ORD 18-853 - Relating to Design Guidelines for Self Service Storage Facilities ORDINANCE NO. 18-853
AN ORDINANCE of the City of Federal Way, Washington, relating
to zoning and design guidelines for self-service storage facilities;
repealing FWRC 19.215.130; and adding a new section to Chapter
19.115 FWRC. (Amending Ordinance No. 17-834.)
WHEREAS, the City recognizes the need to periodically modify Title 19 of the Federal
Way Revised Code ("FWRC"), "Zoning and Development Code," in order to conform to state
and federal law, codify administrative practices, clarify and update zoning regulations as deemed
necessary, and improve the efficiency of the regulations and the development review process;
and
WHEREAS, this ordinance, containing amendments to development regulations and the
text of Title 19 FWRC, has complied with Process VI review, Chapter 19.80 FWRC, pursuant to
Chapter 19.35 FWRC; and
WHEREAS, it is in the public interest for the City Council to adopt new development
regulations in Chapter 19.115 FWRC that establish design guidelines for self-service storage
facilities within the City of Federal Way; and
WHEREAS, City Council desired to review the zoning, development regulations, and
design guidelines for self-service storage facilities to determine whether the current code is
adequate to implement the vision, goals, and policies within the adopted Comprehensive Plan;
and
WHEREAS, on September 5, 2017, Council passed Ordinance No. 17-838 imposing a 12
month development moratorium upon self-service storage facilities in order to review the
potential impact of new self-storage facilities upon the City of Federal Way, and to review the
existing development regulations related to self-service storage facilities to determine whether
Ordinance No. 18-853 Page 1 of 8
current zoning and development regulations are adequate to implement the vision, goals, and
policies within the adopted Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, City staff has been researching regulations for self-service storage facilities
for conformity with the Comprehensive Plan and for comparison to other jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, City staff's research determined current regulations are inadequate to
implement the vision, goals, and policies of the Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, City staffs research determined current design guidelines require lower
standards than those of surrounding jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, City staffs research determined Chapter 19.215.130 FWRC does not
adequately implement the pedestrian-oriented land use vision, goals, and policies of the
Comprehensive Plan for the Neighborhood Business Zoning District; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission conducted public workshops on these code
amendments on March 21, 2018 and May 16, 2018; and
WHEREAS, an Environmental Determination of Nonsignificance ("DNS") was properly
issued for the Proposal on May 18, 2018, and no comments or appeals were received and the
DNS was finalized on June 1, 2018; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission properly conducted a duly noticed public hearing
on these code amendments on June 6, 2018, and forwarded a recommendation that the code
amendments not be adopted; and
WHEREAS, the Land Use & Transportation Committee of the Federal Way City Council
considered these code amendments on July 2, 2018, and recommended adoption of the text
amendments.
Ordinance No. 18-853 Page 2 of 8
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FEDERAL WAY,
WASHINGTON, DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Findings. The City Council of the City of Federal Way makes the following
findings with respect to the proposed amendments.
(a) These code amendments are in the best interest of the residents of the City and
will benefit the City as a whole by preserving the neighborhood scale of development close to
residential uses, and enhancing the general appearance of the City by improving design
guidelines.
(b) FWRC 19.215.130 should be repealed because it does not adequately implement
the pedestrian-oriented land use vision, goals, and policies of the Comprehensive Plan for the
Neighborhood Business Zoning District.
(c) These code amendments comply with Chapter 36.70A RCW, Growth
Management.
(d) These code amendments are consistent with the purposes of Title 19 FWRC and
will implement and are consistent with the applicable provisions of the Federal Way
Comprehensive Plan.
(e) These code amendments bear a substantial relationship to, and will protect and
not adversely affect, the public health, safety, and welfare.
(0 These code amendments have followed the proper procedure required under the
FWRC.
Section 2. Conclusions. Pursuant to Chapter 19.80 FWRC and Chapter 19.35 FWRC, and
based upon the recitals and the findings set forth in Section 1, the Federal Way City Council
Ordinance No. 18-853 Page 3 of 8
makes the following Conclusions of Law with respect to the decisional criteria necessary for the
adoption of the proposed amendments:
(a) The proposed FWRC amendments are consistent with, and substantially
implement, the following Federal Way Comprehensive Plan goals and policies:
Goals:
LUG7: Provide neighborhood and community scale retail centers for the
City's neighborhoods.
LUG6: Transform Community Business areas into vital, attractive, areas
with a mix of uses that appeal to pedestrians, motorists, and
residents, and enhance the community's image.
Policies:
LUP 1: Use development standards and design guidelines to maintain
neighborhood character and ensure compatibility with surrounding
uses.
LUP3: Use design guidelines and performance standards to create
attractive and desirable commercial, office and
commercial/residential mixed-use developments.
LUP 13: Maintain and protect the character of existing single-family
neighborhoods through strict enforcement of the City's land use
regulations.
LUP14: Protect residential areas from impacts of adjacent non-residential
uses.
LUP29: Ensure compatibility between non-residential developments and
residential zones by regulating height, scale, setbacks, and buffers.
LUP41: Integrate retail developments into surrounding neighborhoods
through attention to quality design and function.
LUP 42: Encourage pedestrian and bicycle access to neighborhood
shopping and services.
LUP 43: Encourage neighborhood retail and personal services to locate at
appropriate locations where local economic demand and design
solutions demonstrate compatibility with the neighborhood.
LUP 44: Retail and personal services should be encouraged to group
together within planned centers to allow for ease of pedestrian
movement.
LUP 45: Neighborhood Business centers should consist of neighborhood
scale retail and personal services.
Ordinance No. 18-853 Page 4 of 8
LUP 46: Encourage commercial/residential mixed-use development in
Neighborhood Business designations.
LUP 47: Support the provision of transit to Neighborhood Business areas.
LUP 39: Encourage transformation of the Pacific Highway (SR-99)
Community Business corridors into quality retail/commercial
mixed use areas, designed to integrate auto, pedestrian, and transit
circulation, and to improve traffic flow and safety, including
access control and off-street interconnectivity between adjoining
properties where feasible. Continue to utilize Community Design
Guidelines to ensure quality site and building design and
functional and aesthetic compatibility between uses. Integration of
pedestrian amenities and open space into retail and office
development should also be encouraged.
LUP 40: Encourage a range of pedestrian-oriented retail, while continuing
to accommodate auto-oriented retail uses, and provide supportive
uses to meet the needs of residents and employees in the area.
(b) The proposed FWRC amendments bear a substantial relationship to the public
health, safety, and welfare because they preserve the neighborhood scale of development close to
residential uses and enhance the general appearance of the City by improving design guidelines.
(c) The proposed amendments are in the best interest of the public and the residents
of the City of Federal Way as they will improve the aesthetics of the built environment by
enhancing design guidelines and creating compatibility between different zoning districts by
removing self-service storage facilities from the list of permitted uses in the Neighborhood
Business Zoning District. Additionally, the proposed text amendments will lead to more
architecturally complementary developments throughout the City by improving design
guidelines for self-service storage facilities.
Section 3. Section 19.115.105 is hereby added to Chapter 19.115 FWRC to read as
follows:
Ordinance No. 18-853 Page 5 of 8
19.115.105 Self-service storage uses.
In all zoning districts where such uses are permitted the following shall apply:
(1) Self-service storage facilities are only permitted within multistory structures designed to
emulate multifamily or office buildings. Self-service storage facilities buildings shall
incorporate architectural and design features common to commercial and/or multifamily
development. Examples of such architectural and design features include but are not limited to:
massing, proportion, facade modulation, exterior building materials and detailing, varied roof
line, pedestrian scale, fenestration, and repetition.
(2) At least 40 percent of each floor of any principal facade located along a right-of-way must
contain transparent glass, or material that emulates glass, such as polycarbonate, acrylic mirror
sheeting, or other reflective or transparent material. All reflective or transparent materials used to
satisfy this section's requirements, other than transparent glass, must be approved by the director
of the community development department.
(3) Roofline variation is required for any roof lines that exceed fifty(50) feet in length. Roof line
variation shall be achieved using one (1) or more of the following methods:
(a) Vertical offset ridge line; or
(b) Horizontal offset ridge line; or
(c) Variations of roof pitch.
Figure 22—FWRC 19.115.105(3)
ROOF PITCH VARIATION
VERTICAL OFFSET RIDGE
3C} •
2601
S +
Roofline Variation
(4) The maximum building facade length is one hundred (100) linear feet, regardless of
modulation, for any facade located within fifty (50) feet of and facing a residential zoned
property or right-of-way.
Ordinance No. 18-853 Page 6 of 8
(5) All storage units shall be accessed from the interior of the building(s) or site — no exterior
unit doors may be visible from the right-of-way or from adjacent properties.
(6) Chain-link fences shall not be allowed.
Section 4. FWRC 19.215.130 is hereby repealed in its entirety.
Section 5. Severability. The provisions of this ordinance are declared separate and
severable. The invalidity of any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section, or portion of
this ordinance, or the invalidity of the application thereof to any person or circumstance, shall
not affect the validity of the remainder of the ordinance, or the validity of its application to any
other persons or circumstances.
Section 6. Corrections. The City Clerk and the codifiers of this ordinance are authorized
to make necessary corrections to this ordinance including, but not limited to, the correction of
scrivener/clerical errors, references, ordinance numbering, section/subsection numbers and any
references thereto.
Section 7. Ratification. Any act consistent with the authority and prior to the effective
date of this ordinance is hereby ratified and affirmed.
Section 8. Effective Date. This ordinance shall be effective five (5) days after passage
and publication as provided by law.
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Federal Way this 14th day of August, 2018.
Ordinance No. 18-853 Page 7 of 8
CITY OF FEDERAL WAY:
JI ER LL, MAYOR
ATTEST:
S 'H NIE COURTNEY, C, CITY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
J. RYAN CALL, CITY ATTORNEY
FILED WITH THE CITY CLERK: 07/11/2018
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: 08/14/2018
PUBLISHED: 08/17/2018
EFFECTIVE DATE: 08/22/2018
ORDINANCE NO.: 18-853
Ordinance No. 18-853 Page 8 of 8