20.25Q.060 Dimensional requirements | Bellevue Land Use Code

20.25Q.060 Dimensional requirements.

A. Dimensional Chart. Chart 20.25Q.060.A sets forth the dimensional requirements applicable to each Land Use district that is mapped in Figure 20.25Q.010.A.

Table 20.25Q.060.A. Dimensional Requirements in the East Main Transit-Oriented Development Districts
East Main Land Use District	East Main Transit Oriented District (Higher Density) Nonresidential (1)	East Main Transit Oriented District (Higher Density) Residential (1)	East Main Transit Oriented District (Lower Density) Nonresidential (1)	East Main Transit Oriented District (Lower Density) Residential (1)
	EM-TOD-H Nonresidential (2)(3)	EM-TOD-H Residential (2)(3)	EM-TOD-L Nonresidential (3)	EM-TOD-L Residential (3)
Minimum Setbacks (4)(5)(6)
Front	0	0	0	0
Rear	0	0	0	0
Side	0	0	0	0
Minimum Tower Setback above 80 ft where Building exceeds 100 ft	20 ft	20 ft	N/A	N/A
Maximum Floor Plates above 40 ft gsf/f (6)	30,000 gsf/f	unlimited	30,000 gsf/f	unlimited
Maximum Floor Plates above 80 ft gsf/f (6)	25,000 gsf/f	13,500 gsf/f	25,000 gsf/f	13,500 gsf/f
Base Building Height	115 ft	230 ft	70 ft	70 ft
Maximum Building Height (7)(8)(9)	300 ft	300 ft	100 ft	100 ft
Maximum Building Height with Mechanical Equipment (7)(8)(9)	320 ft (10)	320 ft (10)	100 ft	100 ft
Base FAR (12)	2.5	3.5	0.5	0.5
Maximum FAR (11)(12)	5.0	5.0	1.0	1.0
Tower Separation above 80 ft where Building exceeds 100 ft	60 ft	60 ft	N/A	N/A

(1)For the purposes of this chart, a Building is determined to be nonresidential or residential if more than 50 percent of the Gross Floor Area of the Building or Tower is devoted to that use.

(2)In the EM-TOD-H Land Use District, all New Development shall provide a minimum of 35 percent of total project Gross Square Feet as residential use. It is the intent of this section to ensure that the minimum amount of residential Development required is constructed prior to full completion of nonresidential Development. As such, no permit, approval or other entitlement for nonresidential Development shall be granted by the City when Building Permits have been issued for 50 percent of the nonresidential Development approved as a component of the Design Review (Part 20.30F LUC) or Master Development Plan (Part 20.30V LUC) capacity for the Project Limit until approval of the first inspection for work under the Building permit, except Clear and Grade Permits are not considered Building Permits for purposes of this section, for one-third of the required minimum residential use. Nonresidential Development may be increased by an increment of 15 percent for every 1/3 of the required residential use when satisfying the inspection approval condition described above. The full amount of nonresidential Development capacity may be achieved after all required residential use has satisfied the inspection approval condition described above, as per the table below. The requirements of this note shall not apply to Lots less than three acres in size before January 1, 2021, when the proponent or applicant for a Development provides documentation demonstrating that the Lot was created pursuant to the Subdivision process of Chapter 58.17 RCW.

Minimum Residential Requirement
Portion of total required residential Development that must have received approval of the first inspection for work under the Building Permit prior to permitting of nonresidential Development capacity	Percentage of nonresidential Development capacity for the Project Limit that may be permitted and constructed
0/3	50%
1/3	65%
2/3	80%
3/3	100%

(3)Hotels and Motels shall be considered as residential Structures for all dimensional standards except for minimum residential use requirement and maximum Floor Plate where they shall be considered nonresidential.

(4)See LUC 20.25H.035 for additional Critical Area Setbacks.

(5)Certain noncritical area Setbacks on Sites in the Critical Areas Overlay District may be modified pursuant to LUC 20.25H.040.

(6)See subsection B of this section for exceptions to the minimum Stepback and maximum Building Floor Plate requirements.

(7)No additional Building Height above the maximum shall be permitted through the Administrative Departure process.

(8)Maximum Building Height for any portion of a Building located more than 300 feet from Main Street and within 50 feet of the back of Sidewalk along 112th Avenue SE shall not exceed 70 feet in height.

(9)Upper-level Stepbacks are required on all nonresidential Buildings fronting the pre-located street, Potential Streets, and rights-of-way other than 112th Avenue SE. Each Building façade shall incorporate a minimum 15-foot-deep Stepback at a height between 25 feet and the level of the first Floor Plate above 40 feet. The dimensional requirements in this note may be modified pursuant to an Administrative Departure provided in LUC 20.25Q.030.D.

(10)The additional 20 feet allowed for mechanical equipment is uninhabitable space and shall only include improvements or Structures required to access, service or screen the mechanical equipment.

(11)The maximum permitted FAR may only be achieved by participation in the FAR Amenity Incentive System, LUC 20.25Q.070. Where residential and nonresidential uses occur in the same Building, the FAR is limited to the maximum FAR for the Building type as determined in accordance with Note (1).

(12)See LUC 20.25H.045 for calculation of density/intensity on Sites in the Critical Area Overlay District.

B. Exceptions to Dimensional Requirements. Exceptions authorized pursuant to this subsection shall be reviewed as Administrative Departures subject to the terms of LUC 20.25Q.030.D.

a. Connecting Floor Plates. For Structures that do not exceed 70 feet in height, the Director may approve the connection of Floor Plates above 40 feet such that those Floor Plates exceed the “Maximum Building Floor Area per Floor Above 40 Feet;” provided, that:

i. The connection is to allow for safe and efficient Building exiting patterns;

ii. The connecting floor area shall include required corridor areas, but may include habitable space;

iii. The alternative design results in an appearance that each Building Segment is a separate and distinct Building;

iv. The connection shall act as a dividing point between two Floor Plates, neither of which exceed the maximum Floor Plate size; and

v. The exterior space below a connected Floor Plate should support an attractive, inviting, and human-scaled pedestrian experience.

b. Performing Arts Centers may have unlimited Floor Plates up to 100 feet in height, measured from average Finished Grade; provided, that:

i. The Floor Plate exception applies only to that portion of the Building that contains the performing arts use;

ii. The area is the minimum area necessary to accommodate the performing arts use;

iii. Subordinate Uses do not exceed 25 percent of the total area; and

iv. The ground floor design shall have the highest orientation to pedestrians and shall meet these standards and guidelines:

(1) Transparency. 75 percent minimum;

(2) Weather Protection. 75 percent minimum, 6 feet deep;

(3) Points of Interest. Every 30 linear feet of the façade, maximum; and

(4) Vehicular Parking or Access. No surface parking or Vehicle access shall be allowed directly between Sidewalk and main pedestrian entrance.

i. Marquees, awnings, or other kinds of Weather Protection that comply with the requirements of LUC 20.25Q.150.A.2.b are permitted to extend over the Public Right-of-Way upon approval of the Director of the Transportation Department and the Director notwithstanding the provisions of the Sign Code, Chapter 22B.10 BCC, or any other City Code.

i. Architectural elements such as louvers and fins may intrude into the Setback upon approval of the Director.

ii. External decks and balconies that intrude into the Tower Setback are permitted upon approval of the Director.

i. The Director may approve modifications to the minimum required Stepback if:

(1) The applicant can demonstrate that the resulting design will be more consistent with the Design Guidelines of LUC 20.25Q.130 through 20.25Q.160; and

(2) The intrusions for Building modulation or Weather Protection features shall be a maximum of 20 percent of the length of the whole façade, an average depth of 25 percent of the required Stepback, and a maximum of 10 feet in length per intrusion.

ii. The Director may approve modifications to the Stepback requirements for Performing Arts Centers if:

(1) Interesting roof forms, significant Floor Plate modulation, significant façade modulation, or other such unique architectural features are provided to minimize impacts to abutting Structures. (Ord. 6627, 12-13-21, § 3)