23.48.040

A. Street-facing facade requirements. The following street-facing facade requirements apply to facades facing on streets as shown on Map A for 23.48.240, Map A for 23.48.440, Map A for 23.48.740, Map A for 23.48.840, or Map A for 23.48.940: 1. Primary pedestrian entrance. In the SM-SLU, SM-NR, SM-UP, and SM-NG zones, each new structure facing a Class 1 Pedestrian Street, and in the SM-RB zone each new structure facing a Class 2 Pedestrian Street, is required to provide a primary building entrance for pedestrians from the street or a street-oriented courtyard that is no more than 3 feet above or below the sidewalk grade. 2. Minimum facade height. In the SM-SLU, SM-NR, SM-NG, and SM-RB zones, a minimum facade height is required for the street-facing facades of new structures, unless all portions of the structure are lower than the required minimum facade height listed below. a. On Class 1 Pedestrian Streets, the minimum height for street-facing facades is 45 feet. b. On Class 2 Pedestrian Streets and Neighborhood Green Streets, the minimum height for street-facing facades is 25 feet. c. On all other streets, the minimum height for street-facing facades is 15 feet. B. Transparency and blank facade requirements. In the SM-SLU, SM-NR, SM-U, SM-UP, SM-RB, and SM-NG zones, the provisions of this subsection 23.48.040.B apply to the area of a street-facing facade between 2 feet and 8 feet above a sidewalk, but do not apply to portions of a structure in residential use or, within the SM-U and SM-NG districts, to portions of a structure in use as a light rail station. 1. Transparency requirements a. In the SM-SLU, SM-NR, SM-U, SM-UP, SM-RB, and SM-NG zones, on Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 Pedestrian Streets and Neighborhood Green Streets, a minimum of 60 percent of the street-facing facade must be transparent, except that if the slope of the street frontage abutting the lot exceeds 7.5 percent, the required amount of transparency is 45 percent of the street-facing facade. b. In the SM-SLU, SM-D, SM-NR, SM-U, SM-UP, SM-RB, and SM-NG zones, for all other streets not specified in subsection 23.48.040.B.1.a, a minimum of 30 percent of the street-facing facade must be transparent, except that if the slope of the street frontage abutting the lot exceeds 7.5 percent, the minimum amount of transparency is 22 percent of the street-facing facade. c. Only clear or lightly tinted glass in windows, doors, and display windows is considered transparent. Transparent areas shall be designed and maintained to provide views into and out of the structure. Except for institutional uses, no permanent signage, window tinting or treatments, shelving, other furnishings, fixtures, equipment, or stored items shall completely block views into and out of the structure between 4 feet and 7 feet above adjacent grade. The installation of temporary signs or displays that completely block views may be allowed if such temporary installations comply with subsection 23.55.012.B. 2. Blank facade limits. Any portion of the street-facing facade that is not transparent is considered to be a blank facade and is subject to the following: a. In the SM-SLU, SM-NR, SM-U, SM-UP, SM-RB, and SM-NG zones, for Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 Pedestrian Streets and Neighborhood Green Streets, the following apply: 1) Blank facades are limited to segments 15 feet wide. Blank facade width may be increased to 30 feet if the Director determines as a Type I decision that the facade is enhanced by architectural detailing, artwork, landscaping, or other similar features that have visual interest. 2) The total width of all blank facade segments shall not exceed 40 percent of the width of the street-facing facade of the structure on each street frontage, or 55 percent of the width of the street-facing facade if the slope of the street frontage abutting that lot exceeds 7.5 percent. b. All other streets not specified in subsection 23.48.040.B.2.a are subject to the following: 1) Blank facades are limited to segments 30 feet wide. Blank facade width may be increased to 60 feet if the Director determines as a Type I decision that the facade is enhanced by architectural detailing, artwork, landscaping, or other similar features that have visual interest. 2) The total width of all blank facade segments shall not exceed 70 percent of the width of the street-facing facade of the structure on each street frontage; or 78 percent if the slope of the street frontage abutting that lot exceeds 7.5 percent. c. Any blank segment of a street-facing facade shall be separated by transparent areas that are at least 2 feet wide. C. Development standards for required street-level uses. Street-level uses that are required by subsection 23.48.005.D, 23.48.605.C, or 23.48.805.B, and street-level uses exempt from FAR calculations under the provisions of subsection 23.48.220.B.2, 23.48.620.B.2, 23.48.720.B.2, or 23.48.820.B, whether required or not, shall meet the following development standards. In the SM-NG zone, where street-level use requirements apply to a mid-block corridor, these standards shall be applied as if the mid-block corridor were a street. 1. Where street-level uses are required, a minimum of 75 percent of the applicable street-level, street-facing facade shall be occupied by uses listed in subsection 23.48.005.D.1 or uses provided for interim street activation purposes where they apply in the Uptown and South Lake Union Urban Centers. The remaining street-facing facade may contain other permitted uses or pedestrian or vehicular entrances. 2. There is no minimum frontage requirement for street-level uses provided at locations where they are not required but are exempt from FAR calculations under the provisions of subsections 23.48.220.B.2, 23.48.620.B.2, 23.48.720.C.4, or 23.48.820.B. 3. The space occupied by street-level uses shall have a minimum floor-to-floor height of 13 feet and extend at least 30 feet in depth at street level from the street-facing facade, except when the use is allowed by interim street activation provisions in Section 23.42.041 . 4. If the minimum requirements of subsection 23.48.040.C.1 and the depth requirements of subsection 23.48.040.C.2 would require more than 50 percent of the structure's footprint to be occupied by required uses in subsection 23.48.005.D, the Director may modify the street-facing facade or depth requirements, or both, so that no more than 50 percent of the structure's footprint is required to be occupied by the uses required by subsection 23.48.005.D. 5. Street-level uses shall be located within 10 feet of the street lot line, except for the following: a. Required street-level uses may be located more than 10 feet from the applicable street lot line if they abut an outdoor amenity area provided to meet the requirements of Section 23.48.045 , or other required or bonused amenity area or open space provided for in this Chapter 23.48 that separates the portion of the street-facing facade including the required street-level uses from the street lot line; b. If a street-level setback is required from the street lot line by the provisions of this Chapter 23.48 or Chapter 23.53 , the 10-foot distance shall be measured from the line established by the required setback; and c. If development standards in this Chapter 23.48 require modulation of the street-facing facade at street level, the required street-level uses may abut the street-level setback area provided to comply with the modulation standards. 6. Pedestrian access to street-level uses shall be provided directly from the street, from permitted outdoor common amenity area, or from open space abutting the street. Pedestrian entrances shall be located no more than 3 feet above or below the grade of the sidewalk or pedestrian walkway or at the same elevation as the abutting permitted outdoor common amenity area or required or bonused open space. D. Maximum width. The provisions of this subsection 23.48.040.D apply to all structures in SM-U zones and structures along Class 1 pedestrian streets in all other Seattle Mixed zones, except the provisions of this subsection 23.48.040.D do not apply in SM-SLU zones. 1. The maximum width of a structure, or of a portion of a structure for which the limit is calculated separately according to subsection 23.48.040.D.2, as measured along all streets in SM-U zones and along Class 1 pedestrian street in other Seattle Mixed zones, except SM-SLU zones, is 250 feet, except as otherwise provided in subsection 23.48.040.D.3. 2. For purposes of this subsection 23.48.040.D, the width limit shall be calculated separately for a portion of a structure if: a. There are no connections allowing direct access, such as hallways, bridges, or stairways, between that portion of a structure and other portions of a structure; or b. The only connections between that portion of a structure and other portions of a structure is in stories, or portions of a stories, that are underground or extend no more than 4 feet above the sidewalk, measured at any point above the sidewalk elevation to the floor above the partially below-grade story, excluding access. 3. For purposes of this subsection 23.48.040.D, the following portions of a structure shall not be included in facade width measurement: a. Designated Landmark structures that are retained on the lot. b. Structures in SM-U zones that qualify as vulnerable masonry structures according to Section 23.48.630 and are retained on the lot. c. Stories of a structure on which more than 50 percent of the total gross floor area is occupied by any of the following uses: 1) Arts facilities; 2) Community clubs or community centers; 3) Child care centers; 4) Elementary or secondary schools; 5) Performing arts theaters; or 6) Religious facilities. (Ord. 127198 , § 5, 2025; Ord. 126685 , § 28, 2022; Ord. 125792 , § 4, 2019; Ord. 125791 , § 59, 2019; Ord. 125432 , § 10, 2017; Ord. 125267 , § 21, 2017; Ord. 124883 , § 13, 2015.)