Downtown Office Core 1 (DOC1), Downtown Office Core 2 (DOC2), and Downtown Mixed Commercial (DMC) street facade, landscaping, and street setback requirements

Seattle Mun. Code § 23.49.056

in effect

Standards are established in this Section 23.49.056 for DOC1, DOC2, and DMC zones, for the following elements: Minimum facade heights, Setback limits, Facade transparency, Blank facade limits, Street trees, and Setback and landscaping requirements in the Denny Triangle. These standards apply to each lot line that abuts a street designated on Map 1F or another map identified in a note to Map 1F as having a pedestrian classification, except lot lines of open space TDR sites, and apply along other lot lines and to circumstances as expressly stated in this Section 23.49.056 . The standards for each street frontage shall vary according to the pedestrian classification of the street on Map 1F or another map identified in a note to Map 1F and to the property line facades as required by Map 1H. Standards for street landscaping and setback requirements in subsection 23.49.056.F also apply along lot lines abutting streets in the Denny Triangle, as shown on Map A for 23.49.056. Map A for 23.49.056: Denny Triangle A. Minimum facade height 1. Minimum facade height(s) are prescribed in Table A for 23.49.056 and Exhibit A for 23.49.056, but minimum facade heights do not apply if all portions of the structure are lower than the elevation of the required minimum facade height. Table A for 23.49.056 Minimum Facade Height Street classification Minimum facade height* within designated zone Streets requiring property line facades DOC1, DOC2, DMC: 35 feet Class I pedestrian streets DOC 1, DOC 2: 35 feet DMC: 25 feet Class II pedestrian streets DOC 1, DOC 2: 25 feet DMC: 15 feet Designated green streets DOC1, DOC2, DMC: 25 feet *Except as provided in subsection 23.49.056.A.2 regarding view corridor requirements. 2. On designated view corridors specified in Section 23.49.024 , the minimum facade height is the maximum height permitted in the required setback, if it is less than the minimum facade height required in subsection 23.49.056.A.1. Exhibit A for 23.49.056 Minimum Facade Height B. Facade setback limits 1. Setback limits for property line facades. The following setback limits apply to all streets designated on Map 1H as requiring property line facades, except as specified in subsection 23.49.056.B.1.d. a. The facades of structures 15 feet or less in height shall be located within 2 feet of the street lot line. b. Structures greater than 15 feet in height are governed by the following criteria: 1) No setback limits apply up to an elevation of 15 feet above sidewalk grade. 2) Between the elevations of 15 and 35 feet above sidewalk grade, the facade shall be located within 2 feet of the street lot line, except that: a) Any exterior public open space that satisfies the Downtown Amenity Standards, whether it receives a bonus or not, and any outdoor common recreation area required for residential uses, is not considered part of the setback. b) Setbacks between the elevations of 15 and 35 feet above sidewalk grade at the street lot line are permitted according to the following standards, as depicted in Exhibit B for 23.49.056 : i. The maximum setback is 10 feet. ii. The total area of a facade that is set back more than 2 feet from the street lot line shall not exceed 40 percent of the total facade area between the elevations of 15 and 35 feet. iii. No setback deeper than 2 feet shall be wider than 20 feet, measured parallel to the street lot line. iv. The facade of the structure shall return to within 2 feet of the street lot line between each setback area for a minimum of 10 feet. Balcony railings and other nonstructural features or walls are not considered the facade of the structure. Exhibit B for 23.49.056 Exception to Maximum Setback Limits c. If sidewalk widening is required by Section 23.49.022 , setback standards shall be measured to the line established by the new sidewalk width rather than the street lot line. d. In the DMC 170 zone, on lots that abut Alaskan Way, as an alternative to the standards for required property line facades in subsections 23.49.056.B.1.a, 23.49.056.B.1.b, and 23.49.056.B.1.c, a continuous setback of up to 16 feet from the lot line abutting Alaskan Way is allowed for the street-facing facade. If the alternative setback allowed by this subsection 23.49.056.B.1.d is provided, the setback area shall be used for outdoor uses related to abutting street-level uses, for landscaped open space, for a partially above-grade story that meets the conditions of subsection 23.49.011.B.1.u, or to widen the abutting sidewalk for pedestrian use. 2. General setback limits. The following setback limits apply on streets not requiring property line facades, as shown on Map 1H: a. The portion of a structure subject to setback limits shall vary according to the structure height and required minimum facade height, as follows: 1) Except as provided in subsection 23.49.056.B.2.a.3, if the structure is greater than 15 feet in height, the setback limits apply to the facade between an elevation of 15 feet above sidewalk grade and the minimum facade height established in subsection 23.49.056.A and illustrated in Exhibit C for 23.49.056 . 2) If the entire structure is 15 feet or less in height, the setback limits apply to the entire street-facing facade. 3) If the minimum facade height is 15 feet, the setback limits apply to the portion of the street-facing facade that is 15 feet or less in height. Exhibit C for 23.49.056 Application of Maximum Setback Limits b. The maximum area of all setbacks between the street lot line and facade along each street frontage of a lot shall not exceed the area derived by multiplying the averaging factor by the width of the street frontage of the structure along that street (see Exhibit D for 23.49.056 ). The averaging factor is five on Class I pedestrian streets and ten on Class II pedestrian streets and designated green streets. c. The maximum width, measured along the street lot line, of any setback area exceeding a depth of 15 feet from the street lot line shall not exceed 80 feet, or 30 percent of the lot frontage on that street, whichever is less. (See Exhibit D for 23.49.056 .) Exhibit D for 23.49.056 Maximum Width of Setback d. The maximum setback of the facade from the street lot lines at intersections is 10 feet. The minimum distance the facade must conform to this limit is 20 feet along each street. (See Exhibit E for 23.49.056.) Exhibit E for 23.49.056 Maximum Setback at Intersections e. Any exterior public open space that meets the Downtown Amenity Standards, whether it receives a bonus or not, and any outdoor common recreation area required for residential uses, is not considered part of a setback. (See Exhibit C for 23.49.056.) f. If a sidewalk is widened into the lot as a condition to development, setback standards shall be measured to the line established by the new sidewalk width rather than the street lot line. C. Facade transparency requirements 1. Facade transparency requirements apply to the area of the facade between 2 feet and 8 feet above the sidewalk, except that if the slope along the street frontage of the facade exceeds 7.5 percent, the transparency requirements apply to the area of the facade between 4 feet and 8 feet above sidewalk grade. Only clear or lightly tinted glass in windows, doors, and display windows is considered to be transparent. Transparent areas shall allow views into the structure or into display windows from the outside. 2. Facade transparency requirements do not apply to portions of structures in residential use. 3. If the transparency requirements of this subsection 23.49.056.C are inconsistent with the glazing limits in the Energy Code, this subsection 23.49.056.C applies to the extent permitted by applicable law. 4. Transparency requirements are as follows: a. Class I pedestrian streets and designated green streets: A minimum of 60 percent of the street level street-facing facade shall be transparent. b. Class II pedestrian streets: A minimum of 30 percent of the street level street-facing facade shall be transparent. c. Where the slope along the street frontage of the facade exceeds 7.5 percent, the required amount of transparency shall be reduced to 50 percent on Class I pedestrian streets and designated green streets and 25 percent on Class II pedestrian streets. D. Blank facade limits 1. General provisions a. Blank facade limits apply to the area of the facade between 2 feet and 8 feet above the sidewalk, except that where the slope along the street frontage of the facade exceeds 7.5 percent, blank facade limits apply to the area of the facade between 4 feet and 8 feet above sidewalk grade. b. Any portion of a facade that is not transparent shall be considered to be a blank facade. c. Blank facade limits do not apply to portions of structures in residential use. 2. Blank facade limits for Class I pedestrian streets and designated green streets a. Blank facades shall be no more than 15 feet wide except segments with garage doors may exceed a width of 15 feet and may be as wide as the driveway plus 5 feet. Blank facade segment width may be increased to 30 feet if the Director in a Type I decision determines that the facade segment is enhanced by features with visual interest such as architectural detailing, artwork, landscaping, or similar features. b. Any blank segments of the facade shall be separated by transparent areas at least 2 feet wide. c. The total width of all blank facade segments, including garage doors, shall not exceed 40 percent of the street-facing facade of the structure on each street frontage, or 50 percent if the slope of the street frontage of the facade exceeds 7.5 percent. 3. Blank facade limits for Class II pedestrian streets a. Blank facade segments shall be no more than 30 feet wide, except for garage doors, which may exceed 30 feet. Blank facade segment width may be increased to 60 feet if the Director in a Type I decision determines that the facade segment is enhanced by architectural detailing, artwork, landscaping, or similar features that have visual interest. The width of garage doors shall be limited to the width of the driveway plus 5 feet. b. Any blank segments of the facade shall be separated by transparent areas at least 2 feet wide. c. The total of all blank facade segments, including garage doors, shall not exceed 70 percent of the street facade of the structure on each street frontage; or 75 percent if the slope of the street frontage of the facade exceeds 7.5 percent. E. Street tree requirements. Street trees are required on all streets that have a pedestrian classification and abut a lot. If areaways are located beneath the sidewalk, the street trees shall be planted in below-grade containers with provisions for watering the trees. Street trees shall be planted according to street tree planting standards in the Right-of-Way Improvements Manual. F. Setback and landscaping requirements for lots located within the Denny Triangle 1. Landscaping in the street right-of-way for all streets other than those with green street plans approved by Director's Rule. All new development in DMC zones in the Denny Triangle, as shown on Map A for 23.49.056, shall provide landscaping in the sidewalk area of the street right-of-way, except on streets with a green street plan approved by Director's Rule. The square footage of landscaped area provided shall be at least 1.5 times the length of the street lot line (in linear feet). The following standards apply to the required landscaped area: a. The landscaped area shall be at least 18 inches wide and shall be located in the public right-of-way along the entire length of the street lot line, except for building entrances, vehicular access or other connections between the sidewalk and the lot, provided that the exceptions may not exceed 50 percent of the total length of the street lot line(s). b. As an alternative to locating the landscaping at the street lot line, all or a portion of the required landscaped area may be provided in the sidewalk area within 5 feet of the curb line. c. Landscaping provided within 5 feet of the curb line shall be located and designed in relation to the required street tree planting and be compatible with use of the curb lane for parking and loading. d. All plant material shall be planted directly in the ground or in permanently installed planters if planting in the ground is not feasible. A minimum of 50 percent of the plant material shall be perennial. 2. Landscaping on a designated green street. If required landscaping is on a designated green street with a green street plan approved by Director's Rule, the planting shall be consistent with designs identified in that green street plan. 3. Landscaping in setbacks a. In the Denny Triangle, as shown on Map A for 23.49.056, at least 20 percent of the total square footage of all areas abutting the street lot line that are not covered by a structure, have a depth of 10 feet or more from the street lot line and are larger than 300 square feet, shall be landscaped. Any area under canopies or marquees is considered uncovered. Any setback provided to meet the minimum sidewalk widths established by Section 23.49.022 is exempt from the calculation of the area to be landscaped. b. All plant material shall be planted directly in the ground or in permanently installed planters if planting in the ground is not feasible. A minimum of 50 percent of the plant material shall be perennial and shall include trees if a contiguous area, all or a portion of which is landscaped pursuant to subsection 23.49.056.F.1.a, exceeds 600 square feet. 4. Terry and 9th Avenues Green Street setbacks a. In addition to the requirements of subsections 23.49.056.F.2 and 23.49.056.F.3, a 2 foot wide setback from the street lot line is required along the Terry and 9th Avenue Green Streets within the Denny Triangle as shown on Map A for 23.49.056. The Director may allow averaging of the setback requirement of this subsection 23.49.056.F.4.a to provide greater conformity with an approved green street plan. b. Fifty percent of the setback area shall be landscaped. (Ord. 126157 , § 39, 2020; Ord. 125173 , § 6, 2016; Ord. 124680 , § 9, 2015; Ord. 123649, § 30, 2011; Ord. 123589, § 22, 2011; Ord. 123046, § 65, 2009; Ord. 122054, § 45, 2006; Ord. 121477, § 17, 2004; Ord. 120443 , § 27, 2001; Ord. 118409, § 186, 1996; Ord. 116744 , § 11, 1993; Ord. 112303, § 3, 1985.)

Source: Seattle Municipal Code (Municode library)URL: https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_codeFetched: 7/25/2026