Redmond: 2025 Code Package

The City of Redmond's "Redmond 2050: 2025 Code Package" represents a significant overhaul of its planning and zoning regulations, designed to align with the city's long-term vision and address evolving community needs. This comprehensive update is structured into two primary parts, focusing on different aspects of the city's regulatory framework.

Part 1: Zones and Uses tackles the fundamental structure of the Redmond Zoning Code, specifically Article I, which governs zones and permitted uses. The primary objective is to consolidate and streamline these regulations, eliminating redundancies and ensuring consistency across different zones. This involves a substantial reorganization, moving away from fragmented regulations scattered throughout the code to a more centralized and user-friendly system. A key aspect is the consolidation of allowed use tables into a single, comprehensive chapter, replacing numerous individual tables with two overarching tables. This simplification aims to improve clarity and efficiency for both developers and city staff. Furthermore, the amendments introduce changes to specific zones, such as the inclusion of limited commercial uses in neighborhood residential zones to promote "complete neighborhoods," and the removal of housing as a permitted use in the Business Park zone. The creation of Downtown Redmond and Marymoor Village Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Focus Areas, along with the Marymoor Arts and Cultural District, reflects the city's commitment to strategic development and placemaking. Finally, the consolidation of existing overlays and special districts into a single chapter aims to simplify the regulatory landscape.

Part 2: Requirements and Incentives focuses on Article II of the Redmond Zoning Code, which governs development standards and incentives. Similar to Part 1, the goal is to consolidate and streamline regulations, ensuring consistency and alignment with the Redmond 2050 Comprehensive Plan. This involves consolidating site planning standards and measurement information, eliminating duplications, and updating regulations to support green building techniques. Significant changes include amendments to mandatory inclusionary zoning requirements, particularly for Downtown, Marymoor, and Mixed-Use zones, aiming to increase the supply of affordable housing. The consolidation of incentive programs into a new chapter aims to provide developers with a clear and comprehensive overview of available incentives, while the expansion of green building program options and requirements reflects the city's commitment to sustainability. Other amendments address various aspects of development, including public facilities, public art, landscaping, parking, and transportation.

In addition to the zoning code amendments, the package includes the creation of a Downtown Redmond Center Plan, a compilation of policies from various existing plans, designed to meet regional center designation requirements set by the Puget Sound Regional Council. This plan does not introduce new policies but rather consolidates existing ones to provide a cohesive vision for the downtown area. The Redmond Zoning Map is also amended to reflect the new zone designations and boundaries resulting from the code changes.

The process leading to these amendments involved extensive public engagement, including numerous Planning Commission study sessions and public hearings. The report details the key issues discussed by the Planning Commission, such as the implementation of the Neighborhood Mixed-Use Zone, affordable housing regulations, and incentive programs. The Technical Committee and the Planning Commission both concluded that the proposed amendments are consistent with applicable review criteria and recommended their approval. This comprehensive update aims to guide Redmond's future development in a way that aligns with its long-term vision and addresses the evolving needs of its community.