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NONCONFORMING SITUATIONS
(A) Purpose. This subchapter provides standards and procedures for the continuation of uses and developments that are lawfully established but do not comply with current Code standards ("nonconforming situations"). The Code is intended to protect public health, safety, and general welfare, while allowing reasonable use of private property. The subchapter contains 3 sections as follows:
(B) Applicability. The provisions of this chapter apply to nonconforming situations that were lawfully established. Situations that are nonconforming and were not lawfully established must be lawfully established through the appropriate review procedure. The expansion of nonconforming situations is subject to site design review per §§ 151.250 through 151.256.
(1) Nonconforming uses (e.g., uses not allowed in zone) are subject to division (C);
(2) Nonconforming developments (e.g., structure does not meet minimum setbacks) are subject to division (C); and
(3) Nonconforming lots (e.g., lot is smaller than minimum area standard) are subject to division (D).
(C) Nonconforming use. Where a use of land exists that would not be permitted under the current Code but was lawful at the time it was established, the use may continue, provided it conforms to the following standards:
(1) Limited expansion of nonconforming use. Expansion of a nonconforming use shall not exceed 35% percent of the use, and not more than 35% of the lot area, whichever is less, which existed as of 6-12-2014. Expansion of a nonconforming use requires approval of a Type II site design review per §§ 151.250 through 151.256.
(2) Location of nonconforming use. A nonconforming use shall not be moved in whole or in part from 1 lot to another lot, except as to bring the use into conformance with this Code.
(3) Discontinuation or abandonment of nonconforming use. A nonconforming use that is discontinued for any reason other than fire or other catastrophe beyond the owner's control for a period of more than 12 months shall be deemed abandoned and shall no longer be an allowed use. For purposes of calculating the 12-month period, a use is discontinued upon the first occurrence of any 1 of the following:
(a) The date when the use of land is physically vacated;
(b) The date the use ceases to be actively involved in the sale of merchandise or the provision of services; for example, as evidenced by the removal of signs, goods/stock, or office equipment, or the disconnection of telephone or utility service;
(c) The date of termination of any lease or contract under which the nonconforming use has occupied the land;
(d) The date a request for final reading of water and power meters is made to the applicable utility districts;
(e) The date when the owner's utility bill or property tax bill account became delinquent; or
(f) Where data for events listed in divisions (C)(3)(a) through (C)(3)(e), above, is not available, the date of an event similar to those listed in divisions (C)(3)(a) through (C)(3)(e), above, as determined by the Planning Commission.
(4) Application of code criteria and standards to nonconforming use. Once the city deems a use abandoned pursuant to division (B), any subsequent use of the subject lot shall conform to the current standards and criteria of this Code; the prior use shall not be allowed to resume, in whole or in part, under the same or different ownership/management, and any such activity is a violation of this Code.
(5) Extension of nonconforming status for discontinued use. A nonconforming use that is discontinued shall not be considered abandoned where the Planning Commission grants an extension for repair, including as applicable ongoing, active renovation and efforts to lease the subject property. The owner must request the extension within the 6-month period of discontinuance.
(6) Exceptions. Properties on NW Main Street having commercial zone designations prior to 2023 and listed in Ord. 2023-07-11 are exempt from division (C)(1) above as confirmed by the Planning Director.
(D) Nonconforming development. Nonconforming development includes situations where a development exists on the effective date of adoption or amendment of this Code that could not be built under the terms of the Code, for example, by reason of restrictions on lot area, lot coverage, location on a lot, setbacks, height, yard, equipment, access, parking, landscaping, or other physical restriction or requirement. If the development was lawful when constructed, it may remain on the site so long as it remains otherwise lawful and complies with the following regulations:
(1) Expansion. Any expansion of a nonconforming development shall not exceed 30% of the subject building area or development area, as applicable; for example, such area may include floor area or other surface area, paving, parking spaces, landscaping, outdoor storage, signage, lighting, or other developed areas that existed as of 6-12-2014. Expansion of a nonconforming development requires approval of a Type II site design review per §§ 151.250 through 151.256.
(2) Other alterations. A nonconforming development shall not be enlarged or altered in a way that increases its nonconformity. A development or portion thereof may be enlarged or altered in a way that satisfies the current requirements of this Code or moves in the direction conformity.
(3) Destruction. Should a nonconforming development or nonconforming portion of development be destroyed by any means to an extent more than 50% of its current value as assessed by the Washington County Assessor, it shall be reconstructed only in full conformity with this Code. This does not preclude the reestablishment of a nonconforming use after fire or other catastrophe. See also, division (B).
(4) Roadway access. The owner of a nonconforming driveway approach or access to a public street or highway, upon receiving approval from the applicable roadway authority, may be required as a condition of approval to bring the non-conforming access into conformance with the standards of the roadway authority.
(5) Relocation or removal. Once a nonconforming structure, or a portion thereof, is moved to a different lot, it shall thereafter conform to current Code standards.
(6) Exceptions. Properties on NW Main Street having commercial zone designations prior to 2023 and listed in Ord. 2023-07-11 are exempt from divisions (D)(1) and (D)(2) above as confirmed by the Planning Director.
(E) Nonconforming lot. A legal lot or lot of record, as provided by § 151.005, with an area or dimensions that do not meet the standards of the zone in which the property is located, may be occupied by a use permitted in the zone subject to other requirements of the zone.
(Ord. 2021-08-02, passed 10-12-2021; Am. Ord. 2023-07-03, passed 8-8-2023)
FLOOD DAMAGE PREVENTION
(A) The purpose of this subchapter is to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare, and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas.
(B) Objectives.
(1) To protect human life and health;
(2) To minimize expenditure of public money and costly flood control projects;
(3) To minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public;
(4) To minimize damage public facilities and utilities;
(5) To ensure that those who occupy the areas of special flood hazard assume responsibility for their actions; and
(6) To manage the alteration of special flood hazard areas and stream channels to maintain their natural and beneficial functions.
(C) Methods of reducing flood losses. In order to accomplish these objectives, this subchapter includes methods and provisions for:
(1) Restricting or prohibiting uses which area dangerous to health, safety, and property due to water or erosion control hazards, or which result in damaging increases in erosion or in flood heights or velocities;
(2) Requiring that uses vulnerable to flood, including facilities which serve such uses, be protected against flood damage at the time of initial construction;
(3) Controlling the alteration of natural flood plains, stream channels, and natural protective barriers, which help accommodate or channel flood waters;
(4) Controlling filling, grading, dredging and other development which may increase flood damage; and
(5) Preventing or regulating to construction of flood barriers which will unnaturally divert flood waters or may increase flood hazards in other areas.
(Ord. 2021-08-02, passed 10-12-2021)
For the purpose of this subchapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
APPEAL. A request for a review of the interpretation of any provision of this subchapter or a request for a variance.
AREA OF SHALLOW FLOODING. A designated AO, or AH Zone on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The base flood depths range from 1 to 3 feet; a clearly defined channel does not exist; the path of flooding is unpredictable and indeterminate; and, velocity flow may be evident. AO is characterized as sheet flow and AH indicates ponding.
AREA OF SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD. The land in the flood plain within a community subject to a 1% or greater chance offloading in any given year. Designation on maps always includes the letters A or V.
BASE FLOOD. The flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Also referred to as the "100-year flood." Designation on maps always include the letters A or V.
BASEMENT. Any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.
BELOW-GRADE CRAWL SPACE. An enclosed area below the base flood elevation in which the interior grade is not more than 2 feet below the lowest adjacent exterior grade and the height, measured from the interior grade of the crawlspace to the top of the crawlspace foundation, does not exceed 4 feet at any point.
CONDITIONAL LETTER OF MAP REVISION (CLOMR). A letter from FEMA commenting on whether a proposed project, if built as proposed, would meet the minimum NFIP standards or proposed hydrology changes.
CRITICAL FACILITY. A facility for which even a slight chance of flooding might be too great. Critical facilities include, but are not limited to, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, police, fire and emergency response installations, installations which produce, use or store hazardous materials or hazardous waste.
DEVELOPMENT. Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials located within the area of special flood hazard.
ELEVATED BUILDING. For insurance purposes, a non-basement building which has its lowest elevated floor raised above ground level by foundation walls, shear walls, post, piers, pilings, or columns.
FLOOD or FLOODING. A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
(1) The overflow of inland or tidal waters; and/or
(2) The unusual and rapid accumulation of runoff of surface waters from any source.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM). The official map on which the Federal Insurance Administration has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY. The official report provided by the Federal Insurance Administration that includes flood profiles, the Flood Boundary-Floodway Map, and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
FLOODWAY. The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than 1 foot.
HIGHEST ADJACENT GRADE. The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction, adjacent to the proposed walls of a structure.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE. A structure that is:
(1) Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places (a listing maintained by the U.S. Department of the Interior) or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the requirements for individual listing on the National Register;
(2) Certified or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as contributing to the historical significance of a registered historic district or to a district preliminarily determined by the Secretary to qualify as a registered historic district;
(3) Individually listed on a state inventory of historic places which have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior; or
(4) Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places in communities with historic preservation programs that have been certified by the State of Oregon Historic Preservation Program.
LETTER OF MAP CHANGE (LOMC). An official FEMA determination, by letter, to amend or revise effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps and/or Flood Insurance Studies. LOMCs are issued in the following categories:
(1) LETTER OF MAP AMENDMENT (LOMA). An amendment to the Flood Insurance Rate Maps based on technical data showing that an existing structure or parcel of land that has not been elevated by fill (natural grade) was inadvertently included in the special flood hazard area because of an area of naturally high ground above the base flood.
(2) LETTER OF MAP REVISION (LOMR). A LOMR revises the current Flood Insurance Rate Map and/or Flood Insurance Study to show changes to the floodplains, floodways or flood elevations. LOMRs are generally based on manmade alterations that affected the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in modification to the existing regulatory floodway, the effective base flood elevation, or the special flood hazard areas.
LOWEST FLOOR. The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished or flood resistant enclosure, usable solely for parking of vehicles, building access or storage, in an area other than a basement area, is not considered a building's lowest floor provided that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of the applicable non-elevation design requirements of this subchapter.
MANUFACTURED DWELLING. A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with or without a permanent foundation when attached to the required utilities. The term MANUFACTURED DWELLING does not include a RECREATIONAL VEHICLE.
MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR SUBDIVISION. A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into 2 or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
NEW CONSTRUCTION. Structures for which the "start of construction" commenced on or after the effective date of this subchapter.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE. A vehicle which is:
(1) Built on a single chassis;
(2) Four hundred square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection;
(3) Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light duty truck; and
(4) Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
START OF CONSTRUCTION. Includes substantial improvement, and means the date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, placement or other improvement was within 180 days of the permit date. The actual start means either the first placement of permanent construction of a structure on a site, such as the pouring of slab or footings, the installation of piles, the construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage of excavation; or the placement of a manufactured home on a foundation. Permanent construction does not include land preparation, such as clearing, grading, and filling; nor does it include installation of streets and/or walkways; nor does it include excavation for a basement, footings, foundations or the erection of temporary forms; nor does it include the installation on the property of accessory buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure. For a substantial improvement, the actual start of construction means the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of a building, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.
STRUCTURE. A walled and roofed building, a modular or temporary building, or a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground.
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. Damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before damaged condition would equal or exceed 50% of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT.
(1) Any repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure either:
(a) Before the improvement or repair is started; or
(b) If the structure has been damaged and is being restored, before the damage occurred. For the purposes of this definition, SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT is considered to occur when the first alteration of any way, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building commences, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure.
(2) The term does not, however, include either:
(a) Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the local code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
(b) Any alteration of a structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places or State of Oregon Historic Resources inventory.
VARIANCE. A grant of relief from the requirements of this subchapter which permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited by this chapter.
WATER DEPENDENT. A structure for commerce or industry which cannot exist in any other location and is dependent on the water by reason of the intrinsic nature of its operations.
(Ord. 2021-08-02, passed 10-12-2021)
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