The purpose and intent of this chapter is:
A. 
Encourage innovative businesses, small incubator businesses, artisan businesses, and research and development start-ups within the city that attract young talent to the community and help build the city's future work force.
B. 
Encourage thoughtfully designed sites and buildings that provide a collaborative social environment with spaces for living, working, designing, inventing, playing, and learning.
C. 
Enable small-scale business enterprises to locate in a wider range of suitable locations, while minimizing impacts on residential neighborhoods.
D. 
Encourage infill in commercial and industrial districts to promote use of underutilized sites and efficient use of land, and to promote economic activity near downtown.
E. 
Accommodate a range of enterprises in a manner that is flexible and responsive to changing uses, trends and innovations.
F. 
Provide live-work uses in close proximity to each other to reduce reliance on auto trips. Within the overlay, limited residential uses may be allowed in commercial and industrial zones where associated with workspaces.
G. 
Provide affordable housing units and affordable workspaces.
(Ord. 2774 § 18, 2021; Ord. 2940, 11/24/2025)
An IDEA overlay may be applied to the following districts and areas:
A. 
Any general commercial or industrial zone within the city;
B. 
The IDEA Overlay zone where established in the Town Center.
(Ord. 2774 § 18, 2021; Ord. 2940, 11/24/2025)
A. 
Restaurants, cafes, coffee houses, bakeries, and similar food services.
B. 
Retail services, offices, shared workspaces, and live-work spaces that support incubator businesses.
C. 
Residential units; provided, that residential uses are limited to 50% of total floor area.
D. 
Bars and brew pubs.
E. 
Farmers markets.
F. 
Artist studio/workshop, blacksmith shop, glassblowing, and similar artisan manufacturing uses.
G. 
Craft brewing (micro-brewery, micro-distillery, craft winery) subject to performance standards in SMC § 18.29.060F.
H. 
Artisanal food products production.
I. 
Museums, libraries, art galleries.
J. 
Public post-secondary educational institutions, such as a university branch or community college.
K. 
Light fabrication of metal products, clothing products, small electronics, machine prototypes and similar small-scale light industrial uses; provided all operations are conducted indoors, no noise, odor or vibrations are noticeable beyond the property lines; and provided fabrication area is limited to 5,000 square feet floor area, except within the Town Center IDEA Overlay zone aggregate fabrication area may exceed 5,000 SF subject to performance standards in SMC 18.29.060I.
(Ord. 2774 § 18, 2021; Ord. 2940, 11/24/2025)
The director shall be guided by the following criteria in applying the IDEA overlay:
A. 
The proposed use will not be materially detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to the property or improvements in the vicinity of the proposed use or in the district in which the subject property is situated;
B. 
The proposed use and development on the premises:
1. 
Shall not create noise, light, glare, vibration, or odor that would disturb the peace, quiet, and comfort of neighboring residents, retail uses, lodging and restaurant uses;
2. 
Shall be compatible generally with the surrounding land uses in terms of traffic and pedestrian circulation, building and site design;
3. 
Shall be in keeping with the goals and policies of the Sumner comprehensive plan; and
4. 
May be permitted exterior changes, subject to the Sumner design guidelines, and administrative approval by the director.
(Ord. 2774 § 18, 2021)
A. 
An applicant must submit a request to apply the IDEA overlay for a use that aligns with the purposes set forth in SMC § 18.22.010 and meets the criteria in § SMC 18.22.060.
B. 
The director may approve application of the overlay through an administrative use permit as a Type III.d decision, pursuant to SMC § 18.56.030G.
C. 
An application is not required for areas designated in the Town Center IDEA Overlay zone; proposals are subject to required permits and applicable performance standards under Chapter 18.29 SMC.
(Ord. 2774 § 18, 2021; Ord. 2940, 11/24/2025)