Downtown Mixed Commercial (DMC) zone, function, and locational criteria
Seattle Mun. Code § 23.34.108
in effectLocations appropriate for Downtown Mixed Commercial zone designation are consistent with the following: A. Function. Areas characterized by lower scale office, retail, and commercial uses related to activity in the office core, retail core, or other moderate-scale commercial cores in the Downtown Regional Center, and with use patterns that may include housing. B. Scale and character of development. Areas where buildings of moderate scale exist or are appropriate to provide a physical transition between more intensive commercial areas and surrounding lower scale commercial, mixed-use, or residential districts. C. Transportation and infrastructure capacity. Areas within the Downtown Regional Center having good but comparatively less accessibility to vehicular and transit systems than the Downtown office core. Transportation and other infrastructure capacities are capable of accommodating modest growth without major improvement. D. Relationship to surrounding activity. Areas that provide for less intensive activity along the western and northern edges of the Downtown retail core and Downtown office core, or at other peripheral locations within the Downtown Regional Center. These areas provide a buffer to less intensive areas, such as the Harborfront, Pike Place Market, Belltown residential area, or mixed-use areas north of Denny Way, or serve as a transition to less intensive commercial, residential, or industrial areas near the Downtown Regional Center. E. Heights. Downtown mixed commercial height designations provide desired transitions compatible with adjacent downtown districts and areas outside downtown. (Ord. 127375 , § 25, 2025; Ord. 123589, § 3, 2011; Ord. 117430 , § 31, 1994.)
Source: Seattle Municipal Code (Municode library)URL: https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_codeFetched: 7/25/2026