Chapter 17.88
WATERFRONT STRUCTURES
Sections:
17.88.010 Definitions.
17.88.020 Permit – Fees.
17.88.030 Prohibited activities.
17.88.040 Construction requirements.
17.88.050 Wharves or docks – General requirements.
17.88.060 Wharves or docks – Setback from side property lines.
17.88.070 Uncovered wharves or docks – Length.
17.88.080 Covered moorage – Location.
17.88.090 Covered moorage – Building area.
17.88.100 Covered moorage – Height.
17.88.110 Semiprivate moorage – Generally.
17.88.120 Semiprivate moorage – Fire extinguishers.
17.88.130 Variances.
17.88.140 Nonconforming structures.
17.88.010 Definitions.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning here indicated unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
A. “Covered moorage building area” is the area of water lying directly beneath that portion of a structure covered by a roof.
B. “Dock” means an artificial basin for moorage of boats, including a basin formed by dredging into the bank of a lake or stream or formed between the extensions of two piers or the area between a bank or quay and a pier. Docking facilities may include wharves, moorage or docks or any place or structure connected with the shore or upon shorelands provided for the securing of a boat or vessel.
C. “Moorage” means a place where a boat or vessel may be secured.
D. “Ordinary high-water mark” means that point to which the water extends at the highest stage of the lake level during the year without regard to the shoreline as created by bulkheads or other artificial structures.
E. “Semiprivate facility” means any facility to which a class or group of the public is permitted to use owned or regulated by a club or other organization. (Ord. 569 § 19, 1993; Ord. 40 § 2, 1956)
17.88.020 Permit – Fees.
All construction over water in the city shall be upon permit and payment of fees, as in the case of buildings or structures on land. An additional fee of $50.00 shall be paid for any application for building or substantially altering private or commercial wharves or docks. In addition, all engineering costs incurred by the city in connection with such application shall be paid before final approval is granted. (Ord. 335 § 1, 1977; Ord. 40 § 15, 1956)
17.88.030 Prohibited activities.
A. No boat, houseboat or watercraft moored in or off of the shorelands of Medina and no premises located upon piles or piers in or off the shorelands of the city shall be used as a place of habitation.
B. The dead storage or moorage of inactive boats or watercraft in the lake, secured to buoys, anchors, or other boats, is prohibited. (Ord. 40 § 14, 1956)
17.88.040 Construction requirements.
A. Any pier or wharf built over water shall be constructed of dimensioned lumber or other rigid, finished, manufactured materials.
B. Wood structural members such as post and beams of any structure or moorage facility accommodating four or more boats shall be a minimum of four-inch dimension timber construction.
C. Sizes of metal structural members shall be as required by regulations applicable to buildings on land.
D. No piling shall extend higher than five feet above a pier or wharf deck, except for specific uses such as the mast of a derrick or hoist for lifting boats out of the water.
E. Any covered moorage shall be restricted to non-sight-obscuring boat port-type of construction.
F. Walls, sheathing, lockers (except horizontal chests not exceeding two feet in height) or any other construction is prohibited.
G. The roof, including hoisting structural members shall not exceed a vertical dimension in excess of 16 inches.
H. Shelter for boats in semiprivate moorages shall be constructed of permanent, fixed materials.
I. Boatlifts may be installed with receipt of a building permit and in no case shall be allowed within the 12-foot side yard setback.
J. Letters designating the property’s address shall be placed at the end of a pier and shall be six inches in height.
K. Skirting where required for the purposes of wave protection must be alternated with spacing such that there is 50 percent open space, maximum board width shall be eight inches, maximum depth shall be three feet below the ordinary high-water mark, no skirting shall be installed any closer to the shoreline than 24 feet, and only the minimum amount of skirting shall be permitted to accomplish the project’s purpose. (Ord. 569 § 19, 1993; Ord. 113 § 1, 1961; Ord. 40 § 12, 1956)
17.88.050 Wharves or docks – General requirements.
Wharves or docks for the moorage of private pleasure boats of the owner of the property on which the moorage or dock is located are permitted on all waterfront areas of the city subject to:
A. Approval of the Corps of Engineers, where required by the regulations of that agency;
B. Approval of the city engineer or other person to whom his responsibility may be delegated as to structural stability and safety of the structure; and
C. Compliance with the restrictions and regulations of this chapter and the shoreline management master program. (Ord. 569 § 19, 1993; Ord. 40 § 3, 1956)
17.88.060 Wharves or docks – Setback from side property lines.
Any private moorage or wharf or dock for a boat shall be set back a minimum of 12 feet from the side property lines of the shorelands except when by the mutual agreement of adjoining property owners acknowledged as a deed and recorded with the King County auditor, a wharf moorage, dock or shelter may be built on or straddling the common side line of the adjoining owner’s property. (Ord. 40 § 4, 1956)
17.88.070 Uncovered wharves or docks – Length.
Uncovered private wharves or piers shall be limited in their length to a maximum of 100 feet from the ordinary high-water mark. (Ord. 569 § 19, 1993; Ord. 40 § 5, 1956)
17.88.080 Covered moorage – Location.
The covered portion of a moorage, wharf, or pier shall be limited to the area lying within an equilateral triangle, of which (a) the altitude lies along the line bisecting the angle formed by the side lines of the property (where they intersect with the shoreline) projected, and, (b) one end of the base is the intersection of the more extended side line with the line of normal high water, except that covered moorage shall not extend beyond 100 feet from said base line, and except that if the vertex of the equilateral triangle so drawn is less than 100 feet from the base of such triangle, the covered portion of such moorage or pier shall be restricted to the area lying within an isosceles triangle of which the altitude and base lie along the same lines as those of the equilateral triangle above, but lying within a 12-foot setback from the side lines projected with its vertex 100 feet from the center of its base. (Ord. 48 § 1, 1957; Ord. 40 § 6, 1956)
17.88.090 Covered moorage – Building area.
Covered moorage structures in no event shall cover more than 50 percent of the permitted covered moorage area as outlined in MMC 17.88.080. Where a covered moorage is built pursuant to the agreement of adjoining owners, as provided in MMC 17.88.060, the covered moorage area shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations of such joint agreement, all of the combined building areas included within the triangles extended upon said adjoining property as augmented by the inverted triangle situated between the aforesaid triangles having as its base a line drawn between the apexes of the respective triangles or the intersection of the sides of the triangles with the 100-foot limitation line mentioned in MMC 17.88.080. (Ord. 40 § 7, 1956)
17.88.100 Covered moorage – Height.
Covered moorage and wharves or other mooring facilities shall not exceed a maximum of 16 feet above the Lake Washington high water level datum which is 22.0 feet above mean lower low water of Puget Sound as established by the Corps of Engineers, which corresponds to elevation 29.16 feet as established by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Pier decks shall not be less than two feet nor more than five feet above the Lake Washington high water level datum. (Ord. 40 § 11, 1956)
17.88.110 Semiprivate moorage – Generally.
Semiprivate moorage and docking facilities for private pleasure boats will be permitted when the facilities are accessory to a yacht club or other special use and provided that such facilities meet all the other requirements of this chapter. (Ord. 40 § 10, 1956)
17.88.120 Semiprivate moorage – Fire extinguishers.
A minimum of two chemical fire extinguishers in operating condition and in conspicuous locations, accessible to the public at all times, shall be provided on each semiprivate pier. Extinguishers shall be one of the following:
A. Chemical foam, two and one-half gallons;
B. Carbon dioxide, 15 pounds;
C. Dry chemical, 10 pounds. (Ord. 40 § 13, 1956)
17.88.130 Variances.
When, owing to special circumstances and conditions, including, but not limited to, an adverse prevailing wind direction, a shallow trunk sewer or water main, extensive shallow water or overlapping of triangles, the limitations of this chapter relating to location of structures will result in unnecessary hardship and practical difficulties, the hearing examiner may grant, upon proper application therefor, such variance as will preserve the intent and spirit of said limitations. (Ord. 710 § 1, 2001; Ord. 40 § 8, 1956)
17.88.140 Nonconforming structures.
No existing structure over water shall be enlarged, altered, repaired, removed or converted with the effect of encroaching upon or reducing the open spaces surrounding such structure in violation of the limitations of this chapter, without a permit therefor as required in this chapter, or without compliance with all other regulations of this chapter as to which such structure theretofore complied. (Ord. 40 § 9, 1956)