Longview City Zoning Code

Provide for efficient use of land and public services;

Create a mixture of land uses that encourages employment and housing options in close proximity to one another;

Provide formal and informal community gathering places and opportunities for socialization (e.g., active street fronts in the downtown district);

Encourage new developments to support multiple modes of transportation such as public transit, pedestrians, and bicyclists;

Accommodate a range of allowable business and commercial uses in appropriate locations at the neighborhood, community, and regional levels;

Ensure land use compatibility among business, commerce and residences in terms of permitted uses, building height, bulk, scale;

Provide attractive locations for business to locate; and

To protect commercial areas from harmful encroachment by incompatible uses and to ensure no land shall be usurped by inappropriate uses.

To ensure consistency with the purpose statement for the neighborhood commercial district as given in LMC § 19.44.010, the types of land uses and their size shall be limited as follows:

Beer and wine may be served and consumed on the premises of a restaurant located within the neighborhood commercial (NC) district, only as a special property use, permitted by the appeal board of adjustment. Any special property use permit granted by the appeal board of adjustment shall be subject to the following determinations and/or requirements:

Individual (stand-alone) retail or supermarket stores; provided, that they are operated in a structure with an enclosed floor area of 20,000 square feet or larger;

Retail or supermarket uses of any size; provided, that they are located within a structure with a minimum enclosed floor area of 40,000 square feet;

Individual (stand-alone) retail and supermarket stores operated in a structure that has a minimum enclosed floor area of 5,000 square feet; provided, that:

Sit-down restaurants with a minimum enclosed floor area of 5,000 square feet;

Fast-food (including drive-through) restaurants and cafes of any size that are developed as part of, or within, a comprehensive development proposal or project that is equal to or exceeds 80,000 square feet of enclosed floor area;

Vehicle fueling stations operated in conjunction with one or more permitted uses; provided, that it is part of a comprehensive development plan that includes a minimum enclosed floor area of 80,000 square feet, but not including stand-alone service stations with or without mini-marts;

Entertainment facilities which occupy structures with a minimum enclosed floor area of 20,000 square feet;

Office uses or personal service establishments operated in structures that include a minimum enclosed floor area of 20,000 square feet;

Existing legal lots, built on or vacant, that were commercially zoned prior to April 18, 2008, shall not be subject to the square footage requirements set forth in subsections (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) of this section now or in the future even if they are subsequently combined or otherwise consolidated; provided, that all land divisions must comply with this chapter;

Single-family detached dwellings and their customary accessory buildings and uses, existing on the effective date of the regulations codified in this chapter, but not including new single-family residences, with the following exception: legal lots existing as of the original effective date of this chapter that do not have an existing residence or commercial structure on them and are not otherwise used for commercial purposes, including parking lots, may construct one single-family residence per existing vacant lot;

Transitional housing;

Permanent supportive housing, subject to standards set forth in Chapter 19.22 LMC; and

Accessory uses and structures constructed on lots that have a preexisting residence.

Existing Residential Uses. The restoration or reconstruction of a residence in its existing footprint is allowed, provided a building permit is issued within one year of the date of its [residence] partial destruction by fire, explosion, act of God or act of public enemy. A legally established residential use or structure may be expanded, remodeled or rebuilt; provided, that the construction and use conform to the residential district, R-1 zoning standards. Expansions of up to 25 percent of the existing residential footprint (in square feet) are allowed and shall be measured cumulatively from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter.

Existing Commercial Uses. Existing commercial uses that do not conform to this chapter may be expanded, enlarged, extended (including hours of operation), remodeled or rebuilt. This allowance relates strictly to the use and size (square footage) of the operation in relation to the permitted uses set forth in LMC § 19.44.050. Any expansion, enlargement, extension, remodel or rebuilding must meet area, landscaping, transportation, parking, stormwater control and all other applicable standards unless otherwise approved.

Minimum Lot Size.

Rear Yard Setback. The minimum rear yard setback is 20 feet if the rear yard abuts a residential zone plus an additional one-half foot for each foot the building exceeds 20 feet in height to a maximum setback requirement of 40 feet. Buildings in excess of 20 feet may be stepped.

Side Yard Setback. The minimum side yard setback is 15 feet if the side yard abuts a residential zone plus an additional one-half foot for each foot the building exceeds 20 feet in height to a maximum setback requirement of 40 feet. Buildings in excess of 20 feet may be stepped.

Every principal structure shall front on or be located on property that fronts upon a street dedicated to and maintained by a municipal corporation. The amount of frontage required is given in Table 19.44.070-1.

All driveways, parking areas, and pedestrian ways shall be surfaced with an all-weather surface. Curb and gutter shall be provided where required by the street design standards.

Every land use hereafter erected or enlarged within the commercial districts (D-C, CBD, RC, NC, GC and O/C) shall provide off-street automobile parking and truck loading and unloading facilities as required by applicable sections of Chapter 19.78 LMC.

Corner Lots. Landscaping, screening, fencing, equipment and materials shall not be located on corner lots so as to create sight obstructions at intersections. Appropriate sight distance shall be maintained in accordance with LMC and city engineering standards to the satisfaction of the public works director or their designee.

Stormwater Management. Stormwater management shall conform to Chapter 17.80 LMC and all other applicable statutes.

Lighting. Lighting shall be directed downward, inward and away from public rights-of-way and adjoining uses. All lighting shall be shielded so that the direct illumination shall be confined to the property boundaries of the light source.

Outdoor Storage and Product Display. Product display and outdoor storage shall be located only in designated areas as illustrated on an approved site plan and shall not block required pedestrian pathways, vehicular circulation routes or parking areas and shall not negatively impact public safety.

Screening of Mechanical Equipment. Rooftop mechanical equipment shall be screened in a manner that is incorporated in the architectural form of the building. Mechanical equipment located on the ground shall be screened by fencing and/or landscaping.

Loading Areas, Refuse Receptacles. Solid waste and recycling receptacles, service areas and loading docks shall be screened from adjacent residential properties and public rights-of-way by an opaque visual barrier no lower than the highest point of the receptacles. Screening may include landscaping, walls, fences, topographic changes, buildings, horizontal separation, or any combination thereof. Overhead doors and loading docks shall not face gateways, arterial or collector streets unless completely screened from view and shall not be located in required front yards.

Offensive Activities. No use, activity, or equipment shall be permitted that creates a nuisance or is offensive, objectionable, or hazardous by reason of creation of excessive odors, noise, sound, vibrations, electrical and/or magnetic interference, dust, dirt, smoke, or other pollutants, noxious, toxic, or corrosive fumes or gases, radiation, explosion or fire hazard, or by reason of the generation, disposal, or storage of hazardous or dangerous wastes or materials in a manner inconsistent with RCW Title 70 as presently constituted or as may be subsequently amended.

All recreational marijuana retail outlets shall be licensed per Chapter 314-55 WAC.

Prohibited Areas. Recreational marijuana retail outlets shall not be allowed in the following areas:

The distances specified in subsection (2) of this section shall be measured as follows:

Consumption of marijuana, products containing marijuana or alcohol on the premises is prohibited, as are any other associated uses such as a smoking room, dance or performance space, private club, open-to-the-public nightclub, cabaret, tavern, or similar establishment.

Emergency shelters and emergency housing shall be consistent with the definitions given in Chapter 19.09 LMC.

Prohibited Areas. Emergency shelters, emergency housing shall not be located within 1,000 feet of another emergency shelter, emergency housing facility, in commercial zones.

Emergency shelters shall be subject to standards for facility operations and management plans set forth below: