Chapter 18.60
PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION
Sections:
18.60.030 On-site pedestrian circulation.
18.60.040 Pedestrian paths to adjacent uses and transit facilities.
18.60.050 Pedestrian areas at building entries.
18.60.060 Pedestrian activity areas and plazas.
18.60.010 Intent.
It is the intent of this chapter to implement pedestrian circulation elements of the Yelm design guidelines by providing continuous pedestrian access in the downtown area, as well as improve pedestrian routes between businesses, streets and transit stops. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.60.020 General guidelines.
All pedestrian paths must conform with federal, state and local codes for handicapped access, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.60.030 On-site pedestrian circulation.
Development shall incorporate the following elements for pedestrian circulation:
A. All pathways shall be paved a minimum of 60 inches wide.
B. Buildings shall have a paved pedestrian pathway from the street sidewalk to the main entry of the building. If access traverses a parking lot, it shall be of a material different than the parking lot material.
C. Walkways shall be integrated with parking lot landscaping.
D. Walkways shall tie into neighboring properties when feasible.
E. Buildings with entries not facing the street shall have a clear and obvious street sidewalk to the entry.
F. Provide pedestrian paths or walkways connecting all businesses and the entries of multiple buildings on the same development site.
G. Provide pathways through parking lots. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.60.040 Pedestrian paths to adjacent uses and transit facilities.
To provide pedestrian circulation to adjacent uses and transit facilities, the following elements shall be included in site design:
A. Provide pedestrian access from building entries of businesses and services within the development to building entries of nearby multifamily residential complexes with marked crosswalks.
B. Integrate nearby transit stops into the planning of adjacent site improvements by providing extra space for waiting areas, incorporating bus pullouts or stops into the site’s circulation scheme and/or providing a walkway directly from the transit stop into the project’s entrance.
C. Provide pedestrian paths from all transit stops through commercial areas to residential areas within 1,200 feet. Easements for pedestrian access should be provided to facilitate the future extension of these paths as adjoining properties are improved. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.60.050 Pedestrian areas at building entries.
Use architectural elements of a building and landscaping to highlight and define the entrance. The primary public entries of all businesses and multifamily residential buildings must be enhanced by two or more of the following means:
A. Weather protection such as an awning, canopy, marquee or other building element to create a covered pedestrian open space of at least 100 square feet.
B. Two hundred square feet of landscaping at or near the entry.
C. Pedestrian facilities, such as benches, kiosks, special paving, bicycle racks.
D. A trellis, canopy, porch or other building element that incorporates landscaping.
E. Pedestrian scaled lighting.
F. Adjacent window displays.
G. Building ornamentation such as mosaic tile, relief sculpture, ornamental wood or metal trim.
H. Artwork or special pedestrian scaled signs. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.60.060 Pedestrian activity areas and plazas.
A pedestrian oriented space is the area between a building and a public street or pedestrian path which promotes visual and pedestrian access into the site. Where the streetfront building facade is not directly adjacent to the sidewalk, the space between the sidewalk and the front of the building shall be developed as pedestrian oriented space which includes:
A. Visual and pedestrian access from the public right-of-way.
B. Paved walking surfaces.
C. On-site lighting providing at least four foot candles on the ground.
D. At least two lineal feet of seating per 60 square feet of plaza space.
E. Location shall not be adjacent to unscreened parking, chain link fences, or blank walls.
F. Asphalt or gravel pavement is prohibited. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).