23.44.050

A. Gross floor area. In Neighborhood Residential zones, gross floor area includes exterior corridors, breezeways, and stairways that provide building circulation and access to dwelling units or sleeping rooms. Balconies, patios, and decks that are associated with a single dwelling unit or sleeping room and that are not used for common circulation are not considered gross floor area. B. Floor area ratio (FAR) limits. The FAR limit in Neighborhood Residential zones for lots with residential uses is as shown in Table A for 23.44.050, except that structures on lots with less than 5,000 square feet of lot area can include up to 2,500 square feet of total chargeable floor area or the amount of total chargeable floor area allowed by the FAR limit shown in Table A for 23.44.050, whichever is greater. The FAR limit in Neighborhood Residential zones for lots without residential uses is 1.2. The applicable FAR limit applies to the total chargeable floor area of all structures on the lot. Table A for 23.44.050 Floor area ratio (FAR) in NR zones Density (dwelling units per lot size) FAR Less dense than 1 unit/4,000 square feet 0.6 1 unit/4,000 square feet to 1 unit/2,201 square feet 0.8, or 1.0 if the development meets the standards of subsection 23.44.050.D 1 unit/2,200 square feet to 1 unit/1,601 square feet 1.0, or 1.2 if the development meets the standards of subsection 23.44.050.D 1 unit/1,600 square feet or denser 1.6 for attached and detached dwelling units, except that it is: • 1.8 for development on lots located within a frequent transit service area that consist entirely of attached or detached dwelling units in structures that are less than three stories and that are arranged on up to three sides of a common, ground-level amenity area equal to at least 20 percent of the lot area that includes usable, contiguous community green space and trees; • 1.8 for stacked dwelling units that do not meet the standards of subsection 23.44.050.D or 23.44.050.E; or • 2.0 for stacked dwelling units that meet either the standards of subsection 23.44.050.D or 23.44.050.E. C. The following floor area is exempt from FAR limits: 1. All stories, or portions of stories, that are underground. 2. All portions of a story that extend no more than 4 feet above existing or finished grade, whichever is lower, excluding access. 3. Common walls separating individual attached dwelling units. 4. Square footage of dwelling units that are Type A units as defined in the Seattle Building Code. D. The FAR limit for lots with stacked dwelling units that meet the following requirements is as shown in Table A for 23.44.050: 1. The lot is within one quarter mile of an elementary or secondary school; 2. At least 25 percent of the stacked dwelling units have a minimum of three bedrooms and a minimum floor area of 1,050 square feet. E. The FAR limit for lots with stacked dwelling units with a density of 1 unit per 1,600 square feet of lot size or denser that meet one of the following criteria is 2.0: 1. Retain a Tier 1 tree, as defined in Section 25.11.130 ; 2. Retain two Tier 2 trees, as defined in Section 25.11.130 ; or 3. Meet a Green Factor score of 0.6, as measured in Section 23.86.019 . (Ord. 127376 , § 31, 2025.)