18A.10.090 Rural and Resource Zone Classifications.
A. Rural Centers.
1. Purpose. To provide for commercial growth in rural areas and senior or group homes which could provide assisted living for persons who are elderly or disabled. The functions of Rural Centers include serving the retail and other commercial and business needs of the local communities, and providing employment opportunities including those related to tourism and natural resource-based industries at a scale and character appropriate to the rural environment.
2. Description. Rural Centers are concentrations of shopping, services, and employment in rural areas. Nine different Rural Centers zone classifications are recognized: Rural Activity Centers, Rural Industrial Centers, Rural Neighborhood Centers, and Rural Gateway Communities, Village Centers, Tourist Commercial, Village Residential, Essential Public Facility-Rural Airport South, and Essential Public Facility-Rural Airport North.
a. Rural Activity Centers. The Rural Activity Center (RAC) zone classification is a concentration of commercial and industrial businesses that provide goods, services, employment, group homes, and senior housing which meet the needs of a local rural community.
b. Rural Gateway Communities. The Rural Gateway Communities (GC) zone classification includes rural centers located near major recreational facilities, including the entrances to Mt. Rainier National Park, where commercial businesses that provide goods and services, including housing and lodging, meet the needs of a local rural community, visitors, and tourists.
c. Rural Neighborhood Centers. The Rural Neighborhood Center (RNC) zone classification includes areas which have established commercial uses that provide limited convenience shopping and services, meeting the daily needs of the surrounding rural area, immediate access onto state routes, major or secondary arterials.
d. Village Centers. The Village Center (VC) zone classification provides for a compact mix of commercial, civic, and residential uses connected by pedestrian facilities in areas which experience a tourist population such as communities adjacent to Mount Rainier National Park. The zone classification includes commercial and residential uses that provide commercial services and civic facilities to meet the daily needs of the surrounding rural residents and serve a tourist economy.
e. Tourist Commercial. The Tourist Commercial (TC) zone classification provides limited commercial opportunities that are only oriented to tourism such as restaurants, lodging, and rental of recreational equipment. The zone classification is not intended to provide civic activities or meet the daily shopping needs of residents.
f. Village Residential. The Village Residential (VR) zone classification allows for low density residential uses located within a reasonable walking distance of commercial amenities found in a Village Center. Typically, the Village Residential zone classification recognizes existing platting patterns.
g. Essential Public Facility-Rural Airport South and North. The Rural Essential Public Facility-Rural Airport South and North (EPF-RAS and EPF-RAN) zone classification recognizes existing airports classified as essential public facilities in the rural area of the County. New uses are appropriate when consistent with an applicable community plan.
h. Rural Industrial Center. The Rural Industrial Center (RIC) designation/zone allows light industrial uses that are related to food or agriculture or intermediate manufacturing and final assembly. It does not allow heavier industrial uses that produce substantial waste byproducts or wastewater discharge or noise impacts incompatible with a rural area.
B. Rural Residential.
1. Purpose. To provide for rural uses incorporating existing as well as historic patterns of settlement and character. Rural Residential areas function as a buffer between urbanized areas and resource land. They can supply lands that may be added to an urban growth area over time. The Rural Residential zones also allow for commercial and industrial uses related to and dependent upon natural resources and public and commercial recreational and associated uses related to the outdoors, along with rural residential, agricultural, and other resource uses.
2. Description. Eight Rural Residential zone classifications are recognized: Rural Separator, Rural 10, Rural 5, Rural 20, Rural 40, Rural Sensitive Resource, Rural Farm, and Park and Recreation.
a. Rural Separator. The Rural Separator (RSep) zone classification includes rural lands intended as a buffer or separation between urban zone classifications.
b. Rural 10. The Rural 10 (R10) zone classification is intended to provide for rural uses at a rural density.
c. Rural 5. The Rural 5 (R5) zone classification is intended to provide lands for rural uses at a rural density and provide a buffer between urban zone classifications and other lower density rural areas.
d. Rural 20. The Rural 20 (R20) zone classification is intended to provide for rural uses at a rural density and includes rural lands between the Rural 10 classification and the Rural 40 or Forest Lands classifications.
e. Rural 40. The Rural 40 (R40) zone classification is intended to provide for rural uses at the lowest rural density.
f. Rural Sensitive Resource. The Rural Sensitive Resource (RSR) zone classification is intended to provide low density rural residential development in order to protect environmentally sensitive areas such as stream corridors, aquifer recharge areas, and fish and wildlife habitat areas. The RSR classification is applied to parcels that have at least 50 percent of the land area located within a designated open space corridor. Permitted and conditional uses employing low impact development techniques are compatible with the RSR zone. New development within the RSR classification shall utilize low impact development (LID) techniques as outlined in the Pierce County Stormwater Management and Site Development Manual.
g. Rural Farm. The Rural Farm (RF) zone classification is intended to protect agricultural lands that may or may not have soils to qualify as Agricultural Resource Lands (ARL). The Rural Farm classification will reflect the properties that have historically been used for agricultural activities or zoned agriculture that have not been converted to more intensive and incompatible uses or that are currently being used for agricultural activities (which may include non-commercial agricultural or farming activities).
h. Park and Recreation. The Park and Recreation designation is intended to recognize public and private parks, campgrounds, historical sites and other properties improved with park or recreational facilities. Passive or active recreational uses are encouraged. Conversion of lands classified as Park and Recreation to other uses is discouraged.
C. Resource Lands.
1. Purpose. To promote long-term commercially significant resource use.
2. Description. Three categories of Resource Lands are identified. Forest lands and Agricultural Resource Lands are recognized as zone classifications. Mineral Resource lands are recognized by an Overlay (See PCC 18A.10.100.E.).
a. Agricultural Resource Lands. The Agricultural Resource Lands (ARL) zone classification includes land primarily devoted to the commercial production of agricultural products and is applied to parcels outside of urban growth areas that meet certain criteria.
b. Forest Lands. The Forest Lands (FL) zone classification includes land primarily useful for growing trees for commercial purposes, and that has long-term commercial significance for growing trees commercially.
D. Rural Planned Communities.
1. Purpose. To integrate a mix of housing, jobs, services and recreation.
2. Description. There are two Rural Planned Community zone classifications: New Fully Contained Communities and Master Planned Resorts.
a. New Fully Contained Communities. The New Fully Contained Communities (NFCC) zone classification provides for self-contained planned unit developments which integrate a mix of housing, jobs, services and recreation and are proposed through the planned unit development (PUD) permit process. Upon adoption of a Plan Amendment and subsequent approval of the PUD permit, the proposal would be designated within an urban growth area.
b. Master Planned Resorts. The Master Planned Resorts (MPR) zone classification provides for a self-contained and fully integrated planned unit development outside an established Urban Growth Area, in a setting of significant natural amenities, with primary focus on destination resort facilities consisting of short-term visitor accommodations associated with a range of developed on-site indoor and outdoor recreation facilities.
3. Permit Required. Allowed uses in New Fully Contained Community and Master Planned Resort classifications are authorized through an approved planned unit development (PUD) permit (18A.75.050).
E. Other Zone Classifications.
1. Public Institution. The Public Institution zone classification is the implementing zone for the Public Institution land use designation. It is intended to provide for the siting of public-owned facilities and institutions.
2. Park and Recreation. The Park and Recreation zone classification is the implementing zone for the Park and Recreation land use designation. It is intended to provide for the siting of public and private-owned facilities and institutions providing park, recreation, open space, and other activities open to the public on an equal basis.
F. Specific Zone Classifications. The land use designations identified through the Comprehensive Plan or Community Plan as identified below are implemented through specific zones:
1. Pierce County Comprehensive Plan (those rural areas for which a community plan has not been developed or updated since January 1, 1995). See the Use Tables in PCC 18A.17.020.
a. Rural 5: R5
b. Rural Separator: RSep
c. Rural 10: R10
d. Rural 20: R20
e. Rural 40: R40
f. Rural Activity Center: RAC
g. Rural Neighborhood Center: RNC
h. Gateway Community: GC
i. Agricultural Resource Lands: ARL
j. Forest Land: FL
k. Public Institution: PI
l. New Fully Contained Community: NFCC
m. Master Planned Resort: MPR
n. Park and Recreation: PR
o. Rural Farm: RF
2. Upper Nisqually Valley Community Plan. See the Use Tables in PCC 18A.31.020.
a. Rural 10: R10
b. Rural 20: R20
c. Rural 40: R40
d. Gateway Community: VR, VC, TC
e. Agricultural Resource Lands: ARL
f. Forest Land: FL
g. Park and Recreation: PR
h. Rural Farm: RF
3. Gig Harbor Peninsula Community Plan. See the Use Tables in PCC 18A.23.020.
a. Rural 5: R5
b. Rural 10: R10
c. Rural Sensitive Resource: RSR
d. Rural Neighborhood Center: RNC
e. Essential Public Facility-Rural Airport South: EPF-RAS
f. Essential Public Facility-Rural Airport North: EPF-RAN
g. Park and Recreation: PR
h. Rural Farm: RF
4. Graham Community Plan. See the Use Tables in PCC 18A.24.020.
a. Rural 5: R5
b. Rural 10: R10
c. Rural 20: R20
d. Rural Sensitive Resource: RSR
e. Rural Farm: RF
f. Rural Activity Center: RAC
g. Rural Neighborhood Center: RNC
h. Agricultural Resource Lands: ARL
i. Forest Land: FL
j. Park and Recreation: PR
5. Mid-County Community Plan. See the Use Tables in PCC 18A.27.020.
a. Rural Separator: RSep
b. Rural Neighborhood Center: RNC
c. Agricultural Resource Lands: ARL
d. Park and Recreation: PR
e. Rural Farm: RF
6. Key Peninsula Community Plan. See the Use Tables in PCC 18A.26.020.
a. Rural 10: R10
b. Rural Sensitive Resource: RSR
c. Rural Farm: RF
d. Park and Recreation: PR
e. Rural Activity Center: RAC
f. Rural Neighborhood Center: RNC
g. Agricultural Resource Lands: ARL
h. Park and Recreation: PR
7. Alderton-McMillin Community Plan. See the Use Tables in PCC 18A.18.020.
a. Rural Neighborhood Center: RNC
b. Rural 10: R10
c. Rural 20: R20
d. Rural 5: R5
e. Rural Industrial Center: RIC
f. Rural Farm: RF
g. Agricultural Resource Lands: ARL
h. Park and Recreation: PR
8. Anderson and Ketron Islands Community Plan. See the Use Tables in PCC 18A.19.020.
a. Rural Neighborhood Center: RNC
b. Rural 10: R10
c. Rural Farm: RF
d. Agricultural Resource Lanes: ARL
e. Park and Recreation: PR