(a) 
The following residential districts are hereby established: R4, WR, R6, R8-12, MFR. Each of these districts is designed and intended to secure for the persons who reside there a comfortable, healthy, safe, and pleasant environment in which to live, sheltered from incompatible and disruptive activities that properly belong in nonresidential districts. Other objectives of some of these districts are explained in the remainder of this section.
(1) 
R4 - Four Dwellings per Acre. The R4 Single-Family district is designed primarily to accommodate single-family detached residential uses and at medium densities of four to five dwelling units per net buildable acre with the potential of some density bonuses. Some types of attached and accessory residences may be allowed.
(2) 
The Waterfront Residential district (WR-4) is designed primarily to accommodate single-family detached residential uses at medium densities in areas adjacent to Lake Stevens and served by public water and sewer facilities.
(3) 
R6 - Six Dwellings per Acre. The R6 Single-Family district is designed primarily to accommodate single-family detached residential uses at medium densities of six to seven dwelling units per net buildable acre with the potential of some density bonuses. Some types of attached and accessory residences may be allowed.
(4) 
R8-12 - Eight to 12 Dwellings per Acre. The R8-12 Residential zone is intended to achieve development densities of eight to 12 dwelling units per net buildable acre with the potential of some density bonuses. This zone allows for the development of single-family detached dwellings and attached townhomes.
(5) 
Multi-Family Residential district is designed to accommodate attached residential uses at a minimum of 15 units per net buildable acre or more in areas served by public water and sewer facilities.
(Ord. 468, 1995; Ord. 590, 1998; Ord. 811, Sec. 25, 2010; Ord. 1080, Sec. 4, 2020)
(a) 
The following commercial districts are hereby established: Business district, Commercial district, Central Business district, Local Business zone, and Planned Business district. These districts are created to accomplish the purposes and serve the objectives set forth in the remainder of this section.
(b) 
The Central Business district (CBD) is designed to accommodate a wide variety of commercial activities (particularly those that are pedestrian-oriented) that will result in the most intensive and attractive use of the City's Central Business district.
(c) 
The Local Business (LB) zone is designed to accommodate commercial development along arterials to cater to commuters, or as a transition in some areas between a higher intensity zone (e.g., commercial, industrial, etc.) and a lower intensity zone (e.g., residential, park, etc.), or may provide for a smaller scale shopping center that primarily serves one neighborhood or area of the City.
(d) 
The Planned Business district (PBD) is designed to accommodate commercial or mixed use development, including supporting residential structures, generally similar to the types permissible in a Central Business district or Mixed Use zone. It is intended that this zone be used on sites containing sensitive resources or other sites where, due to property-specific circumstances, detailed planning would benefit all property owners involved as well as the public by, among other things, allowing for comprehensive site planning and a transfer of densities among parcels in order to avoid impacts to sensitive resources.
(e) 
The Business district (BD) is designed to promote community and regional employment and accommodate land uses such as corporate offices, general offices, research and development, medical clinics, public and civic uses, technology, and light manufacturing and assembly. This district should be located in areas with direct access to highways and arterials in addition to transit facilities, adequate public services and traffic capacity.
(f) 
The Commercial district (CD) is designed to accommodate the high intensity retail needs of the community and regional market by attracting a mix of large to small format retail stores and restaurants to create a vibrant and unified regional shopping center. Transportation accessibility, exposure to highways and arterials with adequate public services and traffic capacity characterize this district.
(Ord. 744, Sec. 2, 2007; Ord. 811, Sec. 26, 2010; Ord. 876, Sec. 16, 2012; Ord. 1080, Sec. 4, 2020)
(a) 
The following Mixed Use districts are hereby established: Mixed Use (MU) and Mixed Use Neighborhood (MUN), to accommodate a mix of commercial and residential units at different intensities in transitional areas between commercial and residential areas.
(b) 
The Mixed Use (MU) zone is designed to primarily accommodate a horizontally stratified mixture of residential and commercial uses. It is intended that this zoning classification be applied primarily as a transition or buffer zone between Commercial or Multi-Family zones and Residential districts.
(c) 
The Mixed Use Neighborhood (MUN) zone is designed to accommodate higher density residential development in proximity to employment and retail centers and provide basic convenience goods and services in areas with available public services and adequate traffic capacities. This district would have a minimum density of 15 dwelling units per acre and create a transition between higher and lower intensity land uses.
(Ord. 1080, Sec. 4, 2020)
The following districts are hereby established primarily to accommodate enterprises engaged in the manufacturing, processing, creating, repairing, renovating, painting, cleaning, or assembling of goods, merchandise, or equipment: Light Industrial and General Industrial. The performance standards set forth in Part 1 of Chapter 14.44 place limitations on the characteristics of uses located in these districts. The limitations in the Light Industrial district are more restrictive than those in the General Industrial district.
(Ord. 468, 1995; Ord. 1080, Sec. 4, 2020)
A Public/Semi-Public district is hereby established to accommodate public and semi-public uses, such as schools, government services and facilities, public utilities, community facilities, parks, etc., on publicly owned land.
(Ord. 501, Sec. 6, 1995)
The floodplain and floodway districts are hereby established as "overlay" districts, meaning that these districts are overlaid upon other districts and the land so encumbered may be used in a manner permitted in the underlying district only if and to the extent such use is also permitted in the applicable overlay district. The floodplain and floodway districts are further described in Chapter 14.64.
The shoreline environment designation is hereby established as an "overlay" district, meaning that these districts are overlaid upon other districts and the land so encumbered may be used in a manner permitted in the underlying district only if and to the extent such use is also permitted in the applicable overlay district and a shoreline development permit has been granted, if necessary, pursuant to the Shoreline Master Program, where this district is further described.
(Ord. 855, Sec. 20, 2011; Ord. 898, Sec. 5, 2013)