§ 22.56.250. Work release facilities.

A.

Work release facilities are permitted as a special use in the following zoning district: LI.

B.

Minimum Conditions.

1.

General Requirements.

a.

The applicant shall provide verification from the Department of Corrections (DOC) that the proposed facility is in compliance with DOC standards and applicable state and local regulations.

b.

The site must be accessible by public transportation or an alternative transportation program, approved by the hearing examiner, must be provided to serve the needs of the facility's occupants.

c.

Adequate sewage disposal facilities and water must be provided without diminishing the level of service for system users or others dependent upon the resource.

2.

Location.

a.

Work release facilities shall not be located closer than five hundred feet from the boundary of a district in which the use is not allowed as a special use.

b.

Setbacks. The facility shall be set back at least seventy-five feet from public rights-of-way and property lines.

c.

Landscaping/Buffers.

i.

The applicant shall submit a binding landscaping plan which serves to maintain or enhance the character of the area without jeopardizing security. This plan shall incorporate at least a twenty-five-foot landscaping buffer along public rights-of-way.

ii.

The applicant shall install an eight-foot high fence in character with the neighborhood between the facilities and all property boundaries, with the exception of the landscaped street frontage, which effectively screens the site from adjacent properties. The hearing examiner may waive or lessen this requirement if he/she determines that, due to existing site features or the type of character of adjoining uses, the privacy and security of the occupants of adjoining properties can be maintained in the absence of a fence or with a lower fence.

d.

Noise. The hearing examiner may require conditions to minimize potential noise impacts including, but not limited to, altering the locations of outdoor use areas and noise generating facilities, and installations of noise reducing elements such as walls, berms, and landscaping.

e.

Lighting. Site lighting shall be directed downward and inward or other techniques may be utilized to minimize impacts on off-site uses.

f.

Access. The proposed site shall have direct access to an arterial or collector unless the hearing examiner determines that access via a lesser classifications of street would not be detrimental to neighborhood character and would not increase public safety risks.

(Ord. 11500 § 41, 1997: Ord. 11274 § 2 (part), 1996)