Lake Forest Park City Zoning Code

Encourage small to moderate scale neighborhood and community oriented residential and commercial uses which provide services to the local community, a greater range of economic opportunities and housing choices, a pleasant residential environment and a focus for the local community.

Serve as transition between the more intense and larger scale development envisioned along Bothell Way and the smaller, low density residential character to the north and east.

Support an active, walkable mixed use center.

Protect the livability and attractiveness of residential neighborhoods.

Retail sales of food and commodities, which involve only incidental and limited fabrication and assembly. Uses excluded from this zone would include auto service stations, sale of gasoline or other fuels, and car washes, repair or sale of heavy equipment, boats, tires and motor vehicles, sale of alcohol for on-premises consumption except in a restaurant with a license from the Washington State Liquor Control Board.

Business offices and uses which render professional, personal, and instructional services, such as real estate or insurance brokerages, consultants, medical or dental clinics, technical training, health clubs, and repair of jewelry, eyeglasses, clothing, household appliances and tools, or other such similar uses; excluding vehicle or tool rentals, pet sales and veterinary clinics.

Government buildings and uses, including but not limited to community centers, police stations, libraries, administrative offices, and other public service uses that are compatible with the intent of the SG-T zone.

Day care facilities.

Public utilities.

Electric vehicle charging stations.

In-home businesses and services.

Multiple dwelling units.

Single-family dwelling units are permitted in the SG-T zone; provided, that no single-family dwelling units shall front on the proposed north-south road along the west edge of the transition zone and single-family dwelling units shall make up no more than 50 percent of the residential units in the SG-T zone. Regardless of the number of single-family dwelling units in the transition zone, the minimum density in LFPMC § 18.47.040(E) shall apply. Additionally, for single-family residences in the SG-T zone, the Lake Forest Park southern gateway – single-family residential zone design guidelines[2] shall also apply.

Senior citizen apartments.

Convalescent, nursing and retirement homes.

Buildings facing the north-south connector road (the envisioned street as described in LFPMC § 18.47.070) shall feature either:

Individual commercial and nonresidential uses within a structure shall contain no more than 40,000 square feet per use on a single floor. Uses greater than 40,000 square feet on a single floor and not more than 60,000 square feet on a single floor are only permitted after obtaining a conditional use permit (LFPMC § 18.47.050). For the purposes of this subsection, each residential unit is considered a separate use;

Business and residential portions of a building must be separated by soundproof walls, floors, equipment, utilities or other suitable architectural features or appurtenances;

All businesses, services, repair, processing, storage or merchandise displays shall be conducted wholly within an enclosed building except for the following:

All development must include at least 25 dwelling units per net buildable acre of the portion of the site being developed. Roadways (including sidewalks and street landscaping), protected critical areas (e.g., wetlands) and common open spaces accessible to the general public are not included in the "net buildable area" calculation;

Drive-through window services are prohibited; and

Manufacturing that requires special or heavy equipment (e.g., professional quality lathes, presses, etc.) or that uses toxic chemicals is prohibited. Fabrication that uses small scale personally operated equipment such as a sewing machine or reprographic equipment may be permitted subject to the code administrator's approval.

Individual commercial and nonresidential uses within a structure shall contain a maximum of 60,000 square feet in building footprint area (as measured on the ground) per use. Uses greater than 60,000 square feet in building footprint area (as measured on the ground) and not more than 100,000 are only permitted after obtaining a conditional use permit (Chapter 18.54 LFPMC).

Transit facilities such as park-and-ride and kiss-and-ride lots. A kiss-and-ride lot is a small parking and drop-off area where people can wait to pick up passengers arriving on transit.

The maximum building height limit in the SG-T zone shall not exceed 45 feet, except that portions of structures at least 100 feet from a low density residential zone (including the SG-LDR zone) may be up to 55 feet in height. Additionally, for structures near properties zoned low density residential (including the SG-LDR zone), the maximum height shall not exceed 35 feet, measured to the midpoint of the slope of a pitched roof (see Figure 18.45.070-1), plus one foot in height for every one foot more than 20 feet (measured horizontally) away from the property zoned low density residential, up to a maximum height of 45 feet (i.e., maximum height = 35 feet + distance of portion of the structure from the SG-LDR zone minus 20 feet).

For structures directly across the street from properties zoned low density residential (including the SG-LDR zone), the maximum height shall not exceed 35 feet measured to the midpoint of the slope of a pitched roof, plus one foot in height for every foot more than 10 feet (measured horizontally) away from the street right-of-way, up to a maximum height of 45 feet (i.e., maximum height = 35 feet + distance of portion of the structure from the SG-LDR zone minus 10 feet).

Where reasonably necessary to mitigate impacts disclosed by the traffic analysis prepared pursuant to LFPMC § 18.47.110(B), the city's review thereof and/or the environmental review process, approval of development in the SG-T zone between NE 145th Street and NE 147th Street may be conditioned upon construction of a north-south access street. The street will run north and south generally along the western edge of the SG-T zone. The street will be approximately 60 feet wide from backside of sidewalk to backside of sidewalk (see Figure 18.47.070-1 below). The roadway design must be submitted to the city for approval. In the absence of other direction from the code administrator, the roadway will generally consist of two 10-foot-wide travel lanes, two seven-foot-wide parking lanes (or widened sidewalks) and two 13-foot-wide sidewalks plus planting areas. (Sidewalks plus planting strips together must be at least 13 feet wide.)

Minimum setback requirements in the SG-T zone shall be:

All sites in the SG-T zone must have adequate screening and landscaping, subject to the southern gateway – corridor and transition zones design guidelines.

The provisions of Chapter 16.14 LFPMC (Tree Canopy Preservation and Enhancement) shall apply; provided, that the canopy coverage goal established in LFPMC § 16.14.080(A) shall be 10 percent for the SG-T zone for nonparking areas and 30 percent for open parking lots. Also, the provisions under LFPMC § 16.14.080(B) regarding designating a tree tract equal to five percent of the gross project area shall not apply.

All parking in the southern gateway – transition zone shall be provided in accordance with the following:

The applicant shall submit to the city traffic and parking impact analysis identifying the increases in traffic and off-site parking demand. The analysis shall be prepared by a licensed professional transportation engineer. The applicant shall be responsible for implementing both on-site and off-site mitigation measures that the code administrator determines necessary to prevent significant adverse impacts to transportation systems and the surrounding area. Specifically, necessary mitigation measures, such as on-site and off-site traffic calming measures, must be taken to prevent cut-through traffic and additional parking demand on streets in the surrounding area.

The Lake Forest Park "Southern Gateway – Corridor and Transition Zones Design Guidelines[1]," dated March 28, 2013, are adopted as guidelines in the southern gateway – corridor and transition zones and incorporated by reference herein.

To the extent that a proposed development in southern gateway – transition zone exceeds a requirement of the applicable zoning code or design guidelines the excess may be allocated to meet similar requirements in the SG – low density residential zone. This provision shall apply only to parking, impervious surfaces, lot coverage, open space, stormwater LID, and canopy coverage goals. This provision can only be implemented through a site development plan approved by the city. The required elements or conditions supporting residential development must be provided concurrently with the residential development.

The applicant shall submit a site plan application on a form provided by the city planning department, along with supporting documents required by the city planning department. The submitted materials must include drawings and information needed to evaluate the proposal with respect to the southern gateway – corridor and transition zones design guidelines.

The application shall first be reviewed by the city code administrator generally under LFPMC § 16.26.030(E), Ministerial Administrative Decisions, and LFPMC § 16.26.040, Applications. LFPMC § 16.26.035 providing for appeals to the city council shall not apply.

The code administrator shall make a recommendation according to LFPMC § 16.26.080, Type I applications – Code administrator's recommendation, and the hearing examiner shall review the application under the procedures for a hearing examiner decision stated in LFPMC § 16.26.090 through § 16.26.110.