23.48.250

A. Finding. The Council finds that: 1. With the increase in office development and the Seattle Comprehensive Plan's significant employment growth targets for the South Lake Union Urban Center, office workers will increasingly become major users of open space in the area. 2. Additional major office projects in the South Lake Union Regional Center will result in increased use of public open space. If additional major office projects in the South Lake Union Regional Center do not provide open space to offset the additional demands on public open space caused by such projects, the result will be overcrowding of public open space, adversely affecting the public health, safety, and welfare. 3. Recent and projected office development in the South Lake Union Regional Center is generally comparable to office development in the abutting Downtown Regional Center in terms of tenant characteristics, density, and open space need. Therefore, the findings that support the current open space requirement in major downtown office projects are applicable to conditions in the South Lake Union Regional Center. 4. The additional open space needed to accommodate office workers is at least 20 square feet for each 1,000 square feet of office space. 5. As in Downtown, smaller office developments in the South Lake Union Regional Center may encounter design problems in incorporating open space, and the sizes of open spaces provided for office projects under 85,000 square feet may make them less attractive and less likely to be used. Therefore, and in order not to discourage small scale office development, projects involving less than 85,000 square feet of new office space should be exempt from any open space requirement. B. Quantity of open space. Open space in the amount of 20 square feet for each 1,000 square feet of gross office floor area is required for the following projects: 1. The project is on a lot located in an SM-SLU zone that has a height limit for non-residential uses that exceeds 100 feet; and 2. The project includes 85,000 or more square feet of gross floor area in office use. C. Standards for open space. Open space may be provided on-site or off-site, as follows: 1. On-site open space a. Private open space. Private open space on the project site may satisfy the requirement of this Section 23.48.250 . Private open space shall be open to the sky and shall be consistent with the general conditions related to landscaping, seating, and furnishings for neighborhood open space in subsection 23.58A.040.C.5.b.2. Private open space satisfying this requirement must be accessible to all tenants of the building and their employees. b. Open space provided for a project on site or on an adjacent lot directly accessible from the project site to meet the open space requirements of subsection 23.48.240.F or subsection 23.48.240.G may be used to satisfy the requirement of this Section 23.48.250 . 2. Off-site public open space. Open space satisfying the requirement of this Section 23.48.250 may be on a site other than the project site, provided that it is within an SM-SLU zone and within 1/4 mile of the project site, open to the public without charge, and at least 3,000 square feet in contiguous area. The minimum size of off-site open space and maximum distance from the project may be increased or decreased for a project if the Director determines that such adjustments are reasonably necessary to provide for open space that will meet the additional need for open space caused by the project and enhance public access. 3. Easement for off-site open space. The owner of any lot on which off-site open space is provided to meet the requirements of this Section 23.48.250 shall execute and record an easement in a form acceptable to the Director assuring compliance with the requirements of this Section 23.48.250 . The Director is authorized to accept such an easement, provided that the terms do not impose any costs or obligations on the City. 4. Open space provided under this Section 23.48.250 shall qualify as the open space required under subsections 23.48.240.F and 23.48.240.G, and this Section 23.48.250 if within 1/4 mile of the project site. D. Payment-in-lieu. In lieu of providing open space required under this Section 23.48.250 , an owner may make a payment to the City if the Director determines that the payment will contribute to the improvement of a designated Neighborhood Green Street or to other public open space improvements abutting the lot or in the vicinity, in an amount sufficient to develop improvements that will meet the additional need for open space caused by the project, and that completion of the improvement within a reasonable time is feasible. Any such payment shall be placed in a dedicated fund or account and used within five years of receipt for the development of such improvements, unless the property owner and the City agree upon a different improvement involving the acquisition or development of public open space that will mitigate the impact of the project. E. Limitations. Open space satisfying the requirement of this Section 23.48.250 for any project shall not be used to satisfy the open space requirement for any other project. When a transmitting antenna is sited or proposed to be sited on a rooftop where required open space is located, see Section 23.57.013 . Open space on the site of any building for which a Master Use Permit decision was issued or a complete building permit application was filed prior to November 15, 2015, that was not required under the Land Use Code in effect when such permit decision was issued or such application filed, but that would have been required for the same building by this Section 23.48.250 , shall not be used to satisfy the open space requirement for any other project. (Ord. 127375 , § 57, 2025; Ord. 125603 , § 38, 2018; Ord. 125291 , § 12, 2017; Ord. 124883 , § 13, 2015.)