23.48.005

A. Permitted uses 1. All uses are permitted outright, either as principal or accessory uses, except those specifically prohibited by subsection 23.48.005.B and those permitted only as conditional uses by subsection 23.48.005.C. 2. Adult cabarets shall comply with the requirements of subsection 23.47A.004.H. 3. Major cannabis activity shall comply with the requirements of Section 23.42.058 . B. Prohibited uses. The following uses are prohibited as both principal and accessory uses, except as otherwise noted: 1. All high-impact uses; 2. All heavy manufacturing uses; 3. General manufacturing uses, greater than 25,000 square feet of gross floor area for an individual business establishment, except for pharmaceutical production; 4. Drive-in businesses, except gas stations; 5. Jails; 6. Adult motion picture theaters and adult panorams; 7. Outdoor storage, except for outdoor storage associated with florists and horticulture uses; 8. Principal use surface parking; 9. Animal shelters and kennels; 10. Animal husbandry; 11. Park and pool lots; 12. Park and ride lots; 13. Work release centers; 14. Recycling; 15. Solid waste management; and 16. Mobile home parks. C. Conditional uses 1. Conditional uses are subject to the procedures described in Chapter 23.76 and shall meet the provisions of both Section 23.42.042 and this subsection 23.48.005.C. 2. Mini-warehouses and warehouses may be permitted by the Director as administrative conditional uses if: a. The street-level portion of a mini-warehouse or warehouse only fronts on an east/west oriented street, or an alley; and b. Vehicular entrances, including those for loading operations, will not disrupt traffic or transit routes; and c. The traffic generated will not disrupt the pedestrian character of an area by significantly increasing the potential for pedestrian-vehicle conflicts. 3. Helistops and heliports may be permitted as Council conditional uses according to the following criteria: a. The helistop or heliport is: for the takeoff and landing of helicopters that serve a public safety, news gathering or emergency medical care function and, in the case of heliports, services provided for those helicopters; is part of a City and regional transportation plan approved by the City Council and is a public facility; or is part of a City and regional transportation plan approved by the City Council and is not within 2,000 feet of a residential zone. b. The helistop or heliport is located so as to minimize adverse physical environmental impacts on lots in the surrounding area, and particularly on residentially zoned lots, public parks, and other areas where substantial public gatherings may be held. c. The lot is of sufficient size that the operations of the helistop or heliport and the flight paths of the helicopters can be buffered from other uses in the surrounding area. d. Open areas and landing pads shall be hard-surfaced. e. The helistop or heliport meets all federal requirements including those for safety, glide angles, and approach lanes. D. Required street-level uses 1. One or more of the following uses listed in this subsection 23.48.005.D.1 are required, except as permitted by Section 23.42.041 for uses provided for interim street activation purposes that apply in the Uptown and South Lake Union Urban Centers: (i) at street level of the street-facing facade along streets designated as Class 1 Pedestrian Streets shown on Map A for 23.48.240, except as required in subsection 23.48.205.C; (ii) at street level of the street-facing facades along streets designated on Map A for 23.48.640; and (iii) at street level of the street-facing facades along streets designated as Class 1 or Class 2 streets shown on Map A for 23.48.740: a. General sales and service uses; b. Eating and drinking establishments; c. Entertainment uses; d. Public libraries; e. Public parks; f. Arts facilities; g. Religious facilities; h. Light rail transit stations; i. Child care centers; and j. Low-income housing. 2. Standards for required street-level uses. Required street-level uses shall meet the development standards in subsection 23.48.040.C, and any additional standards for Seattle Mixed zones in specific geographic areas in the applicable subchapter of this Chapter 23.48 . E. Public facilities in all SM zones 1. Uses in public facilities that are most similar to uses permitted outright or permitted as a conditional use under this Chapter 23.48 are permitted outright or as a conditional use, respectively, subject to the same use regulations, development standards, and conditional use criteria that govern the similar uses. 2. Permitted uses in public facilities requiring council approval. Unless specifically prohibited in this Chapter 23.48 , uses in public facilities that are not similar to uses permitted outright or permitted as a conditional use under this Chapter 23.48 may be permitted by the Council. 3. In all SM zones, uses in public facilities not meeting development standards may be permitted by the Council, and the Council may waive or grant departures from development standards, if the following criteria are satisfied: a. The project provides unique services that are not provided to the community by the private sector, such as police and fire stations; b. The proposed location is required to meet specific public service delivery needs; c. The waiver of or departure from the development standards is necessary to meet specific public service delivery needs; and d. The relationship of the project to the surrounding area has been considered in the design, siting, landscaping, and screening of the facility. 4. The Council's use approvals, and waivers of or grants of departures from applicable development standards or conditional use criteria, contemplated by subsections 23.48.005.E.2 and 23.48.005.E.3, are governed by the provisions of Chapter 23.76 , Subchapter III. 5. Expansion of uses in public facilities a. Major expansion. Major expansion of uses in public facilities allowed pursuant to subsections 23.48.005.E.1, 23.48.005.E.2, and 23.48.005.E.3 may be permitted according to the criteria and process in those subsections 23.48.005.E.1, 23.48.005.E.2, and 23.48.005.E.3. A major expansion of a public facility use occurs when an expansion would not meet development standards or the area of the expansion would exceed either 750 square feet or ten percent of the existing area of the use, whichever is greater. For the purposes of this Section 23.48.005 , area of use includes gross floor area and outdoor area devoted actively to that use, other than as parking. b. Minor expansion. An expansion of a use in a public facility that is not a major expansion is a minor expansion. Minor expansions to uses in public facilities allowed pursuant to subsections 23.48.005.E.1, 23.48.005.E.2, and 23.48.005.E.3 above may be permitted according to the provisions of Chapter 23.76 for a Type I Master Use Permit. 6. Essential public facilities. Permitted essential public facilities, except for light rail transit facilities, shall be reviewed according to the provisions of Chapter 23.80 . Light rail transit facilities are exempt from the development standards in this Chapter 23.48 and shall be reviewed according to the provisions of Chapter 23.80 . (Ord. 127228 , § 8, 2025; Ord. 127198 , § 3, 2025; Ord. 127099 , § 26, 2024 [changed "marijuana" to "cannabis"]; Ord. 126855 , § 20, 2023; Ord. 126287 , § 7, 2021; Ord. 126131 , § 8, 2020; Ord. 125603 , § 31, 2018; Ord. 125432 , § 7, 2017; Ord. 125267 , § 17, 2017; Ord. 124969 , § 8, 2016; Ord. 124883 , § 13, 2015.)