ORD NO. 2020-34 SELF-SERVICE STORAGE FACILITIESPage 1 of 4
ORDINANCE NO. 2020-34
AN ORDINANCE of the City of Bainbridge Island, Washington,
amending Table 18.09.020 and Sections 18.09.030.G and 18.30.020
of the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code related to prohibiting new
self-service storage facilities and adding provisions for expansion of
existing self-service storage facilities.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Bainbridge Island (“City”) updated the
City’s Comprehensive Plan in February of 2017; and
WHEREAS, self-service storage facilities are currently a permitted use in the
Business/Industrial (B/I) and a conditional use in Neighborhood Center (NC) districts within the
City; and
WHEREAS, only 109.23 acres of land on Bainbridge Island are within the B/I district,
which constitutes 0.63% of the total acreage of land on Bainbridge Island; and
WHEREAS, Policy 1.5 of the Economic Element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan
states that “[i]n order to provide opportunities for business enterprise, adequate space must be
provided for efficient use of existing developed areas near public transportation (e.g., ferry, bus
service) and for growth that recognizes and protects the Island’s valued natural amenities, its
limits of land and water and the quality of its residential neighborhoods”; and
WHEREAS, given the limited amount of land within the B/I district, the City Council
has a significant interest in ensuring that the use of such land provides the best opportunities for
business enterprise within the City; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has significant concerns regarding further development of
self-service storage facilities within the B/I district under current regulations in the context of the
vision and goals of the City’s Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has significant concerns regarding whether self-service
storage facilities create family wage jobs as compared to other possible permitted uses within the
B/I district; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has similar concerns regarding self-service storage
facilities located in the NC district as it does with such facilities located in the B/I district; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has concerns that self-service storage uses contribute to
climate change; and
WHEREAS, within the express terms of the Growth Management Act, the Washington
State Legislature has specifically conferred upon the governing bodies of Washington cities the
right to establish and adopt moratoria related to land uses; and
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WHEREAS, on November 26, 2019, the City Council approved Ordinance No. 2019-40
imposing a temporary six-month moratorium on the acceptance of building permit or land use
permit applications for new self-service storage facilities in the B/I NC zoning districts; and
WHEREAS, on May 12, 2020, the City Council conducted a public hearing and adopted
Ordinance No. 2020-12 extending the self-service storage moratorium for six months, to
November 26, 2020; and
WHEREAS, on September 8, 2020, in accordance with the work plan approved with
Ordinance No. 2020-12, City staff presented to the City Council their research on the City’s
existing self-service storage facilities and how this use is regulated in other west Puget Sound
jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, the research showed that the existing self-service storage facilities on
Bainbridge Island directly employ an average of approximately 1-2 persons and that the average
amount of self-service storage used by residents (not businesses) of 9 square feet per person
exceeds the national average of 5.4 square feet per person (Self-Storage Almanac, 2019); and
WHEREAS, after discussing the information presented by staff, the City Council
directed staff to begin work on an ordinance to prohibit new self-service storage facilities and
allow for expansion of existing self-service storage facilities; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission discussed the topic of self-service storage
facilities on September 24, 2020 and October 8, 2020; and
WHEREAS, on October 8, 2020, the Planning Commission set a public hearing for
Ordinance No. 2020-34 on October 29, 2020; and
WHEREAS, on October 27, 2020, the City Council considered scheduling the adoption
of Ordinance No. 2020-34 for a future meeting in anticipation of the public hearing that the
Planning Commission scheduled for October 29, 2020; and
WHEREAS, also on October 27, 2020, the City Council adopted a motion to forward
Ordinance No. 2020-34 to the November 10, 2020 City Council meeting for further
consideration, and to include a Whereas clause related to climate change; and
WHEREAS, anticipating that the adoption of Ordinance No. 2020-34 may not occur on
November 10, 2020, the City Council conducted a public hearing on another ordinance,
Ordinance No. 2020-36, on November 10, 2020 related to extending the self-service storage
moratorium, and the Council, after that public hearing, thereby extended the moratorium for six
months, or until May 26, 2021; and
WHEREAS, after conducting a public hearing on October 29, 2020, the Planning
Commission recommended approval of Ordinance No. 2020-34, with minor revisions, to the
City Council; and
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WHEREAS, City staff completed the SEPA comment and appeal period on Ordinance
No. 2020-34 before returning the ordinance to the City Council for consideration of adoption;
and
WHEREAS, notice on Ordinance No. 2020-34 was given on November 4, 2020, to the
Office of Community Development at the Washington State Department of Commerce in
conformance with RCW 36.70A.106; and
WHEREAS, the City Council considered this Ordinance No. 2020-34 at its meeting on
December 8, 2020.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAINBRIDGE
ISLAND, WASHINGTON, DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Table 18.09.020 of the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code is hereby
amended as shown in Exhibit A.
Section 2. Section 18.09.030.G of the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code is hereby
amended to delete the following text:
4. Self-Service Storage Facilities. In the NC district, self-service storage facilities are a permitted
(“P”) use; provided, that no outdoor storage is visible from abutting properties and public rights-
of-way.
Section 3. Section 18.30.020 of the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code is hereby
amended to read as follows:
A nonconforming use of land may be continued; provided, that:
A. The use is not enlarged, increased, or extended to occupy a greater area of land or structure
than was occupied on the date of adoption of this code; except self-service storage facilities in
existence prior to the effective date of Ordinance No. 2020-34 may expand up to the current
allowed lot coverage. This expansion would be subject to all other required permits and
standards of the BIMC, including requiring a site plan and design review, if applicable; and
Section 4. Severability. Should any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase of this
ordinance, or its application to any person or circumstance, be declared unconstitutional or
otherwise invalid for any reason, or should any portion of this ordinance be preempted by state
or federal law or regulation, such decision or preemption shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this ordinance or its application to other persons or circumstances.
Section 5. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force five (5) days from its
passage and publication as required by law.
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PASSED by the City Council this 8th day of December, 2020.
APPROVED by the Mayor this 8th day of December, 2020.
Leslie Schneider, Mayor
ATTEST/AUTHENTICATE:
FILED WITH THE CITY CLERK: December 4, 2020
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: December 8, 2020
PUBLISHED: December 11, 2020
EFFECTIVE DATE: December 16, 2020
ORDINANCE NUMBER: 2020-34
Attached: Exhibit A
EXHIBIT A
Excerpt Table 18.09.020 Use Table
“P” = Permitted Use “A” = Accessory Use Additional use restrictions for Chapters 16.12 and
16.20 BIMC may apply to shoreline or critical area
properties “C” = Conditional Use “CA” = Conditional Accessory Use
Blank = Prohibited Use “T” = Temporary Use
ZONING DISTRICT
R-
0.4 R-1 R-2 R-
2.9
R-
3.5
R-
4.3 R-5 R-6 R-8 R-
14
Winslow Mixed Use
Town Center HSR
I
and
II
NC B/I WD-
I
Use-
Specific
Standards
BIMC
18.09.030 USE CATEGORY/TYPE CC MA EA Gate Ferry
[1]
Warehouse and Freight Movement
Self-Service Storage Facility C P G-4
18.30.020