Chapter 17.14
Methow Review District - MRD

Sections:

17.14.010 Purpose of Classification

17.14.020 Permitted Uses

17.14.030 Conditional Uses

17.14.040 Accessory Uses

17.14.050 Prohibited Uses

17.14.060 Lot Area and Width

17.14.070 Density

17.14.080 Required Yard Setbacks

17.14.090 Height

17.14.100 Lot Coverage

17.14.105 Parking

17.14.110 Special Provisions

17.14.115 Residential Transient Tourist Accommodations (Nightly Rentals)

17.14.010 Purpose of Classification

District Purpose. The purpose of this district is to protect the sensitive environmental, aesthetic and economic qualities of the Methow Valley thorough review and the imposition of more stringent development and subdivision standards.

17.14.020 Permitted Uses - Indicated on the District Use Chart.

17.14.030 Conditional Uses - Indicated on the District Use Chart.

17.14.040 Accessory Uses

  1. Normal accessory uses customary and incidental to the permitted and/or conditional use of the property.
  2. On lots which meet or exceed the minimum size requirement of the districts, one additional attached or detached accessory dwelling with a floor area of 50% or less of the primary structure is allowed. The dwelling may be for guests, relatives, employees or for rent as a transient tourist accommodation (see 17.14.115) and must be clustered near the primary structure. A site plan shall be submitted to the Office of Planning & Development for review of conformity with maximum lot coverage.
  3. On non-conforming lots, additional residential units for extended family members only if a demonstrated family hardship exists. (See 17.33.135)

17.14.050 Prohibited Uses - Indicated on the District Use Chart.

17.14.060 Lot Area and Width

  1. Uplands MRD 20
    1. Minimum lot area is 20 acres
    2. When the height of structures for permitted manufacturing, commercial, and industrial uses exceed 35 feet minimum lot area is 20 acres. These structures cannot be placed on lots that are less than a minimum size.
    3. Minimum lot width is 100 feet
  2. Valley Floor MRD 5
    1. Minimum lot area is 5 acres
    2. When the height of structures for permitted manufacturing, commercial and industrial uses exceed 35 feet minimum lot area is 5 acres. These structures cannot be placed on lots that are less than minimum size.
      1. Minimum lot width is 100 feet
  3. Valley Floor MRD 1
    1. Minimum lot area is 1 acre
    2. When the structures for permitted manufacturing, commercial, and industrial uses exceed 35 feet minimum lot area is 5 acres.
      1. Minimum lot width is 100 feet
  4. Valley Floor MRD 12,500
    1. Minimum lot area is 12,500 sq. ft.
    2. When the structures for permitted manufacturing, commercial, and industrial uses exceed 35 feet minimum lot area is 5 acres.
      1. Minimum lot width is 100 feet

17.14.070 Density

  1. Uplands MRD 20 - Minimum of 20 acres/unit with an allowance for a second unit per 17.14.040 2.
  2. Valley Floor MRD 5 - Minimum of 5 acres/unit with an allowance for a second unit per 17.14.040 2.
  3. Valley Floor MRD 1 - Minimum of 1 acre/unit.
  4. Valley Floor MRD 12,500 - Minimum of 12,500 square feet/unit.

17.14.080 Required Yard Setbacks

  1. Uplands MRD 20
    1. Front - minimum is 50 feet
    2. Side - minimum is 50 feet
    3. Rear - minimum is 50 feet
    4. Manufacturing, commercial, or industrial structures: yard setbacks from all property lines shall not be less than two feet horizontal for every one foot of vertical height; or, the setback established in this section, whichever is greater. [Example: A sixty-five-foot tall structure shall be required to be setback 130 feet from all property lines.]
  2. Valley Floor MRD 5
    1. Front - minimum is 25 feet
    2. Side - minimum is 25 feet
    3. Rear - minimum is 25 feet
    4. Manufacturing, commercial, or industrial structures: yard setbacks from all property lines shall not be less than two feet horizontal for every one foot vertical height; or, the setback established in this section, whichever is greater. [Example: A sixty-five-foot tall structure shall be required to be setback 130 feet from all property lines.]
  3. Valley Floor MRD 1
    1. Front - minimum is 25 feet
    2. Side - minimum is 15 feet
    3. Rear - minimum is 25 feet
    4. Manufacturing, commercial, or industrial structures: yard setbacks from all property lines shall not be less than two feet horizontal for every one foot of vertical height; or, the setback established in this section, whichever is greater. [Example: A sixty-five-foot tall structure shall be required to be setback 130 feet from all property lines.]
  4. Valley Floor MRD 12,500
    1. Front - minimum is 25 feet
    2. Side - minimum is 5 feet
    3. Rear - minimum is 25 feet
    4. Manufacturing, commercial, or industrial structures: yard setbacks from all property lines shall not be less than two feet horizontal for every one foot of vertical height; or, the setback established in this section, whichever is greater. [Example: A sixty-five-foot tall structure shall be required to be setback 130 feet from all property lines.]

17.14.090 Height

  1. Maximum height for all uses in the zone shall be 35 feet, except as noted in sections 2 through 6 below.
  2. Maximum height for the following list of uses shall be 50 feet: appurtenances and decorative non-structural architectural components on roofs of single family dwelling units, multi-family dwelling units, inns, lodges and on roofs of accessory agricultural buildings; crosses and other religious or civic monuments.
  3. Maximum height for the following list of uses shall be 65 feet: agricultural wind machines; barns, silos, hay storage sheds; church steeples, spires, belfries, cupolas, and domes; county administrative and criminal justice buildings; drive-in movie theater screens; elevator penthouses; fire towers; fruit and vegetable packing facilities; gas holders or other similar structures; hose towers; parapet walls; performing arts centers (theaters, community centers, sports facilities and complexes); petroleum storage tanks; school auditoriums and theaters.
  4. Maximum height for the following list of uses shall be 100 feet: amateur radio poles or antennas; grain elevators; private communication poles or antennas; single family residential wind mills; water tanks.
  5. Maximum height for electric transmission and distribution towers and poles shall be 150 feet.
  6. Maximum height for communication facilities (commercial or public agency radio and TV, microwave or other antennas for transmitting and receiving) shall be 200 feet.

17.14.100 Lot Coverage

  1. Uplands MRD 20
    1. Single family development - Maximum lot coverage is 5%
    2. All other development - Maximum lot coverage is 10%
  2. Valley Floor MRD 5
    1. Single family development - Maximum lot coverage is 10%
    2. All other development - Maximum lot coverage is 40%
  3. Valley Floor MRD 1
    1. Single family development - Maximum lot coverage is 30%
    2. All other development - Maximum lot coverage is 40%
  4. Valley Floor MRD 12,500
    1. Single family development - Maximum lot coverage is 35%
    2. All other development - Maximum lot coverage is 40%

17.14.105 Parking - As indicated in Chapter 17.25.

17.14.110 Special Provisions

  1. Multifamily dwellings and mobile home parks are allowed only by Planned Development. (See 17.19 for density and other standards.)
  2. Short subdivisions shall be subject to Planned Development standards in Section 17.19.060, but not eligible for density bonuses.
  3. Inns, lodges or guest ranches as defined in Section 17.04.140, and Campgrounds as defined in Section 17.04.055 and RV Parks as defined in Section 17.04.245 shall be approved by Planned Development and shall incorporate the following additional design standards:
    1. The minimum lot size for this use is 35 acres in order to provide for on-site recreation. However, the required lot size may be reduced on the following bonus system basis if such reductions are consistent with comprehensive plan goals. However, in no instance shall the lot size be decreased below 20 acres.
    1. Decrease required lot size by five (5) acres if 90% or more open space will be provided as part of the project.
    2. Decrease required lot size by five (5) acres if located on and participates in maintenance and operation of an organized trail system or other recreational opportunity involving more properties than the subject property;
    3. Decrease required lot size by five (5) acres if project site contains conservation easements granted to a public entity.
    4. Decrease required lot by five (5) acres if the project contains innovative conservation measures, such as, water/energy conservation, recycling or composting.
    1. Intensity. Such uses shall be reviewed as commercial rather than depending on the nature and design of the proposal, but cannot be used as justification for varying any of the other requirements for a Planned Development and is operated in a manner that is not a nuisance to neighboring properties and residents. For the purposes of this section, one dwelling unit shall equal a unit with or without kitchen facilities, containing four or fewer rental bedrooms, or a maximum of 10 occupants. The number of camping spaces cannot exceed the number allowable by Okanogan County Health district on-site sewage standards.
    2. Signage. Only indirectly illuminated signs made of natural material shall be allowed. Signs shall be no larger than thirty-two square feet.
    3. Setback from Public Roads. Setback from property line (right of way line) for structures, campsites and other areas of intense use shall be 75 feet.
    4. Screening by Type II Visual Buffer per 17.27.030 B) shall be required.
  1. Construction in Flood Hazard Areas: No structures for human habitation or any sewage disposal facilities shall be constructed or placed in areas inundated by the 100 year flood.
  2. Not withstanding general provisions of this code to the contrary, in areas of this district platted for residential (non-commercial) airport-related uses, the following uses are allowed outright, and do not require a Conditional Use Permit.
    1. Aircraft hangers and non-commercial airport-related service structures in areas platted for residential (non-commercial) airport-related uses. With respect to individual residential lots within such plat, such structures shall be set back no less than 10 feet from the taxiway serving such residential lots, and shall comply in all other respects with lot coverage restrictions pertinent to this district.
    2. Aircraft fuel pumps and fuel storage: PROVIDED that any such fuel pumps and/or fuel storage facilities shall comply with all state and federal laws and regulations regarding such facilities.

17.14.115 - Residential Transient Tourist Accommodations (Nightly Rentals)

A. Purpose and Intent - The purpose of this section is to promote the goals of the comprehensive plan to maximize the attractiveness of residential areas by retaining rural character, the feeling of openness, and the environmental quality of the valley. The intent of this section is to implement regulations governing the nature and scope of nightly rentals by providing for occasional, periodic nightly rental of guest houses, recreational homes or cabins, and part-time residential homes which serve as alternatives to hotels/motels. It is the further intent of this section that standards established herein for the operation of nightly rentals be complimentary with and be supplemented by other local regulations which apply to their operations, including, but not limited to those governing dog control, air quality emissions from stoves, and other applicable regulations.

B. Residential Transient Tourist Accommodation Permit Required - A permit issued under provisions of this section is required in order for any land owner to operate a residential transient tourist accommodation (nightly rental). Land owners operating nightly rentals at the time of the adoption of this ordinance must obtain a permit and are subject to standards herein. Permits must be renewed annually prior to the anniversary date of original issuance of the permit. A nightly rentals permit is not automatically transferable as part of the sale of property. A permit application from the new property owner must be approved to continue as a transient tourist accommodation. Application for continuance of a nightly rental by a new owner must be made within one year of acquiring the property.

C. Application for Nightly Rental Permit

1. Posting of Application Notice by Applicant; Content of Application - The applicant shall post and maintain notice of application at two (2) locations on or in the vicinity of the proposed nightly rental for a period of ten (10) days from the date of application. Posting shall be in locations readily visible to adjacent landowners and residents of the general area in which the nightly rental is to be located. One of the postings shall be clearly visible from a major travel route through the area. An application for a Nightly Rental Permit shall consist of all fees as set forth in Appendix A attached hereto or as modified hereafter according to subsection E), 3) hereinafter, the property owner list for properties within 300 feet of the subject property boundaries, a site plan, and a narrative of ability to meet the following standards:

a. Only one dwelling may be rented per owner. Each property owner may rent only one nightly rental regardless of the number of properties owned. A nightly rental permit is required for a single dwelling on a lot of record or for a second dwelling on a lot of minimum size for the zone in which it is located. For a second dwelling on a parcel to be rented as a transient tourist accommodation, the owner must live in the main residence. No permit shall be issued to the holder of an existing Bed & Breakfast license for a nightly rental structure on the same property. In no case shall the main residence and the guest house be rented at the same time;

b. The outward appearance of a single family residence shall be retained;

c. The nightly rental structure shall be rented for no more than 90 days per calendar year.

d. No more than one sign shall be provided on the premises. The sign shall be made of natural materials not exceeding two square feet in area and, if illuminated, shall be indirectly illuminated.

e. Mobile homes, manufactured homes, travel trailers, or recreational vehicles shall not be used for residential transient tourist accommodations (nightlyrentals). A modular home may be used as a nightly rental when its owner is in possession of a valid building permit.

f. The maximum number of individuals served by a residential transient tourist accommodation is ten (10).

g. The owner or operator shall possess a current, valid Okanogan County Health District permit to operate the facility according to the applicable standards set forth in county resolution #42-84 as currently existing or hereafter amended or recodified and adopted into Health District codes.

h. Occupancy and operation of a nightly rental shall be in a manner that is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood character. Factors upon which compatibility will be judged include but are not limited to noise, traffic, light and glare. Complaints from neighbors that the occupancy and operation of a nightly rental is not compatible with surrounding neighborhood character shall be considered as possible reasons for revocation or denial of a nightly rental permit.

i. Provide a currently valid uniform business identification number.

2. Procedure

a. An applicant for a nightly rental permit shall submit a complete application to the Administrator or designee.

b. The Administrator or designee shall determine the completeness of the application. Incomplete applications shall be returned to the applicant with a letter specifying deficiencies.

c. After the Administrator or designee determines that an application is complete, the Administrator or designee shall mail notice to all land owners within 300 feet of the subject property within 2 weeks of receipt of application.

d. The Administrator or designee shall review all new permit applications for compliance with the standards established in 17.15.065 D). The designee shall approve, approve with conditions directly related to the purpose and intent of this ordinance, or deny the permit application.

e. In the event complaints are received and deemed valid by the Administrator that operating nightly rentals are not in compliance with provisions of this section, the permit may be revoked, or the Administrator may place conditions thereon.

3. Fees - Fees charged in Appendix A may be changed at the discretion of the Administrator of Planning and Development with the approval, by motion of the Board of County Commissioners. Changes in fees charged shall reflect changes in actual cost to the Department for services rendered.

D. Sunset Clause -Applications for new nightly rentals under provisions of this section will not be accepted after April 1, 1995. Provisions of this section shall remain effective for all nightly rentals approved prior to April 1, 1995.