrounding uses. Commercial development in the LI/BP district is limited to those uses necessary to primarily serve the needs of the surrounding industrial area, and is restricted in size to discourage conversion of developable industrial land to commercial uses.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

Primary uses in the LI/BP district are those listed as permitted under Section 18.07.030 Table 1 of this title, and not identified as a secondary permitted use. Primary uses under this chapter are processed as a Type III decision pursuant to CMC Chapter 18.55 Administration and Procedures of this title.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

(Ord. No. 2612, § I(Exh. A), 2-7-2011)

Commercial development listed as a secondary permitted use under Section 18.07.030 Table 1 of this title may be allowed, subject upon findings that the applicable provisions of this chapter are met. Secondary uses under this chapter are processed as a Type III decision pursuant to CMC Chapter 18.55 Administration and Procedures of this title.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

(Ord. No. 2612, § I(Exh. A), 2-7-2011)

Any person desiring to establish or significantly modify a primary or secondary use on land zoned LI/BP shall submit an application in the manner and form required by the community development director, and shall address the applicable provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

A.

Definitions.

"Maximum building height" means the midpoint of the exterior wall having the greatest change in elevation, to the highest point of the roof or mechanical screen.

"Maximum floor area ratio" means the maximum permitted ratio of the gross square footage of a building or buildings on a parcel, to the total parcel area. The gross square footage of a building or buildings shall be the sum of the area of each floor measured horizontally to the outside faces of the exterior walls. Parcels containing more than one building shall have a maximum floor area ratio based upon the average of all buildings.

"Minimum parking ratio" means the minimum permitted ratio of the number of parking spaces on a parcel, to the gross square footage of a building or buildings on a parcel.

B.

Maximum floor area ratios are applicable to the lot coverage requirement set forth in Table 18.09.030 Table 1.

C.

Setbacks. Setbacks shall be as set forth in Section 18.09.030 Table 1.

1.

Setbacks may be reduced by the approval authority based on-site or development constraints such as wetlands, topography, or the amount of cut and fill required.

2.

On corner parcels (parcels bordered by two or more streets), there shall be one front yard established, and the remaining sides shall be side yards. The minimum setbacks shall follow the front and side requirements.

D.

Parking. Parking shall be provided as per CMC Chapter 18.11 Parking of this title.

E.

Signs. Signage shall be as provided in CMC Chapter 18.15 Signs of this title, or as provided in a development specific signage program proposed by an applicant and approved as part of the conditional use permit for the use.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

(Ord. No. 2612, § I(Exh. A), 2-7-2011)

A.

Site improvements are to be designed to result in a natural appearance that will blend with surroundings and be compatible with neighboring developments.

B.

Grading and Drainage. Site grading and drainage are to be designed by a Washington licensed civil engineer. Grading and slopes are to be compatible with landscaping materials, shall not permit erosion, and shall minimize use of retaining walls to control slopes. Plans submitted for building permits shall include a construction phase mitigating procedure to control temporary situation runoff, erosion, sedimentation, or other objectionable effects.

C.

Traffic and Parking.

1.

All traffic and parking areas shall be paved with asphaltic concrete or portland cement concrete in conformance with approved design standards. The perimeter of all paving areas or landscaped areas shall have portland cement concrete curbs throughout.

2.

No public parking is to be allowed on public streets within this zone.

3.

All loading areas within parking areas shall be located to minimize viewing from adjacent properties and roadways. They shall be screened from horizontal view with the use of dense landscaping, mounds, view screen fencing, or other approved means.

4.

Truck docks and loading areas are not permitted on the front elevation of the property, and are to be screened from the front view if located within the side yards.

D.

Refuse/Storage. Refuse areas and service/storage areas are to be located under cover.

E.

Utilities. All utility service lines are to be located underground. All pad-mounted equipment and other visible utility and service equipment are to be carefully located to minimize appearance, and shall be appropriately screened consistent with required access and safety requirements.

F.

Fencing. Perimeter fencing shall be so constructed as to minimize visual impact. Walls or fences separating adjoining parcels may be located at the property line. No wall or fence taller than three feet shall be placed within the landscape setbacks along side or rear lot lines, and no wall or fence exceeding three feet in height shall be located on the property, except for security fencing. Security fencing shall blend into, and be compatible with landscaping. Fencing shall have earth tone colors of brown, tan, gray, or green. Walls shall be constructed of materials compatible with the building architecture.

G.

Lighting. Site and building lighting shall be designed to minimize glare or objectionable effects to the adjacent properties. Residential neighborhoods are of particular concern. Site-lighting poles shall not exceed twenty feet in height and shall direct the light downward. Lighting sources viewed from above or below on adjacent property shall be shielded. Building lighting is to be concealed and indirect. Lighting in service areas is to be contained to conceal visibility of light sources from street and adjacent property. Site lighting is to be designed to provide uniform distribution, and the light levels shall be adequate for reasonable security and safety on the premises.

H.

Primary Uses. All primary uses permitted in the LI/BP district shall have no negative or undesirable atmospheric or environmental impacts. All such primary uses shall be developed in a campus-type setting featuring landscaping, off-street parking, architectural designs tending to minimize the industrial nature of the development, buffers between other uses, and such other amenities as are consistent with a campus setting.

I.

Secondary Uses. All secondary commercial uses are subject to the following:

1.

The commercial use is demonstrated to be clearly subordinate to industrial uses in the vicinity, and will primarily serves the daily retail and service needs of the surrounding industrial area.

2.

On parcels over ten acres, secondary commercial uses shall be subordinate to primary uses on the parcel, and the cumulative gross floor area of all secondary commercial development on-site has a maximum floor area equal to twenty-five percent of the gross floor area of the primary uses.

3.

Proof demonstrating the need for such use to serve other existing uses within the LI/BP district.

4.

The development satisfies the parking, design and other development standards identified in this chapter.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

In addition to the landscaping requirements of CMC Chapter 18.13 Landscaping of this title, all proposed development in this zone shall generally comply with the following standards. Variations may be authorized by the approval authority where reasonable factors such as topography, other site constraints, or proposed improvements offset the need for strict compliance.

A.

The entire street frontage will receive street trees/landscaping that will create a unifying effect throughout the area. Tree groupings shall be located for interest and variety. Plantings shall conform to the approved selection list available from the city, if available.

B.

Entry areas and driveways shall be landscaped to create a feeling of identification and continuity of plant materials related to the foundation plantings around the buildings and parking areas. The entry areas shall be landscaped for a minimum distance of fifty feet on either side of the curb breaks, and landscaped a minimum of twenty-five feet in width on either side of drives for their full length. Long drives would benefit from landscaped divider islands ten to fifteen feet wide.

C.

Temporary parking areas shall have twenty-five feet of landscaping at all perimeters. Permanent parking areas are to have horizontal sight screening from streets and adjacent properties, and shall have fifty feet of landscaping on street sides, and twenty-five feet of landscape otherwise.

D.

A fifty-foot minimum landscaped planting strip shall be required adjacent to building facades facing any street, and a twenty-five foot minimum planting strip shall be required elsewhere. Curvilinear design is encouraged to create interest and variety.

E.

Areas used for storage, loading, etc., which would make landscaping inappropriate or superfluous will not require landscaping. Those areas have their own requirements for screening. Walls and fences that extend out from the main structure for purposes of screening shall also have a minimum of twenty-five feet of landscape strip adjacent to the exterior facing side of the wall.

F.

Site development plans shall be submitted showing the final intended, maximum development. Areas reserved for future expansion beyond the foundation planting described above may be allowed to remain natural growth native to the area, but shall be maintained in conformance with local requirements for fire control. Areas between any wall of a building and any street may be landscaped or maintained to create an appearance of a controlled natural state. Native species of plants should be maintained where possible.

G.

Large site areas that are intended to remain undeveloped shall be improved with landscape materials that relate to the natural environment and the particular site. Tree clusters, mounding and native undergrowth, combined with employee recreational uses should result in an esthetically pleasing effect.

H.

Large, more mature plant materials are encouraged to ensure that some immediate effect on the project's appearance will be attained within two years of planting. The following minimum sizes and spacing are recommended for plant materials at time of installation. Exceptions can be made to these standards when areas are not visible to the general public, and installation and maintenance specifications insure successful establishment of introduced plantings.

I.

Notwithstanding Section 18.13.050(G) and (H), street trees shall have a minimum caliper size of two inches. Trees located along drives and in the street side of planting areas adjacent to parking areas or buildings shall have a minimum caliper size of one and one-half inches. Trees located elsewhere are to have a minimum caliper size of one inch and equivalent to a fifteen-gallon container size.

J.

Shrubs should be a minimum of five-gallon pot size, and upright shrubs should have a minimum height of eighteen inches, with a minimum spread of eighteen inches. Spreading shrubs should have a minimum of eighteen to twenty-four inches. Smaller shrub sizes may be approved where it is more appropriate within the particular landscape plan.

K.

Ground covers planted from flats should have a maximum spacing of twelve inches on center or, when planted from one gallon cans, a maximum spacing of twenty-four inches on center.

L.

Preservation of existing stands of mature, native, and naturalized vegetation should be a primary goal in site plan development and site preparation. Special techniques, such as fencing, should be used to protect trees from grading and other construction period activities. A tree protection program should be submitted for projects in areas with substantial amounts of existing tree growth.

M.

Earth berms are convenient devices for providing variation in the ground plane, and for screening interior portions of the site. Care must be taken in their construction to avoid creating an artificial appearing landscape. The bermed areas should be as long, as gradual, and as graceful as space will allow, and should have a minimum height above surrounding grade of three feet. Maximum slopes for bermed areas should be three is to one for turf areas, and two is to one for groundcover areas. Earth berms shall comply with vision clearance standards in CMC Chapter 18.17 Supplemental Development Standards of this title.

N.

All landscaped areas shall have an automated irrigation system to insure that plantings are adequately watered. Irrigation systems shall be designed to minimize water runoff onto sidewalks or streets.

O.

Large land parcels may be developed in phases over time, resulting in large areas that will not justify final landscaping installation of portion(s) of the parcel, commensurate with the proposed development in the early phase(s).

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

(Ord. No. 2612, § I(Exh. A), 2-7-2011)

A.

All structures should be designed to be harmonious with the local setting and with neighboring developments, while contributing to the overall architectural character of the area. The building design should appear as an integrated part of the design concept. All facilities should be designed by a Washington licensed architect, and reflect a high standard of architectural design. Buildings should be either reinforced concrete and steel, masonry, or wood frame construction. Prefabricated metal buildings or sheet metal-sided structures are not permitted, unless an exception is made by the staff review, based upon meritorious design.

B.

Building design should consider existing views and vistas from the site and from adjacent roadways; solar orientation; orientation toward major streets and thoroughfares; vehicular and pedestrian flow patterns; the character of neighboring development; expression of the facilities functional organization and individual character; and the satisfaction of the physical, psychological, social, and functional needs of facility users.

C.

Design features that can contribute to the design character of a project include entrance drives, enhanced visitor parking areas, highlighted visitor entrances and entry plazas, decorative pedestrian plazas and walkways, focal landscape treatments and site sculptures, employee lunch areas (with amenities such as outdoor seating, garden areas, etc.), atriums and interior courts, dynamic building and roof forms, distinctive window patterns, shade and shadow patterns, surface treatments, and accent lighting and landscaping.

D.

Long, straight building facades are generally uninviting and visually uninteresting. Building setbacks shall be varied, and all facades articulated to add visual variety, distinctiveness, and human scale. Space created by the varied setbacks of the building facades can accommodate landscaping and pedestrian/employee areas that contribute visual interest.

E.

Exterior building colors shall be compatible with the surrounding man-made and natural environments, and not in competition with surrounding elements for attention (i.e., building color should not, in any way, become signing for the site). Generally, building colors should be subdued. Primary colors or other bright colors should generally be used only as accents to enliven the architecture. Repetition and overuse of a single approach to the use of color, such as horizontal stripes/bands, can result in the treatment losing its effectiveness. Brighter, more distinctive color palettes may be approved by the city design review, based upon meritorious design.

F.

Reflective glass is not permitted for windows.

G.

Roof-mounted equipment that is visible from adjacent, elevated property should be painted a compatible color with the roof screen.

H.

All rooftop or outdoor mechanical equipment shall be fully screened from public view in a manner which is architecturally integrated with the structure. Screening shall be constructed to a finished standard using materials and finishes consistent with the rest of the building. Building designs should consider potential visibility of equipment from elevated rights-of-way or adjoining property.

I.

All vents, flues, or other protrusions through the roof, less than sixteen inches in diameter need not be screened from view, but must be painted or treated to blend with the color of the background. All such vents, flues, or other protrusions through the roof, more than sixteen inches in diameter shall be considered mechanical equipment and shall be screened from view.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

Whenever there are practical difficulties that result from peculiarities of specific property which make it difficult to implement the standards and requirements of the LI/BP zone, the approval authority shall have the authority, as part of the review process, to grant a deviation from strict compliance with specific standards or requirements. Such deviation may alter the literal enforcement of any standard, requirement, or regulation of the LI/BP zone, so long as such deviation is not inconsistent with the purpose of the LI/BP zone, and does not adversely impact the public health, safety, and welfare. Any such deviation so granted shall be specifically identified in the approval authority decision of a development application.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

Approval of the application for a development within the LI/BP district shall be binding on the applicant, his heirs, successors and assigns, and any changes in the approved application are subject to the following provisions relating to minor adjustments and amendment of the approved application:

A.

Minor Adjustments. Inherent in flexible zones is the need to provide for minor adjustment in the size, shape, location, and elevation of structures, the patterns for traffic ingress and egress, the parking lot configurations, the landscaping and buffers, and the other matters approved in the developer's application. The community development director has discretion to approve those minor adjustments that do not significantly or materially alter the application as approved by the approval authority.

B.

Amendment of Approved Application. Any change in the approved application that would materially or significantly impact traffic patterns, water requirements, production of waste products, volumes and kinds of stored chemicals and gases, atmospheric emissions, solid waste volumes, expected employment levels, or other matters approved in the application must be reviewed by the approval authority and recorded in the minutes of the hearing. Upon approval of such changes by the approval authority, the approved application shall be considered amended to that extent.

C.

Unauthorized Changes. Unauthorized changes or substantial deviations from the approved application may be subject to a stop work order by the city. If not corrected, this will result in the refusal to issue any occupancy permits until the development is brought into conformance with the approved application.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

There is created under this chapter the planned industrial development (PID) overlay. The PID overlay is intended to accommodate creative and imaginative small industrial development based on an approved comprehensive development plan for the site, which is designed to insure compatibility between the industrial operations therein, and the existing conditions of the surrounding area.

In order to accomplish this purpose, it is the intent of these overlay regulations to:

A.

Permit a PID to be established within the LI/BP zone after approval of final plans as set forth in CMC Chapter 18.20 North Dwyer Creek Residential Overlay of this title;

B.

To allow the use of those innovations in the technology of land development which are in the best interest of the city; and

C.

To encourage industrial development on existing smaller industrial lots in areas B and C in the North Dwyer Creek area as identified in the North Dwyer Creek master plan.

A plan approved pursuant to the provisions of the PID overlay zone shall constitute a binding site plan, and shall allow for the division of land as an alternative to subdivision and short subdivision approval.

(Ord. 2515 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2008: Ord. 2443 § 3 (Exh. A (part)), 2006)

(Ord. No. 2612, § I(Exh. A), 2-7-2011)