20C.50.15 Commercial Zones.

20C.50.15-010 Purpose.

Commercial zones provide areas for the development and operation of retail and service businesses in support of community needs. These zones complement the Downtown City Center zones (Chapter 20C.40 RCDG). Mixed uses are encouraged in the commercial zones. Exclusive of the City Center zones and special design district zones, three types of commercial zones are established within the City. These include: Neighborhood Commercial (NC), General Commercial (GC), and Retail Commercial (RC) as described in the following sections. (Ord. 2027)

20C.50.15-020 Neighborhood Commercial (NC) Zone.

The Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zone provides for small-scale shopping areas that offer retail convenience goods, professional and business services, and personal services for the daily needs of nearby neighborhoods. This zoning district is designed to reduce trips by providing convenient shopping and services. The allowed uses are intended to primarily serve the neighborhood. Uses that tend to draw traffic into the neighborhood are not allowed. NC zones are located on transit routes and near pedestrian facilities and bike paths to encourage transit use, walking and biking. Each neighborhood commercial area is compact to prevent commercial strip development. Buildings are located so customers can walk from building to building to meet their daily needs. Neighborhood commercial sites are limited in size to keep them in scale with the neighborhoods they serve and nearby uses. In addition, high quality design and landscaping is used to make the area attractive, functional and to minimize negative impacts on nearby uses. Other measures, such as buffering requirements and limits on hours of operation, may be used to reduce impacts to nearby residences. Mixed uses and above-ground-floor residential uses are encouraged. The decision to include Neighborhood Commercial zones, their specific location, and size, are made during the neighborhood planning process. (Ord. 2147; Ord. 2027)

20C.50.15-030 General Commercial (GC) Zone.

The General Commercial (GC) zone provides for retail uses which are land intensive, serve travelers, or offer warehouse sales and sales of larger goods which are not well suited to the City Center zone or to the Overlake area. High quality design and landscaping are used to make these areas attractive, functional and to minimize negative impacts on nearby uses. While automobiles are accommodated by this zone, site and building design also encourage pedestrian, bicycle, and transit use. Complementary uses are encouraged to cluster together. Shared parking and accesses are encouraged. Residential uses are allowed in the upper floors of buildings through the general development permit process where negative impacts will not result. (Ord. 2027)

20C.50.15-040 Retail Commercial (RC) Zone – Purpose.

(1) The Retail Commercial (RC) zone provides a broad variety of retail commercial, service, professional office, and office uses to meet the needs of neighborhood residents, residents of other nearby areas, and nearby businesses. Residential uses are also encouraged in this zone. Residential uses are particularly encouraged along 152nd Avenue NE. Development is expected to accommodate automobiles, except where a site is located next to a Housing Emphasis Area or Green Street. The zone’s development standards promote attractive development and an open and pleasant street appearance. Development is intended to be aesthetically pleasing and functional for motorists, transit users, pedestrians, bicyclists, and the businesses located in this zone.

(2) The Retail Commercial zone also includes a Housing Redevelopment Overlay. The purpose of the Housing Redevelopment Overlay is to encourage housing production within a part of the Housing Emphasis Area well suited to housing and where redevelopment is likely to occur. The Housing Redevelopment Overlay expresses the community objective of including a substantial number of housing units in this area, either as part of mixed use developments or in buildings used entirely for housing. The uses allowed in the Housing Redevelopment Overlay will help provide for compatibility with the permitted residential uses. (Ord. 2027)