Chapter 18.08 AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT (AG)

Chapter 18.08
AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT (AG)

Sections:

18.08.010 Purpose.

18.08.020 Principal uses.

18.08.030 Accessory uses.

18.08.040 Conditional uses.

18.08.050 Prohibited uses.

18.08.060 Special conditions.

18.08.070 Property development standards.

18.08.080 Performance standards.

18.08.010 Purpose.

The purpose of the agricultural district is to implement the goals and policies of the Sumner comprehensive plan:

A. To protect agricultural uses from the intrusion of nonagricultural development;

B. To promote the conservation of productive agricultural lands and related activities or operations; and

C. To maintain large areas free of impervious surfaces in order to increase the potential for natural infiltration of rainfall and the retention of natural drainage water patterns, minimizing the need for storm water facilities and increasing the protection of ground water resources. (Ord. 1694 § 1, 1995)

18.08.020 Principal uses.

Permitted principal uses in the AG district are as follows:

A. Adult family homes;

B. Agriculture, floriculture, horticulture, general farming, dairying, poultry raising, stock raising, and other agricultural land uses;

C. The cultivation, harvest and production of forest products or any forest crop, including, but not limited to, timber, ferns, moss, boughs, bark, berries, nuts, tree fruits, nursery stock and Christmas trees;

D. Manufactured homes subject to standards of SMC 18.08.080(A);

E. Minor utility facilities;

F. Parks and playgrounds;

G. Single-family dwellings;

H. Streets;

I. Wireless communication facilities subject to the standards of chapter 18.37 SMC. (Ord. 2135 § 2 (part), 2005: Ord. 1830 § 10, 1998; Ord. 1694 § 1, 1995)

18.08.030 Accessory uses.

Permitted accessory uses in the AG district are as follows:

A. Accessory dwelling units subject to the following criteria:

1. One accessory dwelling unit shall be allowed per legal building lot as a subordinate use in conjunction with any single-family structure;

2. Either the primary residence or the accessory dwelling unit must be occupied by the owners of the property. In addition, accessory dwelling units shall not be subdivided or otherwise segregated in ownership from the main building. The owners shall sign an affidavit affirming that the owners will occupy the main building or the accessory dwelling unit as their principal residence for at least six months of every year. The owners shall sign a covenant agreeing to the conditions of this section which shall be recorded with the Pierce County auditor. The form of the affidavit and covenant shall be specified by the community development department;

3. The total number of occupants in both the primary residence and the accessory dwelling unit combined may not exceed the maximum number established by the definition of family in this title;

4. The accessory dwelling unit shall not contain less than 300 square feet and not more than 800 square feet, excluding any related garage area; provided, that if the accessory unit is completely located on a single floor, the director may allow increased size in order to efficiently use all floor area, so long as all other standards set forth in this section are met;

5. The square footage of the accessory dwelling unit, excluding any garage area, shall not exceed 40 percent of the total square footage of the primary residence and accessory dwelling unit combined after rehabilitation, excluding any garage area. This percentage shall apply to both attached and detached accessory dwelling units. Where the director allows increased size per subsection 4, the square footage shall not exceed 50 percent of the total square footage of the primary residence and accessory dwelling unit combined after rehabilitation, excluding any garage area;

6. There shall be one off-street parking space in a carport, garage, or designated space provided for the accessory dwelling unit in addition to that which exists on the site for the primary residence;

7. Accessory dwelling units shall be located only in the same building as the principal residence unless the lot is at least 8,500 square feet in area or unless the accessory dwelling unit will replace a detached, preexisting structure of at least 400 square feet. Where lots contain at least 8,500 square feet in area or there is a detached, preexisting structure of at least 400 square feet, the accessory dwelling unit may be part of the principal residence or located in a detached structure;

8. An accessory dwelling unit shall be designed to maintain the appearance of the main building of the single-family residence. If the accessory unit extends beyond the current footprint of the principal residence, such an addition shall be consistent with the existing roof pitch, siding and windows. If an accessory unit is detached from the main building it must also be consistent with the existing roof pitch, siding and windows of the principal residence. In addition, only one entrance for the main building will be permitted in the front of the principal residence. A separate entrance for the accessory dwelling unit shall be located either off the rear or the side of the building;

9. The accessory dwelling unit shall meet all technical code standards including building, electrical, fire, plumbing and other applicable code requirements;

B. Accessory kennels to principal agricultural uses;

C. Adult day-care home facilities which:

1. Meet Washington Association of Adult Day Centers adult day care guidelines;

2. Comply with all building, fire, safety, health code and business licensing requirements;

3. Conform to lot size, building size, setbacks, and lot requirements of this chapter except if the structure is a legal nonconforming structure;

4. Comply with the applicable provisions of the sign code of this title;

5. Make no structural or decorative alteration which will alter the single-family character of an existing or proposed residential structure which would make it incompatible with surrounding residences;

6. Have no more than six adults served by the home facility;

D. Detached buildings accessory to the permitted uses provided they shall not exceed one story in height with the exception of barns and silos; and provided, that any structure housing animals or fowl shall maintain a minimum setback of 50 feet from adjoining properties;

E. Family child care home or family child day-care home facilities which:

1. Meet Washington State child day care licensing requirements;

2. Comply with all building, fire, safety, health code and business licensing requirements;

3. Conform to lot size, building size, setbacks, and lot requirements of this chapter except if the structure is a legal nonconforming structure;

4. Comply with the applicable provisions of the sign code of this title;

F. Garage sales, yard sales, bake sales, temporary home boutiques or bazaars for handcrafted items, parties for the display of domestic products, and other like uses shall not be in existence for more than six days of any calendar year, and shall not be in violation of any other chapter in this code, or city ordinance, and provided further, that any such garage sales and yard sales involve only the sale of household goods, none of which were purchased for the purpose of resale;

G. Guest house, not for rent or permanent occupancy;

H. Home occupations which meet the following criteria:

1. The resident operator shall obtain a business license, which shall be renewed annually;

2. The home occupation shall employ no more than one person in addition to those who are residents of the dwelling;

3. The home occupation shall be clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling for dwelling purposes, and the appearance of the structure shall not be altered or the occupation within the residence be conducted in a manner that would cause the premises to differ from its residential character either by the use of colors, materials, construction, lighting, signs, or the emission of sounds, exhausts, or vibrations that carry beyond the premises;

4. The home occupation shall have no advertising, display, or other indications of a home occupation on the premises;

5. No storage or display of goods shall be visible from the outside of the structure;

6. No highly explosive or combustible material shall be used or stored on the premises. No activity shall be allowed that would interfere with radio or television transmission in the area, nor shall there be any offensive noise, vibration, smoke, dust, odors, heat, or glare noticeable at or beyond the property line;

7. A home occupation shall not create greater vehicle or pedestrian traffic than normal for the district in which it is located;

8. Merchandise shall not be offered for direct sale within the residence, accessory structure, or on-site;

9. No commercially licensed vehicles over 10,000 pounds gross weight capacity shall be utilized in the business. No more than one type of commercially licensed vehicle under 10,000 pounds gross weight capacity shall be utilized in the business on the premises;

I. Produce stand for the sale of fruit, vegetables, or other agricultural products raised on the property;

J. Swimming pools; and

K. Wireless communication facilities subject to the standards of chapter 18.37 SMC. (Ord. 1830 § 11, 1998; Ord. 1739 § 4, 1996; Ord. 1694 § 1, 1995)

18.08.040 Conditional uses.

The following uses are permitted on any parcel of land within the agricultural district subject to the issuance of a conditional use permit:

A. Adult day-care facilities serving more than six adults, which meet the following criteria in addition to the criteria found in chapter 18.48 SMC:

1. Meet Washington Association of Adult Day Centers adult day care guidelines;

2. Comply with all building, fire, safety, health code and business licensing requirements;

3. Conform to lot size, building size, setbacks, and lot requirements of this chapter except if the structure is a legal nonconforming structure;

4. Comply with the applicable provisions of the sign code of this title;

B. Bed and breakfasts;

C. Wireless communication facilities subject to the standards of chapter 18.37 SMC;

D. Cemeteries;

E. Churches. Associated accessory structures of a church include, but are not limited to, assembly rooms, kitchen, library room or reading room, nurseries, recreation hall, adult day care, child day care, Sunday School rooms, private primary and secondary school facilities, and a one-family dwelling unit for use by church officials shall be addressed in the conditional use permit. In addition to meeting the criteria of chapter 18.48 SMC, new accessory one-family dwelling units shall be placed on-site with sufficient distance between structures and in a manner that would allow for future subdivisions that would result in separate lots for the dwelling and church;

F. Commercial recreational fields and/or clubs, such as athletic clubs, baseball fields, fairgrounds, golf driving ranges, animal race tracks, stadia and tennis clubs;

G. Community clubs;

H. Golf courses;

I. Kennels as a principal use of property;

J. Major utility facilities;

K. Mass transit systems including, but not limited to, bus stations, train stations, transit shelter stations, and park-and-ride lots;

L. Mineral extraction uses;

M. Preschools, schools, colleges, universities;

N. Private recreational facilities;

O. Public facilities;

P. Residential structures for agricultural employees of the occupant of the main or principal structure. In addition to meeting the criteria of SMC 18.48.050, the number of units in residential structures for agricultural employees shall be limited to the maximum number of employees, and shall be designed to minimize impacts to neighboring properties in terms of bulk and height;

Q. Riding stables;

R. Tourist uses;

S. Utility yard;

T. Water towers and water supply plants. (Ord. 1830 § 12, 1998; Ord. 1803 § 2 (part), 1997; Ord. 1694 § 1, 1995)

18.08.050 Prohibited uses.

Any use or structure not listed under permitted principal, accessory or conditional uses is prohibited in the AG district unless authorized in chapters 18.36, 18.46 SMC, or an applied overlay district of this title. (Ord. 1694 § 1, 1995)

18.08.060 Special conditions.

The following special conditions apply in the AG district:

A. The slaughtering and dressing only of animals raised on the premises is permitted.

B. Provisions must be made for disposal of manure and other organic waste in such a manner as to avoid pollution of ground water of any lake, river or stream, as well as provision for control of offensive odors according to best management practices. (Ord. 1694 § 1, 1995)

18.08.070 Property development standards.

The following property development standards apply in the AG district when base district is not combined with the cluster overlay district:

A. Minimum lot area per building site: 20 acres or 871,200 square feet;

B. Maximum development density in dwelling units per gross acre: one per 20 acres;

C. Lot width in feet: 150;

D. Front yard setback in feet: 35;

E. Rear yard setback in feet: 40;

F. Interior side yard setback in feet: 10; livestock structures: 50 feet from all lot lines;

G. Street side yard setback in feet: 15;

H. Maximum building height in feet: 35; silos and barns: 50;

I. Maximum lot coverage: 25 percent;

J. Required off-street parking: two covered;

K. Minimum street frontage in feet: 60. (Ord. 1694 § 1, 1995)

18.08.080 Performance standards.

The following special performance standards shall apply to properties located in the AG district:

A. Manufactured homes shall meet all of the following conditions:

1. Manufactured homes shall be new;

2. Manufactured homes shall be set upon a permanent foundation and the space from the bottom of the home to the ground shall be enclosed by concrete or an approved concrete product which can be either load-bearing or decorative;

3. Manufactured homes shall be thermally equivalent to the State Energy Code;

4. Manufactured homes shall have exterior siding similar in appearance to siding materials commonly used on site built single-family homes;

5. The roofs of manufactured homes shall be constructed with a shake or shingle, coated metal, or similar material with a nominal roof pitch of 3:12; and

6. Manufactured homes shall be comprised of at least two fully enclosed parallel sections each of not less than 12 feet wide by 36 feet long. (Ord. 2135 § 2 (part), 2005)