This Title shall be known as the "Zoning Ordinance of the City of Kennewick."

(Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

The purpose of this Title is:

(1)

To promote the health, safety, morals, convenience, comfort, prosperity, and the general welfare within the City and its immediate environs; to promote the orderly, compatible use of land; and to promote the City's growth consistent with the City's adopted Comprehensive Plan;

(2)

To establish specific zones and regulations necessary for the proper development of utilities, schools, parks, housing, essential light, air, privacy and open spaces; to lessen the congestion on streets and to promote the safe movement of traffic; to stabilize and protect property values; to prevent overcrowding and slums; to promote an environmentally and aesthetically sound city; to promote the community's economic development and the prosperity and welfare of its citizens and to establish an attractive city within which to live; and

(3)

To establish various zones respecting the location, height, and use of buildings, the use of land, the size of yards, off-street parking and loading zones, and other necessary spaces; and other such regulations of the use of land, reasonable or necessary within their respective zones, which promote the general welfare and are necessary for the proper police and sanitary regulation of the City.

(Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

For the purposes of this Title, the City is divided into zones as provided hereafter:

(Ord. 5710 Sec. 1, 2017; Ord. 5434 Sec. 1, 2012; Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

Consistent with the City Comprehensive Plan, the general purposes of the zones are:

(1)

RS - The purpose of the RS district is to establish areas for low density single-family and middle housing dwelling units, to stabilize and protect residential districts, and to promote and encourage a suitable environment for family life in a semi-rural setting.

(2)

RL - The purpose of the RL district is to establish areas for low density, single-family, and middle housing dwelling units, to stabilize and protect residential districts, and to promote and encourage a suitable environment for family life in an urban setting.

(3)

RM - The purpose of the RM district is to establish areas for medium density single- and multiple-family dwelling units, including middle housing dwellings, and to establish regulations for their development. The district is for more intensive residential use where necessary or desirable to achieve good neighborhood design and stabilize land use.

(4)

RH - The purpose of RH district is to establish areas for multiple residential buildings and promote a suitable residential environment. The district is a transitional use between commercial and low and medium density residential uses.

(5)

RMH - The purpose of RMH district is to establish areas for low density, single-family and middle housing dwelling units, protect residential districts, and to promote and encourage a suitable environment for family life in an urban setting.

(6)

RTP - The purpose of the RTP district is to establish areas for two or more manufactured homes on a single parcel in a manner that protects existing residential land uses and creates good neighborhood design.

(7)

CN - The purpose of the CN district is to establish areas for day-to-day convenience shopping and services. Such facilities must harmonize with the surrounding residential area and provide only those services, which are intended for it. Generally, one of each use is adequate to serve a given neighborhood.

(8)

CO - The purpose of the CO district is to provide areas for professional and business offices, medical clinics, and research laboratories. The district is primarily intended for non-retail sale commercial uses and restricted retail sale uses in compatible areas as transitions between more intensive uses and other commercial districts and residential districts.

(9)

CBD - The purpose of the CBD district is to accommodate a wide variety of commercial activity (particularly those that are pedestrian-oriented) together with compatible residential life styles which will result in the most intensive and attractive use of the City's Central Business District. In order to preserve the public health, safety and welfare in central business district redevelopment, protect public and private investment in property and infrastructure improvements and stabilize declining property values, certain uses of the land may be restricted or prohibited.

(10)

CC - The purpose of the CC district is to stabilize, improve and protect commercial areas, and to provide for orderly growth in new commercial areas in accord with the Comprehensive Plan. CC districts are intended for a wide range of uses to serve the community area to which they are appurtenant.

(11)

CR - The purpose of the CR district is to provide areas for a wide range of commercial uses to serve the entire region.

(12)

CAR - The purpose of the CAR district is to provide areas for automobile dealerships and most automobile related uses.

(13)

CG - The purpose of the CG district is to provide areas for heavy commercial use, wholesaling and warehousing, services supporting the primary activities of the other commercial and industrial districts, and uses which are not compatible with retail commercial zoning districts.

(14)

CM - The purpose of the CM District is to provide areas for water-oriented recreational uses such as marinas and docks, and to allow for multi-family residential development in addition to overnight accommodations, and to allow for a variety of commercial uses, including offices and retail establishments.

(15)

HMU - The purpose of the HMU District is to provide for a stable living environment for residents and proprietors choosing to locate in a historic setting, which includes limited small-scale commercial retail and non-retail uses within walking distance of those residents. The impact of these commercial uses will be compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods in size and scale, realizing that they will generate traffic from outside of the immediate neighborhood. Special design and parking requirements are used to ensure the area's unique attributes for early twentieth century architecture are not lost.

(16)

BP - The BP District is established to provide lands for and encourage the development of technological/industrial parks which will accommodate certain light industrial, technological, professional offices, and other similar activities. Building massing should be sensitive to human scale. High standards of architecture, landscaping, and site planning are encouraged, as is the creation of well-defined building entries with features such as canopies or recessed entries.

(17)

IP - The IP district is designed to accommodate modern, large-scale administrative facilities, research institutions, laboratories and specialized manufacturing organizations which may have unusual requirements for space, light and air, but the operation of which is clean and quiet.

(18)

IL - The purpose of the IL district is to provide areas for less intensive manufacturing and industrial uses, warehousing, and distribution operations to serve the district.

(19)

IH - The purpose of the IH district is to provide areas for general industrial processing and manufacturing subject only to the protection of nearby uses and the required quality of the air and water.

(20)

JF - The purpose of the JF district is to establish areas for uses that have regional significance, but may possess objectionable operational characteristics and may adversely affect adjacent areas and neighborhoods. This district will establish standards to ensure compatibility with adjacent and planned uses, and will enable institutions of regional significance to locate in project sites of an appropriate size and scale relative to their service area. This district will also establish design standards necessary to achieve and distribute benefits associated with such facilities.

(21)

PF - The purpose of the PF district is to provide areas for public and quasi-public facilities, publicly owned or controlled parks and recreation facilities, and governmental buildings and facilities.

(22)

OS - The purpose of the OS district is to offer areas for those types of activities which require open space such as critical area environments, schools, parks, other outdoor recreation, and similar compatible uses.

(23)

UMU - The purpose of the Urban Mixed-Use district it to accommodate a wide variety of commercial and residential activity (particularly those that are pedestrian oriented) in a dense urban setting which will result in the most intensive and vibrant of the City's zoning districts. In order to preserve the public health, safety and welfare in the urban district, protect public and private investment in property and infrastructure improvements, certain uses of land may be prohibited. Conversely in many instances the Urban Mixed-Use district intentionally allows combinations of uses and development patterns allowed in no other City zoning district.

(Ord. 25-6101 meeting Sec. 1, 2025; Ord. 5710 Sec. 2, 2017; Ord. 5434 Sec. 2, 2012; Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

The boundaries of the established zones will be drawn on a map entitled, "Zoning Map of the City of Kennewick." A certified copy of the adopted map and its current amendments shall be maintained in the office of the City Clerk.

(Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

Unless otherwise specified, zone boundaries will follow section lines, subdivision lines, lot lines, centerlines of streets, alleys, or railroad rights-of-way, or such lines extended.

(Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

No building, use or structure may be erected, reconstructed, altered, enlarged, or relocated, and no building, structure, or plan may be used within any zoning district except in accord with this Title and then only after securing and complying with all required permits and licenses. This Title does not allow any use which is in violation of any local, state, or federal laws, regulations, codes, and/or ordinances.

(Ord. 5476 Sec. 2, 2012; Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

No existing lot dimension, yard, or off-street parking area may be reduced below the minimum requirements of this Title without approval of a variance in accord with Section 18.42.120 or 18.54, whichever is applicable.

(Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

If any provision of this Title conflicts with any other, the more restrictive applies.

(Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

Any person who violates any provision of this Title, fails to comply with any condition of a permit, license, or other approval, or fails to obtain any license, permit or other approval is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)

The measurement of distances called for in this Title and Title 17 shall mean the straight line distance from the structure or property line.

(Ord. 5180 Sec. 1, 2007)