Title 17
ZONING
Chapters:
17.02 Authority
17.04Definitions
17.06General Provisions
17.08Zone Districts – Standards
17.10Off-Street Parking and Loading Standards
17.12Outdoor Lighting
17.14Fencing and Landscaping
17.16Wireless Communication Facilities
17.18Planned Unit/Residential Development
17.20Reserved
17.22Conditional Use Permits
17.24Variances
17.26Non-Conforming Use
17.28Amendments and Rezoning
17.30Administration and Enforcement
Chapter 17.02
AUTHORITY
Sections:
17.02.010 Adoption authority.
17.02.020 Applicability.
17.02.010 Adoption authority.
This title is established pursuant to Section 11, Article XI of the Constitution of the State of Washington, RCW 35.63.080, and Chapter 35A.63 RCW.
17.02.020 Applicability.
This section shall govern the occupation, use erection, alteration, removal, demolition or conversion of any and all buildings, structures, and land located within the corporate limits of the City of West Richland (herein referred to as the "City").
Chapter 17.04
DEFINITIONS
Sections:
17.04.010 Interpretation of language.
17.04.020 A definitions.
17.04.030 B definitions.
17.04.040 C definitions.
17.04.050 D definitions.
17.04.060 E definitions.
17.04.070 F definitions.
17.04.080 G definitions.
17.04.090 H definitions.
17.04.100 I definitions.
17.04.110 J definitions.
17.04.120 K definitions.
17.04.130 L definitions.
17.04.140 M definitions.
17.04.150 N definitions.
17.04.160 O definitions.
17.04.170 P definitions.
17.04.180 Q definitions.
17.04.190 R definitions.
17.04.200 S definitions.
17.04.210 T definitions.
17.04.220 U definitions.
17.04.230 V definitions.
17.04.240 W definitions.
17.04.250 X definitions.
17.04.260 Y definitions.
17.04.270 Z definitions.
17.04.010Interpretation of language.
A. For the purpose of interpreting this title, certain terms or words are defined in this chapter. Except where specifically defined in this chapter, all words used in this title shall carry the customary meaning.
B. Words used in the present tense include the future and the future includes the present; the plural includes the singular and the singular includes the plural.
C. “Building” includes “structure.”
D. “Lot” includes “plot.”
E. “Occupied” or “used” shall be considered as though followed by the words “or intended,” “or arranged,” or, “or designed to be used or occupied.”
F. “Shall” is mandatory.
17.04.020A definitions.
“Abandoned sign” means any sign, located on property that is vacant and unoccupied for a period of four months or more.
“Accessory Building”. See “Building, accessory,” WRMC 17.04.030.
“Accessory dwelling unit (ADU)” means one or more rooms with private bath and kitchen facilities comprising an independent, self-contained dwelling unit within or attached to a single-family dwelling or in a detached building on the same lot as the primary dwelling unit. An ADU is distinguishable from a duplex in that, unlike a duplex, it is clearly subordinate to the primary dwelling unit, both in use and appearance. Manufactured homes or recreational vehicles shall not be used as accessory dwelling units.
“Accessory use” means a use subordinate or incidental to the principal use of a building where such use is located on the same lot with the principal use of the building.
“Adult family home” means a regular family abode in which a person or persons provides personal care, special care, room, and board to more than one but not more than six adults who are not related by blood or marriage to the person or persons providing the services.
“Adult retail store” means a retail establishment in which 25 percent or more of the stock in trade consists of equipment, items or products distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matters depicting, describing or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas as defined herein.
“Adult use business” means any adult bookstore, adult mini-theater, adult motion picture theater, adult panoram establishment, adult retail store or live adult entertainment establishment, as defined in this chapter, or any establishment which provides one or more of the activities listed herein. Video retail outlets that, as their sole business activity, provide take-home merchandise are specifically excluded from the scope and operation of this chapter.
“Agricultural building” means a structure designed and constructed to store farm implements or hay, grain, poultry, livestock, fruit, and other agricultural products. An agricultural building is not to be used for human habitation; processing, treating or packaging agricultural products; nor shall it be a place used by the public. Controlled atmosphere and cold storage warehouses are not agricultural buildings. An agricultural building that is permitted in conjunction with a commercial agricultural operation shall be considered a “main building” as to development requirements. Agricultural buildings not located on commercial agricultural operations are to be considered “accessory buildings” as to the development requirements.
“Alley” means a narrow service way, not less than 20 feet wide, providing a secondary public means of access to abutting properties.
“Alteration,” applied to a building or structure, means:
1. A change or rearrangement of the structural parts in the existing facilities; or
2. An enlargement or addition on a building or structure; or
3. Moving a building or structure from one location or position to another; or
4. A change of use.
“Alteration, structural” means any change of supporting members of a building such as bearing walls, columns, beams, or girders.
“Apartment” Means a building or portions of a building arranged or designed to be occupied by families or persons living independently of each other.
“Apartment house” means the same as dwelling, multiple-family.
“Area, net site” means the total area within the property lines exclusive of external streets.
“Art studio” means the working place of a painter, sculptor or photographer and/or including the study of an art such as dancing, singing, acting, musical instruments, etc. An art studio does not include uses such as or similar to body painting and pornographic sales or displays.
“Administrator” means the Director of the West Richland Community Development Department or his or her designee(s).
“Amendment” means a change in the wording, content, or substance of this ordinance, adoption of maps hereunder, or a change in the boundaries of maps adopted hereunder.
“Antenna” means the surface from which wireless radio signals are sent from and received by a wireless communication facility.
“Applicant” means any person who files a permit application with the City and is either the property owner of the land in question, a lessee, another person entitled to possession of the property, or an authorized agenda of the entities listed above.
“Awning sign” means a signed affixed to a fixed or retractable canvas (or other sturdy fabric), wood or metal covering, erected over a window, door, balcony or deck.
17.04.030B definitions.
“Banner sign” means a sign consisting of a piece of fabric or similar material, attached by one or more edges to a pole or staff or other device, or to a building facade, intended for display.
“Basement” means a story partly underground, but having at least one-half of its height above the average level of the adjoining ground. A basement shall be counted as a story for the purposes of height measurement if the vertical distance between the ceiling and the purposes.Average level of the adjoining ground is more than five feet or if it is used for business or dwelling
“Bed and Breakfast Facility” means a private home or inn offering lodging on a temporary basis to transient guests, such as travelers and tourists, and which may provide food services.
“Beehive” means a man-made receptacle used to house a swarm of bees.
“Billboard” means any sign located off-premise used for an outdoor display for the purpose of mailing anything known, for the use of which a charge is made for advertising thereon.
“Blade sign” means a sign that is attached to a building, or to a projection from a building, and is perpendicular to the front of a building.
“Board of Adjustment” means the West Richland Board of Adjustment which consists of five members appointed by the Mayor to serve for terms of 4 years, and whose purpose is to hear and decide applications for variances.
“Building” means a roof supported by walls or columns for the enclosure of persons, animals or property of any kind or nature.
“Building, accessory” means a supplemental building, the use of which is incidental to that of the main or principal building and which is located on the same lot.
“Building, detached” means a building surrounded by open space as required by this title.
“Building facade” means that portion of any exterior elevation of a building extending from the grade of the building to the top of the parapet wall or eaves for the entire width of the building elevation.
“Building, front line of” means the line of the face of the building nearest the front line of the lot. This face includes sun parlors and covered porches whether enclosed or unenclosed, but does not include steps.
“Building height” means the vertical distance from the average ground level of the site as measured ten (10) feet away from the foundation of the building and around the entire building, to the high point of the structure. The calculation of building height excludes normal appurtenance devices such as antennas, chimneys, cupolas, ventilation devices, weathervanes, or other devices usually required to be placed above the roof level and not intended for human occupancy.
“Building line” means the line of that face or corner or part of a building nearest the property line.
“Building, main” means a building in which is conducted the principal use of the lot on which it is situated.
“Business; Business Use” means an activity with the intention of earning a profit and which generally relates to commercial and industrial engagements.
17.04.040C definitions.
“Cannabis” means all parts of the plant Cannabis, whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound; manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its sees, or resin. For the purposes of this ordinance, “cannabis” does not include the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks, except the resin extracted from there from, fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination. The term “cannabis” includes cannabis products and useable cannabis.
“Canopy sign” means a sign attached to a freestanding structure affording protection from the elements to persons or property thereunder.
“Caretaker” means a person engaged to look after or maintain property and who may reside on the subject property.
“Carrier” means an entity that provides wireless communication services.
“Car wash,” or “automatic car wash” means any structure providing equipment such as conveyors, blowers, steam cleaners, high pressure water sprayers (pressure above that maintained by the city), or other mechanical devices for the purpose of laundering motor vehicles.
“Charging Levels” means the electrical force, or voltage, at which anelectric vehicle’s battery is recharged. Levels 1, 2 and 3 are the most common electricvehicle charging levels, and include the following specification:
a. Level 1 is considered slow charging requiring a 15 or 20 amp breaker on a 120-volt
AC circuit and standard outlet.
b. Level 2 is considered medium charging requiring a 40 amp to 100 amp breaker on a
240-volt circuit.
c. Level 3 is considered fast charging requiring a 60 amp or higher dedicated breaker
on a 480-volt or higher three-phase circuit with special grounding equipment. Level
3 charging uses an off-board charger to provide the AC to DC conversion, delivering
DC directly to the car battery.
“Child care center” means an entity that regularly provides child day care and early learning services for a group of children for periods of less than 24 hours licensed by the Washington State Department of Early Learning, under Chapter 170-295 WAC.
“Church” means a building or buildings intended for religious worship including ancillary activity and improvements such as religious education, assembly rooms, kitchen, reading room, recreation hall, daycare areas, and may include a residence for church staff. This definition does not include schools devoted primarily to nonreligious education.
“Classification” means a use category in the broad list of land uses, in which certain uses, either individually or as to type, are identified as possessing similar characteristics or performance standards and are permitted as compatible uses in the same zone or classification. A classification, as the term is employed in this Ordinance, includes provisions, conditions, and requirements related to the permissible location of permitted uses.
“Clinic” means a building designed and used for the medical and surgical diagnosis and treatment of outpatients under the care of health care providers.
“Club, membership” means an organization catering exclusively to members and their guests in premises and buildings for recreational, social, and athletic purposes where such operations are not conducted primarily for gain and also where there are no vending, merchandising or commercial activities except as required generally for the membership and purposes of such club.
“Co-applicant” means all persons and/or entities joining with an applicant in an application for a land development/use permit, including the owners of the subject property and any tenants proposing to conduct a development activity subject to a development permit.
“Co-location” means the use of a single mount and/or site by more than one licensed wireless communication carrier. “Co-location” also means the use by one or more carriers of an existing structure as a telecommunications antenna mount, such as a water tank, fire station, electrical substation, utility pole, tower, etc.
“Commercial Use” means any premises devoted primarily to the wholesaling or retailing of a product or service for the purpose of generating an income.
“Community Development Department” means the West Richland department responsible for administering the provisions of this Ordinance.
“Community Recycling Centers” means a principal use of land, devoted to a facility and operation which receives, stores, and redistributes pre-sorted recyclable material, including white goods. Community recycling centers shall be considered a commercial land-use. Operation of the community recycling center shall be restricted to the collection or redemption of recycling material, which may be packaged for shipment and temporarily stored until transported to a separate processing facility. Community recycling centers are intended to be compatible with surrounding commercial land uses and not include on-site processing.
“Comprehensive Plan” means the official document or elements thereof, adopted by the West Richland City Council pursuant to RCW 36.70A, and intended to guide the physical development of the City.
“Comprehensive Plan Districts” means the official land use districts of the West Richland Comprehensive Plan as adopted by the West Richland City Council pursuant to RCW 36.70A.
“Concealment Technology” means the use of technology through which a wireless communications facility is designed to resemble an object which is not a wireless communications facility and which is already present in the natural environment, or designed to resemble or placed within, an existing or proposed structure.
“Concurrency” means a condition in which an adequate capacity of capital and transportation facilities and services are available, or soon to be available, to support development at the time that the impacts of development occur.
“Conditional Use” See “Use, Conditional”
“Container storage” means a unit originally or specifically used or designed to store goods or other merchandise during shipping or hauling by a vehicle, including but not limited to rail cars of any kind, truck trailers, or multi-modal shipping containers.
“Contractor” means any person, firm or corporation who or which, in the pursuit of an independent business undertakes to, or offers to undertake, or submits a bid to, construct, alter, repair add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck or demolish, for another, any building, highway, road, railroad, excavation or other structure, project, development, or improvement attached to real estate or to do any part thereof; or who, to do similar work upon his or her own property, employs members of more than one trade upon a single job or project or under a single building permit except as otherwise provided herein. Contractor” includes any person, firm, corporation, or other entity covered by this subsection.
“Contractor Storage Yard” means a site used for the storage of tools, equipment, materials, vehicles, sand, rock, gravel, vegetation, debris and other materials ancillary to work being performed off-site, for another, by a Contractor engaged in such work. This definition of a Contractor Storage Yard excludes private landowners and their personal equipment solely engaged in agricultural activities on their own personal property pursuant to this subsection.
“Corner Lot” means a lot abutting on and at the intersection of two or more streets.
“Coverage” means that percentage of the plot or lot area covered by the building area.
17.04.050D definitions.
“Day care center” means a state-licensed entity regularly providing care for 13 or more children for periods of less than 24 hours. A day care center is not located in a private family residence unless the portion of the residence to which the children have access is used exclusively for the children during the hours the center is open or is separate from the usual quarters of the family.
“Day care, family home” means an entity regularly providing care during part of the 24-hour day to six or fewer children in the family abode of the person(s) under whose direction the children are placed; or a state-licensed entity regularly providing care during part of the 24-hour day to between six and 12 children in the family abode of the person(s) under whose direction the children are placed.
“Day care, mini-center” means a state-licensed entity providing care during part of the 24-hour-day period for 12 or fewer children in a facility other than the family abode of the person or persons under whose direct care the children are placed, or for the care of seven through 12 children in the family abode of such person or persons.
“Density” means the intensity of activity occurring per unit of land area, ordinarily expressed as the number of families or dwelling units per acre.
“Development” means any physical man-made change to improved or unimproved property, site or parcel including, but not limited to, construction, placement and/or the manipulation of buildings or other structures, clearing, dredging, filling, grading, paving, mining, excavation or drilling operations.
“Directional Sign” means a sign without advertising that directs people to a location. Such signs may include a logo or other business or site identification.
“District” means an area accurately defined as to boundaries and location on the Official Land Use Map or on the West Richland Comprehensive Plan Map. Each District is subject to all the regulations applicable to that District which are contained within this Ordinance.