Chapter 18.16
RM-900 RESIDENTIAL: MULTIFAMILY 900 ZONE
Sections
18.16.010 Purpose of zone.
18.16.020 Permitted uses.
18.16.025 Hazardous substances.
18.16.030 Lot area.
18.16.040 Lot area per dwelling unit.
18.16.050 Lot width.
18.16.060 Front yard.
18.16.070 Side yard.
18.16.080 Height.
18.16.090 Permissible floor area.
18.16.100 Permissible lot coverage.
18.16.110 Placement of buildings and structures.
18.16.115 Recreation area required.
18.16.120 Prohibition on reclassification of property to RM-900.
18.16.010 Purpose of zone.
The principal objective and purpose to be served by this zone and its application is to establish areas permitting the maximum population density and which also permits uses other than residential, such as medical, dental, and social services and shelter, all for human beings. The uses permitted in this zone relate conveniently and consistently in terms of traffic generated, demands upon public service facilities, and impact upon each other. A related consideration is to make it possible to more efficiently and economically design and install all physical public service facilities in terms of size and capacity to adequately and permanently meet needs resulting from a defined intensity of land use. [Ord. 1237 § 3, 1999; Ord. 175 § 1(24.16.010), 1964.]
18.16.020 Permitted uses.
In an RM-900 zone the following uses only are permitted and as specifically provided in and allowed by this chapter, subject to the off-street parking requirements and general provisions and exceptions set forth in this title beginning with chapter 18.36 DMMC:
(1) Any use permitted in an RM-1,800 zone; provided, all such uses shall conform to the conditions set forth in the zone in which they are first permitted except that for dwellings, rest homes, nursing homes, and convalescent homes, the yards, open spaces and lot coverage permitted by this zone shall apply, and day nurseries shall conform to the conditions set forth in the RM-2,400 zone pertaining to such use, except that they need not be in a dwelling unit;
(2) Accessory uses, buildings, and structures as set forth in the single-family residential zone except that where more than one dwelling unit is located on the premises private garages shall be limited to accommodating not more than two cars for each dwelling unit and a boathouse shall be limited to accommodating not more than one private noncommercial pleasure craft for each dwelling unit on the premises;
(3) Apartment hotels;
(4) Hospitals, except mental and alcoholic; provided:
(a) All buildings and structures shall maintain a distance of not less than 45 feet from the property front line and not less than 20 feet from any residential property;
(b) A solid wall or view-obscuring fence or hedge not less than five feet nor more than six feet in height shall be established and maintained on any exterior boundary line which is a common property line with residential property, when such residential property is used for residential purposes; provided, that on any portion of such common property line constituting the depth of the required front yard on the residential property such fence, wall, or hedge shall not be less than 36 inches nor more than 42 inches in height;
(5) Hotels; provided:
(a) Restaurants, cocktail lounges, and specialty shops are permitted accessory uses; provided1, the floor area devoted to such uses shall not exceed 20 percent of the total floor area and entry to such uses shall be from within the main building;
(b) All buildings and structures shall maintain a distance of not less than 20 feet from any lot in a residential zone;
(c) A solid wall or view-obscuring fence or hedge not less than five feet nor more than six feet in height shall be erected and maintained on any exterior boundary line which is a common property line with residential property when such residential property is used only for residential purposes, except that on any portion of such common property line constituting the depth of the required front yard on the residential property such fence, wall, or hedge shall not be less than 36 inches nor more than 42 inches in height;
(6) Motels; provided:
(a) Restaurants, cocktail lounges, and specialty shops are permitted accessory uses; provided1, the floor area devoted to such uses shall not exceed 20 percent of the total floor area and entry to such uses shall be from within the main building;
(b) All buildings and structures shall maintain a distance of not less than 20 feet from any lot in a residential zone;
(c) A solid wall or view-obscuring fence or hedge not less than five feet nor more than six feet in height shall be established and maintained on any exterior boundary line which is a common property line with residential property when such residential property is used only for residential purposes, except that on any portion of such common property line constituting the depth of the required front yard on the residential property such fence, wall, or hedge shall not be less than 36 inches nor more than 42 inches in height;
(7) Private clubs and fraternal societies, except those the chief activity of which is a service customarily carried on as a business; provided:
(a) All buildings and structures shall maintain a distance not less than 20 feet from any lot in a residential zone;
(b) A solid wall or view-obscuring fence or hedge not less than five feet nor more than six feet in height shall be erected and maintained on any exterior boundary line which is a common property line with residential property when such residential property is used for residential purposes, except that on that portion of such common property line constituting the depth of the required front yard on the residential property such wall, fence, or hedge shall be not less than 36 inches nor more than 42 inches in height;
(8) Professional offices and medical-dental buildings and clinics as defined in this title; provided:
(a) All buildings and structures shall maintain a distance not less than 20 feet from any lot in a residential zone;
(b) A solid wall or view-obscuring fence or hedge not less than five feet nor more than six feet in height shall be erected and maintained on an exterior boundary line which is a common property line with residential property when such residential property is used for residential purposes, except that on that portion of such common property line constituting the depth of the required front yard on the residential property such wall, fence, or hedge shall be not less than 36 inches nor more than 42 inches in height;
(9) Sanitariums; provided:
(a) All buildings and structures shall maintain a distance not less than 20 feet from any lot in a residential zone;
(b) A solid wall or view-obscuring fence or hedge not less than five feet nor more than six feet in height shall be erected and maintained on any exterior boundary line which is a common property line with residential property when such residential property is used for residential purposes, except that on that portion of such common property line constituting the depth of the required front yard on the residential property such wall, fence, or hedge shall be not less than 36 inches nor more than 42 inches in height;
(10) (Repealed by Ord. 584);
(11) Trailer parks; provided:
(a) The minimum site area for a trailer park shall be not less than three acres;
(b) There shall be at least 2,000 square feet of site area per trailer space;
(c) The property used for a trailer park shall have no access except from a major or secondary street;
(d) Any driveways providing entrance to or exit from the trailer park shall not be closer than 50 feet to a street intersection measured from the street line established by an official control for either of the streets at the intersection;
(e) A solid wall or view-obscuring fence or hedge not less than five feet nor more than six feet in height shall be established and maintained across the full width of the site and such wall, fence, or hedge shall be located on, or to the rear of, the rear line of the required front yard; on corner lots and reverse corner lots such a wall, fence, or hedge shall also be installed and maintained along the side street side of the site, and shall observe the required yard on such side street side;
(f) A solid wall or view-obscuring fence or hedge not less than five feet nor more than six feet in height shall be established and maintained on any exterior boundary line which is a common property line with residential property, except that on any portion of such common property line constituting the depth of the required front yard on the residential property no such fence, wall, or hedge shall be required;
(g) If there are any openings in the required wall, fence, or hedge for driveway purposes, such openings shall not be wider than 30 feet;
(h) No residence shall be permitted on the trailer park site except a residence for the owner or manager of such trailer park;
(i) The trailer park must meet all requirements of the King County health department covering the establishment of mobile home parks;
(j) A surety bond guaranteeing to the city the installation of walls, fences, or hedges required in this title is posted prior to the issuance of any permits to construct the park;
(12) Planned unit development as provided in chapter 18.52 DMMC;
(13) Unclassified uses as provided in chapter 18.32 DMMC. [Ord. 1237 §§ 3, 4, 1999; Ord. 584 § 7(part), 1983; Ord. 557 § 5, 1983; Ord. 175 § 1(24.16.020), 1964.]
18.16.025 Hazardous substances.
(1) No use permitted in this chapter, with the exception of public utility and service facilities, shall store any hazardous substance, except that for the purposes of this chapter the following substances shall be exempt:
(a) Heating oil stored in an underground tank sufficiently contained so as to preclude soil and ground water contamination;
(b) Gasoline stored in an approved Underwriters Laboratory container;
(c) Prepackaged retail quantities of fertilizers, pesticides, and auto and home care products only for home use.
(2) Failure to comply with any of the requirements of this section shall be deemed a violation and shall result in enforcement by civil penalty as set forth in DMMC 18.72.060. Any person or business who fails to comply with the provisions of this chapter, or permits a violation to continue after receiving written notice of violation from the community development director, shall be deemed to be causing or permitting a public nuisance and shall be liable in an action for abatement filed by the city in superior court. [Ord. 757 § 11, 1988.]
18.16.030 Lot area.
The minimum required area of a lot in an RM-900 zone shall be 7,200 square feet; provided, that in a multiple lot subdivision approved subsequent to August 3, 1964, the minimum lot area shall be deemed to have been met if the average lot area is not less than 7,200 square feet. In computing the average square foot area of lots in a subdivision, not more than 25 percent of the number of lots may contain an area less than 7,200 square feet and in no case shall a lot contain less than 6,400 square feet. For lots containing more than 7,200 square feet of area not more than 8,000 square feet of area may be credited in determining the average. [Ord. 175 § 1(24.16.030), 1964.]
18.16.040 Lot area per dwelling unit.
In an RM-900 zone the lot area per dwelling unit shall be not less than 900 square feet. Where a lot contains more than 7,200 square feet of area, there may be one dwelling unit for each 900 square feet of lot area in excess of 7,200 square feet of area. [Ord. 175 § 1(24.16.040), 1964.]
18.16.050 Lot width.
In an RM-900 zone every lot shall have a width of not less than 60 feet. [Ord. 175 § 1(24.16.050), 1964.]
18.16.060 Front yard.
In an RM-900 zone every lot shall have a front yard with a depth not less than 20 feet. In the case of key lots and lots which side upon commercially or industrially zoned property, the required front yard depth shall be not less than 15 feet. [Ord. 175 § 1(24.16.060), 1964.]
18.16.070 Side yard.
In an RM-900 zone every lot shall have a side yard on each side of the lot which side yard shall have a width of not less than five feet. [Ord. 175 § 1(24.16.070), 1964.]
18.16.080 Height.
In an RM-900 zone no building or structure shall exceed a height of 35 feet. [Ord. 175 §§ 1(24.16.080), 18, 1964.]
18.16.090 Permissible floor area.
The total permissible floor area to be contained within all buildings on a lot or building site shall not exceed two times the square foot area of the lot. This restriction does not apply to dwelling units when they constitute the only use on the lot. [Ord. 175 § 1(24.16.090), 1964.]
18.16.100 Permissible lot coverage.
If a dwelling, rest home, nursing home, or convalescent home is involved, all buildings, including accessory buildings and structures, but not including private swimming pools on residential lots or open areas used to provide parking space, shall not cover more than 60 percent of the area of the lot. If a dwelling, rest home, nursing home, or convalescent home is not involved, then the maximum permissible lot coverage shall not apply. [Ord. 175 § 1(24.16.100), 1964.]
18.16.110 Placement of buildings and structures.
Placement of buildings and structures on any lot in an RM-900 zone shall conform to the following:
(1) Interior Lots.
(a) Any building any portion of which contains one or more dwelling units or accessory living quarters shall observe a distance of not less than five feet from any lot side line and the lot rear line;
(b) The distance between a building containing one or more dwelling units or accessory living quarters and any other buildings on the same lot shall be not less than 10 feet;
(c) On the rear third of a lot accessory buildings not containing accessory living quarters may be built to the lot side lines and the lot rear line; provided, not less than 10 feet of the lot rear line shall be free and clear of all buildings; and provided further, if the lot rears upon an alley, a garage with a vehicular entrance from the alley shall maintain a distance of not less than 15 feet from the centerline of the alley.
(2) Corner Lots and Reverse Corner Lots.
(a) Any building containing a dwelling unit or accessory living quarters and any other buildings on the same lot shall observe a distance from any lot side line and the lot rear line of five feet;
(b) The distance between a building containing one or more dwelling units or accessory living quarters and any other buildings on the same lot shall be not less than 10 feet;
(c) On the rear third of a corner lot accessory buildings not containing accessory living quarters may be built to the lot interior side line and the lot rear line; provided, if the lot rears upon an alley a garage with a vehicular entrance from the alley shall maintain a distance not less than 15 feet from the centerline of such alley;
(d) On the rear third of a reverse corner lot accessory buildings not containing accessory living quarters may be built to the lot interior side line, but no building shall be erected closer than five feet to the property line of any abutting lot to the rear unless an alley intervenes, in which case accessory buildings may be built to the lot rear line unless the accessory building is a garage with a vehicular entrance directly from the alley, in which case such building shall maintain a distance of not less than 15 feet from the centerline of the alley;
(e) In all cases the width of the required side yard on the side street side shall be observed. [Ord. 175 §§ 1(24.16.110), 19, 1964.]
18.16.115 Recreation area required.
On-site recreation area shall be provided as specified in chapter 18.45 DMMC. [Ord. 901 § 4, 1991.]
18.16.120 Prohibition on reclassification of property to RM-900.
No real property shall be reclassified to a RM-900 zoning designation on or after January 8, 1990; provided, however, this provision shall not apply to any application for zoning reclassification filed prior to December 21, 1989. [Ord. 829 § 1, 1989.]
Code reviser’s note: The wording of this proviso differs from the wording of King County Res. 25789 but conforms to the wording of the codified version which the codifier used as the basis for this zoning code.