(1) Reduce noise, lighting and visual impacts on abutting uses, particularly residential uses;

(2) Improve safety and promote more efficient vehicle and pedestrian circulation; and

(3) Foster and facilitate economic development. [Ord. 4766 § 1, 2025.]

(1) “Drive-through facility” means an establishment that sells products or provides services to occupants in vehicles or that services vehicles at drive-up to service areas, including drive-in or drive-up windows and drive-through services. A drive-through facility is composed of two parts – the stacking lanes and the vehicle-related service area. The stacking lanes are the space occupied by vehicles queueing for the service to be provided. The vehicle-related service area is where the service occurs. In businesses with service windows, such as coffee shops, the vehicle-related service area starts at the service window. In businesses where the service occurs indoors, such as car washes, the vehicle-related service area is the area within the building where the service occurs. For other drive-through facilities, such as gas pumps, air compressors, and vacuum cleaning stations, the service area is the area where the vehicles are parked during the service. Other examples of drive-through facilities include, but are not limited to, fast-food restaurants, banks, dry cleaners, and pharmacies.

(2) The regulations of this chapter apply only to the portions of the site development that comprise the drive-through facility. The regulations apply to new developments, the addition of drive-through facilities to existing developments, and the relocation of an existing business operating a drive-through facility.

(3) Any property owner applying for a building permit, site development permit or a binding site plan which proposes a drive-through facility shall submit a site plan of the drive-through facility as part of the underlying permit application to the Director of Community and Economic Development or designee. One copy of the map shall be submitted to the City in a digital or electronic format as a portable document format (PDF) (at a scale no greater than one inch to 100 feet) of the entire contiguous tract owned by the applicant. The site plan shall accurately depict the proposed drive-through facility.

(4) In addition to the site plan, supporting documentation may be required to ensure compliance with drive-through facility code standards, as determined by the Director of Community and Economic Development or designee. Such documentation may include information needed to determine the accuracy of materials provided (e.g., length of stacking lanes). The Director may return any incomplete or inaccurate application materials, including site plans, submitted.

(5) Drive-through facilities lawfully established prior to passage of this chapter that do not meet the requirements of this section shall be an established nonconforming use in accordance with Chapter 25.170 PMC. Modifications, enlargements, or expansions of such existing facilities may be permitted, provided the applicant meets all requirements of this chapter. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as permitting any violation of any applicable building or fire code. [Ord. 4766 § 1, 2025.]

(1) Service areas and stacking lanes must be set back a minimum of five feet from all lot lines.

(2) Service areas and stacking lanes must be set back five feet from all public transportation rights-of-way such as sidewalks. [Ord. 4766 § 1, 2025.]

(1) Drive-through facilities shall not be permitted within 125 feet of a residentially zoned or Comprehensive Plan designated residential property.

(2) Drive-through facilities shall not be approved within 300 feet of a signalized intersection operating at a level of service (LOS) D or below, or cause the level of service to fall to a level of service (LOS) D or below, unless a traffic impact analysis has been submitted and demonstrates that the use will not impair the efficiency or operation of the intersection.

(3) All driveway entrances, including stacking lane entrances, must be located at least 100 feet from a public street intersection.

(4) Drive-through facilities, including stacking lane entrances, must be located at least 100 feet from adjacent drive-through facilities existing prior to the date of application of the new facility.

(1) Reciprocal access between abutting drive-through establishments shall be required where feasible so that vehicles are not required to enter the public right-of-way to move from one area to another on the same or adjacent site.

(2) Drive-through facilities shall provide separate queuing and circulation for drive-through customers that does not interfere with or prohibit pedestrian traffic flow. Drive-through establishments with a stacking lane between the establishment and its designated parking areas shall provide at least one designated internal pedestrian crosswalk to facilitate walk-in or walk-up pedestrian access, as described in PMC 25.176.060(8).

(3) For drive-through establishments only, a parking reduction of up to 50 percent may be approved if the application clearly indicates that the establishment is for carry-out business only, with no indoor dining. Parking reductions shall be approved by the Community and Economic Development Department. [Ord. 4766 § 1, 2025.]

(1) Customer drive-through and stacking lanes shall provide pavement markings or directional signage for vehicle access.

(2) The entry point of the stacking lane shall be located as deep into the site as possible.

(3) Customer drive-through stacking lanes shall have a minimum entrance approach width of 12 feet and a 25-foot turning radius at curves.

(4) Customer drive-through stacking lanes shall, at a minimum, provide the required capacity as stated below for each respective use:

(5) Applicants may apply for and be granted a reduced stacking lane capacity from the requirements of this section where sufficient evidence is submitted and accepted that demonstrates that a reduction will not impair access or safety on site and within 300 feet of the site on adjacent public rights-of-way. Documentation shall include the most currently available traffic counts (no older than two years), level of service, operational efficiency, and customer projections. Information must be verified during annual business license renewal.

(6) Customer drive-through stacking lanes shall be measured from the center of the last service window to the entry point of the lane.

(7) The drive-through stacking lane shall be situated so that any overflow from the stacking lane does not overflow onto a public street or aisleway of any parking lot.

(8) The drive-through stacking lane shall not disrupt any public or private sidewalk, pedestrian pathway, or accessway. Where the stacking lane intersects an internal sidewalk, pedestrian pathway, or accessway, as required under PMC 25.176.050(2), raised or decorative pavement and signage shall be provided. [Ord. 4766 § 1, 2025.]

(1) Noise emitted from drive-through speakers shall not escape beyond the boundaries of the site in excess of those limits established by Chapter 9.130 PMC.

(2) The noise, exhaust fumes and lighting impacts of automobiles on adjacent residential properties as they queue to wait for drive-through services shall be minimized to the maximum extent practical through the installation of six-foot-high, sight-obscuring fencing constructed of masonry, vinyl or wood fencing along with other sound dampening with landscaping along any residential property line that is exposed to the drive-through or by the enclosure of the drive-through facility facing such residential property line, provided such fences comply with the required setback requirements when adjacent to or abutting residentially used, zoned or Comprehensive Plan properties. Any business containing a drive-through facility must also comply with the landscaping standards of PMC 25.180.050. In the event any conflict arises, the provisions in this chapter shall apply with respect to the drive-through facility area of the commercial establishment.

(3) Alternative measures designed to mitigate noise impacts may be permitted as authorized by the Director of Community and Economic Development, where demonstrated through a noise mitigation study conducted by a qualified professional that such mitigation measures adequately provide compliance with Chapter 9.130 PMC.

(4) The application shall provide information that the establishment can and will remain compliant with the environmental noise level regulations of Chapter 9.130 PMC. To the extent these regulations conflict with Chapter 9.130 PMC, the more restrictive regulations shall apply. [Ord. 4766 § 1, 2025.]