Mountlake Terrace City Zoning Code

Maintain and protect property values;

Enhance the appearance of the development;

Improve the character of the City;

Reduce erosion;

Provide pervious surfacing areas to recharge subsurface aquifer, reduce quantity of stormwater runoff, and provide for cleansing of on-site surface water prior to re-entering the City's watercourses;

Maintain or replace existing vegetation;

Provide screening between incompatible land uses;

Moderate the microclimate;

Minimize noise, glare, and other negative impacts;

Protect and enhance watercourses, riparian habitat, and associated wildlife;

Establish design standards and site improvement criteria for commercial and industrial developments (Policy UD 1.3.0.);

Expand the use of green belts and natural buffer zones to protect residential areas from commercial and industrial areas which are environmentally detrimental to nearby residential neighborhoods (Policy UD 1.5.0.);

Maintenance of required landscape areas.

Replacement of plants or plant material which are dead or damaged.

Note: Living trees that were retained or living plant material indicated on the approved plans shall not be removed without first obtaining permission from the Planning Department or their designated representative.

Repair or replacement of faulty or damaged irrigation system if extent of replacement does not exceed 20 percent of existing system.

Street Trees. All trees planted adjacent to streets or in street right(s)-of-way shall be located in accordance with the City of Mountlake Terrace roadway standards. Street trees are to be spaced an average distance of 35 feet on center or as specified in adopted design standards for specific zoning districts, with the Engineer making a final determination of location based on specific site and frontage conditions. Deciduous street trees shall have a minimum caliper of two inches measured six inches above ground level and have a clear trunk for at least six feet above grade. Evergreen street trees shall be a minimum of 10 feet in height and planted well outside any required sight area triangle, spaced a maximum of 30 feet on center.

Trees, Other. Deciduous or broad leaf evergreen trees shall have a minimum caliper of one and one-half inches measured six inches above ground level. Evergreen trees shall be a minimum of six feet in height. All trees shall be set back a minimum of three feet from the face of any curb, sidewalk, building, or other structure.

Shrubs. Shrubs shall be selected to provide variety in height and texture, enhance the architectural design, and attractively screen views of parked vehicles and noncompatible site land uses. Installed shrubs shall have a minimum height of 21 inches. Depending on variety and intended use, other shrub stock sizes may be allowed or required.

Ground Cover. Living ground cover, other than grass, shall be installed so that it meets the coverage requirement of the applicable landscaping type (MTMC § 19.130.240). Spacing shall be sufficient to achieve 75 percent ground coverage in a three-year period as designed by a certified landscape specialist, or according to the following standard:

Lawn Grasses and Low Impact Development Native Seed. Coverage shall be provided with either seed or sod. Seed must germinate and demonstrate 100 percent coverage, or coverage in accordance with native seed manufacturer specifications, prior to final acceptance of such landscaped areas.

Size and location of water meter(s);

Static water pressure from City's water main;

Service line type, size, and length;

Type and location of drain(s), coupler(s), shut-off and control valve(s), controller(s), and backflow prevention device(s);

Spacial layout of piping;

Main and lateral pipe size(s) and type(s);

Performance chart showing type, series, and hydraulic characteristics of sprinkler heads;

Hydraulic circuit analysis chart showing volume flow per valve.

The irrigation system layout shall reflect good design principles, minimize water usage and waste, and meet the watering needs of the specific plant materials used. Coverage shall be 100 percent or head-to-head coverage.

Minimum depth of burial for piping shall be 18 inches for main line(s) and 12 inches for all lateral line(s).

Two on-site inspections will be conducted to assure compliance with approved plans and adequate performance.

An electrical inspection of irrigation wiring by the Building Department is required.

The owner shall be responsible to have all backflow prevention devices and double check valve assemblies inspected and tested by a certified backflow device tester or cross-connection control specialist at the time of initial installation, whenever the device is repaired, and at least once a year. A copy of the report shall be submitted to the City. The device shall be repaired, overhauled, or replaced whenever found to be defective.

A drawing to the same scale as the site development plan or the landscape development plan;

The location, DBH, botanical name and condition, including the likely remaining healthy life span, of all significant existing trees as defined by MTMC § 19.130.150, and the location of all wetland and water body setback buffers, including the location and botanical name of any significant vegetation as defined by MTMC § 19.130.150;

The existing and proposed contours;

Identification of trees proposed for retention or removal;

The proposed tree protection zone of all trees to be from the face of each tree trunk to the drip line; and

Recommended tree protection techniques to be employed before, during, and after land alteration and construction to ensure the continued healthy life of retained trees.

An approved significant tree inventory plan and/or tree evaluation report is on file with the Community and Economic Development Department; and

A site inspection has verified the installation of the appropriate tree protection mechanisms.

For any site proposed to be developed or cleared which contains significant trees, based on the approved significant tree inventory plan, at least 25 percent of the viable significant trees must be retained. If these tree retention requirements are met, no further action is required. When tree retention to the 25 percent threshold cannot be met, a combination of tree retention, tree replacement above and beyond City landscaping requirements for site development, and/or fee-in-lieu must be used to mitigate the impacts of all significant viable trees removed from the site.

Demonstrate the following retention priorities in the tree retention plan (not in order of importance): trees in groves, heritage trees, and trees adjacent to parks or other open space areas.

Additional trees must be retained as required by other municipal code, including regulations for critical areas (Chapter 16.15 MTMC), shoreline management (Chapter 16.10 MTMC), and heritage trees (MTMC § 16.30.070).

Tree replacement (MTMC § 19.130.190) or tree fee-in-lieu (MTMC § 19.130.195) may be utilized if the minimum retention requirements cannot be met.

Pruning of visible deadwood on trees to be protected or relocated;

Mulching with a layer of four inches to five inches of wood chips within the drip line of retained trees; and

Ensuring watering adequate to maintain tree health during and immediately after construction from May 1st through September 30th, or until reliable rainfall occurs in the fall.

For each significant tree between six inches and 12 inches DBH removed, three replacement trees are required.

For each significant tree between 12 inches and 24 inches DBH removed, five replacement trees are required.

For each significant tree between 24 inches and 48 inches DBH removed, seven replacement trees are required.

For each significant tree greater than 48 inches DBH removed, 10 replacement trees are required.

All revenue received under MTMC § 19.130.195, and mitigation fees, civil fines, and penalties received by the City for illegal removal of trees under violations of clearing and grading, critical areas, land use, or other code for the purpose of tree protection.

Donations and grants for tree purposes; and

Other monies as allocated by the City Council.

Providing tree vouchers to residents for the purpose of purchasing and planting trees in the City;

Paying for services provided by a qualified tree professional;

Paying for services to support the City's urban forest management and health;

Acquiring, maintaining, planting, and preserving wooded areas within the City;

Purchasing and planting of trees by the City, including planting street trees, trees within parks, the right-of-way, and other public property;

Purchasing supplies and materials for the City's observance of Arbor Day;

Education and outreach on the benefits of trees and tree protection; and

Other purposes relating to trees as determined by the City Council.

It is unlawful to remove or damage trees in violation of these tree regulations or approved plans. Tree removal includes the removal of a tree, directly or indirectly, or irreversible damage to a tree resulting in the death of the tree.

Any person who aids or abets in the violation shall be considered to have committed a violation for purposes of fines. This includes the arborist or company pruning or removing the tree.

Violations include:

Parking lots fronting on street right(s)-of-way shall provide Type I landscaping in the required planter width area between the parking area and the right-of-way.

The following planter width requirements shall apply:

Density. Planting areas shall constitute at least 10 percent of the parking and vehicular use area in all commercial districts and 15 percent of the parking and vehicular use area in all other developments, except for single-household residential developments;

Planting Islands. Planting islands shall be placed between every 10 parking stalls and on the ends of any parking aisle with 10 or more parking stalls. Planting islands include peninsular projections from perimeter landscape areas;

Planter Area Width. The minimum width of any required planting islands shall be five feet. Triangular planter islands must average a minimum of five feet in width for the full length of the planter area. Planting islands between parking bays shall have a minimum interior width of eight feet, including vehicle overhang;

Minimum Area. Interior parking lot planting islands shall be a minimum of 65 square feet in size;

Location of Plantings. All interior parking lot planting areas shall be located between parking bays, parking stalls, or the end of parking columns. The landscaping may be peninsular or island type. No landscape planting which occurs between the parking area and a building or recreation area shall be counted toward satisfying the requirements;

Maximum Contiguous Area. Required interior parking lot landscaping is to be distributed evenly throughout the vehicular use area. Landscape areas in excess of the minimum requirements may be clustered or consolidated as desired;

Required Plantings in Landscape Islands. As a minimum, Type I landscaping shall be provided in landscape islands with a minimum of one tree for each 150 square feet or fraction thereof of required and provided landscape areas associated with vehicular use areas. Any remaining areas shall be landscaped as specified by subsection B of this section or the applicable landscape type (MTMC § 19.130.240);

Parked Vehicle Overhang. A curb or other wheel stop shall be provided wherever vehicles may overhang landscaped areas. Maximum overhang for parked vehicles is limited to two feet, six inches for standard stalls and compact stalls, including the curb or wheel stop. Landscaping, within any vehicle overhang area, is limited to low-growing live ground covers (including grass);

Pedestrian Access. Parking lots in any commercial or industrial zone shall accommodate pedestrian access openings through continuous planting areas by providing, as a minimum, a four-foot-wide pathway every fourth parking stall. Pedestrian pathways shall not be required in planting areas where pedestrian traffic is unlikely to occur; e.g., through perimeter planting areas directly opposite the building structure or where planting areas are perpendicular to the building structure;

Alightment Area. Any parking stall abutting a planter island on the driver or passenger side of the vehicle shall provide an additional 18 inches of stall width above the minimum stall width requirement to provide a place for alighting passengers to step other than in the planting bed. The additional width shall be striped separate from the parking stall; and

Light standards within a parking area are to be located in landscape planters. If tree placement interferes with light coverage requirements, alternative lighting shall be considered, such as mounting down-lighting, or up-lighting a larger tree.

Planting areas located between the vehicular use area and an interior lot sidewalk shall be landscaped with Type I landscaping;

A Type II landscape planting strip shall be required between any vehicular use area, sidewalk, or right-of-way and any on-site buildings when the building facade has a mean elevation greater than 20 feet in height or is more than 50 feet long; and

All other areas on a subject site or building lot that are not specifically designated for parking, structure siting, storage, or to meet landscaping requirements shall be planted, as a minimum, with 100 percent coverage with turf or 75 percent coverage with other living ground cover within three years.

Purpose. Type I landscaping is primarily intended to visually soften large open spaces of parking areas.

Description. Type I landscaping shall consist of deciduous trees spaced a maximum of 35 feet on center in a continuous planting bed; a maximum of 75 feet on center with segmented planting areas; and low-lying shrubs with a maximum height of 36 inches and live ground cover that, combined with shrubbery, provides at least 75 percent coverage of the landscaped area within two years. Up to 25 percent of the required landscape area may utilize nonliving landscape material in place of the otherwise required living ground cover. As a minimum, planting areas shall have a width of five feet and one tree for every 150 square feet or fraction thereof of applicable landscaped area.

Evergreen trees may be used on a limited basis and only when planted outside any sight area triangle with a maximum spacing of 30 feet on center.

When located between sidewalks and parking lots in nonresidential zones, Type I landscaping shall not require a continuous planting bed. Planting beds of at least 30 square feet shall be provided with one dimension at least five feet. Five-foot-wide pedestrian walks shall be provided for access to sidewalk, transit, and businesses. Five-foot-wide pedestrian walks through landscaped areas may be provided every 35 feet. Stepping stones through planting areas may be provided to minimize damage to plantings.

Purpose. Type II landscaping is intended to provide visual relief and shade to building facades and add to the overall quality of a development by softening the effect of site buildings and structures upon the landscape.

Description. Type II landscaping shall consist of coniferous and deciduous trees planted an average of 30 feet on center in beds at least five feet in width, along with evergreen and deciduous shrubs and live ground cover forming an effective screen so as to cover over 75 percent of the landscape area within two years. Up to 25 percent of the required landscape area may utilize nonliving landscape material in place of the otherwise required living ground cover.

Purpose. Type III landscaping is intended to provide visual separation of incompatible uses from streets, main arterials, and along property lines.

Description. Type III landscaping is made up of evergreens or a mixture of evergreen and deciduous (no greater than 80 percent deciduous) trees. Maximum spacing shall be 20 feet on center for evergreen trees and 35 feet on center for deciduous trees. Shrubs and live ground covers shall provide for at least 100 percent coverage of landscaped area within a two-year period. An earthen berm may be used with low shrubbery in place of more level terrain with medium-sized shrubbery. Up to 25 percent of the required landscape area may utilize nonliving landscape material in place of the otherwise required living ground cover.

Purpose. Type IV landscaping is intended to create a strong visual separation between incompatible uses.

Description. Type IV landscaping shall be made up of evergreen trees planted a maximum of 15 feet on center, along with medium-sized shrubs and live ground cover to form an effective visual barrier a minimum of six feet in height within five years. Up to 25 percent of the required landscape area may utilize nonliving landscape material in place of the otherwise required living ground cover. Deciduous trees up to 25 percent of the tree requirement are encouraged to add seasonal and textural variation. Either an earth berm or a six-foot high sight-screening fence shall be used. When the earth berming alternative is chosen, medium-sized shrubs shall be spaced four and one-half feet on center. When the fence option is selected, medium-sized shrubs shall be placed six feet on center. Actual plant spacing is influenced by selected plant species and size, in conjunction with the alternative selected and is subject to final approval by the City.

Purpose. Type V landscaping is intended to provide a solid sight barrier to totally separate incompatible uses.

Description. As a minimum Type V landscaping shall consist of a double row of evergreen trees (with rows offset) spaced 15 feet triangulated on center, an earth berm, a minimum height of two and one-half feet, and shrubs and live ground cover to provide an effective visual barrier a minimum of six feet in height within three years. As an alternative to earth berming, a six-foot high sight-screening fence may be incorporated into the landscaping. Up to 25 percent of the required landscape area may utilize nonliving landscape material in place of the otherwise required living ground cover.