Edmonds City Zoning Code
16.62 MU
Medical Use Zone
16.62.000 Purpose.
The MU zone has the following specific purposes:
A. To reserve areas for hospitals and related medical facilities.
B. To reserve areas that would provide the underlying zoning needed to enable master planning for medical campuses.
C. To reserve areas for the concentration of medical facilities in order to enable the efficient provision of a wide spectrum of medical services.
D. The uses permitted in this zone are intended to be functionally related to or serve medical uses or health care services. [Ord. 3118 § 1, 1996].
16.62.010 Uses.
A. Permitted Primary Uses.
1. Medical and health care uses including but not limited to hospitals, outpatient clinics, continuing/long-term care services, hospice services, laboratories, medical research facilities, emergency medical services and offices of doctors, dentists, physical therapists, and all others related to medical and health care uses;
2. Medical staff facilities and similar uses, including but not limited to educational and meeting facilities and staff sleeping quarters;
3. Retail sales and services related to medical uses, including but not limited to pharmacies and convenience stores, gift shops, bookstores, florists, medical and health care equipment sales and restaurants. Only uses directly related to supplying medical services may be permitted to operate drive-through facilities;
4. Residential uses dependent upon or related to medical care, including but not limited to convalescent care facilities, nursing homes, retirement homes, group homes for the disabled and overnight accommodations;
5. Day care facilities;
6. Counseling centers and alcohol and drug treatment facilities;
7. Transit and other transportation-related facilities;
8. Local public facilities, whether or not planned, designated, and sited in the capital improvement plan, subject to the requirements of ECDC 17.100.050;
9. Primary and high schools subject to the requirements of ECDC 17.100.050(G) through (R);
10. Neighborhood parks, natural open spaces, and community parks with an adopted master plan subject to the requirements of ECDC 17.100.070.
B. Permitted Secondary Uses.
1. Helicopter pads related to medical use, if approved as part of a master plan and adopted as part of the comprehensive plan;
2. Facilities for the permanent storage and/or disposal of biomedical, radioactive and other hazardous waste shall not be permitted; provided, however, that facilities for the treatment or temporary storage of biomedical, radioactive and other hazardous waste generated within the medical use zone, or by local publicly operated medical facilities related to the hospital, shall be permitted;
3. Outdoor dining meeting the criteria of Chapter 17.75 ECDC.
C. Secondary Uses Requiring a Conditional Use Permit.
1. Helicopter pads related to medical use. If the location of a helipad is not included as part of an approved master plan, then a conditional use permit shall be required. In addition to the conditional use permit review criteria, the development and use of a helipad shall be subject to the following conditions:
a. The helipad shall be limited to emergency medical uses only;
b. Noise from the helipad must be minimized using buffering combined with other operational and site design techniques to minimize the noise impact on surrounding uses;
c. The helipad shall be sited no closer than 75 feet to any right-of-way or property boundary;
d. The hospital district shall take reasonable measures to ensure safety around the helipad, when in use, and shall comply with all applicable FAA standards and regulations;
e. The helipad should be located in the southern portion of the site in order to mitigate potential noise impacts of the residential areas to the north;
2. Regional parks and community parks without a master plan subject to the requirements of ECDC 17.100.070. [Ord. 4333 § 12 (Exh. A), 2023; Ord. 4314 § 48 (Exh. A), 2023; Ord. 3453 § 3, 2003; Ord. 3353 § 7, 2001; Ord. 3118 § 1, 1996].
16.62.020 Site development standards.
A. Table. Except as hereinafter provided, development requirements shall be as follows:
Minimum Lot Area | Minimum Lot Width | Minimum Street Setback | Minimum Side/rear Setback | Maximum Height | Maximum Floor Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MU | None | None | 15' | 15 feet | 35'1 | None |
1The side/rear setback shall be 25 feet for all property lines adjacent to LDR districts. There shall also be at least one foot of distance measured from the nearest residentially zoned property line for each two feet of building height, measured from the average residential property grade.
2The applicant may opt to use the height restrictions permitted by the underlying comprehensive plan designation, if the height restrictions are expressed in specific feet or stories. Each “story” referenced in the comprehensive plan shall be equivalent to 12 feet. Minimum setbacks as defined in Note 1 above shall still apply.
B. Signs, Parking and Design Review. See Chapters 17.50, 20.10 and 20.60 ECDC. Notwithstanding any contrary code provisions, hospitals shall have three parking spaces per bed and nursing homes shall have one parking space per 200 square feet. Signs standards shall be the same as those for the BN – Neighborhood Business zoning classification.
C. Location of Retail Commercial Uses. Permitted retail sales and services shall be located and oriented toward serving related medical uses. Direct access to retail sales and services shall not be permitted from arterials which serve the general traveling public. Signage for permitted retail sales and services shall not be located along, or oriented toward, arterial streets. [Ord. 4397 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025; Ord. 3118 § 1, 1996].